Tuesday 13th May

Tuesday, 13 May 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A Somerset beef farmer says the trade deal between the UK and the US must ensure that animal welfare standards are maintained. A Somerset teenager is trying to raise money to buy a bionic hand. Grants of up to £400 are being offered to schools in Somerset to encourage children to create new green spaces...and more.

A Somerset beef farmer says the trade deal between the UK and the US must ensure that animal welfare standards are maintained. The UK has agreed to allow 13,000 metric tonnes of beef imports from the US before tariffs apply. Around 1,000 tonnes a year are imported with a 20% tariff. James Small says the UK has some of the highest welfare standards in the world, and these standards need to be maintained.

A Somerset teenager is trying to raise money to buy a bionic hand. Paige Cox, who’s 17, was born without a right hand, which meant she was unable to apply for a place at a military training college. An army cadet, Paige hopes that getting a prosthetic hand will allow her to be re-considered for a military career.

The Chard Area Youth Committee, which commissions youth services in the town, is closing due to a shortage of funds. This is likely to lead to the shutdown of the Chard Young People’s Centre in Essex Close, with Active Learning and Skills, which are based at the venue, saying they will cease operating in July. Chard Town Council is being asked to step in with a rescue package, but a decision on providing emergency funding has yet to be made.

A key milestone has been reached in the ‘big build’ project at Yeovil College. £60 million is being spent across the campus to provide new teaching facilities, including a new Construction Innovation Centre that has just been topped out, a new multi-purpose Sports Centre, and a new state-of-the-art Teaching Centre.

Grants of up to £400 are being offered to schools in Somerset to encourage children to create new green spaces. The Somerset Gardens Trust, which promotes education in garden design and helps protect historic landscapes, has allocated £10,000 to fund school garden projects. In previous years, schools have been given money to build raised flower beds and buy gardening tools so that children can learn how to grow and care for flowers and vegetables.

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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