Local News Wednesday 20th April

Wednesday, 20 April 2022 06:00

Tourism businesses in Somerset say lifting Covid travel restrictions helped make the Easter Bank Holiday their best for bookings for two years. Around 5,000 children in Somerset will be starting at the primary school of their choice in September. A project to re-wild churchyards in Somerset is being rolled out further afield. A Chard motorist has been fined £574 for speeding. The price of off-peak train tickets on services through Somerset will be cut by as much as a half next month...and more.

Tourism businesses in Somerset say lifting Covid travel restrictions helped make the Easter Bank Holiday their best for bookings for two years. Sally England, who runs Thorney Lakes Caravan Park, near Langport, believes the upturn was due to people not travelling long distances because of higher fuel costs.

Around 5,000 children in Somerset will be starting at the primary school of their choice in September. Figures for pre-school children show ninety-eight percent of them have been offered places in the reception class at one of their top three school choices.

A project to re-wild churchyards in Somerset is being rolled out further afield. The Wilder Churches project is run by the Somerset Wildlife Trust in conjunction with the Diocese of Bath and Wells. It started a year ago and has already seen a big improvement in wildflowers, habitat and biodiversity in Somerset's churchyard

A Chard motorist has been fined £574 for speeding. Richard Lacey, who lives in Halcombe, was caught driving at 93 mph on the A35 in Puddletown in Dorset. Lacey also had five penalty points put on his licence.

The price of off-peak train tickets on services through Somerset will be cut by as much as a half next month. It’s part of an initiative by the government and train operators to encourage more people to travel by train

Yeovil boxer, Dean Dodge is gearing up for another crack at winning the Southern Area Super-Featherweight title. He missed taking the title losing on points to Danny Carr last February. Dean will fight Reece Bellotti for the Southern Area title at York Hall in London this Friday.

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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