Tuesday 16th April

Tuesday, 16 April 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A new operator has been found to run a Chard care home that has been at risk of closure. A licence has been granted to run a new music festival in West Dorset. People have until midnight tonight to register for a vote in the election for a Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset...and more.

A new operator has been found to run Sunnymeade Care Home in Chard which had been at risk of closure. Somerset Council announced in February plans to shut the home saying it was no longer financially viable. Now, Agincare (Somerset) Limited has stepped in to take over its running, together with Critchill Court Care Home in Frome which was also at risk of closure. Agincare says they will invest in both homes to ensure their long-term future, and safeguard jobs.

A licence has been granted to run a new music festival in West Dorset, despite local objections. The first Dorsom Music Festival is planned for next year at Seaborough Manor Farm in Beaminster with 10,000 revellers attending. Local residents claim the country lanes leading to the festival site are difficult to access and for that reason wanted the licence application rejected.

Chard Guildhall will be lit up green this weekend to promote the Samaritans as the official charity of this year’s London Marathon. The suicide prevention charity says the aim of partnering with the London Marathon is to tackle the stigma around suicide and encourage the public to play a greater part in suicide prevention.

Yeovil-based, Milsted Langdon, has been shortlisted for a national award. The accountancy firm, who also have offices in Bath, Bristol, Taunton, and London, is in the running to win the title of 'Best Tax Practice in a Regional Firm' at the Tolley’s Taxation Awards, being held in London on May 16th.

Castle Cary Museum is holding its annual meeting today. It takes place at The Market House starting at 3 pm with friends of the museum and supporters invited to attend.

People have until midnight tonight to register for a vote in the upcoming election for the post of Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset. The role of the PCC is to set the police budget and hold the Chief Constable and Avon and Somerset force to account.

More from News

Thursday 19th March

Farmers in Somerset say they're struggling after a doubling in the price of red diesel. Yeovil MP Adam Dance has criticised Donald Trump over his comments about people with learning disabilities. A Somerset woman whose father was killed in a crash on the M5 is running the London Marathon to raise money for South West Ambulance...and more
Wednesday 18th March

The murder of a two-week-old baby by his father at Yeovil Hospital could not have been predicted, according to a new report. A road in Ilminster is to close to traffic for eleven days later this month. A new Post Office counter is to open in Somerton... and more
Tuesday 17th March

The government is being asked to help fund Somerset's carnivals. Bridgwater Town Council wants more trains to stop at the town’s railway station. A fund raising pie throwing event is taking place for Red Nose Day in Chard... and more
Monday 16th March

Drivers are being told that it could take several more weeks yet before Hendford Hill in Yeovil reopens to traffic. A new bus service between Glastonbury and Castle Cary railway station is to start on a trial basis. Children in Chard are being given free reading books as part of a scheme founded by Dolly Parton... and more
Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more