Wednesday 28th May

Wednesday, 28 May 2025 at 06:00

By Steve Haigh

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

Somerset Council is to spend £3m on employment consultants as it seeks to bring its four thousand staff onto the same terms and conditions. The council was formed in 2023 after it merged five local authorities, inheriting several different sets of terms and conditions for staff.

Film and TV production companies spent an estimated £4m in Somerset last year. The figure comes in the week The Salt Path, filmed in Somerset, is released. Somerset Council says that, in addition to production companies spending money locally, tourism also benefits from places and landscapes in Somerset being showcased on the Big Screen.

Chard-based professional boxer Paul Roberts is to challenge for the British flyweight and Commonwealth flyweight titles. He's scheduled to fight Harvey Horn for the titles and the coveted Lonsdale belt at the Skate Central Arena in Sheffield on June 14th.

A man from Forton, near Chard, is taking part in a 200km challenge to raise money for Brain Tumour Research. Jonathan Ingram, who is living with a brain tumour, says by the end of May, he will have walked, run, and cycled to reach the 200km target.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has developed a new online self-referral form for bowel cancer. The Trust says data shows younger people are being diagnosed with late-stage bowel cancer in Somerset, with the highest proportion in Bridgwater. The new service is open to people aged 40-49 who are registered with a general practitioner (GP) in Somerset.

The Wurzels have released a new single written by artificial intelligence called 'Wurzel Me Up'. The band, best known for hits like Combine Harvester and I Am A Cider Drinker, say they've used Ai in the hope it will give them a new Number One.

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Thursday 29th October

A Yeovil man has been detained under the Mental Health Act for attacking his mother with a knife. People in Chard are being reminded that it’s unlawful to attach flags to lamp posts and street furniture. Wincanton Racecourse has called off its 'Badger Chase Day' because the ground is too firm... and more
Wednesday 28th October

Leweston School near Sherborne has announced that it is closing with immediate effect. NHS Somerset could merge with neighbours in Bath and North-East Somerset and Dorset to cut costs. Somerset’s Lord-Lieutenant has launched a campaign to get more people nominated for national honours... and more
Tuesday 27th October

Work has started building a new six-million-pound flood defence scheme in Taunton. Plans have been submitted to build a new church hall in Martock. People are being asked to donate gifts to this year’s Chard Christmas Present Appeal... and more
Monday 26th October

Eligible groups in Somerset are being encouraged to get their flu jabs. There’s a rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look inside Avon & Somerset Police’s control room. Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Daisy Cooper MP, has visited Yeovil... and more.
Friday 23rd October

Somerset is the 11th most challenging place in England to be a child according to a report. Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire could have its own elected ‘Wessex Mayor’ by 2028. Cricketer, Ian Botham returns to the county this weekend... and more.
Thursday 22nd October

The NFU says that testing for the virus Bluetongue needs to be sped up. Construction of new flats on Yeovil’s Grimsby Corner site will officially begin next year. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for wind tomorrow... and more.
Wednesday 21st October

The owner of campsite in Somerset says a two-thousand-seven-hundred percent increase in business rates will be 'catastrophic' for his business. Plans to build nearly 300 new homes on the outskirts of Chard have been given the go ahead. Yeovil Town are through to the first round proper of the FA Cup after beating Leatherhead 5-2 at Huish Park last night... and more