A pub landlord in Somerset has warned that more venues could be forced to close due to the rise in energy costs. A temporary bridge is being installed over the A303 between Ilchester and Sparkford. Volunteers at Somerset Aid for Ukraine are filling boxes with household items and food for giving to host families. Yeovil Freewheelers Blood Bikes have been presented with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service and the Bishop's Palace in Wells have set up a Swan Cam after one of their swans laid eggs.
A pub landlord in Somerset has warned that more venues could be forced to close due to the rise in energy costs. Research by consultants CGA suggests more than 9,000 pubs nationally have shut since the start of the pandemic.
A temporary bridge is being installed over the A303 between Ilchester and Sparkford. National Highways says it’s to ensure construction vehicles transporting earth from one side of the site to the other don’t use the A303 to cross over. The temporary bridge will be in place for 35 weeks.
Volunteers at Somerset Aid for Ukraine are filling boxes with household items and food for giving to host families. They’re asking for donations to help fill the boxes and have them delivered. Organiser, Michelle Edwards says 30 host families have already received packs, while a further sixteen are being prepared.
Yeovil Freewheelers Blood Bikes have been presented with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. The award is the highest that can be given to a volunteer group and was presented to the Freewheelers by the Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, Annie Maw. Yeovil Freewheelers Blood Bikes make more than 3,500 deliveries every year between hospitals and NHS sites in the South West, helping to save many lives.
The Bishop's Palace in Wells has set up a Swan Cam after one of their swans laid eggs. Grace, as she’s called can be seen with her partner Gabriel via the camera on the Bishop's Palace website.
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