Thursday 2nd May

Thursday, 2 May 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Voting is taking place today to elect a new Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset. NHS Somerset says the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital will stay open until a new replacement unit is built in Dorchester. A supermarket worker has retired after spending 52 years working at the same store in Ilminster...and more.

Voting is taking place today to elect a new Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset. Polling stations opened at 7 am and will close at 10 pm.
The candidates standing are:

Benet Allen, Liberal Democrats
Katy Grant, Green Party
Clare Moody, Labour and Co-operative Party
Mark Shelford, Conservative Candidate – More Police, Safer Streets

The Police and Crime Commissioner is responsible for producing a police and crime plan, deciding how the police budget will be spent, and holding the Chief Constable and Avon and Somerset force to account on the public’s behalf.

NHS Somerset says the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital will stay open until a new replacement unit is built in Dorchester. It follows concerns raised by the West Dorset MP Chris Loder that the new Dorchester unit will not be ready before the planned closure of the Yeovil unit. NHS Somerset says none of Yeovil's existing stroke services will close until the new Dorchester unit is ready to take patients, adding that it will take around 18 months to implement the proposals. Meanwhile, Lib-Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Yeovil, Adam Dance, has called on the Health Secretary, to intervene in the decision to close Yeovil’s hyper-acute stroke unit.

A playgroup in Yeovil has been declared 'good' by Ofsted. East Coker Playgroup was rated 'good' in all five aspects that Ofsted uses to measure a school's success. Currently, East Coker Playgroup cares for twenty-four children, aged between two and four.

A supermarket worker has retired after spending 52 years working at the same store in Ilminster. Julie Hutchings clocked up 52 years, nine months, and three days working at the Co-op in Ilminster after starting out there at the age of fifteen.

Somerset County Cricket Club have confirmed they've appointed the England Women's CaptainHeather Knight to join the club's board as an advisor

More than eighty thousand pounds has been granted to the Red Brick Building in Glastonbury. The community society which looks after the building say the money from the National Lottery Heritage Fund will go towards its Industry and community projects.

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