Local News Thursday 26th January

Thursday, 26 January 2023 06:00

St Margaret's Hospice has admitted to losing one-million pounds in a failed business venture. A Yeovil shop owner is asking to be compensated for the loss of customers that she claims is due to the disruption caused by the improvement works to the town centre. A Somerset mother has set up a website to help other parents protect children when they're on their phones... and more.

St Margaret's Hospice has admitted to losing one-million pounds in a failed business venture. The Somerset-based charity bought into a franchise, opening funeral shops and offering funeral plans but after 5-years of trading the business closed after running up huge debts.

A Yeovil shop owner is asking to be compensated for the loss of customers that she claims is due to the disruption caused by the improvement works to the town centre. Speaking to members of South Somerset District Council, Rachel Charles, who owns Sports of Bond Street, described the Yeovil Refresh Project as a “terrible disaster” and asked the council to compensate her and other independent businesses for the loss of trade. Portfolio holder for Yeovil Refresh, Councillor Peter Gubbins, said no money was available within the Refresh budget to compensate businesses and claimed the drop in footfall could be due to other factors and not just the disruption caused by the town centre improvements.

A Somerset mother has set up a website to help other parents protect children when they're on their phones. Miranda Wilson was shocked by what she was hearing from friends about online abuse and decided to act.

Somerset Community Foundation says donations to its Surviving Winter Appeal have risen to £150,000, taking the total donated since the appeal launched in 2010 to over one million pounds. Money is donated to the Appeal by people who receive the government’s Winter Fuel Allowance and who feel they don’t need the payment.

A group of Yeovil Town supporters has launched an appeal to pay for the headstone on the grave of former player Johnny Hayward to be restored. Johnny Hayward holds the record for being Yeovil’s highest goal scorer, having netted 548 times during his 20-year career with the Glovers.

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Monday 10th February

A dog, stolen in Norfolk seven years ago, has been found 200 miles away safe and well in Somerset. A man who lives in Seavington St Michael near Ilminster has been jailed after driving a car at police officers. One hundred new affordable homes could be built near Langport...and more
Friday 7th February

A Yeovil man has been fined £1,200 for sending hostile text messages to his ex-wife. A report into the performance of Avon and Somerset Police has found it doesn't answer emergency calls quickly enough. Twenty-two swimmers at the Trident Swimming Club in Chard have won places in this year’s Somerset County Swimming Championships...and more
Thursday 6th February

A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a one-month-old baby boy in Chard. Kingfisher Primary School in Yeovil has been highly praised by Ofsted. Somerset Council says it’s “extremely disappointed” after its bid to form a devolved Wessex group of local councils was rejected by the government...and more.
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