Local News Thursday 17th November

Thursday, 17 November 2022 06:00

One in ten nursing posts in the South West is unfilled, according to NHS England figures. Local shop owners say they're 'pleasantly surprised' at how busy they are in the run-up to Christmas. People on low incomes, care leavers and foster carers are set to benefit from a council tax reduction scheme being introduced in Somerset from next April. The owners of Magdalen Farm near Chard have been thanked for providing a day of activities to a group of children with autism...and more.

One in ten nursing posts in the South West is unfilled, according to NHS England figures. The Royal College of Nursing says well-being in the workforce is at an all-time low. Its members have voted to go on strike in a row over pay.

Local shop owners say they're 'pleasantly surprised' at how busy they are in the run-up to Christmas. It was thought the cost of living crisis would affect spending at local shops, but the Director of Clarks Village in Street, Chris Davis, says he's optimistic about the festive season

People on low incomes, care leavers and foster carers are set to benefit from a council tax reduction scheme being introduced in Somerset from next April. A single person with an income below £95 a week and a couple with two children on a weekly income below £260 will pay no council tax at all. Some families with an income below £500 a week will also be eligible for support. Care leavers under 25 will continue to be exempt from council tax and registered foster carers and qualifying guardians will get a 50% reduction. The scheme will start with the launch of the new Somerset unitary Council on April 1st of next year

The owners of Magdalen Farm near Chard have been thanked for providing a day of activities to a group of children with autism. Children from the charity, ASCap, were kept busy with a woodland adventure and orienteering with low ropes. Magdalen Farm, which is fully adapted for children with additional needs, can be found on the B3162 near Winsham.

Radio Ninesprings afternoon Presenter, Victoria Welton, has progressed through to the finals of this year’s South West Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards. Victoria, a previous winner of the award on two occasions, will find out when the winners are announced on Monday next week if she has notched up a hat trick of wins.

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Friday 27 March

There's been a big improvement in ambulance response times in Somerset. Three local people have been charged with offences linked to the theft and supply of prescription-only drugs. A fragment of a jawbone found in a cave in Cheddar Gorge appears to show that humans kept dogs as pets as far back as 5,000 years ago... and more
Thursday 26th March

Somerset Council is offering food vouchers during the school easter holidays to families whose children receive free school meals. A local man has been charged in connection with an incident involving a firearm in Yeovil. The Environment Agency says it could take up to 10 years to protect homes at Holway House Park and Home Farm Park in Ilminster from flooding...and more.
Wednesday 25th March

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has raised concerns in the House of Commons about the planned closure of Yeovil Hospital’s hyper-acute stroke unit. Police in Yeovil are appealing for information after a man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm. A 13-year-old terrier named Mole has been rescued after becoming trapped underground...and more
Tuesday 24th March

Yeovil College has received a glowing report following an Ofsted inspection. The main road between Chard and Ilminster is to be better protected from flooding. A six-thousand-year-old wooden walkway has been uncovered on the Somerset Levels... and more
Monday 23rd March

A wildcat helicopter belonging 815 Squadron based at RNAS Yeovilton has been in action tracking two Russian ships in the English Channel. People living in Somerset will have to pay to use Dorset’s household waste recycling centres from today. A road in Ilminster has closed to traffic today and will stay shut for the next ten days... and more
Friday 20th March

Police are appealing for witnesses to a three-vehicle crash in Sherborne. The jobs of housing maintenance staff at Somerset Council could be outsourced to a private contractor. A pie throwing event is taking place in Chard today for Red Nose Day ... and more
Thursday 19th March

Farmers in Somerset say they're struggling after a doubling in the price of red diesel. Yeovil MP Adam Dance has criticised Donald Trump over his comments about people with learning disabilities. A Somerset woman whose father was killed in a crash on the M5 is running the London Marathon to raise money for South West Ambulance...and more
Wednesday 18th March

The murder of a two-week-old baby by his father at Yeovil Hospital could not have been predicted, according to a new report. A road in Ilminster is to close to traffic for eleven days later this month. A new Post Office counter is to open in Somerton... and more