Thursday 16th October

Thursday, 16 October 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Two mothers in Chard are calling on carnival organisers to make carnivals more accessible to children with special educational needs. 4,000 people have been put on a waiting list at a new NHS dental practice in Somerset. Channel 4’s ‘Love It or List It’ is looking to feature properties in Somerset in a new series... and more

Two mothers in Chard are calling on carnival organisers to make carnivals more accessible to children with special educational needs. Belinda Bishops-Parsons and Livvy Brown want quiet zones and sensory tents provided on all carnival circuits. They claim carnivals are not considerate of SEND children, with noise from floats at “dangerous” levels. They’re also concerned about a lack of barriers to protect children, coin throwing, and lack of accessible toilets and parking. Both say they want to work with carnival committees to make the experience of watching carnivals more welcoming for all.

4,000 people have been put on a waiting list at a new NHS dental practice in Somerset. Wellington Dental Care opened this week and had to close its waiting list due to the high number of requests for appointments.

A road in Combe St Nicholas will close to traffic next week. Ham Farm Lane will shut for 3-days beginning on Monday for Openreach to carry out ducting work.

Lib Dem Somerset Council member for Ilminster, Councillor Val Keitch, has been granted leave of absence from attending meetings until April of next year due to ill health. Councillor Keitch will still be handling casework and can take part in meetings virtually. It’s the second time in less than 2-years that Councillor Keitch has been granted leave of absence on health grounds from attending Somerset Council meetings.

Smokefree Somerset is in Chard today hoping to persuade local people to sign up to its ‘What’s Your Why’ pledge to quit smoking. Smokefree Somerset offers support to people to take the first step towards a healthier, smoke-free future. Today’s session is being held at Tesco on Tapstone Road in Chard up to midday.

Channel 4’s ‘Love It or List It’ is looking to feature properties in Somerset in a new series. Production company, Raise the Roof, says it wants to hear from homeowners facing the dilemma of renovating their home or putting it up for sale and moving to a new home. To apply to be in the new series of Kirstie and Phil’s ‘Love It of List It’ go the Channel 4 website.

The Newt at Bruton has been named in a list of the UK’s top fourteen hotels. In the new edition of the Michelin Guide, the Newt was commended for its architecture and interior design; overall personality and character; quality and consistency of service.

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Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more
Friday 24th July

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Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more