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 February

Workers at Leonardo in Yeovil have been to Downing Street to hand-in a petition calling on the government to back British jobs. The decision to grant planning permission to upgrade Yeovil's Octagon Theatre has been enthusiastically welcomed by staff who work there. The search is on to find a defibrillator that has gone missing in Chard... and more
Wednesday 25th February

Plans have been passed to carry out a £15 million upgrade of Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. A new medical unit providing NHS and private treatments has opened in Shepton Mallet. Manor Court Community Primary School in Chard is celebrating after receiving a Gold Artsmark for excellence in arts and cultural education...and more
Tuesday 24th February

First Bus has announced changes to bus timetables on routes across Somerset. A Somerset drone company is celebrating getting through the audition round of ITV’s Britain's Got Talent. A public footpath in South Somerset is set to remain closed for up to two years... and more
Monday 23rd February

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is warning of a scaling back of jobs at the Leonardo helicopter factory in Yeovil. Work is underway on the multi-million-pound refurbishment of Yeovil police station. The A361 across the Somerset Levels has reopened... and more
Friday 20th February

10,000 incidents of potholes on Somerset’s roads have been reported to Somerset Council in the past four weeks. The Met Office is warning of more unsettled weather into March for Somerset. The Crowshute link in Chard will close for eight nights next month for road repairs... and more
Thursday 19th February

Yeovil fire station is to undergo a major refurbishment. A Yeovil based charity is appealing for adults to become mentors to young people. A Somerset woman has completed a 10,000 kilometre solo bike ride across Africa... and more
Wednesday 18th February

New figures have shown a rise in cases of suicide involving farmers, including in Somerset. Plans to merge the parishes of Castle Cary and Ansford have been scrapped. A Somerset-based charity working to end homelessness is marking its 50th anniversary... and more
Tuesday 17th February

Avon and Somerset Police are asking the owners of replica guns to hand them in. It's claimed motorists in the Bruton and Wincanton area are paying out hundreds of pounds in repairs due to the poor state of local roads. And, Yeovil Town take on Aldershot at Huish Park tonight... and more