Friday 16th August

Friday, 16 August 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Eye surgery under general anaesthesia is now available at Yeovil Hospital for the first time. There's been an increase in the number of students in Somerset getting an A star or A grade at A level this year. Staff at the Jones building group in Yeovil are taking on a cycle challenge, raising money for Children’s Hospice South West...and more.

Eye surgery under general anaesthesia is now available at Yeovil Hospital for the first time. It follows the opening of a new state-of-the-art day theatre replacing the need for patients to travel to the Yeatman Hospital in Sherborne for general anaesthesia for eye surgery.

There's been a rise in the number of students in Somerset getting an A star or A grade at A level this year. The number of passes is up 26.5 percent on last year, with 82 percent of students getting places at their first choice university. Students at Holyrood Academy in Chard achieved a 100 percent pass rate in grades A star to E. At Sexey’s school in Bruton, 71 percent of students won a place at the university or college of their choice. Somerset’s FE colleges say they’ve seen more students choosing not to go to university but take up an apprenticeship or employment with training.

Chard councillor, Connor Payne, is urging the government to support a new railway station for Chard in the face of a review of major infrastructure projects. He says the new Labour government is giving mixed signals over its plans for building new railway stations, including plans to return a station on the main line through Somerton and Langport. Councillor Payne has written to the new transport secretary, Louise Haigh, asking her to commit funding to take the Chard project forward.

A new dance group from Ilminster, preparing for their first carnival season, is raising funds for sound equipment and lighting. The Ilminster Icons Carnival Dance Team are planning several fund-raising events over the next few weeks.

Staff at the Jones building group in Yeovil are taking on a cycle challenge to mark the start of a five-year partnership, raising money for Children’s Hospice South West. The cycle challenge which starts on September 25th, and is open to anyone wanting to take part, starts from the Little Harbour Children’s hospice in St Austell and finishes at Yeovil Rugby Club, a circuit of 280 miles.

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Thursday 19th September

Yeovil's MP Adam Dance has officially opened a new £30 million logistic hub at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil. Somerset Council says more parents are looking to move their children out of private schools and into state schools due to the addition of 20 percent VAT to private school fees. Star of TV’s Clarkson’s Farm, Kaleb Cooper, will be appearing at next month’s Yeovil Literary Festival...and more.
Wednesday 18th September

BT is reassuring customers in Somerset who are worried about the upcoming digital switchover for landline phones. Somerset Council could lose 13 percent of its elected members as part of an upcoming boundary review. Castle Cary has been named as the best place to live in the UK in an online poll...and more.
Tuesday 17th September

£400 million is being invested in research and development projects at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil. £29 million in council tax was left uncollected in Somerset in the last 3 years. A teenager from Yeovil is calling for more awareness of kidney failure. A new procedure for treating varicose veins has made it possible for patients to leave hospital earlier... and more.
Monday 15th September

The public is being asked for its views on how the Hinkley Point B nuclear power station near Bridgwater should be decommissioned. The number of reported rape cases to Avon and Somerset Police in the last 12 months increased to just over 3,000. Asda in Yeovil is inviting donations of used children’s books as part of the supermarket's partnership with the Children's Book Project...and more
Friday 13th September

The Prime Minister has paid tribute to the Royal Navy officer from RNAS Yeovilton who died in a training accident last week. A public consultation is underway into plans to build a giant solar farm between Yeovil and Sherborne. A care home in Crewkerne has been celebrating the 100th birthday of one of its residents...and more.
Wednesday 12th September

Somerset Community Foundation says it is looking to find new ways to fund its Surviving Winter Campaign. The National Farmers' Union is warning that its ambition to make UK farming ‘net zero’ by 2040 is in doubt. A newly refurbished play park in Queen Camel is being officially opened today...and more.
Wednesday 11th September

Work building the new amphitheatre in Lower Middle Street in Yeovil won't be finished until late autumn. Plans have been submitted to build sixteen low-cost homes in Somerton. Dunelm has re-opened in Yeovil as a 'click and collect hub' after a fire destroyed its store in the Quedam Centre...and more.
Tuesday 10th September

A new school for children with special needs has opened at Ash on the outskirts of Yeovil. One hundred Ash trees in Ham Hill Country Park are to be felled due to Ash dieback disease. The South Western Ambulance Service is holding its Annual Members Meeting in Ilminster next week...and more.