Wednesday 15th April

Wednesday, 15 April 2026 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Yeovil College has been upgraded to a Defence Technical Excellence College. Somerset Council is taking legal action against a housing developer that owes £35,000 in contributions towards local services in Broadway. An Ilminster couple have covered the first 400 miles of their epic walk around the coastline of mainland Britain... and more

Yeovil College has been upgraded to a Defence Technical Excellence College. The government has announced £175 million of investment for technical training at nineteen colleges, including Yeovil, where apprentices from Leonardo already undergo training.

Somerset Council is taking legal action against a housing developer that owes £35,000 in contributions towards local services in Ilminster. Higdon Homes Ltd secured planning permission to build 16 homes on St James Close in Broadway in 2016. As part of the permission, the developer was required to contribute towards facilities within the village, including the village hall and the pitch at Broadway Cricket Club. Somerset Council says the £34,982 that Higdon Homes Ltd promised to pay is still owed.

Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke says rising house prices, high rents and a lack of homes in Somerset have led to people living in vans in her constituency. The government says it is committed to building one and a half million new homes during the lifetime of this Parliament. But speaking in the Commons, Sarah Dyke said that for many people, buying or renting a home is unaffordable.

An Ilminster couple have covered the first 400 miles of their epic walk around the coastline of mainland Britain. Mike and Zoe Langley-Wathen are taking on the One Coast Any Age challenge, walking 7,300 miles around the British coastline for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. So far, the couple, who are both in their 70s, have covered 435 miles along the Sussex coast, raising £4,000 towards their target of £10,000.

Members of a local production of Calendar Girls have stripped off for a real-life photoshoot to help promote the show. Glastonbury and Street Musical Comedy Society are performing the musical at Strode Theatre in Street next week, with money raised going to Blood Cancer UK.

More from News

Friday 29th May

South Western Ambulance Service is struggling to cope after a surge in 999 calls during the hot weather. Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke says a shortage of rental homes is making it harder for rural employers to attract workers. The National Trust is warning that changing weather patterns are making it difficult to maintain the Cerne Abbas Giant... and more
Thursday 28th May

People are being asked to take extra care in parks and open spaces as high temperatures and dry conditions increase the risk of fire. Plans to build hundreds of new homes in Yeovil can now go ahead after a High Court challenge by Mudford Parish Council was dismissed. A Somerset bakery chain has sparked a reaction after it stopped making iced buns... and more
Wednesday 27th May

The UK Health Security Agency has increased its heat health alert for Somerset to amber. Trading Standards officers have shut down three shops in Taunton after illegal cigarettes and vapes were discovered on the premises. Bridgwater Town Council is considering running its own bus services...and more
Tuesday 26th May

A Martock agricultural machinery business has gone into administration, putting around thirty jobs at risk. A new sensory room has opened at a Yeovil schook to support neurodiverse pupils. The headteacher of a Chard primary school is stepping down... and more
Friday 22nd May

The National Farmers Union in Somerset has welcomed the government’s new trade deal with six Gulf countries. Campaigners say Somerset’s canals and locks are in urgent need new investment. The Liverpool comedian John Bishop is heading to Somerset later this year...and more
Thursday 21st May

Police are being asked to cut the time the M5 is closed following accidents. Plans to build a major solar farm near Chard have been thrown out. Aldi is asking shoppers to help find locations for new stores in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 20th May

People in Somerset are being encouraged to get their cholesterol checked to cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes. A Chard man has appeared in court charged with using threatening behaviour. A gardener from Somerset has won a silver award at the Chelsea Flower Show... and more
Tuesday 19th May

A Somerset car boot business says it will no longer accept twenty-pound notes after being handed counterfeit notes.Taunton Flower Show is warning this year’s event could be its last. Numatic, makers of the Henry vacuum cleaner, have invested one-and-a-half million pounds installing new solar panels at their factory in Chard... and more