FOUR new jobs will be created in Wellington if plans by builders' merchants Travis Perkins, to take over the former Richardsons vehicle repair shops, are approved. Travis Perkins has put forward a planning application to turn the workshops at Blackdown
QUICK thinking members of the Wellington Basins Volunteer Group averted a near catastrophe in the ponds earlier this week. Hundreds of pounds worth of fish could easily have suffocated after the recent cold snap lead to a shortage of oxygen in the pond
THE owner of a Milverton convenience store, which was attacked by an armed robber last Thursday evening, has praised the actions of his teenage shop assistant. Russell Jenkins has spoken about how the 18-year-old woman, who he did not want to name, narrowly
WELLINGTON pub landlords fear a serious fall in takings, loss of jobs and possibly even closure if Government plans to ban smoking in enclosed public areas gets the go-ahead. Landlords and managers feel that many people who go out drinking also smoke
YEOVIL Town today (Friday) make their final preparations for tomorrow's big Coca-Cola League Two match with Southend United at Huish Park. It will be interesting to see whether Yeovil boss Gary Johnson gives Polish striker Bartosz Tarachulski a place
YOUNGSTERS from Watchet's Knights Templar First School went wild on Saturday. The Wild Area Workshop saw pupils having fun adding trees to the school's new conservation area, along with their families and local Scouts, who were drafted in to help. As
LOCAL organisations have rallied round after Williton's St Peter's Pre-School was hit by flooding. Criminal damage during the weekend of November 5 to 7 caused extensive damage when a hosepipe was jammed through a window and left running. The damage caused
ANGRY bus passengers have bombarded West Somerset's MP with hundreds of letters protesting at the withdrawal of key services. Ian Liddell-Grainger has promised to "lay it on the line" with bus bosses and asked the public to keep the complaint letters
EXCITING times are on the way as West Somerset District Council promises a major jobs, housing, and tourism boost from a range of inter-linked projects. The council's deputy leader and finance portfolio holder, Cllr Colin Hill said: "A lot of the hard
A BEAUTIFUL example of Exmoor woodland is being designated as a National Nature Reserve. Owned by Exmoor National Park Authority since 1965, Hawkcombe Woods, above Porlock, will receive the accolade from English Nature at a celebratory event on Sunday
A BEAUTIFUL new bench was installed at Dunster First School this week, complete with useful reminders for pupils. The hand-crafted, pentagonal seat has the school's golden rules carved into it - one on each side. The bench was donated by a group of parents
ABOUT a quarter of the people living in West Somerset are smokers. And health experts are warning of a 'smoking eipidemic' if more don't give up the weed. In fact, more than a third of us have kicked the habit, according to a new survey by Government
Devon and Cornwall Police are searching for a 15-year-old girl who has been missing from her Newquay home since 29 October 2004. Emma Wickland is described as of slim build, and was last seen wearing blue tracksuit bottoms and a white T shirt. She has
Devon County Council is disappointed at the findings of the government's annual performance review of the authority's Social Services. Director of Social Services, David Johnstone, is confident that social services for people in the county are getting
Torbay Council's Social Services has retained its one-star rating, following its inspection by the Commission for Social Care Inspection. In their report, inspectors highlighted a number of improvements made since the last annual review. Inspectors noted
Conservative leader Michael Howard was in Cornwall this week unveiling his party's new five-point policy on dealing with illegal travellers' camps. Speaking to reporters on a hilltop about a mile from a legal travellers' site in Bugle, near St Austell
Devon and Cornwall Police are searching for a 15-year-old girl who has been missing from her Newquay home since 29 October 2004. Emma Wickland is described as of slim build, and was last seen wearing blue tracksuit bottoms and a white T shirt. She has
CATERING businesses and restaurants are being urged to find out more about fair trade products. More information about the products, which guarantees farmers in the developing world a fair price, will be available at an open evening which takes place
A NEW High Sheriff has been selected for Somerset. Fiona Densham of Church Walk, Wring-ton, was officially selected for the position, along with nominees for every other county in England and Wales, at a 1,000-year-old ceremony at the Royal Courts of
FACED with a growing threat to the countryside, Somerset Wild-life Trust is finding it hard to help sustain and preserve the local en-vironment. However, the trust has launched a new seven-programme strategy, which will promote awareness and educate people
A TAUNTON actor could be the next man to utter the immortal line "the name's Bond, James Bond" on the big screen. As revealed in the Somerset County Gazette back in July, James Purefoy is among the actors being considered as Pierce Brosnan's successor
TAUNTON'S Conservative MP has been accused of pulling out of a live TV debate because of fears he might look short stood next to his LibDem opponent. Adrian Flook was booked for an interview outside Norton Manor Camp on Sunday but withdrew when he found
OAKE Manor Golf Club has a new employee - a bird of prey. Although the club does not have a severe rabbit problem, some control is necessary and it will be the new bird's job to stop any burrowing in the bunkers. Andrew Bowey, course manager, said "We
LEGAL chiefs have this week named and shamed several offenders in the Taunton Deane area who are trying to escape justice by not paying their fines. A list of fine dodgers across the Avon and Somerset area was published on Monday at the start of the second
THE gypsies who controversially set up home in a field in North Curry have been told their children cannot attend the village primary school. They have the right to appeal against the decision, which was taken because the school already has more pupils
PLANNERS have recommend granting permission for a 733-space multi-storey car park at Taunton's Musgrove Park hospital. The proposals include a steeped design in a bid to reduce the impact of the building on residents in nearby Hoveland Lane. A report
A GENERAL election may be months away but campaigning is already going strong in Taunton and the LibDems drafted in their leader, Charles Kennedy, last week. Mr Kennedy was given a tour of the newly-finished main building at Taunton's Somerset College
TAUNTON'S Conservative MP has been accused of pulling out of a live TV debate because of fears he might look short stood next to his LibDem opponent. Adrian Flook was booked for an interview outside Norton Manor Camp on Sunday but withdrew when he found
SOMERSET-based Paralympic triple gold medallist Debbie Criddle has been honoured with a civic reception. The rider, who trains at the Conquest Riding Centre, near Taunton, was presented with gifts by West Somerset District Council chairman, Cllr Angela
POST Office bosses have been left in no doubt as to what County Gazette readers think of their plans to shut two post offices in Taunton and not relocate a third which has already closed. A total of 1,268 readers have signed our 'Save Our Post Offi-ces
MAY I offer a little good PR on behalf of the beleagured fox? I kept chickens on my seven-acre property on the edge of the Somerset Levels, and was shocked one morning to find a fox had entered the chicken house and killed all 12 of them, laying them
HAVING moved to New Zealand nearly three years ago I have become homesick at Christmas-time and miss seeing the lights everywhere - down in the Southern Hemisphere it's summertime right now. I'm looking forward to seeing the photographs of the Christmas
AS A member of the Taunton Swimming Club for 67 years, an honorary life member, a past coach, chairman, and Somerset County President, I was amazed to read last week's article, 'Swimmers left high and dry'. To my knowledge, the only person who fell into
POST Office bosses have been left in no doubt as to what County Gazette readers think of their plans to shut two post offices in Taunton and not relocate a third which has already closed. A total of 1,268 readers have signed our 'Save Our Post Offi-ces
PROPOSALS to create a motorbike track near Wellington Sports Centre are still under discussion by Taunton Deane Council. The proposal, which initially came from two Wellington parents who want their children to learn to ride a motorbike in a safe environment
UFFCULME's rising star Jodie Jones will be performing again in Wellington at the end of this month. Jodie will be supporting DJ Kris, with Perry Oaks, at The Hub Caf, North Street, on Saturday, November 27. She will be recording a live track for her upcoming
A SMEATHARPE man has just returned from two months away helping humanitarian disasters. Don Foster has been to Sudan, Vietnam and the Philippines, working with Christian Relief and development agency Tearfund, helping with radio communications for the
ROADWORKS to improve the road surface on the M5 motorway between the Wellington and Tiverton junctions will begin on Mon-day. The aim of the work, which will cost around £4.1 million, is to provide a quieter road surface for the final concrete sections
A NOVEL reindeer race has been organised to raise money of Wiveliscombe Junior Cricket Club. The club is currently selling reindeers to the town's residents such as Rude Ralf the Red Nosed Wine Drinker and Looks Like Rain Dear for the races. As well as
A BIRD of prey is being employed by Oake Manor Golf Club to help control rabbits on the course. Although the club does not have a serious rabbit problem, they do have to keep them under control to stop them going into bunkers. At the moment, they use
LENIENT magistrates took pity on a Minehead taxi driver who told magistrates he would lose his livelihood if he was banned. Colin Bryant, aged 36, of Woodside, Woodcombe, Minehead, was caught driving at 57mph in a 30 mph area in Birchham Road in the town
THE world of West Somerset's MP has arrived on the worldwide web. Ian Liddell-Grainger has a new website at www.somersetwest.org.uk And the site covers a wide range of issues - everything from road signs, to Hinkley Point, the schools cash crisis and
VISIONARIES from the Minehead area have formed an influential think tank to boost the town's future prospects. The strictly non-political Cream Vision Group has recruited a number of well-known local people, including civic and business leaders, to come
YOUNGSTERS from Watchet's Knights Templar First School went wild on Saturday. The Wild Area Workshop saw pupils having fun adding trees to the school's new conservation area, along with their families and local Scouts, who were drafted in to help. As
ALL over Bridgwater and the rest of Somerset, thousands of wacky daredevil stunts are taking place as the country gets involved in the BBC's Children In Need appeal. Schools, businesses and individuals county-wide are doing their bit to make sure as much
Pictures of missing Plymouth woman Julie Crocker are going on the world-wide web as police widen their search. Detectives have enlisted the help of Plymouth and Cornwall's cyberlibrary in the hope of jogging people's memories. The 40-year-old mother,
Proposals for the future of the Slapton coast road in south went on show to the public in Torcross this week. A firm of consultants has recommended that the road on a shingle bank between Slapton and Torcross be moved slightly further inland. The aim
ROADWORKS to improve the road surface on the M5 motorway between the Wellington and Tiverton junctions will begin on Mon-day. The aim of the work, which will cost around £4.1 million, is to provide a quieter road surface for the final concrete sections
QUAKER Andy Hall will leave his Somerset home in November to spend three months in Israel and Palestine. His mission is to join an international team sponsored by the World Council of Churches to assist in activities such as escorting threatened children
SOMERSET-based Paralympic triple gold medallist Debbie Criddle has been honoured with a civic reception. The rider, who trains at the Conquest Riding Centre, near Taunton, was presented with gifts by West Somerset District Council chairman, Cllr Angela
PEOPLE in the Yeovil and South Somerset area are joining with thousands across the country today (Friday) to raise money for the annual Children in Need appeal. Various events are taking place across the district to help support the ever-popular charity
SOMERSET County Council's social services department is the best in the South-West. The department is the only one in the South-West to have been awarded a prestigious three star rating placing it among the top 20 in the country. The move is a culmination
TEMPERS boiled over into violence during an argument about parking at Taunton's Somerset College of Arts and Technology this week. A clamper allegedly grabbed one student by the throat and punched another in the face when he caught them parked in the
A BRAVE Taunton man, who lost his battle for life when he died from a brain tumour on Sunday, will be given a full military funeral. The wife of Simon Hickman, 34, from Sherford, said: "He was beautiful ... he made us so happy. A Royal Marine with 40
A GREEN Party candidate is the latest politician to announce they will contest the Taunton constituency at the next General Election. Party members adopted Dawn Stephenson, of Milverton as their prospective Parliamentary candidate at a social reception
PROCEEDS from the sale of animals sold at Taunton Livestock Market at the weekend will be donated to Children in Need. Greenslade Taylor Hunt, through their partnership with Taunton Market Auctioneers, devised the fundraising idea for the normal livestock
POLICE were called to Ladymead Community School on Tuesday afternoon as hundreds of students took to the school field to protest against a cut in their lunch break. Students pupils climbed on to the sports hall roof to demonstrate and trespassed on neighbouring
East Brent's Rossholme School is in mourning this week, after the death of one of its most popular and enduring figures. Freda Ham died peacefully in her sleep last week at the age of 80 - and hundreds of friends, teachers, pupils and former pupils are
MANY of you would have seen the Albemarle Centre float in both Wellington and Taunton carnivals. The majority of our club members have learning difficulties, and they gain a terrific amount of enjoyment and a sense of achievement from taking part in such
A 2-MILE bridge over Escambia Bay, Pensacoloa, Florida, USA, was partly destroyed by Hurricane Ivan on September 16. Just 17 days later one side of this bridge was re-opened to traffic. How come it has taken Somerset County Council and Ford's over three
