Friday 26th July

Friday, 26 July 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Olympic Rower, Helen Glover, will be carrying the Team GB flag, together with diver Tom Daley, at this evening's opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Work has been completed building a new mental health ward in Yeovil. Martock Library is reducing its opening hours after losing funding from the Parish Council...and more.

Somerset Olympic Rower, Helen Glover, will be carrying the Team GB flag, together with diver Tom Daley, at this evening's opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Helen competes in her fourth Olympics and says leading Team GB at the opening event will be a proud moment.

Work has been completed building a new mental health ward in Yeovil. Patients under treatment at St Andrews in Wells will now be transferred to the new unit on Preston Road. Despite strong objections, NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group voted to close the mental health ward at St Andrews in Wells and relocate all patients to Yeovil.

Wildlife charities in Somerset are struggling to keep up with high demand due to an increase in domestic animal cruelty cases. According to the RSPCA, animal cruelty is rising more quickly in Somerset than in other parts of the country.

Martock Library is reducing its opening hours after losing its funding from the Parish Council. Martock Parish Council had been giving the library £5,000 a year to help operate its normal opening hours but has now removed the funding. The library will open on Tuesday and Saturday from 9:30 am until 1 pm and Wednesday from 1:30 pm to 5 pm. On Monday and Friday, it will be open between 9:30 am and 5 pm but will stay closed on Thursday and Sunday.

Two local men, who’ve raised over £750,000 for military charities, have been presented with a top award. Benn Laidler and Steve Shaw of Torque Events were given the Sir James Gildea Global Award at the annual meeting of the armed forces charity, SSAFA. Their latest fund-raising event, Driving Force for SSAFA, starts on July 30th, with fifty vehicles taking part in a 10-day driving challenge to Gibraltar.

A school lollipop lady in Milborne Port has retired after 30 years doing the job. Cora Pinkawa, who’s 85, received a thank-you gift on the last day of term at Milborne Port Primary School to make her retirement.

A picture framing business in Martock has been named the Best Family-Owned Art Gallery in the South of England. Martock Gallery on Water Street was named in the SME News UK Enterprise Awards.

More from News

Thursday 17th April

The father of a one-month-old baby boy in Chard is to stand trial for the murder of his son. New figures show that just under 1300 crimes were reported to the Police in Yeovil during the final quarter of last year. A night in a prison cell is offered at Shepton Mallet Jail to those who want to be alone this Easter...and more.
Wednesday 16th April

Big changes are being made to where taxi ranks in Yeovil are located. Farmers are being told to keep an extra lookout for people acting suspiciously following the latest livestock theft near the Devon and Somerset border. Channel 4’s Location Location Location is coming to Somerset, with anyone looking to buy a property locally invited to apply to be in the show...and more
Tuesday 15th April

A 36-year-old man remains in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of a sexual assault in Yeovil. Yeovil Labour Club has had its drinks licence revoked. NHS Somerset has been taking its physiotherapy team around the county to cut waiting times for patients. A men-only cooking course has been launched in Sherborne with all ingredients and equipment provided free of charge...and more
Monday 14th April

A new banking hub has opened in Crewkerne. South Western Ambulance is asking people to only dial 999 in a life-threatening emergency over the Easter weekend. £1.8 million is being spent improving walking and cycling routes around a major new housing development at Up Mudford in Yeovil...and more
Friday 11th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in Yeovil in which a man riding an e-bike was injured and later died in hospital. Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says the number of false alarm calls it receives is on the increase. A new micro-pub opens in Chard next week...and more
Thursday 10th April

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is calling for more targeted support for schools in Somerset. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident near Wells in which a cyclist died. Plans have been approved to convert a former care home in Yeovil into a house of multiple occupation...and more
Wednesday 9th April

A man from Yeovil has been jailed for stabbing another man in a pub in the town. Work is underway to help minimize the flood risk at Chard Reservoir. Plans have been submitted to build thirty-six new homes at Sparkford. A new Town Crier is needed in Glastonbury...and more
Tuesday 8th April

Work is underway to demolish the Glovers Walk Shopping Centre in Yeovil. A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with drink driving for a third time. Somerset Council has paid £35,000 in compensation for failing to deliver the right support to children with special educational needs. Another shop in Yeovil town centre is closing for good today...and more