Tuesday 24th December

Tuesday, 24 December 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Two men from Yeovil have been found guilty of murdering a man in the town. A school in Chard has been named the best-run primary school in Somerset. Somerton MP Sarah Dyke is calling on the government to provide more funding for community pharmacies. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303...and more

Two men from Yeovil have been found guilty of murdering a man in the town. Martin Carty and Mark Sothcott killed Frank Ingram at his flat in Raglan Terrace in June. Following a three-week trial at Bristol Crown Court, a jury unanimously found both men guilty of murder. Carty of Raglan Terrace and Sothcott of Stiby Road in Yeovil, both aged 56, were remanded in custody for sentencing. (Story and photo courtesy of Chard and Ilminster News).

A school in Chard has been named as the best-run primary school in Somerset. Combe St. Nicholas Church of England Primary School was singled out for having 100 per cent of pupils meet the expected standard at the end of Key Stage Two. In second place was Kingfisher Primary School in Yeovil, with Preston Church of England Primary School in Yeovil, coming third. The schools were ranked on the basis of data provided by the Department for Education.

Somerton MP Sarah Dyke is calling on the government to provide more funding for community pharmacies. She says pharmacies are closing at double the national average rate in her constituency. She wants the government to publish an independent analysis on reforming the sector early in the New Year.

A former RAF airman from Somerset, dismissed because of his sexuality, says an official apology has gone some way towards repairing the hurt he suffered. Mark Shephard was asked to leave the RAF in 1999 aged 21 due to a ban on LGBT people in the armed forces. The ban was lifted in the year 2000.

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303. It happened on Saturday, December 21st at around 7 pm when a pedestrian collided with a grey Range Rover on the eastbound stretch between Cartgate and Podimore. The man was taken to hospital with life-changing injuries. If you saw the incident or have dashcam footage you’re asked to please call the non-emergency number 101.

More from News

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
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more