Wednesday 1st November

Wednesday, 1 November 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A disability campaigner in Yeovil has welcomed the decision not to close rail ticket offices. Somerset Council is planning to drastically cut the number of buildings it owns. Yeovil Hospital says the new breast cancer unit,will make a huge difference in how people are treated. £422 has been raised towards this year’s Christmas lights in Ilminster with a coffee morning held in the town...and more.

A disability campaigner in Yeovil has welcomed the decision not to close rail ticket offices. The government has asked train operators to scrap the plan following fierce opposition from rail unions and disability groups. Kath Vickery from Yeovil is registered blind and campaigned to have the ticket offices at Yeovil Junction, Yeovil Pen Mill, and Sherborne stations kept open.

The Environment Agency is warning people to be prepared as flooding is possible in some areas of Somerset with the Met Office issuing a double-weather warning for rain and wind. Flood alerts are in place between Yeovil and Taunton, covering the Lower Tone and Parrett Moors, the River Yeo and River Parrett Moors around Muchelney and Thorney. The EA says flooding is possible in each area and advises people to avoid low-lying footpaths.

Yeovil Hospital says the new breast cancer unit, currently under construction on the hospital site, will make a huge difference in how people are treated. Consultant Surgeon Caroline Osborne says they've been overwhelmed by the support they had in raising the money to build the unit. The target of two-point-five-million pounds was reached following a collection held amongst Yeovil Town fans at Huish Park last Saturday.

£422 has been raised towards this year’s Christmas lights in Ilminster with a coffee morning held in the town. The lights will be switched on on Friday, November 24th at 7 pm. Earlier in the day, school choirs will perform outside the market house, and a Christmas Fair will be held in the parish hall.

A new manager has been appointed to run Ilminster Arts Centre. She’s Bryony Tidball, an accomplished artist in her own right with a background in the charity and community arts sectors, having worked for Bridport Museum and several historic houses.

Somerset Council is planning to drastically cut the number of buildings it owns. The Council that has taken over ownership of properties previously owned by Somerset’s former district councils and the County Council says it needs fewer buildings due to having too much-unused office space. One idea the Council is investigating is to move its customer services operation at Petters House in Petters Way into Yeovil Library in King George Street.

More from News

Friday 12th June

It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Thursday 11th June

Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
Wednesday 10th June

The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
Tuesday 9th June

The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Monday 8th June

Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
Wednesday 3rd June

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more