WORKERS at the West Hatch RSPCA near Taunton were inundated with birds covered in oil after a disaster at sea.

Hundreds of guillemots and razorbills were sent to the centre after thousands washed up on beaches along the south coast, from Cornwall to West Sussex.

Centre manager Peter Venn said: “We are reliant on so much goodwill and hard work.

“There is nothing good about this incident but it has been inspiring to see how people have banded together.”

YOU wait ages for someone from Taunton to win a BAFTA...and then two come along at once.

That was the unlikely situation this month when former Trull Primary School student Tom Litten was part of the cast of the Best Short Film winner, titled Swimmer.

And megastar Juno Temple, who studied at King's College, picked up the Rising Star Award with her recent films including Batman flick The Dark Knight Rises.

Tom, then 20, told the County Gazette: “It was pretty surreal and crazy. We were lining up to go in, and George Clooney and Samuel L Jackson were stood next to me.

“I'll never forget it - it was amazing. I'd like to do another film in the future if the circumstances are right because I'd love to experience that feeling again.”

ARTS lovers in Somerset were left in shock after the iconic Brewhouse theatre in Taunton town centre suddenly closed its doors.

Staff at the 352-seat venue were made redundant and all scheduled performances at the facility were cancelled.

The demise of the riverside theatre, a registered charity, was blamed on cuts in funding it receives from Somerset County and Taunton Deane Council and the Arts Council.

Paul Birch, chairman of the board of governors, said: “In the current harsh economic climate and against a background of long-term underfunding, the position has become untenable.

“In short, taking ticket sales and other revenue streams together, the Brewhouse raises about 60% of what it needs to keep going and with inadequate public investment, it is impossible to achieve this.”

In response to the closure the County Gazette launched the Save Our Brewhouse campaign, which was quickly backed by hundreds of readers.