Tuesday 24th March

Tuesday, 24 March 2026 05:00

By Steve Haigh

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

Yeovil College has received a glowing report following an Ofsted inspection. The college was judged to be running at a ‘strong standard’ in six categories and at the ‘expected standard’ in a further nine. The categories include leadership and governance, curriculum and teaching, and participation and development. Inspectors praised the college for its inclusive ethos and said students largely achieve their qualifications well, in line with the national average.

Farmers in Somerset are facing growing costs as the price of fertiliser increases due to the war involving the US and Israel in Iran. The price of wheat has remained similar to pre-war levels, leaving farmers with lower profit margins.

The main road between Chard and Ilminster is to be better protected from flooding. The A358 runs from the northern edge of Chard to the A303 at the Southfields roundabout. Following pressure from Donyatt Parish Council, Somerset Rivers Authority has committed £100,000 to a major scheme to reduce the flood risk on the A358.

A six-thousand-year-old wooden walkway has been uncovered in Honeygar on the Somerset Levels. Archaeologists say our Neolithic ancestors would have used it to cross the marshes in the area. The dig, carried out on behalf of Somerset Wildlife Trust and the Species Survival Fund, is part of a project to recreate the ancient wetland habitat.

Schools in Yeovil have been competing in the regional final of the Flying Start Challenge. The event, a STEM initiative aimed at encouraging learning in science, technology, engineering and maths, was held at the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton, with teams flying hand-launched gliders over the greatest distance. Graduates and apprentices from Leonardo in Yeovil have been running training sessions at local schools, helping students develop the skills to design and build gliders for the challenge.

More from News

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
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