Thursday 26th June

Thursday, 26 June 2025 01:00

By Steve Haigh

Thousands more music fans will arrive at Worthy Farm for the start of Glastonbury Festival. The government has granted Somerset Council a stay of execution, allowing it to defer a spending deficit on special needs education. A party has been held to mark the 100th birthday of a Somerset woman who has lived in the same house for 100 years...and more.

Roads around the Shepton Mallet area will again be extra busy with traffic today as thousands more music fans arrive at Worthy Farm for the start of Glastonbury Festival. Meanwhile, Great Western Railway is providing an extra 37,000 seats on trains to Castle Cary. It's designed to persuade festival-goers to ditch their cars and travel instead by rail. According to GWR, some of the artists performing at Glastonbury, including Sam Ryder, have travelled to Somerset by train.

Plans have been outlined to reopen The George in Ilminster. The bar is seeking a licence variation to allow it to sell alcohol and put on live music. The application is currently with Somerset Council awaiting a decision. Owners of The George say it's their 'one last chance' to get the historic bar open and be financially viable.

The government has granted Somerset Council a stay of execution, allowing it to defer a spending deficit on special needs education for a further two years. Demand for specialist education has soared in recent years, with the deficit at the council for special education expected to exceed £100m by April next year. Leader of Somerset Council, Bill Revan, says without the override, the authority would have been pushed closer to effective bankruptcy.

A campervan has been destroyed in a fire at Yarcombe near Chard. Concerned residents called the fire service to report flames coming from the vehicle and a hedgerow on fire. Crews from Honiton and Chard used hose reel jets, breathing apparatus, and a thermal imaging camera to extinguish the blaze.

A party has been held to mark the 100th birthday of a Somerset woman who has lived in the same house for 100 years. Phyliss Marshall was born at the property in Bucklands near Bridgwater in 1925 and says, despite many changes in her life, she never thought about leaving the house.

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Tuesday 28th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal collision at Rimpton. A 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage in South Petherton. Former Yeovil Town manager Gary Johnson has been retained as first-team manager of Taunton Town for next season... and more
Monday 27th April

A former school in Sherborne has been badly damaged by fire. A care home in Yeovil has been rated outstanding. ublic spaces in West Coker owned by Somerset Council are being handed over to the parish council. Mendip Golf Club has presented a cheque for £12,000 to Mind in Somerset... and more
Friday 24th April

Plans have been submitted to turn a property on Preston Road in Yeovil into a House in Multiple Occupation. Yeovil’s Marlie Packer has been recalled to the England Red Roses starting line-up for tomorrow’s Women’s Six Nations game against Wales. Three sisters from Yeovil will be running the London Marathon this weekend in support of Guide Dogs UK... and more
Thursday 23rd April

Helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton have completed six weeks of sorties, protecting Cyprus from attacks by Iran. People in Somerset who use domestic heating oil are calling on the government to regulate the oil supply industry. Patients are being invited to register at a new NHS dentist in Crewkerne... and more
Wednesday 22nd April

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Tuesday 21st April

NHS Somerset has delayed closing the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. A former Avon and Somerset Police officer has been jailed for making indecent images of children. A Somerset man has been fined after pleading guilty to hunting a wild animal with dogs... and more
Monday 20th April

Nearly one hundred roads in Somerset will be surface dressed this summer to prevent further damage. Almost all children starting primary school in Somerset in September have been offered a place at one of their top three school choices. People in Somerset are being asked to record wild mammals in gardens and other green spaces over the summer... and more