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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Local News Friday 24th June
Two new wellbeing centres have opened in Somerset to help farmers who often work in isolation and have little time to access healthcare. A 12-year-old boy has been arrested in Langport in connection with a spate of crimes and acts of anti-social behavior. Planning permission has been granted to Yetminster Scout Group to build a new scout hut off Sussex Farm Way in Yetminster. There are just 100 days left to spend the last of the Bank of England's paper banknotes before they cease to be legal tender and a new exhibition has opened in Crewkerne looking at the issue of climate change and wh
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Local News Wednesday 22nd June
With the gates opening today at Glastonbury Festival, motorists planning to travel near to Pilton are being advised to leave plenty of time to complete their journeys. Rising fuel prices are putting charities like the Yeovil-based Freewheelers Emergency Voluntary Service under pressure. A farm safety event has been held in Yeovil to encourage local farmers to take matters of Healthy and Safety more seriously. A new report is soon to be published on building a new relief road on the eastern side of Chard and a former Yeovil Town footballer has had his dream fulfilled of playing for England.
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Local News Tuesday 21st June
The head of tourism in Somerset says this week’s rail strikes will have a major impact on local tourism. Plans have been submitted to open a new NHS facility for children with autism and learning disabilities in Yeovil. A company that runs public swimming pools in Somerset says it's having difficulty sourcing supplies of chlorine. Farmfest planned to take place in Bruton in late July, has been cancelled due to poor ticket sales. A new national charity's been set up in the South West to support retired public service animals...andmore.
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Local News Monday 20th June
Yeovil Hospital has been given nearly ten million pounds of government funding to help it become more carbon neutral. Plans have been submitted to add two new floor levels to a former restaurant in Yeovil town centre. Communities and local businesses in Somerset could benefit from seven million pounds as part of the government's national Levelling Up agenda. The life of two barn owls on the Blackdown Hills is being streamed via a webcam set up by Somerset Wildlife Trust...and more.
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Local News Friday 17th June
Age UK in Somerset is urging elderly people to take extra precautions in today’s expected high temperatures. A former care home in Yeovil could become a shared home for up to twenty people. Children in Ilminster are to get a new play area. A new study suggests thousands of properties in Somerset may have to be abandoned due to rising sea levels and climate change. Yeovil singer-songwriter Dave Woan is hoping for musical success with a new album he’s brought out and the annual Petherton Folk Fest returns tomorrow after a gap of two years due to Covid.
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Local News Thursday 16th June
Egg producers in Somerset are calling for more recognition of the financial difficulties facing the sector. An online petition has been launched to protect Langport’s historic Hanging Chapel from further damage. The post of Chief Executive at the new Somerset unitary council will be advertised with a salary of up to £200,000. Taxi drivers in South Somerset have applied for an increase in the fares they charge. Taxis drivers in South Somerset have applied for an increase in the fares they charge...and more.
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Local News Wednesday 15th June
A report has been published into last June's major flood event in Chard. Somerset County Council says it was a 1-in-300 year occurrence with 'extremely severe' rainfall. A Chard man has appeared in court charged with drink driving. Waste and recycling crews in Somerset are out collecting on their rounds earlier than normal today. Sherborne’s Recycling Centre is closed to the public today and a restaurant in Bruton has been named as one of the top 100 in the country.
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Local News Tuesday 14th June
Pharmacies in Chard could be told to open on Sundays to provide better access for patients. The government’s new food strategy for England has been given a cautious welcome by a local farmer. Figures from the Health and Safety Executive show eight people died on farms in the South West in 2020. The NSPCC is calling for more early prevention to tackle a rise in cases of child cruelty and neglect...and more.
