A gold coin, found on the Blackdown Hills, has been sold at auction for £540,000. The fire service is warning about the dangers of electric blankets after one caught fire at a house in Sherborne. A fund has been set up to support people in Somerset struggling to pay for essentials like food and heating and a popular teacher in Chard is to be remembered at the school where she taught for 31 years.
A gold coin, found on the Blackdown Hills, has been sold at auction for £540,000. The coin, showing Henry III on the throne and dated 1257, was found using a metal detector near Hemyock.
The fire service is warning about the dangers of electric blankets after one caught fire at a house in Sherborne. They say to only buy an electric blanket from a reputable retailer. To unplug blankets before getting into bed and, when storing an electric blanket not to fold it, as this could damage the internal wiring.
A fund has been set up to support people in Somerset struggling to pay for essentials like food and heating. The scheme gives grants up to £250 and is being run by Citizens Advice and Somerset County Council. Claim forms can be found on the Somerset County Council website.
A popular teacher in Chard is to be remembered at the school where she taught for 31 years. Holyrood Academy is to create a memorial to former maths teacher, Jacquie Wheatley, who has died aged 58. Apart from teaching, Jacquie helped to run Churches Together in Chard and worked as a volunteer street pastor in the town.
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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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