Business owners in Chard say ongoing roadworks in Fore Street are hurting their trade. A vehicle has been destroyed in a fire at a farm at Charlton Mackrell. A new recycling scheme has been launched to support Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. Castle Carey has created a Scarecrow Festival...and more
Business owners in Chard say that ongoing roadworks in Fore Street are having a negative impact on trade. Work completing repairs to the kerbing, which started on June 9th and was due to end this Friday, has been delayed due to a design fault. The owners of Jenny’s Café and Bistro and Chard Fish and Chips are amongst the traders who say they’re losing customers. Somerset Council says it’s committed to ensuring the disruption is minimised, but can’t give a date when Fore Street will return to normal.
A vehicle has been destroyed in a fire at a farm at Charlton Mackrell. The 4x4 was in a field of crops when it burst into flames. Crews from Somerton and Martock attended and used a water jet and breathing apparatus to extinguish the blaze. No one was hurt.
Reports of animal cruelty in Somerset rose by a third last year. Figures show the RSPCA investigated 550 cases of animal cruelty in Somerset between June and August 2024. It says the cost of living has been a contributing factor.
Castle Carey has created a Scarecrow Festival as part of its entry into the Britain in Bloom competition. Penny Steiner, who has led the project, has thanked the local people for their participation.
A new recycling scheme has been launched to support Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. The charity has partnered with Recycling Solutions to introduce new clothing banks across Somerset, including one located at Broadway Village Hall, near Ilminster. The aim is to raise funds for the air ambulance while keeping unwanted clothing and shoes out of landfill sites.
A painting of a red carrot by an artist called Steve has been named the overall winner of this year’s Open Exhibition at Ilminster Arts Centre. Victoria Garland’s ‘Pig Gone Wild’ and Sally Hebeler’s ‘Flight of Imagination’ were named joint runners-up. The open exhibition at Ilminster Arts Centre is on until Friday, July 18th.
Drivers are being told that it could take several more weeks yet before Hendford Hill in Yeovil reopens to traffic. A new bus service between Glastonbury and Castle Cary railway station is to start on a trial basis. Children in Chard are being given free reading books as part of a scheme founded by Dolly Parton... and more
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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