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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Wednesday 29th April

Somerset Council says Hendford Hill in Yeovil should be fully reopened to traffic by the end of May. Plans have been approved to build 40 new homes in Crewkerne. A huge pile of illegally dumped rubbish in Glastonbury has been cleared... and more
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

Expectant mothers are using Yeovil Hospital once again to give birth following the reopening of the maternity unit. A Yeovil man has been jailed for four years for committing sexual offences against two young girls. Plans have been approved to convert a pub in Milborne Port into housing... and more
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