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

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