Local News Thursday 21st October

Thursday, 21 October 2021 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The Director of Public Health for Somerset, Trudi Grant, says Covid cases will carry on rising in the county as the fallout from false-negative PCR test results continues. The manager of the Ambulance Service which covers Somerset says he's doing everything he can to improve the service in the County. Two Sea King helicopters, built-in Yeovil, that for the past 30-years have been in service with the Belgian Air Force, are being flown back to Somerset today. The lineup’s been announced for this year’s Ilminster Literary Festival...and more.

The Director of Public Health for Somerset, Trudi Grant, says Covid cases will carry on rising in the county as the fallout from false-negative PCR test results continues. Bath & North East Somerset and Somerset West & Taunton have the highest rates of COVID in England. The Mendip area has the fourth-highest number of cases. Trudi Grant says it’s vital that people act responsibly to limit the further spread of Covid.

The manager of the Ambulance Service which covers Somerset says he's doing everything he can to improve the service in the County. Response times in the South West were the worst in England last month. Chief Executive of the South Western Ambulance Service Will Warrender says he's working hard to recruit more staff.

Two Sea King helicopters, built-in Yeovil, that for the past 30-years have been in service with the Belgian Air Force, are being flown back to Somerset today. The helicopters have been acquired to add to the collection of military aircraft at Historic Helicopters in Chard.

One of the oldest pubs in South Somerset has been put up for sale. The Wyndham Arms at Kingsbury Episcopi, built-in 1640, has two beer garden areas, a large car park, and a living area with three bedrooms.

The lineup’s been announced for this year’s Ilminster Literary Festival. More than twenty published authors have been booked to appear at the Festival that runs from the 10th to the 14th of November with a variety of venues in Ilminster taking part.

Farm buildings, converted for accommodation at the Newt Hotel near Bruton, have been voted the ‘Best Place to Stay in the South West’ in a poll conducted by the Sunday Times. ‘The Farmyard’ at the Newt has 17 bedrooms and an indoor oak-framed swimming pool and has only been open for bookings since June this year.

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Work starts today building a new eastbound carriageway as part of dualling the A303 between Sparkford and Podimore. A childhood obesity clinic in Somerset has revealed that it is treating children as young as eight months old. Somerset Wildlife Trust has launched a campaign to recruit an army of young people to act as conservation champions...and more.
Thursday 18th April

A Martock man has been jailed after admitting to shining lasers at aircraft flying over Yeovil. Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the TK Maxx store at Babylon Hill. Nearly four hundred people have put their names forward for redundancy at Somerset Council...and more.
Wednesday 17 April

Three local primary schools have been named on a list of England's top five hundred primary schools. A new co-working space for businesswomen has opened in Wincanton. Urgent repairs are being carried out to Ilminster's new public clock after it started showing the wrong time...and more
Tuesday 16th April

A new operator has been found to run a Chard care home that has been at risk of closure. A licence has been granted to run a new music festival in West Dorset. People have until midnight tonight to register for a vote in the election for a Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset...and more.
Monday 15th April

Four people have been arrested as part of an investigation into the illegal supply of prescription-only drugs in Yeovil. A Yeovil man has appeared in court in connection with two burglaries in Langport. A well-known farm and restaurant business in South Petherton has been put up for sale. New figures have shown a further decline in the number of House Sparrows in Somerset...and more.
Friday 12th April

Yeovil Town will play National League football next season after beating Truro 2-0 last night to win promotion and the National League South title. Somerset Council says the cost of keeping Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre closed has risen to £140,000 a year. A holiday website has reported a 31 percent upturn in visitor numbers to Somerset...and more.
Thursday 11th April

Yeovil Town get another chance tonight to clinch promotion when they play away against Truro. Citizens Advice in Somerset says people are continuing to struggle with the cost of living. Some of England’s loudest voices will be heard in Yeovil later this month when the town's annual town crier competition takes place...and more,
Wednesday 10th April

A former sub-postmaster from Wincanton says she's having to work a 70-hour week to pay off debts she incurred due to the Post Office IT scandal. Two people have been fined for illegal fishing in Yeovil. Images of wildlife taken by a photographer in Somerton have been chosen to feature on a new set of charity cards...and more.