Thursday 1st August

Thursday, 1 August 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Overnight beds at Yeovil Hospital are being freed up thanks to a new bladder cancer treatment. Somerset Council is selling a business centre, office building and several regeneration sites in South Somerset to raise much-needed cash. A trail to encourage people across Somerset to support their local pub is back after five years...and more

Overnight beds at Yeovil Hospital are being freed up thanks to a new bladder cancer treatment. Over the past year, urologists have used a portable handheld laser device to treat small tumours. It's safer, less invasive and quicker than surgery, allowing patients to go home on the same day they receive treatment.

The families of three Somerset swimmers who, together with teammate Duncan Scott made history by retaining their Gold medal in the 4 by 200 m Freestyle, have paid tribute to the team. The quartet, which includes James Guy, Matt Richards, and Tom Dean, have become the first team to win Gold in two consecutive Olympic games.

A business centre, office building and several regeneration sites in Yeovil and South Somerset are being sold off by Somerset Council to help balance the books. Included are the Boden Centre, on Silver Street in Chard, Fiveways Resource Centre on Ilchester Road in Yeovil, Yeovil Small Business Centre on Memorial Road in Yeovil, and 92 acres of land at Thorney Marsh near Castle Cary. The government has permitted Somerset Council to use the proceeds from selling the properties to fund its day-to-day spending. ISomerset Council is selling off a total of 22 sites in the hope of raising between £17 and £21 million, over the next 18 months.

St John’s Almshouse in Sherborne is to get a major makeover – including the creation of a new tea room, alongside affordable accommodation. A joint scheme, involving the Almshouse and Sherborne Abbey, will see space retained for affordable accommodation, with the downstairs of the property becoming a tearoom. Other rooms upstairs will also be used for a young people’s centre and community group meetings. A public meeting for all interested parties to find out more and share views will take place at the Almshouse in the coming weeks.

A trail to encourage people across Somerset to support their local pub is back after five years. It's being run by the local branch of the Campaign for Real Ale with fifty pubs across the county taking part.

More from News

Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

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
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