Wednesday 7th May

Wednesday, 7 May 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The Interim Chairman of Yeovil Town, Stuart Robins, says the club is close to finding a new owner. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is examining an incident in which a volunteer was struck by a wagon at the Gartell Light Railway centre near Templecombe. An Ilminster man has been charged with fox hunting. Councillor Tony Lock has been sworn in as the new Mayor of Yeovil...and more

The Interim Chairman of Yeovil Town, Stuart Robins, says the club is close to finding a new owner. He stepped into the Chairman’s role last month following Martin Hellier’s resignation and decision to sell his majority shareholding. Stuart Robins says negotiations with a third party to buy Yeovil Town are progressing well but gave no further details.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is examining an incident in which a volunteer was struck by a wagon at the Gartell Light Railway centre near Templecombe. The volunteer was hit as he was attempting to get off the wagon near the Common Lane level crossing. The heritage railway was closed to the public at the time of the accident.

Racing pigeons from Somerset, released in Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, have arrived back in the County. Pigeons played a vital role in World War Two, delivering messages when radio communications were disrupted. Over 1,000 pigeons from all parts of the West of England, including 50 destined for Somerset, flew back over the English Channel at the weekend, completing the crossing in around five hours.

Police are appealing for witnesses to an incident in Langport in which a man received serious head injuries when he was hit by a car. Emergency services were called to Parrett Close in Langport at 3 pm on Monday after a car collided with a pedestrian and two stationary vehicles. Avon and Somerset Police would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam footage. If you can help, you’re asked to please call the non-emergency number 101.

An Ilminster man has been charged with fox hunting. It follows reports of a fox being pursued by a hunt group and killed in the area of Drimpton, near Beaminster. The man has been charged with hunting a wild mammal with dogs under Section 1 of the Hunting Act 2004 and is due to appear at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, May 28th.

Entries are still open for this year’s Bristol, Bath, and Somerset Tourism Awards. It’s a chance for tourism and hospitality businesses to show off their success and honour their teams. Entries close on Sunday, May 18th, with businesses allowed to enter as many categories as they are eligible for. To enter, go to somersettourismawards.org.uk

Councillor Tony Lock has been sworn in as the new Mayor of Yeovil. Councillor Lock's chosen charities for his year in office are Yeovil Hospital Charity and Yeovil Freewheelers, also known as Yeovil Blood Bikes. Yeovil's new Deputy Mayor is Councillor Wes Read.

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