Local News Wednesday 19th January

Wednesday, 19 January 2022 06:00

A rare gold coin, dating back to the 13th century, has been found on the Blackdown Hills. Somerset’s economy has suffered more than most during the pandemic due to it being too reliant on the hospitality sector. Chard has been given funding to help one hundred local people, not in work. Magna Housing says half of the twenty-eight new homes that it plans to build at Chilthorne Domer near Yeovil will be ‘affordable’...and more.

A rare gold coin, dating back to the 13th century, has been found on the Blackdown Hills, on the Somerset Devon border. It was discovered using a metal detector on farmland near Hemyock. The coin, minted during the reign of King Henry the third, is being sold at auction this weekend and could fetch up to half a million pounds.

Somerset’s economy has suffered more than most during the pandemic due to it being too reliant on the hospitality sector, according to new research. The study by the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise says new policies for supporting the hospitality sector are urgently needed should the pandemic continue or a second pandemic arise in the future.

Chard has been given funding to help one hundred local people not in work become more physically active and equip them with the skills to move closer to employment. The project will see people, not in jobs given training to use social media, online banking, and the internet to search for jobs. The scheme’s funded by the UK Community Renewal Fund and is being run through Somerset County Council.

Magna Housing says half of the twenty-eight new homes that it plans to build at Chilthorne Domer near Yeovil will be ‘affordable’. South Somerset District Council is expected to make a decision on the planned development on Vagg Lane by early Spring.

Somerset Wildlife Trust is asking people to monitor the amount of frog and toad spawn in their local areas. The Trust says the information is needed to gauge the effects of climate change on the local environment, using the habits of frogs and toads as source material for the study.

A new tractor sales and serving business has opened at South Petherton. C & O Tractors, based in Blandford, have opened the new branch at premises, previously occupied by Medland & Sanders.

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