Local News Wednesday 4th January

Wednesday, 4 January 2023 06:00

Councillors at South Somerset District Council meet tomorrow to decide on providing further funding to the Yeovil Refresh Project. A unit in Crewkerne for children who struggle with mainstream schooling is being praised for reducing school exclusions. A Somerton man’s been jailed for two years for attacking his wife with a knife. NFU Mutual in Yeovil has made a donation of £6,000 to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. Sherborne Golf Club has been given planning permission to extend its clubhouse...and more.

Councillors at South Somerset District Council meet tomorrow to decide on providing further funding to the Yeovil Refresh Project. Yeovil Refresh, aimed at improving the look of Yeovil town centre, is already £4 million over budget with two years of work still to be completed. Now, councillors are being asked to provide a further £2 million to cover unplanned works, pushing up the budget for the project to £24.1 million.

A unit in Crewkerne for children who struggle with mainstream schooling is being praised for reducing school exclusions. The Apex Centre uses therapy techniques like animal therapy, forestry and cooking to teach children. It’s run by the Bridgwater and Taunton College Trust which say exclusions at its seven primary and secondary schools are down by 30%.

A Somerton man’s been jailed for two years for attacking his wife with a knife. Paul Green of Pearmain Road pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm when he appeared at Taunton Crown Court.

A Bruton man has been recognized in the New Year's Honours. John Bishton has been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the preservation of historic buildings in Bruton.

NFU Mutual in Yeovil has made a donation of £6,000 to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. The money will go towards the two million pounds the air ambulance needs to raise every year to keep its helicopter flying.

Sherborne Golf Club has been given planning permission to extend its clubhouse. The club says the single-storey flat roof extension will allow it to provide a new function room and extend the patio area.

New homes for birds and bats have been provided at Yeovil Recreational Centre. Staff at the centre off Mudford Road have built bird and bat nesting boxes using recycled pallet boxes and positioned them around the site to encourage more birds and bats to nest in the area.

More from News

Friday 31st July

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more
Friday 24th July

Avon and Somerset Police are warning people to watch out for scammers posing as Amazon. The CEO of the company that provides Somerset's recycling is warning of a major incident if people continue to put used batteries in waste bins. A former Yeovil pub could be demolished to make way for a major hotel expansion.
Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more