Wednesday 31st July

Wednesday, 31 July 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Yeovil’s new Lib Dem MP is calling for more investment in Somerset’s ambulance service following an incident. Police are appealing for help identifying protesters caught on CCTV spraying red paint across the front of the County Hall in Taunton. One hundred dresses have gone on display at Shepton Mallet prison, raising money for local charities...and more.

Yeovil’s new Lib Dem MP Adam Dance is calling for more investment in Somerset’s ambulance service following an incident in which a pensioner with heatstroke was made to wait eight hours to be treated by paramedics. South Western Ambulance has apologised for the delay saying that more needs to be done to ensure a quicker handover of patients at hospital emergency departments.

Police are appealing for help identifying a group of protesters caught on CCTV spraying red paint across the front of the County Hall in Taunton. The incident at the weekend was the fourth such attack of its kind on County Hall this year. The protesters want a defence company evicted from a building owned by Somerset Council which they claim has links to Isreal. The company involved denied the claim. Avon and Somerset Police have posted a video of the latest incident on their website hoping that someone will recognize those responsible.

A consultation has been launched to help shape a new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy for Somerset. Somerset Council is asking for comments from local people and those closely involved in the sector, including social care, housing and public health. To submit a comment go to the Somerset Council website.

St John’s Almshouse in Sherborne is to get a major makeover, including the creation of a new tea room, alongside affordable accommodation. A joint scheme, involving the Almshouse and Sherborne Abbey, will see space retained for affordable accommodation, with the downstairs of the property becoming a tearoom. Other rooms upstairs will also be used for a young people's centre and community group meetings. A public meeting for all interested parties, to find out more and share views, will take place at the Almshouse in the coming weeks.

One hundred dresses have gone on display at Shepton Mallet prison, raising money for local charities. The dresses have been created from old wedding dresses as part of the New Clothes Project, which started five years ago.

More from News

Tuesday 12th November

New figures have shown a sharp rise in crime in Chard in the last six months. A retired RAF pilot in Somerset has been speaking about the joys of being a foster parent at the age of 88. Councillor Pauline Parsons has been honoured for her 40 years service to the local community...and more
Monday 11th November

A man has been arrested in connection with an unlicensed music event held near Bruton. Police are appealing for witnesses to a crash involving a tractor and car in Yeovil. Accommodation providers are being urged to put themselves forward to provide lodgings to actors and film crews visiting Somerset...and more
Friday 8th November

The Leader of Yeovil Town Council is calling on the public to treat the town centre with more respect. Somerset Waste Partnership is asking householders not put blister packs or, pill packets as they’re called, out for recycling. Police are appealing for witnesses to a crash near Ilminster in which a learner motorcyclist was seriously injured .... and more
Thursday 7th November

Somerset Council says 900 miles of the County’s roads will be gritted on a regular basis this winter. Work will start soon to strengthen Chard Reservoir to protect local communities from flooding. The first advent calendar produced by the charity Mind in Somerset has gone on sale...and more
Wednesday 6th November

St Margaret's Hospice says increased employer’s national insurance contributions will cost them an extra £300,000 a year. A man has been arrested after more than 200 cannabis plants were found in a Yeovil property. Voting will take place on November 21st in the Blackmore Vale to fill a vacant seat on Somerset Council...and more
Tuesday 5th November

The A303 between Ilchester and Sparkford can now be used as a dual carriageway for the first time. People living in rural parts of South Somerset may not get high-speed broadband until 2027. Plans have been submitted to build 150 new homes on the site of the former Horlicks Factory in Ilminster...and more
Monday 4th November

Farmers in Somerset are warning of increased food prices and farmers going out of business as a result of last week’s budget. Police have released pictures of items stolen in a raid on Montacute House. A Somerset man has completed the 630-mile-long South West Coast Path, raising money for the RNLI...and more.
Friday 1st November

Somerset Council is looking at new ways to ease traffic congestion on the A358 between Ilminster and Taunton. Bridgwater and Taunton College and Strode College in Street have announced plans to merge. The Westland Entertainment venue in Yeovil is selling tickets at £3 to make its shows more affordable for low-income families...and more