Extra precautions to fight off Covid have been put in place at 43 schools in the County. A Somerset woman is calling for greater awareness of a condition in children who were exposed to alcohol in the womb. A tapestry dating from the 15th century has been returned for public display at Montacute House. The title of "world's best cider" for 2021 has been won by a brand outside Somerset...and more.
Extra precautions to fight off Covid have been put in place at 43 schools in the County, including in Yeovil and across South Somerset. Somerset County Council is asking families with children from nursery to college age to take a Covid test twice each week.
A Somerset woman is calling for greater awareness of a condition in children who were exposed to alcohol in the womb. New research shows there could be up to half a million young people in the UK affected by Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. It can lead to lifelong physical, mental and behavioral problems, but often goes undiagnosed. Amanda Boorman adopted two young boys with the condition and says she has struggled to get their condition treated.
A tapestry dating from the 15th century has been returned for public display at Montacute House, near Yeovil, following four years of the restoration project. It shows a medieval knight in armour parading across a background of a thousand flowers. The National Trust spent 1,300 hours cleaning and strengthening the tapestry.
The title of "world's best cider" for 2021 has been won by a brand outside Somerset. Despite the county's famous orchards, local producers were pipped to the post in the World Cider Awards by ‘Farmhouse Still’ a cider made by St Ives Cider of Cornwall.
A new campaign has been launched to persuade people in Somerset to stop smoking. Four people have been arrested in Chard in connection with the supply of Class A drugs. A dog from Yeovil has won the title of ‘best in breed’ at Cruffs....and more.
A charity in Somerset is appealing for support after one of its sites was vandalised. The Leader of Somerset Council has been to Westminster to put the case for central government to provide councils with more money. A new primary school is to built in Chard.... and more
The union representing workers at Somerset Council is warning of further job cuts at the council next year. Secondary school pupils in Somerset are being offered help to withstand peer pressure to vape or smoke. The bells of St George's Church in Hinton St George have been fully restored after becoming difficult to ring ... and more
A property in Raglan Terrace in Yeovil has been closed down by a court order after it was linked to anti-social behaviour. NHS Somerset says investing in nurse apprenticeships has helped to boost recruitment. A new community garden has opened in Chard.... and more
The Leader of Somerset Council has repeated his call for a reform of the way that councils are funded. Crimestoppers is stepping up efforts to help tackle violent crime in Somerset. A new radar satellite is playing a crucial role in collecting data about flooding in Somerset...and more
Somerset Council has approved a seven-and-a-half percent increase in council tax. People are being asked to return boxes of paracetamol bought from Boots Chemists in Somerset. It’s been revealed that five members of staff at Somerset Council are being allowed to work from home outside the UK...and more
Somerset Council has been told that hundreds of millions of pounds in loans taken out by former district councils, including South Somerset, have to be paid back. A Somerset charity says it needs more volunteers to help with research into new treatments for dementia. A local shop owner has welcomed Somerset Council’s decision to scrap plans to charge for parking after 6 pm...and more.
The population of Somerset has reached record levels with nearly one in ten born outside the UK. Stanchester School in Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been rated as ‘requiring improvement’. Experts have been called in to appraise a 15th-century piece of artwork in Sherborne...and more.