Wednesday 25th October

    New figures have shown a significant rise in cases of theft and shoplifting in Somerset. A further one hundred and fifty thousand pounds worth of grant funding has been awarded to charities and projects in Somerset. A Yeovil-based financial expert is offering help to people who may be missing out on a full state pension due to an error in their national insurance records. Yeovil Town increased their lead to four points at the top of National League South by beating Weymouth 2-0 at Huish Park last night...and more.

    New figures have shown a significant rise in cases of theft and shoplifting in Somerset. A total of 9,763 incidents of theft were recorded by June 2023, compared to 8,911 by June the previous year. The rise represents an increase in theft cases of 9.6%. Despite this, the total number of crimes committed in Somerset was slightly down from 41,131 by June 2022 to 39,557 in June of this year. 

    A Yeovil-based financial expert is offering help to people who may be missing out on a full state pension due to an error in their national insurance records. HMRC is writing to people, who are mostly women, who took time off work to care for family between 1978 and 2010, as they may not have been credited with what's known as 'home responsibilities protection'. Stephanie Dyke of Blue Fox Wealth in Yeovil says some claimants could be entitled to a back payment of up to £5,000.

    A further one hundred and fifty thousand pounds worth of grant funding has been awarded to charities and projects in Somerset to help tackle the cost-of-living crisis this winter. In the last year, over half a million pounds has been raised by local authorities and companies through the Somerset Community Foundation. 

    A Somerset woman whose teenage daughter died suddenly in 2017 says retraining as a counsellor has helped her rediscover meaning in her life. Tanya Russell says she "fell apart" five years after seventeen-year-old Johdi suffered Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy. After completing a university course earlier this year, Tanya says it's never too late to change careers.

    The parents of a man who needed a heart transplant have fitted a defibrillator in Chard in memory of the donor who gave their son "his life back". Revd Len and Jacquie Schofield’s son, Barry, was left with diabetes and heart failure following having had Covid. In September 2022, a match was found and his heart transplant operation went ahead a few weeks later. Barry’s parents say they’re so thankful to the family of a young man for giving their son his life back and have installed the defibrillator at Bishops Court in Chard in his memory.

    Somerset Council has signed a new eight-year contract with Kier Transportation Ltd to deliver maintenance services across its road network. The £225 million agreement covers road repairs, drainage, verge cutting, and winter services, such as gritting.

    Yeovil Town increased their lead to 4 points at the top of National League South beating Weymouth 2-0 at Huish Park last night. The crowd of 6,289 was Yeovil’s biggest at home of the season so far. 

    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

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Light rain

      High: 12°C | Low: 5°C

    • Chard

      Sunny intervals

      High: 11°C | Low: 4°C

    • Crewkerne

      Sunny intervals

      High: 11°C | Low: 4°C

    • Somerton

      Light rain shower

      High: 11°C | Low: 5°C

    • Wincanton

      Light rain

      High: 12°C | Low: 4°C

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