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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The trust that runs the Somerset ambulance service has confirmed that up to forty jobs are at risk. Chinnock Hollow, near Yeovil, has been subjected to a permanent road closure. Police are appealing for witnesses to an incident where a defibrillator was vandalised in Ilminster. Somerset wicket-keeper James Rew has been drafted into the England Test squad to play Zimbabwe...and more
Thursday 8th May

Somerset Council says it's dealing with up to 800 reports of potholes on the County's roads every week. Events are taking place across our area today to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. Sixteen doctors’ surgeries in Somerset, including four in South Somerset, are set to expand. A Martock man hopes to set a world record by jumping off the world's fourth-tallest mountain in a wingsuit...and more.
Wednesday 7th May

The Interim Chairman of Yeovil Town, Stuart Robins, says the club is close to finding a new owner. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is examining an incident in which a volunteer was struck by a wagon at the Gartell Light Railway centre near Templecombe. An Ilminster man has been charged with fox hunting. Councillor Tony Lock has been sworn in as the new Mayor of Yeovil...and more
Tuesday 6th May

A Somerset man is urging people with multiple sclerosis to be more open with friends and family about the disease. A week of events is underway in Somerset to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. Plans have been submitted to carry out major improvements to Dillington House near Ilminster...and more.
Friday 2nd May

Somerset Council has written to the government calling for urgent action to tackle the worsening situation of access to NHS dentistry in the county. The Mayor of Yeovil is urging people to join in with next week's celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. A Somerset father, whose daughter died suddenly aged 15 months, is starting a month of running 5k a day in her memory... and more.
Thursday 1st May

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