Local News Tuesday 7th December

Tuesday, 7 December 2021 06:00

Construction is about to begin on a new £30 million pound helicopter logistics centre in Yeovil. The two groups bidding to takeover Yeovil Town football club have been given until the end of the week to conclude a deal. South Somerset District Council is planning to scrap a number of projects to save one and a half million pounds. The owner of a transport business in Chard says the shortage situation with lorry drivers has started to improve and a doctor working on Somerset's vaccination programme is asking people not to be put off having a Covid booster because it’s difficult to book an ap

Construction is about to begin on a new £30 million pound helicopter logistics centre in Yeovil. The state-of-the-art facility is being built on the site of a former GKN factory at West Hendford and will support Leonardo’s global fleet of helicopters through the storage of components and tooling.

The two groups bidding to takeover Yeovil Town football club have been given until the end of the week to conclude a deal. The club’s owner, Scott Priestnall says if a deal hasn’t been reached by the weekend then he will continue to be in charge at Huish Park. In a statement, Mr Priestnall gave illness and personal circumstances as the reasons for not attending Huish Park of late to watch Yeovil play. In the FA Third Round, Yeovil have been drawn at home against Championship side Bournemouth.

South Somerset District Council is planning to scrap a number of projects to save one and a half million pounds. Expanding the café at Yeovil Country Park looks set to be dropped, together with installing solar panels on the John O'Donnell Pavilion at Yeovil Recreation Ground and fitting out the first floor of the Yeovil Innovation Centre. Improvements to council-owned car parks and the creation of new car parks across the district are also unlikely to go ahead.

The owner of a transport business in Chard says the shortage situation with lorry drivers has started to improve. Managing Director of C&D South West in Chard, Lorna Hammond, says a drop in the number of drivers leaving the sector, has made her feel more confident.

A doctor working on Somerset's vaccination programme is asking people not to be put off having a Covid booster because it’s difficult to book an appointment. The government’s aim to get everyone who’s eligible offered a Covid booster by the end of January. Clinical Director at Somerset CCG, Doctor Alex Murray, accepts there are difficulties but says local appointments are available through the national booking system

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Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more
Tuesday 3rd March

A woman from Ilminster has been jointly charged with another woman after a man’s body was found inside a car in Cornwall. Somerset businesses, involved in the supply chain for Leonardo, have welcomed the news that the Leonardo factory in Yeovil is to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Plans have been submitted to build thirty-two homes in Milborne Port... and more
Monday 2nd March

The Leonardo factory in Yeovil has won a multi-million pound contract to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. A doctor, who previously worked at Yeovil Hospital, has appeared in court charged with illegally accessing NHS computers. A new Construction Innovation Centre has opened at Yeovil College... and more
Friday 27th February

The CEO of Leonardo has suggested the UK government could make an announcement immindently about ordering new medium lift helicopters to be built in Yeovil. A family run hardware business in Yeovil has gone into administration. The Lord Lieutenant of Somerset has been named the new patron of Somerset Chamber of Commerce... and more
Thursday 26th February

Workers at Leonardo in Yeovil have been to Downing Street to hand-in a petition calling on the government to back British jobs. The decision to grant planning permission to upgrade Yeovil's Octagon Theatre has been enthusiastically welcomed by staff who work there. The search is on to find a defibrillator that has gone missing in Chard... and more