A campaign has been launched to save the Great Lyde pub in Yeovil from closure. New data has shown the South West is experiencing the biggest percentage increase in shoplifting of all English regions. Concern has been expressed that rural parts of Somerset are being left behind in the rollout of 5G connectivity...and more.
A campaign has been launched to save a Yeovil pub from closure. The Great Lyde on Lyde Road is trading as normal while advertised for sale. Regulars have started a petition calling for the pub to be kept open after it was revealed that plans have been submitted to change the building to a school for children with special educational needs.
New data has shown the South West is experiencing the biggest percentage increase in shoplifting of all English regions. It follows news that the government plans to have shoplifting treated like organised crime. Regional Secretary of the shop workers union, USDAW, Mike Walker, says shoplifting, coupled with abusive behaviour towards shop staff, is putting people off from working in retail. The government says it is planning to have shoplifting treated like organised crime.
Concern has been expressed that rural parts of Somerset are being left behind in the roll-out of 5G connectivity. Research has shown that urban areas in the South West are having 5G introduced far quicker than rural places. Somerton and Frome MP Sarah Dyke says for far too long rural communities have been left behind when it comes to digital connectivity. She’s calling for a quick resolution to what she describes as the ‘digital divide’ that exists between city and rural areas in the South West.
A holiday park in Crewkerne has won a top regional tourism award. Peckmoor Farm Lodges was crowned Best Small Lodge Escape destination in Devon, Somerset & Dorset in the UK Staycation Awards.
Young gymnasts at Herne View Primary School in Ilminster have had the opportunity to meet and train with an international gymnast. Kelly Simm, who won gold as part of Team England at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, put the children through their paces, providing tips to the young gymnasts, during a visit to the school sponsored by Premier Education of Taunton.
Campaigners have failed in their bid to stop the demolition of the former Nautilus Works in Yeovil. Avon and Somerset Police say three-and-a-half-thousand motorists were caught speeding during National Road Safety Week held last week. Chard Town Council has announced that a new block of stone with the message Welcome to Chard is to be placed at the entrance to the town...and more.
Police are warning of a spate of thefts of Ford cars in South Somerset. The government has turned down a bid for levelling-up funds to build a new train station to serve Somerton and Langport. Long-running roadworks on the Somerset-Devon border will continue over the Christmas holidays after a repair scheme was postponed...and more.
Libraries, leisure centres, theatres and recycling centres could all face cuts as Somerset Council tries to save tens of millions of pounds. The people who run Shepton Mallet Prison say the building is closing as a visitor attraction. A licence has been granted to hold an eight-day long Christmas Festival at Yeovil Showground in December...and more
The head of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance says they’re busier now than they have ever been. Housing charities in Somerset say there's been a big rise in the number of people being evicted from private housing, through no fault of their own. A teenager from Ilton has been chosen as the St John Ambulance District Cadet of the Year...and more.
The future of Yeovil Hospital’s stroke unit could be decided at a meeting later this week. A new cycle route in Yeovil, promised for September, won’t now open until the end of December. Somerset Council has announced plans to turn an empty property in Chard into a children's home....and more.
Plans have been submitted to open a new traveller site near Curry Rivel. Wessex Water has started the latest phase of a five-year programme to clean up Somerset’s watercourses of phosphates. Ilminster’s annual Christmas Tree Festival at the Minster starts today. A man from Somerset is taking on the challenge of rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic...and more.
A Police operation has resulted in 160 knives being taken off the streets in the Avon and Somerset force area. Ofsted says pupil suspension rates in Somerset are alarmingly high. It’s a big night for Christmas light switch-on events in South Somerset with Christmas lights being turned on in Wincanton, Ilminster and Crewkerne...and more.
The South Western Ambulance Service is asking people to use its services responsibly as it prepares for a challenging winter. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which includes Yeovil Hospital, is contacting people after hospital records were inappropriately accessed. Chard Ladies Rugby team is taking on a new challenge, climbing to the top of the National Three Peaks for charity...and more.
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