Local News Friday 26th May

Friday, 26 May 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Council is looking to save ten million pounds a year in how it delivers Adult Social Care services. A parade's been held at RNAS Yeovilton to celebrate the latest group of pilots and crew completing their helicopter flight training. Cartons will no longer be accepted at Somerset’s recycling sites from next month. The annual Od Arts Festival held in the villages of East and West Coker opens to the public today...and more.

Somerset Council is looking to make big savings in how it delivers Adult Social Care. A review, to be considered at a meeting next week, has identified how up to ten million pounds a year could be cut from the annual spend of one-hundred- and-eighty-six million pounds on adult social care. One of the savings could see some adults with learning disabilities being moved out of residential homes and back into the community.

A parade has been held at RNAS Yeovilton to celebrate the latest group of helicopter pilots and crew completing their top-level flight training. After passing the training to fly the Merlin and Wildcat helicopters, they were presented with their wings and certificates.

Cartons will no longer be accepted at Somerset’s recycling sites from next month following the success of kerbside collections. Items such as liquid and juice cartons will stop being taken at all recycling sites from Monday, June 12th.

Work to upgrade public tennis courts in Crewkerne, Ilminster and Yeovil should be finished in time for Wimbledon Tennis Championships beginning July 3rd. The Lawn Tennis Association has provided funding to resurface and fit new nets at the public courts at Ilminster Recreational Ground, Yeovil Recreational Ground and Severalls Park in Crewkerne.

Some truly odd-looking art has gone on display in East and West Coker. It’s part of the annual Od Arts Festival held in the two villages, that opens today and runs to Sunday. The theme of this year's event is ‘Still and Still Moving’ - a line from the famous T S Elliot poem East Coker.

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Thursday 26th March

Somerset Council is offering food vouchers during the school easter holidays to families whose children receive free school meals. A local man has been charged in connection with an incident involving a firearm in Yeovil. The Environment Agency says it could take up to 10 years to protect homes at Holway House Park and Home Farm Park in Ilminster from flooding...and more.
Wednesday 25th March

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has raised concerns in the House of Commons about the planned closure of Yeovil Hospital’s hyper-acute stroke unit. Police in Yeovil are appealing for information after a man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm. A 13-year-old terrier named Mole has been rescued after becoming trapped underground...and more
Tuesday 24th March

Yeovil College has received a glowing report following an Ofsted inspection. The main road between Chard and Ilminster is to be better protected from flooding. A six-thousand-year-old wooden walkway has been uncovered on the Somerset Levels... and more
Monday 23rd March

A wildcat helicopter belonging 815 Squadron based at RNAS Yeovilton has been in action tracking two Russian ships in the English Channel. People living in Somerset will have to pay to use Dorset’s household waste recycling centres from today. A road in Ilminster has closed to traffic today and will stay shut for the next ten days... and more
Friday 20th March

Police are appealing for witnesses to a three-vehicle crash in Sherborne. The jobs of housing maintenance staff at Somerset Council could be outsourced to a private contractor. A pie throwing event is taking place in Chard today for Red Nose Day ... and more
Thursday 19th March

Farmers in Somerset say they're struggling after a doubling in the price of red diesel. Yeovil MP Adam Dance has criticised Donald Trump over his comments about people with learning disabilities. A Somerset woman whose father was killed in a crash on the M5 is running the London Marathon to raise money for South West Ambulance...and more
Wednesday 18th March

The murder of a two-week-old baby by his father at Yeovil Hospital could not have been predicted, according to a new report. A road in Ilminster is to close to traffic for eleven days later this month. A new Post Office counter is to open in Somerton... and more
Tuesday 17th March

The government is being asked to help fund Somerset's carnivals. Bridgwater Town Council wants more trains to stop at the town’s railway station. A fund raising pie throwing event is taking place for Red Nose Day in Chard... and more