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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Friday 12th June

It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Thursday 11th June

Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
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