Local News Wednesday 26th April

Wednesday, 26 April 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Local schools are preparing for more disruption when teachers take further strike action tomorrow and next Tuesday. A new way to help victims of domestic abuse has been introduced in Somerset. An uninsured driver from Chard has been banned from driving for six months. An Ilminster girl has come runner-up in a national singing competition...and more.

Local schools are preparing for more disruption when teachers take further strike action tomorrow and next Tuesday. Members of the National Education Union are due to stop work on Thursday and also Tuesday, May 2nd in their long-running pay dispute. It’s understood that Fiveways Special School and Buckler’s Mead Secondary School in Yeovil will be partially shut tomorrow. Huish Episcopi Academy at Langport will be partially shut when NEU members walk out on strike.

A new way to help victims of domestic abuse has been introduced in Somerset. Help is now being provided more quickly, with victims encouraged to visit new 'pop-up' advice hubs for support.

No trains will be running between Castle Cary and Taunton stations between Sunday, April 30th and Wednesday, May 3rd due to track improvements. GWR says only Weymouth trains will run through Castle Cary with Taunton trains replaced by a coach service.

An uninsured driver from Chard has been banned from driving for six months. Appearing before magistrates in Bath, Andrew Collins, of Windsor Crescent, was also fined six-hundred-and-sixty pounds with costs of one-hundred-and-ten pounds.

A group of patients and professionals from NHS Somerset's Psychosis service are sailing along the English south coast this week as part of a challenge called Voyage to Recovery. They left Portsmouth on Sunday and aim to arrive in Dartmouth by Friday.

An Ilminster girl has come runner-up in a national singing competition. Lucy Speke was competing in the Rotary Young Singer of the Year contest held in Manchester. Lucy, who’s 17, will be performing in the Broadway Amateur Theatrical Society’s production of Billy Buckett at Broadway village hall, during the first week of May.

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Tuesday 15th September

Police investigating an attack on a shop worker in Yeovil have released CCTV images of a man and woman they want to speak to. Farmers in Somerset are being warned to expect more cases of bluetongue. Ilminster Carnival Committee has announced the cancellation of this year's Children's Carnival due to a lack of entries... and more
Monday 14th September

Two new mobile NHS breast screening units have taken to the road in Somerset. More than 700 new homes are to be built alongside the M5 in Bridgwater. Dawes Twineworks in West Coker is one of several venues open to the public for free this month... and more
Friday 11th September

It’s going to cost more to park in Chard. Police have issued an image of a man they want to speak to in connection with two burglaries in Yeovil. Somerset Cricket Club is planning to stage performances by some of the world's biggest artistes at their Taunton ground... and more
Thursday 10th September

Work has begun building a new multi-million-pound David Lloyd leisure centre in Yeovil. NHS Somerset says a new system to handle emergency stroke care will lead to "better outcomes" for patients. Tickets for next year’s Glastonbury Festival will go on sale in October...and more
Wednesday 9th September

Police have released an image of a man they want to speak to following an assault in Yeovil. Businesses in Taunton say they're worried that planned changes to parking rules could put people off visiting the town. The Red Arrows will take to the skies near the Somerset border in a one-off display later this week... and more
Tuesday 8th September

Police in Avon and Somerset say they’re dealing with a big increase in reports of cloned vehicle fraud. A new video system designed to speed up stroke care has been launched in Somerset. Pilgrims are walking through Somerset this week to mark eight hundred years since the death of Saint Francis of Assisi... and more
Monday 7th September

Avon and Somerset Police are warning about a new scam involving criminals posing as police officers. Flu vaccinations are now available on the NHS ahead of the winter. Liverpool comedian John Bishop has cancelled his show in Taunton later this week after breaking his ankle... and more
Friday 4th September

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a vehicle near Shepton Mallet. New taxi charges come into force in Somerset later this month. The fire service is treating as accidental a blaze at a flat in Yeovil town centre... and more