Local News Monday 18th July

Monday, 18 July 2022 06:00

There’s been a delay to work starting on a £30 million pound upgrade of Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. A hospital ward in Yeovil has introduced a booking system for visitors after an outbreak of coronavirus. The Liberal Democrats have won a council by-election in Yeovil. A voluntary group in Ilminster, aiming to plant a tree for every resident of the town has so far planted nearly half its target number of trees. A new NHS facility has opened in Yeovil town centre...and more.

There’s been a delay to work starting on a £30 million pound upgrade of Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. The Octagon was due to close in January for work to begin but will now stay open until May. The theatre’s owners, South Somerset District Council said a number of key milestones with the Octagon project have still to be reached before the upgrade can start. The revamped Octagon Theatre will include an increase in seating capacity in the main auditorium from 622 to 900. Two cinema/ studio spaces for film screenings, a dance studio, and a new café and restaurant area. The Council recently allocated a further six million pounds to the project to offset a rise in material costs.

A hospital ward in Yeovil has introduced a booking system for visitors after an outbreak of coronavirus. Rowan Ward at Summerlands Hospital has brought in the measure to minimise the spread of the virus. Rowan ward has a total of 18 beds and provides assessment and treatment for adults who are experiencing acute mental health problems.

The Liberal Democrats have won a council by-election in Yeovil. It was to represent the Brympton ward on South Somerset District Council. Barbara Appleby for the Lib Dems topped the poll with 582 votes. Tony Power for the Conservatives came second with 251 votes. Alan Flint for the Greens was third with 71 votes. Terry Ledlie for Labour was fourth on 61 votes and Ashley Richards, the Independent, came fifth with 29 votes. The turnout was 15.7 per cent, meaning less than one in six of those eligible to vote turned out to vote.

A voluntary group in Ilminster, aiming to plant a tree for every resident of the town has so far planted nearly half its target number of trees. The Ilminster Tree Group set out three years ago to plant seven-and-a-half-thousand trees, one for each adult person in Ilminster.

A new NHS facility has opened in Yeovil town centre. The centre that offers a variety of eye treatments, including those for glaucoma, is based in the Quedam shopping centre in a unit previously occupied by Monsoon.

An Ilchester cheese supplier has won seven commendations for the quality of its cheeses. Norseland was recognised for its dairy and plant-based products at the International Cheese Awards.

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