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 3rd May

Labour’s Clare Moody is the new Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset. Somerset Council is looking to buy the Glovers Walk Shopping Centre in Yeovil, including Yeovil Bus Station. One of the biggest events in Yeovil’s outdoor calendar, the Abbey Hill Steam Rally, starts today...and more.
Thursday 2nd May

Voting is taking place today to elect a new Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset. NHS Somerset says the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital will stay open until a new replacement unit is built in Dorchester. A supermarket worker has retired after spending 52 years working at the same store in Ilminster...and more.
Wednesday 1st May

SUEZ, the company that collects Somerset’s waste is warning it may cease operations. Twenty thousand pounds is being spent cleaning red paint off the front of County Hall in Taunton following a series of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. An occupational therapist at Yeovil Hospital has won an award for her smart appearance at work...and more.
Tuesday 30th April

Somerset Council is taking legal action to remove an arms company from one of its commercial properties. Waste collection days across Somerset are set to change next month due to two impending bank holidays. An archaeological survey has begun on the proposed site of a new skate park in Bruton... and more.
Monday 29th April

Somerset’s busiest speed camera in 2023 has been revealed as the camera on the westbound carriageway of the A303 between the Podimore Roundabout and the Hazelgrove Roundabout. Bus campaigners are calling on Somerset Council to keep the public toilets open at Yeovil bus station. The funeral has taken place in Yeovil of D-Day veteran, Bill Tolley, who has died at the age of 97...and more.
Friday 26 April

A man has been arrested in Castle Cary and charged with stalking, harassment and making threats to kill. The NHS in Somerset says its staff retention rate has improved over the past two years. A farmer in South Petherton is preparing to cycle 1,000 miles to raise money for charity...and more.
Thursday 25th April

The NHS is offering spring COVID-19 vaccines to people in Somerset who are at increased risk of serious illness from the virus. A new way of making roads safer for children in Somerset has started this week. A Yeovil-based apprentice has been named as a winner in the JTL Regional Awards. Haselbury Mill near Crewkerne has been put up for sale...and more
Wednesday 24th April

Yeovil Town FC have sent a strongly worded letter to the Football Association asking for plans to end FA Cup replays to be dropped. A Somerset woman who's spent the last 32 years living with Hepatitis C, says better support is needed for those affected by the contaminated blood scandal. A new school of musical theatre has opened in Chard...and more.