Two men from Yeovil have been found guilty of murdering a man in the town. A school in Chard has been named the best-run primary school in Somerset. Somerton MP Sarah Dyke is calling on the government to provide more funding for community pharmacies. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303...and more
Two men from Yeovil have been found guilty of murdering a man in the town. Martin Carty and Mark Sothcott killed Frank Ingram at his flat in Raglan Terrace in June. Following a three-week trial at Bristol Crown Court, a jury unanimously found both men guilty of murder. Carty of Raglan Terrace and Sothcott of Stiby Road in Yeovil, both aged 56, were remanded in custody for sentencing. (Story and photo courtesy of Chard and Ilminster News).
A school in Chard has been named as the best-run primary school in Somerset. Combe St. Nicholas Church of England Primary School was singled out for having 100 per cent of pupils meet the expected standard at the end of Key Stage Two. In second place was Kingfisher Primary School in Yeovil, with Preston Church of England Primary School in Yeovil, coming third. The schools were ranked on the basis of data provided by the Department for Education.
Somerton MP Sarah Dyke is calling on the government to provide more funding for community pharmacies. She says pharmacies are closing at double the national average rate in her constituency. She wants the government to publish an independent analysis on reforming the sector early in the New Year.
A former RAF airman from Somerset, dismissed because of his sexuality, says an official apology has gone some way towards repairing the hurt he suffered. Mark Shephard was asked to leave the RAF in 1999 aged 21 due to a ban on LGBT people in the armed forces. The ban was lifted in the year 2000.
Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303. It happened on Saturday, December 21st at around 7 pm when a pedestrian collided with a grey Range Rover on the eastbound stretch between Cartgate and Podimore. The man was taken to hospital with life-changing injuries. If you saw the incident or have dashcam footage you’re asked to please call the non-emergency number 101.
Public Health at Somerset Council is blaming a rise in measles cases on a drop in the number of children getting the MMR vaccination. Police have produced an online gallery to try and find the owners of hundreds of stolen items. The sale of a boxing glove in Chard claimed to have been worn by Cassius Clay, has been halted after new evidence about its authenticity came to light...and more
Somerset Council is pursuing a less ambitious plan for redeveloping Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he hasn’t given up on trying to keep open the town’s hyper-acute stroke unit. Yeovil’s new outdoor performance space in the Triangle in Lower Middle Street will open for public use early in the New Year...and more
A Somerset pensioner has criticised the government for refusing to compensate women who claim they were not given adequate warning about changes to the start date for receiving the state pension. Parents are being asked to check their children have been vaccinated against measles following a rise in cases. The use of energy-saving light bulbs is greater in the South West than in any other region in England.
The Unite union says it is becoming ‘increasingly anxious’ about a delay in awarding Leonardo in Yeovil a multi-million-pound contract to build a new medium-lift helicopter for the RAF. The government has set Somerset a target to build 3,700 new homes next year. A boxing glove once worn by Muhammad Ali is being auctioned in Chard today...and more
Emergency teams are still working across Somerset to remove trees damaged in last week’s Storm Darragh. Crewkerne Town Council has been asked to ban the Seavington Hunt from gathering in the town centre on Boxing Day. The London Standard newspaper has named the Lord Poulett Arms in Hinton St George as its "Country Pub of the Week"...and more
The government says it won’t intervene in the decision to close the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Police are asking for witnesses to an accident in Yeovil in which a man suffered a broken leg. Shepton Beauchamp Church of England Primary School has been rated as good by Ofsted...and more.
Somerset-based social housing provider, Stonewater, is urging caution over plans by the government to relax the planning rules. The Samaritans in Yeovil are gearing up for their busiest time of the year. The curtain goes up today on this year’s Yeovil panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, at the Westlands Entertainment venue...and more.
Farmers from Somerset were amongst the hundreds of others from across the UK who gathered in London yesterday. Avon and Somerset Police is trialling a new way to find people with dementia when they are reported missing. A cake designer from Yeovil has been crowned Best Cake Designer in the South West...and more.