Yeovil’s Marlie Packer was among the try scorers in England’s win against Canada to go through to the final of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. A Wincanton man has appeared in court charged with raping and kidnapping a woman. The South Western Ambulance Service which operates in Yeovil and across South Somerset has the longest wait times in the country for speaking with an operator in an emergency. Yeovil’s Octagon theatre is set to benefit from new arts funding...and more.
Yeovil’s Marlie Packer was among the try scorers in England’s win against Canada to go through to the final of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. The final score was England 26 - Canada 19. England now play the hosts New Zealand in the final next Saturday. Marlie Packer began her playing career with Yeovil Rugby Club.
A Wincanton man has appeared in court charged with raping and kidnapping a woman. Gary Bridger of Dancing Lane was appearing at Bournemouth Crown Court. The charges relate to incidents on July 7th in Sherborne. Bridger, who pleaded not guilty will stand trial on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023.
The South Western Ambulance Service which operates in Yeovil and across South Somerset has the longest wait times in the country for speaking with an operator in an emergency. It takes almost one minute on average for ambulance control staff to answer a 999 call compared with just five seconds at the West Midlands Ambulance Service. South Western Ambulance says it’s recruiting more call handlers to help speed up answering 999 calls.
Yeovil’s Octagon theatre is set to benefit from new arts funding. The Arts Council has announced £111 million of new funding, with the Octagon in Yeovil, South West Heritage Trust and Somerset Arts Works in our area getting a small but not insignificant share of the money.
Local TV personality, Sarah Beeny, who lives near Bruton, is urging people undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer not to feel ashamed when they lose their hair. Sarah, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer, says if someone has breast cancer and is being treated, the fact they’ve no hair is not a reason to be ashamed. She says people who are bald are often stereotyped, which is something that she is now campaigning to change.
A new website has been launched to support people in Somerset with mental health issues. One of Yeovil’s oldest pubs has been sold. Artwork on the theme of aviation produced by students at Yeovil College has gone on display at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil.A pupil at Tatworth Primary School near Chard has won a prize in a national competition for writing a book review...and more
Work laying a gas main on the A37 Dorchester Road near the Quicksilver Mail roundabout in Yeovil is to continue for a further two months. Somerset Council says the public toilets in Yeovil bus station will close at the end of the month but the waiting room will stay open temporarily. Former Yeovil Town Captain, Josh Staunton, has set up in business as a professional gardener...and more.
Somerset Council seeking to save £40 million by cutting one thousand jobs says 201 employees have so far applied to leave the authority based on voluntary redundancy. East Somerset Railway near Shepton Mallet has been used for filming the TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper's novel Rivals. An old-style red phone box in Castle Cary is being turned into Somerset's smallest museum...and more
Somerset's Chief Medical Officer says GP surgeries using healthcare professionals alongside doctors to provide treatments has freed up GP appointments. A farmer has been fined £15,000 for polluting a household water supply. Avon and Somerset’s new Police and Crime Commissioner has officially started work in the role. Chard Post Office is closed today for the handover of the business to new owners...and more.
Health inspectors have criticised Somerset's maternity services, including those at Yeovil Hospital. Somerset Council says re-opening Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre in its original form could cost up to £200,000 if a multi-million-pound upgrade of the building falls through. A film made by a Yeovil man on a budget of just five thousand pounds was screened at the prestigious British Independent Film Festival...and more.
The Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard says it needs an immediate injection of £100,000 to keep going. Yeovil’s Marlie Packer has returned to Yeovil Rugby Club where she began her rugby career 20 years ago. Twenty-five Town criers from across the South will be in Ilminster tomorrow competing in the annual Ilminster Town Criers' Competition...and more.
Train services through Somerset are again being disrupted today due to continued strike action by the train driver’s union ALSEF. A campaign has been launched in Somerset aimed at stopping people overdosing on opioids. A Somerset business is raising a smile with its name.‘Top Of The Clops’, a tack shop near Taunton has won a place in the top ten of the UK’s funniest business names...and more.
A woman driver has been told she faces a prison term for causing the deaths of two people in a crash on the A303. The AA says there are more potholes than ever on Somerset’s motorway network, leading to an increase in damage to vehicles. The new cancer treatment unit at Yeovil Hospital should be open before the end of the year...and more.
Friday 17th May
Thursday 16th May
Wednesday 15th May
Tuesday 14th May
Monday 13th May
Friday 10th May
Thursday 9th May
Wednesday 8th May
