Somerset Waste Partnership says the county's recycling rate is at an all-time high. The NHS says more blood donors are urgently needed in Somerset. A new survey has been launched to find out how to best support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Somerset and the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station is bringing his one-man show to Yeovil.
Somerset Waste Partnership says the county's recycling rate is at an all-time high. It jumped to over 56 percent last year making it the highest increase since records began 20 years ago. The increase is believed to be due to the new ‘Recycle More’ initiative that has seen plastic pots, tubs, and trays added to weekly pick-ups.
The NHS says more blood donors are urgently needed in Somerset. There is a particular need for people with O-positive blood to come forward. NHS Somerset says blood stocks have fallen due to cancellations caused by Covid and the drop in donations that happens at this time of year. Meanwhile, the NHS says it's stepping up efforts to deal with the list of six thousand people who've been waiting for more than two years for surgery by offering more of them treatment in different parts of the country. It says it will pay travel and accommodation costs, with some orthopaedic patients from Somerset going to London for operations.
A new survey has been launched to find out how to best support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Somerset. Anyone who has been in contact with the Somerset S.E.N. services over the past year is asked to share their views and experiences in the survey. The anonymous survey organized by Somerset County Council, NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group and the Somerset Parent Carer Forum, runs until Monday, September 19th.
The first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station is bringing his one-man show to Yeovil. Tim Peake will stage ‘My Journey To Space’ at Westlands in March next year. Tim, who before becoming an astronaut worked at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil, will be talking about his life and showing video of his trip into space.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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