Thursday 1st May

Thursday, 1 May 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape. A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus at Fairmead School in Yeovil by running the London Marathon. Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey...and more.

There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape, previously known as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Somerset is home to four national landscapes: the Blackdown Hills, the Mendip Hills, the Quantock Hills, and Exmoor National Park. Councillor Henry Hobhouse, who represents Castle Cary on Somerset Council, believes Somerset deserves a fifth national landscape, arguing it will protect the Levels' historic character.

An Ilminster mother says Somerset Council has left her teenage daughter " in limbo." Kelly’s daughter has special educational needs and undertakes supported employment at Silver Lining’s café in Ilminster. Silver Linings says because Somerset Council has delayed issuing the paperwork, Kelly’s daughter can no longer work at the cafe.

Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey. MD Jonathan Price says this is to protect the long-term viability of the business following a drop in sales.

A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus by running the London Marathon. Warren Morgan’s daughter attends Fairmead School in Yeovil, to whom the £2,000 will be donated.

A shop in Henstridge is helping parents who struggle to buy items for their children. The Honesty Jar lets people pick up items such as school uniforms in return for donating things that they want to get rid of.

A new café has opened at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard. ‘Perdida is a Latin American fusion café located in the redesigned conference room.

Somerset Day is Saturday, May 10th, and Sunday, May 11th. As part of celebrating all that’s best about Somerset through cider and cheese trails, children’s storytelling, and village fetes, the highlight of the two-day event will be a performance on Saturday by the Wurzels at Rich’s Cider Farm in Watchfield.

More from News

Wednesday 10th June

The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
Tuesday 9th June

The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Monday 8th June

Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
Wednesday 3rd June

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more
Tuesday 2nd June

Somerset Prostate Cancer Support Group says a decision not to introduce mass screening for prostate cancer is the wrong one. A Martock woman has been banned from driving for 28 months. Somerset Council is marking Volunteers’ Week by thanking the volunteers who help deliver council services... and more
Monday 1st June

People in Somerset with Football Banning Orders are being reminded they must surrender their passports by the end of today ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup tournament. A road in Yeovil will close for nine days later this week. Farmers from Somerset were among the winners of this year's ITV Britain's Got Talent final...and more