Thursday 12th March

Thursday, 12 March 2026 05:00

By Steve Haigh

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

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. Somerset Council is considering ending a scheme that gives families with children in receipt of free school meals supermarket food vouchers during school holidays. Headteacher of St Michael's Academy in Yeovil, Matt Vella, says scrapping the scheme will disadvantage his most vulnerable pupils.

The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. In a letter published on the club’s website, Prabhu Srinivasan, who bought Yeovil Town in May 2025, says the historic financial challenges he inherited are being addressed and expects the situation to be corrected over the next two seasons. Mr Srinivasan says developing homegrown talent, while turning Huish Park into a true community hub, remain key priorities for the club.

People buying heating oil in Somerset are being told that prices have almost doubled because of the war in the Middle East. It's estimated that 40 percent of homes in Somerset are not connected to mains gas and rely on domestic oil to heat their homes.

A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area. The power cut happened on Tuesday night with dozens of properties still without electricity on Wednesday. National Grid says anyone experiencing a power cut should call the emergency number 105.

A girl from Somerset has just completed her one hundreth Parkrun at only eight-years of age. Mabel started running when she was just four years old and regularly completes the Parkrun in her hometown of Burnham-on-Sea.

Entries are now open for this year’s Love Your Countryside Awards. The competition that recognises schemes making an outstanding contribution to the environment and local communities is run by the Somerset branch of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England. Entries close on Thursday, April 30th.

More from News

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
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more
Tuesday 3rd March

A woman from Ilminster has been jointly charged with another woman after a man’s body was found inside a car in Cornwall. Somerset businesses, involved in the supply chain for Leonardo, have welcomed the news that the Leonardo factory in Yeovil is to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Plans have been submitted to build thirty-two homes in Milborne Port... and more
Monday 2nd March

The Leonardo factory in Yeovil has won a multi-million pound contract to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. A doctor, who previously worked at Yeovil Hospital, has appeared in court charged with illegally accessing NHS computers. A new Construction Innovation Centre has opened at Yeovil College... and more