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.

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A formal planning application has been made to carry out significant improvements to Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre, costing £15 million. The Halifax Bank in King George Street in Yeovil could be converted into 17 flats. A new young people’s centre opens in Chard early in the New Year...and more.
Tuesday 23rd December

NHS Somerset reports a strong uptake of flu jabs, but some eligible people for free vaccinations haven’t come forward. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303 in which a pedestrian was killed. A Crewkerne woman has gone viral on TikTok after being trapped inside a Lidl store in the town... and more.
Monday 22nd December

Somerset Bus Partnership has welcomed a £24.7m boost for the county's bus services. Outline planning permission has been granted to build up to 100 new homes in Ilminster. An Ilminster man has been banned from keeping animals for seven years. Residents in Chiselborough have set up a group to try and re-open the village pub...and more.
Friday 19th December

Crewkerne Community Hospital is to lose half its inpatient beds. A review will be conducted of a project to make Bridgwater more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly. Chard Methodist Church is offering residents a free lunch on Christmas Day. Yeovil-based Screwfix is opening a new outlet in Minehead...and more.
Thursday 18th December

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has warned that delays in ordering 30 new medium lift helicopters for the RAF is putting the future of Somerset’s defence industries at risk. Somerset's farmers are being urged to convert more cow manure into biogas to heat homes. A new visitor centre has opened at Ham Hill country park...and more
Wednesday 17th December

Parcel business, Evri, has been criticised by Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke over what she claims have been ‘widespread delivery failures’. Demand for mental health support provided by South Western Ambulance Service is running at record levels. A nine-year-old Somerset boy has completed 100 days of litter picking for charity...and more
Tuesday 14th December

New data shows that crime in the Avon and Somerset police area is at an all-time high. Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard has issued a warning to prospective pet owners ahead of Christmas. The owner of four pubs in Somerset has warned that many could be forced to shut unless the government reconsiders business rates...and more.
Monday 15th December

Toolstream in Yeovil has been put into administration, threatening the jobs of dozens of employees. NHS Somerset has issued a last chance call for people to get a flu jab after hospital admissions increased by 76% in a week. Police are investigating the theft of a bike valued at £7,000 in Sherborne... and more