Local News Thursday 7th April

Thursday, 7 April 2022 06:00

A group of people loading an Armishaws Removals van in Wincanton with the donations that then reached Ukrainian refugees.

A Wincanton business owner has received a letter of thanks for helping with the Ukrainian refugee crisis. A man who lives in Montecute near Yeovil has been given a nineteen-week prison sentence for theft. Police are investigating a break-in at a property in Longburton near Sherborne. The Royal National Institute of Blind People is asking people to be mindful of the dangers facing partially sighted people when they are out walking. The Somerset Otter Group is looking for volunteers to help with a survey at the end of the month....and more.

A Wincanton business owner has received a letter of thanks for helping with the Ukrainian refugee crisis. Ukrainian woman, Sofia Kobilnyk expressed her gratitude in writing to Lloyd Armishaw, owner of Armishaws Removals, for sending his vehicles over to Poland with regular deliveries of clothing, food, and toiletries, donated by people in the Wincanton area.

A man who lives in Montecute near Yeovil has been given a nineteen-week prison sentence for theft. Appearing before magistrates in Swindon, Benjamin Holt, of Lower Hyde Road in Montacute, pleaded guilty to stealing items from retail outlets in Marlborough in October last year. At the same hearing, Holt was handed an eight-month driving ban for driving a vehicle without insurance on the same day as the thefts.

Police are investigating a break-in at a property in Longburton near Sherborne. It happened at around 3.30 pm on Tuesday, April 5th when the thieves searched a car parked on the drive of the property and then forced open a shed and stole an electric drill. Anyone with information that could help the police is asked to call the non-emergency number 101.

The Royal National Institute of Blind People is asking people to be mindful of the dangers facing partially sighted people when they are out walking. The organisation says e-scooters, street furniture and advertising boards are major problems for people with limited sight.

The Home Office has announced funding of five-million pounds to the Avon and Somerset Police Violence Reduction team to continue with their work. The unit was launched in 2019 to tackle the root causes of serious violence, working with the community and voluntary organisations.

The Somerset Otter Group is looking for volunteers to help with a survey at the end of the month. It's the first time in two years that proper checks have been made for signs of otters living in Somerset rivers.

Chard Hockey Club's men's team is celebrating after completing a whole season without losing a game. The side has had ten home wins, eleven away wins, scored 135 goals and has ended the season top of the Men’s Hockey Parrett Division One League.

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Thursday 16th May

Work laying a gas main on the A37 Dorchester Road near the Quicksilver Mail roundabout in Yeovil is to continue for a further two months. Somerset Council says the public toilets in Yeovil bus station will close at the end of the month but the waiting room will stay open temporarily. Former Yeovil Town Captain, Josh Staunton, has set up in business as a professional gardener...and more.
Wednesday 15th May

Somerset Council seeking to save £40 million by cutting one thousand jobs says 201 employees have so far applied to leave the authority based on voluntary redundancy. East Somerset Railway near Shepton Mallet has been used for filming the TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper's novel Rivals. An old-style red phone box in Castle Cary is being turned into Somerset's smallest museum...and more
Tuesday 14th May

Somerset's Chief Medical Officer says GP surgeries using healthcare professionals alongside doctors to provide treatments has freed up GP appointments. A farmer has been fined £15,000 for polluting a household water supply. Avon and Somerset’s new Police and Crime Commissioner has officially started work in the role. Chard Post Office is closed today for the handover of the business to new owners...and more.
Monday 13th May

Health inspectors have criticised Somerset's maternity services, including those at Yeovil Hospital. Somerset Council says re-opening Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre in its original form could cost up to £200,000 if a multi-million-pound upgrade of the building falls through. A film made by a Yeovil man on a budget of just five thousand pounds was screened at the prestigious British Independent Film Festival...and more.
Friday 10th May

The Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard says it needs an immediate injection of £100,000 to keep going. Yeovil’s Marlie Packer has returned to Yeovil Rugby Club where she began her rugby career 20 years ago. Twenty-five Town criers from across the South will be in Ilminster tomorrow competing in the annual Ilminster Town Criers' Competition...and more.
Thursday 9th May

Train services through Somerset are again being disrupted today due to continued strike action by the train driver’s union ALSEF. A campaign has been launched in Somerset aimed at stopping people overdosing on opioids. A Somerset business is raising a smile with its name.‘Top Of The Clops’, a tack shop near Taunton has won a place in the top ten of the UK’s funniest business names...and more.
Wednesday 8th May

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