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

Friday 27 March

There's been a big improvement in ambulance response times in Somerset. Three local people have been charged with offences linked to the theft and supply of prescription-only drugs. A fragment of a jawbone found in a cave in Cheddar Gorge appears to show that humans kept dogs as pets as far back as 5,000 years ago... and more
Thursday 26th March

Somerset Council is offering food vouchers during the school easter holidays to families whose children receive free school meals. A local man has been charged in connection with an incident involving a firearm in Yeovil. The Environment Agency says it could take up to 10 years to protect homes at Holway House Park and Home Farm Park in Ilminster from flooding...and more.
Wednesday 25th March

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has raised concerns in the House of Commons about the planned closure of Yeovil Hospital’s hyper-acute stroke unit. Police in Yeovil are appealing for information after a man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm. A 13-year-old terrier named Mole has been rescued after becoming trapped underground...and more
Tuesday 24th March

Yeovil College has received a glowing report following an Ofsted inspection. The main road between Chard and Ilminster is to be better protected from flooding. A six-thousand-year-old wooden walkway has been uncovered on the Somerset Levels... and more
Monday 23rd March

A wildcat helicopter belonging 815 Squadron based at RNAS Yeovilton has been in action tracking two Russian ships in the English Channel. People living in Somerset will have to pay to use Dorset’s household waste recycling centres from today. A road in Ilminster has closed to traffic today and will stay shut for the next ten days... and more
Friday 20th March

Police are appealing for witnesses to a three-vehicle crash in Sherborne. The jobs of housing maintenance staff at Somerset Council could be outsourced to a private contractor. A pie throwing event is taking place in Chard today for Red Nose Day ... and more
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