Local News Tuesday 14th March

    Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to promote the case for Leonardo in Yeovil to be awarded a contract to build a new medium-lift helicopter for the British armed forces. Avon and Somerset Police need more volunteer police officers. The Yeovil-based charity ‘School in a Bag’ has provided over one thousand packs of aid to children affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria...and more.

    Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has had a face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to promote the case for Leonardo in Yeovil to be awarded the contract to build a new medium-lift helicopter for the British armed forces. Leonardo is offering to build forty-four AW149s to replace the RAF’s ageing fleet of Puma aircraft in a contract worth one-point-two billion pounds. Mr Fysh told the PM that not only had Leonardo introduced a production line at its Yeovil factory to build the new helicopters but that winning the order would have a hugely beneficial impact on supply chains across the whole of the South West. The other companies shortlisted to bid for the contract are Boeing, Airbus and Lockheed Martin. 

    Avon and Somerset Police need more volunteer police officers. Special Constables, as they're known, hold the same powers as regular police officers and work alongside them to prevent and detect crime. 

    The Head of Preston School in Yeovil, Greg Morrison is moving to a new job as Director of Secondary Education and Standards at The Priory Learning Trust. Mr Morrison will leave Preston School at Easter after eight years in charge. 

    The Yeovil-based charity, ‘School in a Bag’ says it’s provided over one thousand packs of aid for children affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

    A hair and beauty salon in Ilminster has won a top national award. Transformations Hair at Eaglewood Park was presented with the Best Boutique of the Year award at the Professional Beauty Awards held in London.

    More from News

    • Friday 13th March

      The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more

    • Thursday 12th March

      A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more

    • Wednesday 11th March

      Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more

    • Tuesday 10th March

      Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more

    • Monday 9th March 

      Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more

    • Friday 6th March

      Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more

    • Thursday 5th March

      Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more

    • Wednesday 4th March

      A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Medium-level cloud

      High: 11°C | Low: 8°C

    • Chard

      Medium-level cloud

      High: 11°C | Low: 8°C

    • Crewkerne

      Medium-level cloud

      High: 11°C | Low: 8°C

    • Somerton

      Medium-level cloud

      High: 12°C | Low: 9°C

    • Wincanton

      Medium-level cloud

      High: 11°C | Low: 8°C

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