Monday 22nd April

Monday, 22 April 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The parents of a two-week-old baby boy, accused of his murder at Yeovil Hospital, are to stand trial. Protesters have splashed red paint across the front of County Hall in Taunton for a second time. A comedy film about the world of competitive marrow-growing and made in Shepton Mallet has opened in cinemas across the UK...and more.

The parents of a two-week-old baby, accused of his murder at Yeovil Hospital, are to stand trial. Daniel Gunter, aged 25, and Sophie Staddon, 20, have been charged with killing baby Brendon Staddon at Yeovil Hospital in March this year. Appearing at a pre-trial hearing at Bristol Crown Court, Gunter pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and causing or allowing the death of a child. Staddon did not enter pleas to the charges she faces. Both were remanded into custody, with their trial date set for early November. (Story courtesy of Chard and Ilminster News}.

Somerset Council says it’s doing all it can to engage with protesters who, for a second time, have splashed red paint across the front of County Hall in Taunton. They were protesting over Somerset Council’s ownership of a building in Bristol which they claim is occupied by a business supplying arms to Israel. Somerset Council says the building at Aztec West is up for sale.

A film made in Shepton Mallet has opened at cinemas across the UK. ‘Swede Caroline’ is a comedy about the cutthroat world of competitive marrow-growing.

Crewkerne-based Steatite Batteries has changed its name. The business on the Cropmead Industrial Estate that manufactures custom-built battery packs will be known in future as Custom Power, bringing it in line with its American sister company.

The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has been gifted fifteen thousand pounds by a former fundraiser. Jeremy Connell died in February after being a volunteer with the charity, raising thousands of pounds from collection boxes across Somerset. His widow, Anna Connell, was invited to spend a day at Henstridge airfield, where the air ambulance is based, as a thank you to her late husband.

More from News

Wednesday 15th May

Somerset Council seeking to save £40 million by cutting one thousand jobs says 201 employees have so far applied to leave the authority based on voluntary redundancy. East Somerset Railway near Shepton Mallet has been used for filming the TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper's novel Rivals. An old-style red phone box in Castle Cary is being turned into Somerset's smallest museum...and more
Tuesday 14th May

Somerset's Chief Medical Officer says GP surgeries using healthcare professionals alongside doctors to provide treatments has freed up GP appointments. A farmer has been fined £15,000 for polluting a household water supply. Avon and Somerset’s new Police and Crime Commissioner has officially started work in the role. Chard Post Office is closed today for the handover of the business to new owners...and more.
Monday 13th May

Health inspectors have criticised Somerset's maternity services, including those at Yeovil Hospital. Somerset Council says re-opening Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre in its original form could cost up to £200,000 if a multi-million-pound upgrade of the building falls through. A film made by a Yeovil man on a budget of just five thousand pounds was screened at the prestigious British Independent Film Festival...and more.
Friday 10th May

The Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard says it needs an immediate injection of £100,000 to keep going. Yeovil’s Marlie Packer has returned to Yeovil Rugby Club where she began her rugby career 20 years ago. Twenty-five Town criers from across the South will be in Ilminster tomorrow competing in the annual Ilminster Town Criers' Competition...and more.
Thursday 9th May

Train services through Somerset are again being disrupted today due to continued strike action by the train driver’s union ALSEF. A campaign has been launched in Somerset aimed at stopping people overdosing on opioids. A Somerset business is raising a smile with its name.‘Top Of The Clops’, a tack shop near Taunton has won a place in the top ten of the UK’s funniest business names...and more.
Wednesday 8th May

A woman driver has been told she faces a prison term for causing the deaths of two people in a crash on the A303. The AA says there are more potholes than ever on Somerset’s motorway network, leading to an increase in damage to vehicles. The new cancer treatment unit at Yeovil Hospital should be open before the end of the year...and more.
Tuesday 7th May

Somerset Council has decided against selling the former Wilko store in Lower Middle Street in Yeovil. There’s a treat for snooker fans with Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor coming to Yeovil. An Air Engineering Commander at RNAS Yeovilton is taking on the Jurassic Coast 100km Ultra Challenge for charity...and more
Friday 3rd May

Labour’s Clare Moody is the new Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset. Somerset Council is looking to buy the Glovers Walk Shopping Centre in Yeovil, including Yeovil Bus Station. One of the biggest events in Yeovil’s outdoor calendar, the Abbey Hill Steam Rally, starts today...and more.