Friday 6th October

    A new scheme, aimed at making women feel safer when out and about, is being piloted in Somerset. Somerset-based Olympic swimmer, Brodie Williams, says more needs to be done to stop the closure of public swimming pools. Michael Ball and Deborah Meaden are two of the big names appearing at this year’s Yeovil Literary Festival...and more.

    A new scheme, aimed at making women feel safer when out and about is being piloted in Somerset. It’s part of efforts by Avon and Somerset Police to tackle violence against women and girls. Called ‘Walk and Talk’, women can arrange to meet with a female officer to show them areas where they feel most at risk. 

    The Department of Culture, Media and Sport says it is keen to hear what Somerset Council intends to do next with up-grading Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre after plans to spend £29 million on the project were paused due to rising costs. A new business plan is now being prepared with the aim of finding new ways to fund the upgrade to make it more affordable.

    Somerset-based Olympic swimmer and Commonwealth Gold Medalist Brodie Williams says more should be done to protect access for children to learn how to swim. Swim England and Ofsted have both warned that public swimming is under threat due to pool closures and high energy costs. 

    Michael Ball, Deborah Meaden, and poet Roger McGough are some of the big names appearing at this year’s Yeovil Literary Festival. It runs from Thursday, October 26th until Monday, October 30th with forty-three leading authors taking part. 

    A coffee morning held in Chard has raised £2,000 for the cancer charity Macmillan. It was organised by the family of Guy Warren who hold the event every year in his memory.

    More from News

    • Wednesday 5th February

      The Liberal Democrat Leader of Somerset Council, Councillor Bill Revans, says they had no choice but to ask the government to allow them to lift the 5 percent cap on raising Council Tax. Two teenagers have been released on bail following the stabbing in Yeovil. More than six thousand pounds has been awarded to local groups by Chard Carnival Committee...and more.

    • Tuesday 4th February 

      Somerset has been permitted to increase its Council Tax share by 7.5 percent. An Ilminster man, forced out of his house by last week's floods, says he doesn't know when he will be able to return home. Ilminster Literary Festival has launched its annual children’s writing competition, designed to encourage local children to write creative literature...and more.

    • Monday 3rd February

      Five men have appeared in court charged with the murder of a man in Yeovil. A 16-year-old is the second person to be arrested in connection with a stabbing in Yeovil. Yeovil’s new outdoor entertainment space in Lower Middle Street has been officially opened by the town’s MP... and more.

    • Friday 31st January

      A teenager has been arrested following a stabbing in Yeovil. Water bills in Somerset are set to go up on average by £123 from April. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance will officially open Yeovil’s new outdoor performance space later today...and more

    • Thursday 30th January

      Lloyds bank is closing its branch in Chard. A Sherborne man has been jailed after defrauding a Yeovil woman of £40,000. A volunteer group in Chard is urging people to sign up to a flood victims register. A councillor in Shepton Mallet has become the first Reform UK member on Somerset Council... and more

    • Wednesday 29th January

      New mums in Somerset could soon be offered a cervical screening test six weeks after giving birth. Police are asking for help in finding a Yeovil man wanted on recall to prison. The government has given half a million pounds towards planting more trees in Somerset, including 100 new trees in Yeovil...and more

    • Tuesday 28th January

      Work continues to clean up from the floods in Chard, Ilminster, Somerton, South Petherton, and parts of Yeovil. A man who threatened to kill a support worker at the mental health unit in Yeovil has been sentenced to a community order. A competition that gives new musicians the chance to play at this year's Glastonbury festival has opened for entries...and more

    • Monday 27th January

      A major incident has been declared by Somerset Council to ensure a multi-agency response to the flash flooding that's affected Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, South Petherton and parts of Yeovil. Police believe a 4x4 pick-up truck, found submerged in the River Yeo at Yeovilton at the weekend, may have been stolen. An appeal to raise £2 million to restore the Grand Organ at Wells Cathedral has raised over £1 million in less than 18 months...and more

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