Wednesday 3rd April

Wednesday, 3 April 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The Health Secretary has been asked to review the decision to close the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Parents in Somerset say paying for childcare is still difficult, despite the government increasing funding. A Somerset housebuilder has launched a search to find its longest-standing home owner... and more.

The Health Secretary, Veronica Atkins, has been asked to review the decision to close the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. The Management Board at NHS Somerset met last week to finally approve the business case to downgrade the Yeovil unit, despite 7,000 local people signing a petition calling for it to be kept open. In a letter, Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Yeovil, Adam Dance, has asked the Secretary of State to ensure the Yeovil unit stays open saying that it is unacceptable for people in the town and surrounding areas to be left with reduced access to emergency acute stroke treatment.

Parents in Somerset say paying for childcare is still difficult for them, despite the government increasing funding for childcare. The Government has expanded the number of funded hours to working parents, with two-year-olds now eligible for 15 hours of free care each week but with childcare still costing around £230 a week, parents continue to struggle to pay this.

Chard Library is open as normal, despite the building looking like it’s closed due to a number of boarded-up windows. A spokesperson for the library, which is a listed building, says the windows are in a poor state and have been boarded up as a safety precaution pending their repair.

Men in Somerset are being encouraged to attend football sessions to improve their mental health. Wellbeing Wanderers is a new community football group offering a weekly kick-around.

A Somerset housebuilder has launched a search to find its longest-standing homeowner. Redrow, which has built 120,000 homes in the South West since its launch in 1988, wants to hear the stories of long-term residents to mark its 50th anniversary. As a reward for telling their story, the Redrow homeowner will receive a cash prize of £500.

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Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more
Friday 24th July

Avon and Somerset Police are warning people to watch out for scammers posing as Amazon. The CEO of the company that provides Somerset's recycling is warning of a major incident if people continue to put used batteries in waste bins. A former Yeovil pub could be demolished to make way for a major hotel expansion.
Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more