Local News Tuesday 15th August

Tuesday, 15 August 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has joined the fight to keep open Yeovil leather firm Pittards. Plans to build six new homes at Whitelackington have been turned down. A studio has opened in Ilminster, aimed at helping people to upcycle clothing and create new designs. A new way of offering spiritual guidance to older people is being trialled by the Diocese of Bath and Wells...and more.

The fight to save Yeovil leather manufacturer Pittards from closure is far from over according to Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh. The company that employs around 230 staff at its factory on Sherborne Road was put into the hands of administrators last week after failing to raise one-point-one million pounds in cash to keep it afloat. Marcus Fysh believes Pittards has a future and says he’s working with the administrators to explore options for keeping the business going.

Plans to build six new homes at Whitelackington near Ilminster have been turned down. Somerset Council gave highway safety concerns as one reason for rejecting the proposed development off Hanning Close.

A new studio has opened in Ilminster, aimed at helping people to upcycle clothing and create new designs. Sew What! launched last week after receiving cash from a start-up loan programme.

People in Chard are being asked for their views on a proposed new housing development on the town’s northern edge. If it goes ahead, sixty-seven homes would be built between the A358 Furnham Road and Chaffcombe Lane. The consultation is being led by Greenslade Taylor Hunt and can be accessed via their website.

A new way of offering spiritual guidance to older people is being trialled by the Diocese of Bath and Wells. It's setting up a team of so-called 'Anna Chaplains' specifically to help older people worried about what happens at the end of their lives.

The Duke of York pub in Shepton Beauchamp has been put up for sale with a price tag of five-hundred-and-fifty-thousand pounds. It has a main bar, a thirty-seater restaurant, four self-contained ensuite letting rooms and a skittle alley.

Yeovil Lions and Options have raised ten thousand pounds for the Yeovil Breast Cancer Unit Appeal with a charity event held at Lanes Hotel in West Coker. The donation has taken the total raised for the new unit so far to more than two-point-four million pounds.

More from News

Monday 15th June

People in Somerset are being asked to take part in a new survey about alcohol use. Yeovil's MP Adam Dance will lead a debate in Parliament today on NHS dentistry. A Yeovil runner has been selected to represent England at a national endurance championship... and more
Friday 12th June

It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Thursday 11th June

Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
Wednesday 10th June

The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
Tuesday 9th June

The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Monday 8th June

Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more