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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Friday 25th September

’20 Is Plenty’ is the message to drivers travelling through Langport. Chard’s Numatic manufacturing hub is marking 45 years of business with an investment of £85m into the company. Wessex Water tell us the hosepipe ban will remain across the region... and more.
Thursday 24th September

Somerset Council has approved a multi-million pound scheme to tackle flooding in the county. A person had to be transferred to hospital after an incident in Chard. A North Curry travellers’ site must be vacated by Christmas... and more.
Wednesday 23rd September

Police will take no further action after a year-long fraud probe in Glastonbury. Leonardo has chosen Somerset for its first international future talent programme. Three motorway services in Somerset have been rated as some of the worst in the country ... and more.
Tuesday 22nd September

Children with special needs could have a better chance of moving to a new school, without delay or disruption. A former Castle Cary pub is to be turned into a private house. Taunton's Brewhouse Theatre may have to close at the end of next month... and more.
Monday 21st September

Wessex Water's contacting large businesses, asking them to use less water. A ‘serious collision’ closed a stretch of the A30 in both directions yesterday afternoon.Two Somerset charities have benefitted from a combined £64,000, thanks to the Leonardo Rising Stars.
Friday 18th September

Three people from Yeovil have been sentenced after admitting offences linked to the theft and illegal supply of prescription-only medicines. An ancient burial site on the Quantocks has been damaged. Chard Guildhall is open for public viewing today... and more
Thursday 17th September

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18,000 shoplifting offences have been recorded in the Avon and Somerset Police area in the last financial year. A Chard man has been sentenced for assaulting a police officer. Forefront Community Centre in Chard is celebrating 20 years of bringing people together in the town... and more
Wednesday 16th September

A pilot with the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance says there will be 'catastrophic' consequences if laser pointers continue to be pointed at their aircraft. Plans to build forty new homes in the village of Curry Rivel have been given the go ahead. The owner of a ram called Rambo in Keinton Mandeville has thanked firefighters for rescuing him after he got stuck in a concrete pipe... and more