Monday 20th November

Monday, 20 November 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A man from Galhampton near Castle Cary has been jailed for six years for causing death by dangerous driving. Next year’s Great Dorset Steam Fair has been cancelled due to increased costs. Volunteers in Chard, led by the Mayor, Gary Shortland, have been putting up the town’s Christmas lights...and more.

A man from Galhampton near Castle Cary has been jailed for six years for causing death by dangerous driving. Anton Hull, aged 21, of Long Street in Galhampton was twice over the legal drink limit when his van hit a car being driven by Sarah Baker at Anchor Hill in Wincanton. Sarah who was 29 was pronounced dead at the scene. Moments before the crash, Hull had filmed himself on his mobile phone saying he was ‘smashed’. In a statement read in court, Sarah's family said the pain of losing her had been immeasurable.

Two men have been jailed after police found them with tens of thousands of pounds worth of drugs in Yeovil. Kyle Kennedy and Bartosz Gorczyca, both aged 21, were sentenced to nine years between them for being in possession of drugs with a value of £50,000 when arrested. Both men pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine, ketamine and MDMA.

Business owners in Somerset are being offered the chance to be paired up with successful leaders and entrepreneurs for support. Forty mentors have been lined up by Somerset Council to offer six hours of free mentoring to anyone running a business that is over a year old and employs more than two people. Anyone interested in taking part should apply online via somerset.gov.uk

A Somerset man has written a book capturing the experiences of his grandfather during World War One. David John says his grandfather talked about many things in life but it wasn’t until he had turned 80 that he opened up about his experiences of fighting in the First World War.

Volunteers in Chard, led by the Mayor, Gary Shortland, have been putting up the town’s Christmas lights. The display consists of six cross-street decorations and twenty illuminated frames on lamp posts. The lights will be officially switched on at 7.30 pm next Saturday with a Christmas craft fayre held in the Guildhall during the day. Radio Ninesprings will be hosting the Christmas lights switch-on in Chard with a live broadcast starting at 6 pm.

Next year’s Great Dorset Steam Fair has been cancelled due to higher costs of staging the event. The show is one of the most popular on the Dorset calendar but organisers say with costs rising to £5 million, ticket prices having to go up, and a risk that fewer people would attend, the event has become unaffordable.

More from News

Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more