Local News Tuesday 24th May

Tuesday, 24 May 2022 06:00

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has welcomed the decision to give four local schools a share of an improvement fund worth nearly £500 million. People in Somerset are being advised to check their blood pressure by borrowing a monitor from their local library, including Yeovil Library. Ilminster is planning to stage a mass singing of the National Anthem to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. A Yeovil man has moved to Tanzania to teach English and Maths at a school in the town of Arusha...and more.

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has welcomed the decision to give four local schools a share of an improvement fund worth nearly £500 million. The Redstart Primary School in Chard will use its allocation for a leaking roof replacement project. Manor Court School in Chard will replace a temporary classroom with the funding. Winsham Primary School in Chard and St Michael's Academy in Yeovil have also been given funding for infrastructure projects.

People in Somerset are being advised to check their blood pressure by borrowing a monitor from their local library, including Yeovil Library. More than 200 blood pressure monitors are now available for people to borrow at local libraries. It's part of a drive by the county council’s public health team to get people to check their blood pressure, with 3 in 10 adults affected by high blood pressure.

A Sherborne woman has been ordered to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to selling counterfeit goods on Facebook and e-bay. Weymouth Magistrates' Court was told that Tracey Hampson of South Avenue, Sherborne, was found in possession of fake clothing, footwear, cosmetics and handbags bearing names like Nike, Adidas and Armani, when police made a search of her property.

Ilminster is planning to stage a mass singing of the National Anthem to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The community sing-along takes place on Saturday, June 4th at 7 pm with the whole town invited to join in. Deputy Clerk at Ilminster Town Council, Julie Earp is hoping the mass singing the National Anthem will be as well supported as ‘Clap for the NHS’ was during the pandemic.

An online selling site says Somerset is the fourth-best county in the country for buying antiques. The rating was based on reviews on Trip Advisor.

A Yeovil man has moved to Tanzania to teach English and Maths at a school in the town of Arusha. George Clark left Yeovil back in January and travelled overland to Tanzania to take up a voluntary position with the charity SATINO.

More from News

Tuesday 18th August

People across Somerset are banned from today from using hosepipes to water gardens, clean windows or cars, or fill swimming and paddling pools. More cases of the potentially deadly livestock disease Bluetongue have been confirmed in Somerset. Work is underway to improve disabled access at Holyrood Academy in Chard... and more
Monday 17th August

Wessex Water, who supplies almost all homes and businesses in Somerset, has introduced a hosepipe ban effective from midnight tonight. A sinkhole on Station Road in Castle Cary has been repaired, two years after it was first discovered. A Wildcat helicopter from RNAS Yeovilton has taken part in the annual passing-out parade at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth... and more
Friday 14th August

Police are investigating an incident in which obscene words were scratched onto the World War One memorial at Ham Hill. Yeovil MP Adam Dance has repeated his call for the upgrade of the town’s police station to include a custody suite. A Somerset carnival club is building a specially adapted float to allow a wheelchair user and her assistance dog to take part in this year’s carnival circuit...and more
Thursday 13th August

An Ilminster family is celebrating after winning one million pounds on the National Lottery. Police have released a picture of a man they want to speak to in connection with suspected frauds in Somerset. Somerset Council has opened a tendering process to find a main contractor for the £15 million upgrade of Yeovil’s Octagon theatre... and more
Wednesday 12th August

Experts say with good visibility forecast for this evening, people across Somerset should have some of the best views of the solar eclipse anywhere in the UK. A Somerset councillor is calling for the Stop Line cycle route between Chard and Ilminster to be better supported. It's 40-years ago this week since a Lynx helicopter built in Yeovil set a new World Helicopter Speed Record... and more
Tuesday 11th August

Wessex Water says a hosepipe ban is possible if customers fail to cut their water usage. A record number of illegal dog fights were reported in Somerset last year. Yeovil Town's Mason Obeng has won the traditional sack of potatoes, given to the player who scores Yeovil's first goal of the new season, as a lucky omen... and more
Monday 10th August

A local councillor claims anti-social behaviour is putting people off coming into Yeovil town centre. South-West Water has announced a hosepipe ban in the Chard area. Great Western Railway has apologised after a wheelchair user from Chard became stuck at one of its stations... and more
Friday 7th August

Chard's biggest employer, Numatic International, makers of the Henry vacuum cleaner, has announced job cuts. A new Neighbourhood Plan for Hatch Beauchamp has officially been adopted. Two historic artefacts taken from Glastonbury Abbey more than 70 years ago have been returned...and more