Thursday 14th November

Wednesday, 13 November 2024 15:52

By Steve Haigh

Farmers in Somerset are being asked not to leave roads covered in mud following an accident near Ilminster A liver screening project developed in Somerset could be rolled out across the UK. Senior managers at Somerset Council have been awarded a 2.5 per cent pay rise...and more

Farmers in Somerset are being asked not to leave roads covered in mud. It follows an accident in Sea near Ilminster in which a motorcyclist suffered serious injuries after skidding on a mudded road and being thrown from his machine. Last month, the A3088 Cartgate link road near Yeovil had to be closed to clear mud from the road. Somerset Council is reminding farmers that it is an offence to leave a road covered in mud, with paying to clean the road should it be their fault.

A liver screening project developed in Somerset could be rolled out across the UK. The 1.4 million pound project analysed blood tests of thousands of adults for signs of liver disease and identified 700 people with potential problems. Doctor Tim Jobson, a Somerset NHS Foundation Tru liver specialist, says their work represents a major breakthrough in treating liver disease.

Somerset Council senior managers have been awarded a 2.5 percent pay rise. The increase is in line with nationally agreed pay scales for council staff, but it comes at a time when hundreds of staff are set to lose their jobs through compulsory redundancy.

The ancient Somerset tradition of charm-making has been revived. Mark Heyward, collects stones, bones, feathers, flowers and leaves, and puts them in small glass bottles. The mixture - worn as a pendant - is said to bring the wearer good fortune or good health. What started as a hobby during lockdown has become a business with Mark selling his pendants all over the world.

A project in Merriot, aimed at building people’s confidence, self-esteem and well-being, has been given a King’s Award for Voluntary Service. The ARK project at Egwood provides people with a safe outdoor space to connect with themselves and others
through nature, rural arts and using animals.

A Yeovil gym has raised £2,300 for a mental health charity. Progress Gym founder Rob Harris presented a cheque for £2,313 to Mind in Somerset having raised the money by completing a 130-kilometer walk around Yeovil.

More from News

Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more