Local News Thursday 17th August

    Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh is blocking plans to divert five million pounds away from regenerating the former cattle market and Glovers Walk in Yeovil. A campaign’s been launched in Somerset to help hedgehogs get around more easily. The actor James Purefoy will switch on the Christmas Lights in Ilminster this year...and more.

    Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh is blocking plans to divert five-million pounds of government funding away from regenerating the former cattle market and Glovers Walk in Yeovil. Somerset Council has asked the Department of Communities for the money to be re-allocated to the Yeovil Refresh Project which is four million pounds over budget with further investment needed to pay for unplanned works. Mr Fysh says the five-million pounds was given specifically to help with re-purposing the Cattle Market and Glovers Walk, and should be spent on those projects.

    A campaign’s been launched in Somerset to make it easier for hedgehogs to get around more easily. Currently, they have difficulty moving between gardens due to fences blocking their way. Now, two animal charities have launched a campaign aimed at persuading fencing manufacturers to produce fences with hedgehog entry points to allow the animals to move about more freely. 

    The British Disabled Strongman and Strongwoman championships take place in Chard next weekend. Disabled athletes from across the UK will be in the town competing to be Britain’s strongest disabled man and woman. The event's being held at Holyrood Academy on the 26th and 27th of August.

    This year’s Christmas lights in Ilminster will be switch-on by the actor James Purefoy. Organisers say a twenty-foot-high Christmas tree they plan for the town centre will be the tallest in Somerset.

    Organisers of the village newsletter in Donyatt have been presented with a cheque for four hundred pounds. The money was raised by Donyatt Flower Club and will be used to pay the running costs of producing the newsletter.

    More from News

    • Thursday 1st May

      There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape. A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus at Fairmead School in Yeovil by running the London Marathon. Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey...and more.

    • Wednesday 30th April

      The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes off Bunford Lane in Yeovil. Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025...and more.

    • Tuesday 29th April

      New figures have shown that registering as a new patient with an NHS dentist in Somerset is still just as difficult as it was six months ago. The go-ahead has been given to build 160 new houses on Station Road in Castle Cary. A sailor from South Petherton has been chosen to lead a team in the round-the-world Clipper Race...and more.

    • Monday 28th April

      Somerset Council is being criticised for taking too long to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. The Liberal Democrats have won a seat on Chard Town Council by one vote. Dates have been announced for this year’s illuminated carnival processions in South Somerset...and more.

    • Friday 25th April

      Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more

    •  Thursday 24th April

      Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.

    • Wednesday 23rd April

      Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.

    • Tuesday 22nd April

      The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Sunny intervals

      High: 27°C | Low: 11°C

    • Chard

      Sunny intervals

      High: 25°C | Low: 10°C

    • Crewkerne

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      High: 25°C | Low: 10°C

    • Somerton

      Sunny intervals

      High: 27°C | Low: 11°C

    • Wincanton

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      High: 27°C | Low: 11°C

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