Local News Tuesday 28th September

Tuesday, 28 September 2021 06:00

Covid booster jabs have started to be given to people in eligible groups in South Somerset. Plans have been published to transform the grass surface of the Leonardo airfield in Yeovil into a "hard surface". Pig farmers are warning that a shortage of workers is causing a surplus of animals in Somerset. Plans have been approved to introduce new visitor facilities at Sutton Bingham reservoir, on the outskirts of Yeovil...and more.

Covid booster jabs have started to be given to people in eligible groups in South Somerset. Those vaccinated twice more than six months ago in eligible groups will have received letters offering a booster. Vaccinations are being delivered through existing centres, including pharmacies and GP practices.

Plans have been published to transform the grass surface of the Leonardo airfield in Yeovil into a "hard surface". The airfield is the longest grass runway in the UK at 1,386 metres. It would be laid to tarmac under the scheme. South Somerset District Council is due to make a decision on the application before the end of the year.

Farmers in Somerset will be allowed to spread slurry this autumn but changes by the Environment Agency mean it could be further regulated next year. The Agency is worried about rivers becoming polluted after rainfall causing run-off. Farmers say they wouldn't spread slurry if poor weather is forecast. Chairman of the NFU in Somerset Tom Kimber says tightening the regulations will mean farmers having to build new slurry lagoons for which they will need financial help.

Pig farmers are warning that a shortage of workers is causing a surplus of animals in Somerset. The Industry is warning of a looming crisis that could lead to animals having to be culled on local farms.

Plans have been approved to introduce new visitor facilities at Sutton Bingham reservoir, on the outskirts of Yeovil. A new entrance gate will be installed, new cycling racks provided and improvements made to the car park on Sutton Hill at the north-western corner of the reservoir, a short distance from All Saints Church.

An Ilminster woman has held an event to raise funds for Brain Tumour research. Katie Wilkinson, who has an incurable brain tumour, organised a "walk of hope" in the town at the weekend with around 60 local people taking part.

A new food and craft event is set to start next month in Ilminster. The market with more than twenty stalls at Donyatt Village Hall will showcase small local businesses. The launch event will be held on Saturday, October 16th, starting at 9 am.

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There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape. A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus at Fairmead School in Yeovil by running the London Marathon. Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey...and more.
Wednesday 30th April

The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes off Bunford Lane in Yeovil. Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025...and more.
Tuesday 29th April

New figures have shown that registering as a new patient with an NHS dentist in Somerset is still just as difficult as it was six months ago. The go-ahead has been given to build 160 new houses on Station Road in Castle Cary. A sailor from South Petherton has been chosen to lead a team in the round-the-world Clipper Race...and more.
Monday 28th April

Somerset Council is being criticised for taking too long to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. The Liberal Democrats have won a seat on Chard Town Council by one vote. Dates have been announced for this year’s illuminated carnival processions in South Somerset...and more.
Friday 25th April

Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more
Thursday 24th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.
Wednesday 23rd April

Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
Tuesday 22nd April

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