Tuesday 19th September

Tuesday, 19 September 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Police are investigating an attack on an elderly man in Ilton. Sixty-five local jobs have been created with the opening of a new McDonalds near Ilminster. A recruitment campaign has been launched for gritter drivers, to keep Somerset’s roads safe this winter...and more.

Police are investigating an attack on an elderly man in Ilton. It happened in Ilton Play Park off Copse Lane on Wednesday, August 23rd but has only now been made public. The man, in his seventies, was treated in hospital after falling onto play equipment when he was pushed to the ground by a youth said to be aged seventeen, white, six foot tall, of slim build with short dark hair, and wearing a black T-shirt. Anyone who witnessed the attack or who can help the police with information is asked to call the non-emergency number 101.

A man from Somerset - whose mother took her own life when he was just fifteen - says more conversations about mental health need to be had to prevent young people from considering suicide. Guy Locke is preparing to run the southwest coastal path next month in memory of his mother and to raise money for the suicide prevention charity Papyrus.

Sixty-five local jobs have been created with the opening this week of a new McDonalds near Ilminster. The restaurant and drive-through on the Southfields Enterprise Park off the A303 starts serving customers on Thursday at 11 a.m.

People in Somerset are being urged to check their electoral registration details or risk losing their chance to vote. Letters are being sent to all households as part of the annual canvass by Somerset Council to keep the register up-to-date and identify those at risk of losing their voice at elections.

A recruitment campaign’s been launched for gritter drivers to keep Somerset’s roads safe this winter. Drivers will be offered temporary contracts to cover the winter maintenance season, starting in November. Applicants should have a valid winter maintenance qualification or experience.

Yeovil disabled athlete, Jules Allen, has won both bronze and silver in wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby at the Invictus Games. Jules says this will be his last Invictus and is looking for a new role to stay involved with the event.

More from News

Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more