Tuesday 27th May

Tuesday, 27 May 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The Government is to look at the circumstances behind the decision to close the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital. The Royal Bath and West Show opens this week with concerns being raised about the spread of Blue Tongue disease in farm animals. An 86-year-old Somerset man is preparing for his fourth skydive to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society...and more.

The Government is to look at the circumstances behind the decision to close the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital. The baby ward closed suddenly last week due to safety concerns raised in an inspection report by the Care Quality Commission. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Yeovil Hospital, says the unit will remain closed for six months while a review is conducted. Expectant mothers due to give birth in Yeovil have been asked instead to attend the Royal Hospital in Bath, County Hospital in Dorchester or Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. The government’s promise to intervene follows a public protest against the closure and a question asked of the Prime Minster by Yeovil MP Adam Dance in the House of Commons.

The Royal Bath and West Show gets underway this week, with concerns being raised about the spread of Blue Tongue disease, which affects farm animals. The show states that it has procedures and rules in place to protect against the spread of the disease, including a ban on cattle from affected areas.

Trains that run through Yeovil, Sherborne and Crewkerne stations have become the first in the country to be brought back into public ownership. South Western Railway, who operate services on the Exeter to Waterloo line, was transferred at the weekend to Great British Railways, a company wholly owned by the government.

A woman who fatally stabbed her husband at their home in Baltonsborough near Street last year has been jailed for a minimum of 15 years. Christine Kekkonen claimed she hadn't intended to injure 41-year-old Henri Kekkonen but was convicted of his murder following a trial at Bristol Crown Court.

A Somerset florist is celebrating after winning gold at last week’s Chelsea Flower Show. Georgie Newbery of Common Farm Flowers in Charlton Musgrove was awarded the top prize as a member of the Farewell Flowers Collective for their interpretation of a funeral scene, which featured flower displays and a wirework sculpture of a man and his dog visiting a graveyard.

An 86-year-old Somerset man is getting ready to do his fourth skydive to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society. Brian Standring will be jumping from 15,000 feet for the charity, which he started supporting after his close friend Alan was diagnosed with dementia in 2012. He says despite the potential risks of skydiving at his age, supporting the Alzheimer’s Society is what is important.

More from News

Friday 30th May

Yeovil Town Football Club has a new owner. Displays of birds and poultry at this year’s Royal Bath and West Show have been banned due to the spread of avian flu. Organisers of the Wessex Truck Show say they’ve cancelled holding it again in Yeovil. A storm thwarts a man from Martock's record-breaking attempt...and more.
Thursday 29th May

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has secured an adjournment debate in Parliament to discuss the sudden closure of Yeovil's maternity unit. The Royal Bath and West Show 2025 opens today. The go-ahead has been given to demolish the Crispin Shopping Centre in Street and build a retirement complex in its place...and more
Wednesday 28th May

Somerset Council is to spend £3m on employment consultants as it seeks to bring its four thousand staff onto the same terms and conditions. Film and TV production companies spent an estimated £4m making films in Somerset last year. The Wurzels have released a new single written by artificial intelligence in the hope it will take them to the top of the charts...and more
Friday 23rd May

Ten extra maternity beds have been made available at Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital following the closure of Yeovil's maternity unit. Some Glastonbury festival goers say they've been left thousands of pounds out of pocket after a glamping business was liquidated. Chard Fire Station is asking businesses to offer their buildings for fire training. The Cotley Inn, in Wambrook, has been placed on a top 10 list of the best pubs in Britain...and more.
Thursday 22nd May

Residents of Chard are being asked to be more proactive and call the local police when they spot acts of crime and anti-social behaviour. Somerset Council says its gritting teams went out 1700 times last winter, covering more than 117,000 miles and spreading 6,000 tonnes of salt to keep local roads open. Leonardo Helicopters says it will be conducting test flights over Yeovil tonight up until 10.30 pm...and more
Wednesday 21st May

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says closing the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital is a disaster for the town. A Somerset transport company that supplies supermarkets says it’s being held to ransom by cyber hackers. NHS Somerset says 70% of people in the highest risk groups have yet to get their Covid-19 spring booster jab...and more
Tuesday 19th May

A Yeovil man says his life has improved since having a new weight loss treatment. A pub near Chard is blaming increased running costs imposed by the government for the business closing. A Somerset woman has been left with facial injuries after coming off her horse when it was spooked by a driver overtaking at speed...and more
Monday 19th May

Four thousand people have signed a petition calling for Yeovil’s maternity unit to be re-opened as soon as possible. UNISON is calling on Somerset Council to clarify how it will operate services now that hundreds of staff have been made redundant. The Bishop of Bath and Wells says he’s concerned about amendments to the assisted dying bill...and more.