Thursday 4th April

Thursday, 4 April 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Fifteen million pounds could be spent on improvements to Yeovil's Octagon Theatre to get it reopened. A police officer with the Devon and Cornwall force, who lives in Ilminster, has been found not guilty of raping a woman. A woman who lives in Milborne Port has completed a seventy-seven-mile walk across India, re-creating a journey made by her grandfather in 1944...and more.

Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre could have fifteen million pounds spent on improvements to get it reopened. Somerset Council had planned to spend thirty million upgrading the theatre that closed in April last year before deciding the scheme was no longer affordable. The Council now plans to spend half that amount on front-of-house and catering improvements, increased seating and a fly tower. However, the Council says the scheme depends on the Government allowing a grant of ten million, allocated to the original scheme, to be spent on the scaled-back work. If the Government gives the money, a further £3.75 million would be provided by Yeovil Town Council, who have agreed in principle to take over financial responsibility for running the Octagon when the upgrade has been completed.

A police officer with the Devon and Cornwall force, who lives in Ilminster, has been found not guilty of raping a woman. David Stansbury had been accused of sexually assaulting a woman at her home in Plymouth. Sergeant Stansbury had denied three counts of rape and was acquitted by a unanimous jury at Bristol Crown Court following a trial lasting three weeks.

Chard Town Council is spending £4,000 on a new children’s swing for a local park. The Council says the equipment, to be installed at Halcombe Park, is being paid for from funds set aside to replace faulty play equipment. Meanwhile, the Council says a new BMX track that it plans to build at Halcombe Park should be open within the next 12 months.

A woman who lives in Milborne Port has completed a seventy-seven-mile walk across India, recreating a journey made by her grandfather in 1944. Charlotte Carty followed the same route as William Brown, when he walked from the village of Jessami to Kohima as Commander-in-Chief of the 1st Assam Regiment, helping to defend Kohima from Japanese attack in the Second World War, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.

A famous dress created by a Somerset artist could be going back on display in Somerton. The Red Dress by Kirstie McLeod involved people from more than 50 countries contributing embroidery to help make it. Due to popular demand, ACE Arts is planning another exhibition of the Red Dress at its Somerton gallery.

A Somerset charity is trying to raise fifteen thousand pounds for a new van. On Your Bike says it needs the van for community outreach work.

More from News

Friday 31st July

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more
Friday 24th July

Avon and Somerset Police are warning people to watch out for scammers posing as Amazon. The CEO of the company that provides Somerset's recycling is warning of a major incident if people continue to put used batteries in waste bins. A former Yeovil pub could be demolished to make way for a major hotel expansion.
Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more