Monday 22nd April

Monday, 22 April 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The parents of a two-week-old baby boy, accused of his murder at Yeovil Hospital, are to stand trial. Protesters have splashed red paint across the front of County Hall in Taunton for a second time. A comedy film about the world of competitive marrow-growing and made in Shepton Mallet has opened in cinemas across the UK...and more.

The parents of a two-week-old baby, accused of his murder at Yeovil Hospital, are to stand trial. Daniel Gunter, aged 25, and Sophie Staddon, 20, have been charged with killing baby Brendon Staddon at Yeovil Hospital in March this year. Appearing at a pre-trial hearing at Bristol Crown Court, Gunter pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and causing or allowing the death of a child. Staddon did not enter pleas to the charges she faces. Both were remanded into custody, with their trial date set for early November. (Story courtesy of Chard and Ilminster News}.

Somerset Council says it’s doing all it can to engage with protesters who, for a second time, have splashed red paint across the front of County Hall in Taunton. They were protesting over Somerset Council’s ownership of a building in Bristol which they claim is occupied by a business supplying arms to Israel. Somerset Council says the building at Aztec West is up for sale.

A film made in Shepton Mallet has opened at cinemas across the UK. ‘Swede Caroline’ is a comedy about the cutthroat world of competitive marrow-growing.

Crewkerne-based Steatite Batteries has changed its name. The business on the Cropmead Industrial Estate that manufactures custom-built battery packs will be known in future as Custom Power, bringing it in line with its American sister company.

The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has been gifted fifteen thousand pounds by a former fundraiser. Jeremy Connell died in February after being a volunteer with the charity, raising thousands of pounds from collection boxes across Somerset. His widow, Anna Connell, was invited to spend a day at Henstridge airfield, where the air ambulance is based, as a thank you to her late husband.

More from News

Friday 22nd August

Six hundred parking spaces could be lost in Yeovil town centre if plans to build new homes on public car parks go ahead. The Environment Agency is to stop maintaining some rivers and streams in Somerset to save money. People in Somerset are being warned about a scam involving fake communications from the tax authorities...and more
Thursday 21st August

Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, says families and hospital staff should be given more information about re-opening maternity services at Yeovil Hospital. Yeovil’s renal unit on the Lynx West Trading Estate has been told it must improve on safety. Organisers of a Live Aid concert held in Yeovil 40 years ago are trying to contact the bands that played at the event for a reunion...and more.
Wednesday 20th August

The NHS says twenty-six thousand people in the South West signed up to stop smoking in the past twelve months. A teenager from Yeovil has raised more than four thousand pounds for a new dialysis machine at Bristol Children's Hospital. Yeovil Town take on Brackley Town in a National League fixture this evening, kick off at Huish Park is 7.45...and more
Tuesday 19th August

Families struggling to pay for their children to have breakfast over the summer holidays are being offered free breakfast bags at a church in Chard. Police are appealing for information after a sentimental gold pocket watch was stolen in North Petherton. A Bridgwater man sets off today on a 200-mile cycle ride to Barnstaple and Exeter, raising money for Kidney Research UK...and more.
Monday 18th August

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack in Yeovil. Women in Street and Glastonbury are being encouraged to take part in a scheme to highlight unsafe areas to walk alone. A Nottinghamshire man, on a pub-crawl around Britain to help boost the pub trade, is currently visiting pubs in Somerset...and more.
Friday 15th August

Services and acts of remembrance are taking place across Yeovil & South Somerset for VJ Day. An Ilminster café has unveiled a new defibrillator in the town. A room, named in honour of a member of Somerset Council’s Public Health team, has been opened at Yeovil Library...and more.
Thursday 14th August

Yeovil residents are being asked whether they would pay for part of the Octagon Theatre refurbishment. Spending on buses in Somerset is the lowest per head in the region, according to the county's bus partnership. A Yeovil fraudster has been jailed for almost three years...and more.
Wednesday 13th August

A coroner has raised concerns after the death of a newborn baby at Yeovil District Hospital. Revised plans for the construction of up to 360 homes in Ilminster will be put forward in the autumn. Somerset’s Local Community Networks are marking the start of their third year in the county...and more.