Local News Wednesday 15th March

Wednesday, March 15th, 2023 6:00am

New road signs are being put up to advertise Yeovil as the “home of British helicopters”. Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard is closing for two weeks from next week for improvement works. A man’s been jailed after admitting to a number of shoplifting offences in Yeovil. National Highways will discuss the dualling of the A303 between Sparkford and Ilchester at a series of open events later this month...and more.

New road signs are being put up to advertise Yeovil as the “home of British helicopters”. South Somerset District Council has approved a request by Leonardo Helicopters to install the new signs on three of the main roads leading into the town. Leonardo says it will be paying for the signs to be installed and for their upkeep.

Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard is closing for two weeks from next week for improvement works. The centre is being upgraded to make it more accessible and wheelchair friendly.

A man’s been jailed after admitting to a number of shoplifting offences in Yeovil. Taunton Crown Court was told that David Bailey stole products, including cosmetics and electrical items, from shops in Yeovil on several occasions. Bailey pleaded guilty to four shoplifting offences, to taking a motor vehicle without consent and driving while disqualified, He was jailed for 18 weeks.

Another dental practice in Chard is closing. Chard House Dental Practice, on Leach Road, will shut at the end of April and has blamed the decision on a shortage of clinicians. It follows the announcement that MyDentist in Fore Street in Chard will close at the end of this month.

People in Chard have until next week to take part in a survey about shaping the town’s future. A Community Plan was launched last month to identify issues of importance to Chard residents, in particular, new ways to make the town greener and more attractive to shoppers. To comment on the plan go to the South Somerset website.

National Highways will discuss dualling the A303 between Sparkford and Ilchester at a series of open events later this month. Members of the Project Team will be at Haynes Motor Museum on Tuesday, March 28th and Friday, March 31st. Also, at Teals Farm Shop on Wednesday, March 29th and Thursday, March 30th to answer questions from residents and businesses who have been affected by the road widening scheme.

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Local News Wednesday 22nd March

The go-ahead has been given for Numatic International in Chard – makers of the Henry vacuum cleaner – to expand the business. Police are appealing for witnesses to a road accident near Castle Cary in which a woman died. Plans have been submitted to change the use of a former pub in Hardington Mandeville. A local man, injured in a fall in Chard, has publicly thanked people who came to his rescue...and more.
Local News Tuesday 21st March

A report by the Federation of Small Business in Somerset says half its members are struggling because they're not being paid on time. A special meeting of Chard Town Council is to be held to consider making public a report into allegations of bullying at the Council. Plans have been approved for a new fitness and wellbeing centre in Bruton. Last year’s Christmas panto at the Octagon in Yeovil has been nominated for four national awards...and more.
Local News Monday 20th March

More than thirteen thousand crimes, including violent and sexual offences, went unrecorded across the Avon and Somerset Police force area last year. A Yeovil man has pleaded guilty to killing a woman pedestrian and injuring two others after crashing a stolen car at Mosterton. A house on Stiby Road in Yeovil has been damaged by fire. A road sign in Yeovil with the name Sherborne wrongly spelt with a U is to be quickly replaced...and more.
Local News Friday 17th March

Reckleford in Yeovil is to partially close for further two weeks next month. Three of our local railway stations are to be equipped with defibrillators. A new 30 miles-per-hour speed limit has been introduced at Kingstone near Ilminster. A Long Load man has appeared in court charged with assault and plans to build fifteen houses in Ilton look set to go ahead.
Local News Thursday 16th March

Police investigating the attempted abduction of an eight-year-old boy in Yeovil have issued an E-fit of a man they want to trace. Four households in Ilminster have won a share of a £120,000 win in the Postcode lottery. Avon and Somerset Police say a decision is likely before the end of the month regarding the future of Yeovil Police Station. A Chief Petty Officer at RNAS Yeovilton is embarking on a 900-mile bike ride from Lands End to John O’Groats to raise funds for Yeovil Hospital...and more.
Local News Tuesday 14th March

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to promote the case for Leonardo in Yeovil to be awarded a contract to build a new medium-lift helicopter for the British armed forces. Avon and Somerset Police need more volunteer police officers. The Yeovil-based charity ‘School in a Bag’ has provided over one thousand packs of aid to children affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria...and more.
Local News Monday 13th March

New help is being offered to people in Yeovil and South Somerset who smoke to get them to quit. Over four hundred thousand pounds is being spent making Somerset's roads more cyclist and pedestrian friendly. ‘Visit Somerset’ is calling on the government to speed up investment in providing vehicle electric charging points. New road signs are to be put up to welcome people into Somerset...and more.
Local News Friday 10th March

An investigation is underway into the discovery of large numbers of dead fish in a drain on the Somerset Levels. Pregnant women in parts of Somerset have been told they can’t have a home birth due to a shortage of NHS midwives. Somerset's senior coroner is calling for the Army to stop giving ceremonial daggers to people leaving the armed forces. A school in Chard has won government funding to upgrade its classroom IT systems...and more.