A Yeovil care home has been placed in special measures following a damning report by the Care Quality Commission. Work to regenerate Yeovil town centre is set to begin more than a year later than first planned. The owners of Kilver Court shopping outlet in Shepton Mallet have decided to sell the site. Somerset distance runner, Hannah Taunton, is being tipped for honours at the Tokyo Paralympics.
A Yeovil care home has been placed in special measures following a damning report by the Care Quality Commission. Ferns Nursing Home in St Michaels Avenue in Yeovil was inspected in May and given the lowest possible rating of inadequate. Inspectors found numerous faults in the way the home was run, including that Covid risk assessments had not been undertaken in line with published guidance. The home now has now been given six months in which to address the CQC’s findings or face possible closure. A spokesperson for the operators, Almondsbury Care Ltd, said a comprehensive action plan had been drawn up and significant progress made in implementing the plan
Work to regenerate Yeovil town centre is set to begin more than a year later than first planned. South Somerset District Council had promised the first phase of Yeovil Refresh involving pavement improvements to Westminster Street would begin last summer. The date was then moved to late 2020 and then to June this year. The Council blames the delay in finalising road closure arrangements with Somerset County Council. SSDC now says the improvement works to Westminster Street will begin in September.
The owners of Kilver Court shopping outlet in Shepton Mallet have decided to sell the site due to the challenges of the pandemic. It was bought 25 years ago as the headquarters for Mulberry. Many of the businesses there, including the Great House, the Fashion Emporium, the Plant Nursery and the Garden Kitchen Restaurant will close in three weeks time.
Somerset distance runner, Hannah Taunton, is being tipped for honours at the Tokyo Paralympics. When the games get underway next week, Hannah will compete in the T20 1500 meters. Her coach Charlotte Fisher thinks she stands a good chance at making the podium.
It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more