Local News Tuesday 8th November

    It’s reported that the awarding of a £1.2 billion contract to supply helicopters to the British government, a contract that Leonardo in Yeovil is hoping to win, has been "delayed". New rules have come into force requiring anyone who keeps birds to house them indoors. The Football Association in Somerset is trialling a new way to support young footballers. A local winner at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show is giving a talk to raise funds for Keinton Mandeville Primary...and more.

    It’s reported that the awarding of a £1.2 billion contract to supply helicopters to the British government, a contract that Leonardo in Yeovil is hoping to win, has been "delayed". The magazine Flight Global is reporting that the issuing of ‘invitations to negotiate’ for the order has been put back to sometime next year. Leonardo is pitching for the contract with the AW149 to replace the RAF’s ageing fleet of Puma helicopters. It was thought the MOD would announce who’d won the contract in early 2023, with the first of the new helicopters delivered in 2025.

    New rules have come into force requiring anyone who keeps birds to house them indoors. The new restrictions are in response to the worsening outbreak of avian flu across the UK. Owners have been told to house birds inside sheds or shelters for the foreseeable future.

    The Football Association in Somerset is trialling a new way to support young footballers. It’s asking parents, coaches and friends not to shout at players from pitch side but instead to show their support by clapping.

    A local winner at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show is giving a talk to raise funds for Keinton Mandeville Primary. It’s part of a programme of activities to pay for an expansion of a therapeutic garden within the school site. The talk is being given by Adam Hunt of Urquhart and Hunt - a firm of landscape designers based in Bruton.

    A woman from Somerton who set herself a zero waste target for this year says she can't understand how some people come to throw away so much rubbish. Gill Hampson has gone almost 10 months without filling her black bin with waste and putting it out for collection. She was aiming to complete 12 months but had to use her black bin after clearing out the contents of her shed and finding lots of extra waste items for disposal.

    The winners of this year’s South West in Bloom awards have been announced. Yeovil, Curry Rivel, Crewkerne and Hazelbury Plucknett have each been given Gold awards. Henstridge has been given a Silver award. The South West In Bloom awards are part of National Britain In Bloom awards that aim to encourage communities to improve and diversify their local environments through the creation of open spaces, biodiversity, recycling and the conservation of wildlife.

    A new manager has been appointed to run Ilminster Arts Centre. Samantha Miller is taking on the role after previously working in publishing in London before moving to Ilminster to be nearer her family.

    More from News

    • Friday 13th March

      The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more

    • Thursday 12th March

      A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more

    • Wednesday 11th March

      Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more

    • Tuesday 10th March

      Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more

    • 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

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Light rain

      High: 12°C | Low: 5°C

    • Chard

      Sunny intervals

      High: 11°C | Low: 4°C

    • Crewkerne

      Sunny intervals

      High: 11°C | Low: 4°C

    • Somerton

      Light rain shower

      High: 11°C | Low: 5°C

    • Wincanton

      Light rain

      High: 12°C | Low: 4°C

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