Wednesday 12th September

Thursday, 12 September 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Community Foundation says it is looking to find new ways to fund its Surviving Winter Campaign. The National Farmers' Union is warning that its ambition to make UK farming ‘net zero’ by 2040 is in doubt. A newly refurbished play park in Queen Camel is being officially opened today...and more.

Somerset Community Foundation, which each year asks people to donate their winter fuel payment if they don't need the money, has said it’s looking to find new ways to fund its Surviving Winter Campaign after the government voted to stop paying the winter fuel allowance to millions of pensioners. Over the years, Somerset Community Foundation has raised more than one-and-a-half million pounds for the Surviving Winter Campaign.

The National Farmers' Union is warning that its ambition to make UK farming ‘net zero’ by 2040 is in doubt. The NFU says a lack of investment in climate-friendly agriculture has made the target much harder to deliver.

A newly refurbished play park in Queen Camel is being officially opened today. The old play area on the village playing fields has been re-equipped with two play towers, new swings, a roundabout, a trampoline, and several sensory-based play items. The refurb, costing £125,000, has been paid for through community fundraising, the National Lottery, and the National Highways’ Social Value Fund. Today's opening event takes place at 4 pm.

A local Vet practice is holding an open day for people to see how it cares for people’s pets. Isle Valley Vets in Stoke-sub-Hamdon is opening its doors on Saturday, September 21st, with visitors given tours of the building, including the operating theatre, kennels and cattery, and a new dental suite.

A Naval officer based at RNAS Yeovilton is planning to set a new world record for lifting the most number of weights in 24 hours. Rob Guest, a Flight Commander with 815 Naval Air Squadron, will be fundraising for the Armed Forces charity, Help for Heroes, when he attempts to lift a total of 600,000kg over 24 hours on Saturday, November 9th.

A Somerset man, Chris Copeland has achieved his target of raising £100,000 for the RNLI through skydiving. Chris, who’s 81, has completed 100 free-fall jumps over the past 10 years, raising £100,000 through sponsorships and donations.

More from News

Wednesday 18th September

BT is reassuring customers in Somerset who are worried about the upcoming digital switchover for landline phones. Somerset Council could lose 13 percent of its elected members as part of an upcoming boundary review. Castle Cary has been named as the best place to live in the UK in an online poll...and more.
Tuesday 17th September

£400 million is being invested in research and development projects at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil. £29 million in council tax was left uncollected in Somerset in the last 3 years. A teenager from Yeovil is calling for more awareness of kidney failure. A new procedure for treating varicose veins has made it possible for patients to leave hospital earlier... and more.
Monday 15th September

The public is being asked for its views on how the Hinkley Point B nuclear power station near Bridgwater should be decommissioned. The number of reported rape cases to Avon and Somerset Police in the last 12 months increased to just over 3,000. Asda in Yeovil is inviting donations of used children’s books as part of the supermarket's partnership with the Children's Book Project...and more
Friday 13th September

The Prime Minister has paid tribute to the Royal Navy officer from RNAS Yeovilton who died in a training accident last week. A public consultation is underway into plans to build a giant solar farm between Yeovil and Sherborne. A care home in Crewkerne has been celebrating the 100th birthday of one of its residents...and more.
Wednesday 11th September

Work building the new amphitheatre in Lower Middle Street in Yeovil won't be finished until late autumn. Plans have been submitted to build sixteen low-cost homes in Somerton. Dunelm has re-opened in Yeovil as a 'click and collect hub' after a fire destroyed its store in the Quedam Centre...and more.
Tuesday 10th September

A new school for children with special needs has opened at Ash on the outskirts of Yeovil. One hundred Ash trees in Ham Hill Country Park are to be felled due to Ash dieback disease. The South Western Ambulance Service is holding its Annual Members Meeting in Ilminster next week...and more.
Monday 9th September

A Chard woman has been banned from driving for one year for drug driving. Revised plans to build fifty homes off West Street in Templecombe have been submitted. Ten large TVs have been donated to schools in Ukraine by Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil...and more
Friday 6th September

A man has died after a Yeovilton-based helicopter crashed into the English Channel. A major A-road through Somerset was closed yesterday, due to multiple fallen trees. Somerset Council describes itself as ‘breathing slightly easier’ after balancing its books for the last financial year... and more.