Wednesday 8th April

Wednesday, 8 April 2026 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A Yeovil school teacher has been banned from teaching for sharing inappropriate details about her private life with pupils. A Stoke-sub-Hamdon woman has been given a 17-month driving ban. A Yeovil woman who survived bone cancer is raising is running the London Marathon... and more

A Yeovil school teacher has been banned from teaching for 2 years for sharing inappropriate details about her private life with pupils. A tribunal heard that Natasha Blackmore, aged 36, who was Head of Design Technology at Westfield Academy in Yeovil, treated her pupils as friends, sharing inappropriate personal details, including drunken nights out, and exchanging messages on social media.

Joshua Morris of the Green Party has been elected unopposed to Ilminster Town Council. The Greens say Joshua, who’s 23, will bring a new perspective to town council business. His election boosts the number of Green Party councillors on Ilminster Town Council to four.

A Stoke-sub-Hamdon woman who was nearly double the drink-drive limit when stopped by police has been given a 17-month driving ban. Mauritrus Raybold, aged 29, of New Road in Stoke-sub-Hamdon, pleaded guilty to driving in Street with excess alcohol when she appeared before magistrates in Yeovil. Alongside the disqualification, Raybold was fined £230 with £85 costs.

A Yeovil woman who survived bone cancer is raising money for the charity that helped her by running the London Marathon. Laura James was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma when she was 18, which resulted in surgery on her left leg, leaving her with a permanent foot drop. She’s raised more than £2,000 so far.

Exmoor National Park is staging a Nature Festival next month. The event, being held over 6 days beginning Saturday, May 16, will be a celebration of wildlife and well-being in the National Park.

More from News

Tuesday 6th October

Prince William is visiting Ilminster today, where he will launch ‘Ready Together’, a new initiative helping communities prepare for emergencies. Barwick and Stoford Primary School near Yeovil says it's confident of emerging stronger after being placed in special measures by Ofsted. Vapes and weight-loss jabs are putting workers at recycling centres in Somerset at risk after being wrongly thrown away...and more
Monday 5th October

Ilminster is gearing up for a Royal visit by Prince William tomorrow. Plans have been approved to convert the former Battens Solicitors building on Princes Street in Yeovil into 21 flats. A 'Just Giving' page has opened for making donations towards Ilminster Carnival which, on Saturday, had to be cancelled midway through due to a gas leak...and more
Friday 2nd October

An investigation's underway after two people died in a collision near Taunton. A Somerset-based charity has warned of the risks of fuel poverty this winter. A Somerset healthcare service has been recognised with a national award.... and more.
Thursday 1st October

765 new homes have been given planning permission on the edge of Yeovil. Somerset Council’s Executive will meet to consider new parking charges. Four of the county’s best military cadets have been appointed as Lord-Lieutenant cadets... and more.
Wednesday 30th September

Police are appealing for a missing 17 year old from Castle Cary. A registered sex offender has been sentenced to 9 years in prison. A former Chard student who is one of six writers in the running to win this year's Booker Prize has paid tribute to his childhood teachers... and more.
Tuesday 29th September

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service say this summer saw record-breaking levels of demand. The charity that runs the Brewhouse Theatre has confirmed that it will definitely close. A Chard charity has launched a minibus service to improve community transport... and more.
Monday 28th September

Somerset Community Foundation says it has awarded more than £40 million in grants across the county. The family of a Somerset girl say they used AI to help diagnose her genetic condition. A property in Monks Dale, Yeovil is subject to a three month Closure Order... and more.
Friday 25th September

’20 Is Plenty’ is the message to drivers travelling through Langport. Chard’s Numatic manufacturing hub is marking 45 years of business with an investment of £85m into the company. Wessex Water tell us the hosepipe ban will remain across the region... and more.