THE Taunton office of the Charity Commission is to cut 46 full-time jobs over the next year to 18 months. The Government-run charity regulator and registrar for England and Wales plans to reduce the number of full-time equivalent jobs from 171 to 125
POLICE are trying to trace a man who attacked another man with a wooden stick in a vicious assault in Milverton. The 24-year-old victim suffered bruising to his left eye, which he could not open for two days, cuts and bruises and a dislocated finger
A TAUNTON policeman, who endangered his life as part of a daring rescue on Obridge Viaduct last year, has been given a bravery award. On October 5, at about 8.30pm, PC Benjamin Hicks attended an incident at the flyover where a woman was in danger of
LOCAL-based 12 piece funk/band Groove-a-licious has been booked to play this years Glastonbury Festival. After playing a gig with Michael Eavis in attendance the band was asked to perform on the Thursday night in the Jazz lounge. The band they play
GLASTONBURY festival-goers will be able to experience Christian Aid's ultimate Green Garden in the Green Fields and learn how to transform stylishly their own gardens while helping to tackle climate change. Climate change is the central theme for the
WITH around 177,000 festival-goers about to descend on rural Somerset, police are gearing up for Glastonbury 2007. Glastonbury is the force's largest policing operation of the year, but officers will not be forgetting the villagers of Pilton. For most
AN 100-year-old Spanish Civil War veteran from Taunton is to address the crowds at this weekend's Glastonbury Festival. Howard Andrews, known as Andy, has been invited by the South-West Trades Union Congress to speak in the Left Field on Saturday afternoon
SOMERSET County Council is holding a public exhibition for Taunton's proposed Northern Inner Distributor Road at Staplegrove Village Hall from 10am-9pm next Wednesday. The road will provide a new east-west route between Staplegrove Road and Priory Avenue
PLANS for a massive zero carbon' development in Taunton over the next decade are unveiled on Friday. A total of 14,000 new homes and 11,500 jobs on 200,000sq m of employment and 50,000sq m of shop space form part of Project Taunton. Project bosses will
SOMERSET master blaster Cameron White is confident Somerset will give a much-improved showing in this season's Twenty20 Cup which gets underway tomorrow (Friday). The Cidermen start their campaign with a trip to face Warwickshire at Edgbaston (5.30pm
TAUNTON Town manager Gary Domone believes he will have to wait until much closer to the season to replace the players who have departed. Out of last season's play-off final side, prolific striker Steve Cook has signed for Clevedon Town, while Ben Willshire
WELLINGTON Football Club made a profit of more than £3,300 last season, treasurer Tony Bull told the annual meeting last night (Wednesday). Mr Bull said the clubhouse account showed a surplus of £21,128 - an increase of nearly £2,000 on 2005-06 - but
STEVE Perkins is to remain as manager of Minehead. The 29-year-old was thinking about giving up the role after getting a new job as FA skills coach for Somerset which will leave him with less free time. But he has decided to remain in charge of the
A FATHER of two from Wellington who received a national award from Cancer Research UK in recognition of his outstanding contribution died just days later. Mark Risely received his Special Commendation Target Award in view of his determination, commitment
ALCOHOL-related crime in Taunton town centre has plummeted by an impressive 40% over two years. Police and the licensed trade say a ban on re-entering pubs and clubs after 12.30am has cut drink-fuelled violence and criminal damage. In the six months
THE transition to a smokefree England is set to be a fairly smooth one according to the Somerset Smokefree team. Jemma Lush, Somerset Smokefree Coordinator, said: "The preparations for July 1 are going well. The media coverage and local drop in sessions
THE top two in Division One of the West Somerset League both failed to win at the weekend. Ashbrittle stretched their lead to ten points despite having to settle for a tie away to Dulverton in a thrilling encounter. Batting first, the hosts were restricted
A SUPERB knock of 79 from George Edlin was the deciding factor as Taunton Deane Cavaliers won by 28 runs away to Staplegrove 2nds in Division One of the Best Western Shrubbery Hotel Somerset 2nd XI League. Apart from Edlin, just two players reached double
DROP-IN sessions for businesses in West Somerset anxious to ensure they are ready for the introduction of new anti-smoking laws saw a steady stream of people looking for advice this week. With just ten days to go before the big stub-out, Stacey Beaumont
REVIEW: CIVIC PLAYERS of WELLINGTON "LOVE BEGINS AT FIFTY" by Raymond Hopkins AT Wellington Arts Association, Friday 15th June A clever plot involving supposedly 'happy couple', the Debanks, sets up a protracted chain of misunderstandings and implausible
WITH interest in this year's festival at record levels after a one-year break, the company behind Glastonbury's legendary Super Fortress Fence has taken no chances - and has put up its biggest fence yet. Eve Trakway, Europe's leading supplier of temporary
Police are entering the movie business for the Glastonbury Festival this year with four mini films about crime prevention and drugs. The four films, available to view on the dedicated police at Glastonbury website, were made with the help of students
As the most important weekend in the music festival calendar approaches, British Transport Police (BTP) is advising festival goers to chill out' on their journey to Glastonbury. BTP will have extra officers out and about so all visitors have an enjoyable
FIRE crews attended a crane fire on the M5 this morning. The incident took place between junction 26 at Wellington and Junction 27 for Tiverton on the hard shoulder. The crane was severely damaged by fire. Firefighters believe the cause of the fire
SAINSBURY'S store in Billet Street will be loo-sing a lot of toilet paper next week as part of its Make the difference' day. The store will be actively encouraging its customers to become a nation of tree huggers when it offers a pack of free recycled
AROUND 1,200 pupils from 41 schools in the Taunton, Wellington and Wiveliscombe area will be battling it out in a multi-sport competition on Wednesday (June 27). The event, at Blackbrook Pavilion, Taunton, is organised by the Tone School Sports Partnership
WORKERS at Somerset County Council are supporting Bike Week by riding to work. With a bike doctor on hand to give handy cycling advice, there was no excuse for not saddling up. Pictured here are council workers being green and healthy by getting on
GALMINGTON Brownies, from Taunton, are standing up for the rights of girls around the world. The girls are part of a campaign to spread awareness against widespread inequality, and abuse. The campaign is run by the children's development charity plan
POLICTICAL red tape has left a young carer unable to join in the activities of a Cub group he joined just three weeks ago. Nine-year-old Callum Mitchell from Priorswood helps his mum to look after his older brother Kieran who has learning disabilities
POLICE are warning of delays on the A396 both ways due to an oil spillage. The road is currently blocked near Great House Street while the area is cleaned up.
MINEHEAD Rotary fundraiser Ivan Jones was "completely surprised" to be made an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours in recognition of his services to charity and sport in the town. Ivan, 49, who has run the family men's wear business Harvey Jones in Park
FAMOUS soul singer Joss Stone has picked a Somerset College student as a competition winner. Miss Stone, who is originally from Devon, has gained international success as a singer and performer, but she took time out from her busy schedule to help pick
MORE than 3,200 passengers travelled on the West Somerset Railway at the weekend, when a diesel-themed extravaganza was held. Visitors travelled back in time to the 1960s, when steam was finally giving way to diesels in the West Country. Paul Conibeare
TAUNTON St Andrews stretched their Premier One unbeaten run to four matches after having the best of the draw away to Glastonbury last Saturday in a match containing no less than four Somerset players. A solid batting display saw Saints pile up 272-5
TAUNTON went out of the Cockspur Rum National KO Cup after going down by six wickets at home to Plymouth-side Cornwood in the regional semi-final on Sunday. After winning the toss and opting to bat, Taunton lost Simon Manley without a run on the board
A car was seized by police after the driver was caught racing another vehicle on the Toneway in Taunton on Tuesday evening. An officer from Taunton's Road Policing Unit caught the two drivers racing shortly before midnight on June 19. The one driver
Curry Mallet Primary School is celebrating its 150th birthday at the end of this month. The primary school will start the summer celebrations next week, on June 26, with an African music day for the children. The following day there will be a service
A FORMER Kingsmead Community School student and acclaimed teen fiction author visited the school to speak to year eight and nine pupils about her life and work. Ally Kennen's first book Beast has been nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2007 - the
A RETIRED school chaplain from Wellington has been commended for his dedication to the Neighbourhood Watch scheme in the town this week. The Rev Derek Laughton, 83, was given the Long Service Award at the Neighbourhood Watch awards on Tuesday at Avon
ONE of Exmoor's most elusive and endangered inhabitants is clinging to life following emergency measures by conservationists 25 years after it was rediscovered. The Heath Fritillary butterfly, our most endangered butterfly and on the verge of extinction
IT was a bit of a close shave for some of the regulars at The Courtyard Inn at Wiveliscombe when they entered a sponsored head and body-waxing event. The event was in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and landlord Peter Callery got into the spirit of the
HEALTH bosses saddled up to feel the benefits of cycling for Bike Week. Directors from the South West Strategic Health Authority agreed to pedal across Taunton for their usual Monday meeting in support of the national campaign to get more people cycling
A MAJOR new exhibition, On Yer Bike, is opening at the Somerset County Museum in Taunton on Saturday. The exhibition will celebrate cycling in Somerset and the Tour of Britain cycle race, which Somerset County Council is hosting in September. Exploring
SCHOOLS are being given the chance to record history by taking part in an innovative project to digitally capture the South-West Stage of the Tour of Britain, with prizes on offer to the most creative efforts. The initiative was launched this week at
TAUNTON'S 'Deane Chapter' of Business Networking International is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, since launching in May 2002. To mark the occasion, the team is stepping out in style with an anniversary dinner in September. BNI is the fastest
THE Campaign for Real Ale will be presenting Dunkery Ales with the Somerset Beer of the Festival award on Saturday at the Bear Inn in Wiveliscombe. Dunkery Ales Ltd entered one of its very first brews into the competion at the Minehead Beer Festival
