Local News Thursday 23rd June

Thursday, 23 June 2022 06:00

Somerset County Council is warning that some primary schools in rural areas may have to close due to a fall in the county’s birth rate. South Somerset District Council is to spend a further £1.3m on top of the £1.6m already allocated to make its leisure centres ‘greener’. Work is about to start on repairs to Langport's historic Hanging Chapel. Local businesses have an opportunity to promote their products and services at a new event to be held in Yeovil next month...and more.

Somerset County Council is warning that some primary schools in rural areas may have to close due to a fall in the county’s birth rate. The council predicts there will be 476 fewer primary-age pupils in Somerset by 2026, a drop of 8.6 per cent compared to the number of primary-age pupils at present. In financial terms, the council would receive £16.2m less funding from the Department for Education to run primary schools.

South Somerset District Council is to spend a further £1.3m on top of the £1.6m already allocated to make its leisure centres ‘greener’. The money will be invested in decarbonizing Wincanton Sports Centre in Wincanton, and both Goldenstones Leisure Centre and Westlands Sports and Leisure Centre in Yeovil. Each of the buildings will be fitted with solar panels and air source heat pumps, which the council estimates will save around 435 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

Work is about to start on repairs to Langport's historic Hanging Chapel. The grade one listed structure was damaged back in April when a lorry tried to squeeze through it narrow archway.

Local businesses have an opportunity to promote their products and services at a new event to be held in Yeovil next month. The Yeovil Business Fair is the first event of its kind to be organized by the Yeovil Chamber of Commerce. It takes place at the Yeovil Innovation Centre on Thursday 7th and Friday 8th of July.

A father and daughter have set up a fishing group in Somerton to entice older people to be more active. Becky and Steve Bostock are offering retired people the chance to be involved in coarse fishing sessions at a local lake, as a way of overcoming isolation. Becky, who works for Age UK Somerset, says angling is good for older people’s mental and physical health, as well as being a great social activity.

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Wednesday 20th May

People in Somerset are being encouraged to get their cholesterol checked to cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes. A Chard man has appeared in court charged with using threatening behaviour. A gardener from Somerset has won a silver award at the Chelsea Flower Show... and more
Tuesday 19th May

A Somerset car boot business says it will no longer accept twenty-pound notes after being handed counterfeit notes.Taunton Flower Show is warning this year’s event could be its last. Numatic, makers of the Henry vacuum cleaner, have invested one-and-a-half million pounds installing new solar panels at their factory in Chard... and more
Monday 18th May

The RSPCA is investigating after eleven newborn puppies were abandoned in Snowdon Park in Chard. Major funding has been announced for a new two-year arts programme in Yeovil. Plans have been unveiled to improve sports facilities at Somerton Recreation Ground...and more
Friday 15th May

A fire that damaged two vehicles in Chaffcombe near Chard is being treated as deliberate. A road in Hardington Mandeville is set to re-open today after being closed for three days. Friends, family and colleagues of a Royal Navy officer based at RNAS Yeovilton are taking on a 630-mile coastal challenge in her memory... and more
Thursday 14th May

Somerset Council has defended spending nineteen million pounds on consultants over the past three years. A new clinic specialising in sexual health has opened in Yeovil. RNAS Yeovilton has been in the TV spotlight this week after featuring on Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr...and more
Wednesday 13th May

Concern's been expressed that too many of the 580 new council homes being built in Somerset will be clustered around Taunton and Bridgwater. Police are appealing for witnesses after a woman died following a crash on the M5. Haynes Motor Museum has been awarded £180,000 by The National Lottery to transform its Red Room gallery... and more
Tuesday 12th May

A member of Yeovil Town Council has appeared in court charged with two counts of assault. Health professionals in Somerset are urging people to take up the offer of a free NHS health check. Organisers of Somerset Day have welcomed the name Dunkery given to the dragon on the county flag...and more