Monday 21st July

Monday, 21 July 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A GoFundMe page set up to support families of last week’s Exmoor bus crash, in which a 10-year-old boy died, has raised over forty thousand pounds. A local councillor is calling for the introduction of speed cameras on the A30, from Yeovil to Sherborne. A group from a school in Ilchester have hiked 26 miles across the Jurassic Coast to fundraise in memory of a school colleague...and more

A GoFundMe page set up to support families of last week’s Exmoor bus crash, in which a 10-year-old boy died, has raised over 40 thousand pounds. The coach was travelling back to Minehead Middle School after a trip to Exmoor Zoo with nearly 70 people, mostly children, on board last Thursday. A separate GoFundMe page by workers at Hinkley Point C has also raised £10,000 so far for the families.

A local councillor is calling for the introduction of speed cameras on the A30, from Yeovil to Sherborne. A survey has shown that 200 vehicles a day travel in excess of 80 miles per hour and some over 100 miles per hour on the dual carriageway. Councillor Robin Legg, a member of Sherborne Town Council, wants the lights installed at the Loscombe Crossroads, known for being an accident blackspot.

Somerset Council is asking people not to put gas canisters in recycling bins. The council's waste contractor, SUEZ Recycling, reports that a serious fire, caused by a discarded gas canister, was recently averted at a sorting centre. They say the warm weather is leading to an increase in cans being put in recycling as more people barbecue or use portable stoves.

A new children’s soft play area opens in Yeovil later this week. The indoor play area on Sea King Road, located on the Lynx Trading Estate, will be officially opened by Yeovil Mayor, Tony Lock, at midday next Saturday.

A group from a school in Ilchester have hiked 26 miles across the Jurassic Coast to fundraise in memory of a former school colleague. Theresa Waterfield taught at Ilchester Community Primary School for 26 years before her death. The hike raised £7,000 for Macmillan Cancer.

More from News

Monday 16th March

Drivers are being told that it could take several more weeks yet before Hendford Hill in Yeovil reopens to traffic. A new bus service between Glastonbury and Castle Cary railway station is to start on a trial basis. Children in Chard are being given free reading books as part of a scheme founded by Dolly Parton... and more
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