Thursday 17th July

Thursday, 17 July 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he has serious concerns about plans that could see the closure of inpatient beds at Crewkerne Community Hospital. Ilminster residents are being asked to vote in a referendum on adopting a new neighbourhood plan for the town. An event in which people take part in a race against horses is returning to Somerset later this year...and more

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he has serious concerns about plans that could see the closure of inpatient beds at Crewkerne Community Hospital. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has confirmed that converting Crewkerne Hospital into a neighbourhood health centre, with the closure of all 20 inpatient beds, is under consideration. Mr Dance says if the changes go ahead, it will impact Yeovil Hospital and Somerset's other hospitals.

A Dorset man has been sentenced after admitting to being the cause of a fatal crash at Yeovilton. Cyrus Bailey, aged 20, failed to give way at a junction, colliding with a car driven by Christine Ibbotson in May last year. She died in hospital three days later. Appearing before magistrates in Yeovil, Bailey was given an 18-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months for causing death by careless driving.

People in Ilminster are being asked to vote in a referendum on adopting a new neighbourhood plan for the town. The vote, in which residents will be asked to support or reject Somerset Council using the neighbourhood plan to make decisions on planning applications, takes place on Thursday, August 21st.

The trial of a couple accused of murder and causing or allowing the death of their premature baby has heard that he would have been dead for at least 30 minutes before they raised the alarm. Two-week-old Brendon Staddon was found with injuries to his head and neck in the special baby care unit at Yeovil Hospital in March of last year. Daniel Gunter and Sophie Staddon, of no fixed address, deny charges of murder and causing or allowing the child's death. The trial at Bristol Crown Court continues.

An event in which people take part in a race against horses is returning to Somerset this year. Man v Horse has been running in Wales but this year a Somerset version will be held on the Quantock Hills in October.

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Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more