Thursday 20th June

    Candidates standing in the General Election in the Yeovil constituency have been talking about how they would tackle the shortage of NHS dentists. The Manager of Ferne Animal Sanctuary in Chard is sleeping rough for the next seven nights to raise money for the charity. A mobile food pantry is marking its first year of operations in Crewkerne and Chard...and more.

    Candidates in the general election in the Yeovil constituency have been discussing how they would tackle the shortage of NHS dentists. It follows figures showing that only half the NHS dental budget for Somerset was spent last year. Conservative candidate, Marcus Fysh, says they've increased payments to NHS doctors and are investing two hundred million pounds more in NHS dentistry this year. Liberal Democrat candidate, Adam Dance, says they would tax the most wealthy in society and reverse the tax cuts on the banks to fund more NHS dentists. Labour's Rebecca Montecute says they would give financial incentives to dentists to provide services in areas without NHS dentists. 

    The candidates standing in the general election in Yeovil are:

    • Steve Ashton, Independent
    • Laura Bailhache, Reform UK
    • Adam Dance, Liberal Democrat
    • Marcus Fysh, Conservative
    • Rebecca Montacute, Labour 
    • Serena Wootton, Green

    Somerset’s biggest wildlife survey has started. Somerset Wildlife Trust’s ‘Big Count’ is running at the moment and until Wednesday, June 26th. The charity is asking people to record sightings of all wildlife, particularly Goldfinch, butterflies, snails and even spiders, to develop a wildlife database for Somerset. 

    The Manager of Ferne Animal Sanctuary in Chard is sleeping rough for the next seven nights raising money for the charity. Kevan Hodges is doing it as part of efforts to raise one hundred thousand pounds needed to keep the sanctuary open. Kevan says he’ll be sleeping on the streets of towns where there are Ferne charity shops.

    A section of the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal that’s been closed to walkers for three years could finally reopen to the public in October. The Canals and River Trust, who manage the canal, closed the section between the Albert Street and West Street bridges in Bridgwater back in December 2021, over concerns about the safety of wooden beams straddling the canal, which date back to the 1970s. But now work to repair it could start as soon as late August with the route reopening in October.

    A mobile food pantry is marking its first year of operations in Crewkerne and Chard. Since its launch, the pantry, funded by social housing provider, Abri, has visited Crewkerne and Chard every Monday, giving local people the chance to buy food at reduced prices. The pantry can be found every Monday at Bishops Court in Chard, and in Crewkerne at the Scout hut on Furland Road, in Barn Close, at Bowhayes Lodge and in Severalls Road.

     

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      A lorry driver has been taken to hospital after a crash. Coldplay becomes the first act to headline the Glastonbury festival five times. East Coker Community Primary raises school funds, supported by a Team England star...and more.

    • Friday 28th June

      A man has died following a collision between a lorry and a van near Wincanton. A bottlenose dolphin has been photographed off the Somerset coast in what is being described as a rare sighting. Serving members of the armed forces, veterans and cadets are being offered free bus travel this Saturday to mark Armed Forces Day and more....

    • Thursday 27th June

      Revellers have been arriving in Somerset for the Glastonbury Festival. A local tech business has been heralded ‘Best Rural Enterprise In The UK’. Somerset Police have taken part in an operation that has seized 150 thousand pounds worth of drugs...and more

    • Wednesday 26th June

      An investigation is being carried out following the sudden death of a man in Yeovil. Yeovil Town Football Club has condemned the use of its former club logo being used in anti-immigration campaigns. A touch of continental café culture is one step closer in Yeovil and more...

    • Tuesday 25th June

      A West Camel bakery is hitting out at plans to open a new farm shop and hotel nearby. A 24-year-old man from Ilminster has been arrested and bailed after Police stopped an illegal rave in east Somerset. A man in his 80s has died after a collision on a rural Sherborne road and more...

    • Monday 24th June

      Somerset Council are advising residents to have their bins out by 6am in the early part of this week. People in Wincanton paid tribute to a World War 2 aircraft crew at the town’s Memorial Hall. Staff at a Chard garage are hopeful after being announced as finalists at the 2024 Independent Garage Association awards...and more.

    • Friday 21st June

      A team of firefighters from Yeovil Fire Station's Red Watch have completed a 270-mile round trip visiting every fire station in Somerset raising money for good causes. Toxic algae which has formed on Chew Valley Reservoir has forced all water-based activities on the reservoir to be suspended. An actor who grew up near Chard has won a top award at the Cannes Film Festival...and more.

    • Wednesday 19th June

      New figures have shown that Somerset has the lowest rate of delivered NHS dental care in the South West. A boxing glove made in Somerset and claimed to have been worn by Cassius Clay in his 1963 fight against Henry Cooper has been sold at auction in Chard. A helicopter built in Yeovil will be one of the newest attractions at this year's Glastonbury Festival...and more.

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Light rain

      High: 19°C | Low: 13°C

    • Chard

      Light rain

      High: 19°C | Low: 12°C

    • Crewkerne

      Light rain

      High: 19°C | Low: 12°C

    • Somerton

      Light rain

      High: 18°C | Low: 13°C

    • Wincanton

      Light rain

      High: 18°C | Low: 12°C

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