Monday 13th May

Monday, 13 May 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Health inspectors have criticised Somerset's maternity services, including those at Yeovil Hospital. Somerset Council says re-opening Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre in its original form could cost up to £200,000 if a multi-million-pound upgrade of the building falls through. A film made by a Yeovil man on a budget of just five thousand pounds was screened at the prestigious British Independent Film Festival...and more.

Health inspectors have criticised Somerset's maternity services for having too few staff and not enough equipment to look after mothers and their newborn babies. The Care Quality Commission carried out inspections at three Somerset hospitals in November 2023, rating Yeovil Hospital’s maternity services as 'inadequate'. The Yeovil unit was found to have inadequate infection controls, and not always enough medical staff to keep people safe. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust says improvements have been made since the inspections were carried out, and that further enhancements are being made.

Somerset Council says re-opening Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre in its original form could cost up to £200,000 if a multi-million-pound building upgrade falls through. The Council plans to spend £15 million improving the auditorium, revamping the front-of-house and catering facilities, introducing better dressing rooms, and building a fly tower to expand the range of productions staged at the Octagon. However, the work depends on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport agreeing to a grant of £10 million being spent on the scaled-down project. Yeovil Town Council are in talks to take over the running of the Octagon Theatre and will give £3.75 million to the project, with the remaining £1.25 million sourced from external grants.

A woman has been charged with murder following the death of a man in Baltonsborough, near Glastonbury. Christine Kekkonen, aged 36, of Dunford Terrace, was arrested last Thursday. The victim has been named as 41-year-old Henri Kekkonen.

The enquiry office at Chard Police Station will temporarily close at the end of the month for improvements to be carried out to the building. The refurbishments include installing new windows, doors and roofing, solar panels, an air source heat pump, and two EV charging points. Avon and Somerset Police say while the Chard office is closed, people needing help should use Yeovil or Taunton police stations.

A film made by a Yeovil man on a budget of just five thousand pounds has been screened at the British Museum in London. ‘Blue’ tells the story of a father and son struggling to make a living from fishing. The film made by David Smith, a lecturer in the media department at Yeovil College was shown as part of the prestigious British Independent Film Festival held at the weekend.

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