Wednesday 29th November

Wednesday, 29 November 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The head of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance says they’re busier now than they have ever been. Housing charities in Somerset say there's been a big rise in the number of people being evicted from private housing, through no fault of their own. A teenager from Ilton has been chosen as the St John Ambulance District Cadet of the Year...and more.

The Head of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance says they’re busier now than they have ever been. In the past five years, the number of emergencies attended by the air ambulance has more than doubled. Charles Hackett, CEO of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance says as demand grows, they will need more funding and more resources.

Campaigners in Yeovil fighting to keep open the stroke unit in the town say they need to see the details of new plans to create a countywide stroke care service based at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. As part of the revised plan, NHS Somerset says it would retain the provision of longer-term stroke recovery beds at Yeovil Hospital.

Housing charities in Somerset say there's been a big rise in the number of people being evicted from private housing, through no fault of their own. So-called no-fault evictions are at their highest level in seven years in Somerset.

Plans have been passed to build nine houses on the site of a former garage at Horton, near Ilminster. A mix of three, four, and five-bedroom detached properties will be built on the land off Shave Lane, with the former garage being demolished before construction begins.

A teenager from Ilton has been chosen as the St John Ambulance District Cadet of the Year. Corporal Sami Bowen, aged 15, who attends Holyrood School, in Chard, was selected following a competition day involving cadets from Somerset, Avon and Bristol. Sami, who’s a member of the Ilton Cadet Unit, now goes forward to compete in the national competition, where she could be crowned National Cadet of the Year.

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Tuesday 14th October 2025

Film and TV crews have given Somerset's economy a 4-million-pound boost in the last 12 months. Around 100 people have objected to plans to build 325 new homes in Crewkerne. Somerset Council is asking the public to report anyone they see sleeping rough.... and more
Monday 13th October

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is asking people to add their voices to a campaign for better support for children with dyslexia. An opposition Conservative member of Somerset Council says businesses will suffer a ‘terrible blow’ if plans go ahead to sell off five Yeovil town centre car parks. A Yeovil man has jailed for three years and told to pay back three-hundred-thousand pounds he received from selling stolen farm machinery.... and more
Friday 10th October

Union members at Leonardo sites across the UK, including in Yeovil, have voted to go on strike after rejecting a 3.2 percent pay offer. GWR has apologised for not providing a visually impaired Yeovil women with an escort to cross between platforms at Pen Mill station. A walnut grower in Somerset is calling on supermarkets to stop importing the nuts from aboard and to sell the ones he grows instead... and more
Thursday 9th October

Police are appealing for witnesses to a break-in at The Crossing Café on Preston Road in Yeovil. A Yeovil Pharmacist says a 70 percent of people booking an online covid jab are not eligible this year. A former doctor in Chard has won through to the semi-finals of BBC Mastermind...and more
Wednesday 8th October

A child safeguarding review is underway following the murder of a two-week-old baby boy at Yeovil Hospital. Somerset’s been chosen for a pilot scheme in which drones are used to monitor environmental emergencies. Yeovil nightclub, Club Neo in Stars Lane, has got a new owner and is changing its name... and more
Tuesday 7th October

Somerset Council says affordable homes built in the county will be given to people with a ‘local connection’ to the area. Emergency services were called to a single vehicle collision involving a Royal Mail van. A new audio installation has been recorded by local vocal groups for Montacute House this Christmas... and more.
Monday 6th October

A father who murdered his two-week-old baby son on Yeovil District Hospital’s neonatal ward has been jailed for life. A Yeovil man has been charged with attempted murder after a firearm incident. Plans are underway to turn an area of unused land in Chard into a community peace garden... and more.
Friday 3rd October

An investigation is underway following an incident involving a firearm in Yeovil. Yeovil Town Council has written to adjoining parish and town councils asking for a financial contribution towards re-opening the Octagon theatre. Two Somerset beauty spots have been recognised with a top award... and more