A COUPLE who fiddled £100,000 in VAT refunds on a fictional alpaca farm in Somerset have been found guilty of fraud. Caroline Beech and her partner Patrick Ancell pretended to be running an alpaca trekking business on their four and a half acre
EXTENSIVE works are being carried out at Taunton's Toby Carvery as its owners prepare for a major rebrand. Mitchells and Butlers has revealed plans for the alterations as the pub/eaterie off the Ilminster Road, at Ruishton, is converted to a Miller
Brits are being warned ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee over laws that could lead to fines of up to £5,000 and even imprisonment as Brits prepare for celebrations over the four-day “blockbuster” Bank Holiday weekend. The Queen is the first
WELLS Vineyard Foodbank is calling for urgent help to meet the demand for emergency food parcels which has seen an increase of 321 per cent since 2019. More people than ever before are being referred to the food bank due to the cost-of-living crisis
POLICE in Somerset have taken over the investigation into a 14-year-old boy who has been missing for almost a fortnight. Avon and Somerset Police issued an appeal earlier this week to help find Nasim, from Preston in Lancashire as he has "strong
A FORMER pub in Taunton town centre that has been closed for a number of years looks set to re-open this summer. Gareth Field, who is currently landlord of another pub in the town owned by the Stonegate group, wants to open up his own venue at
LIVE and remastered releases from Spirit, John Denver, and Graham Nash have gained the attention of County Gazette reviewer Kevin Bryan this week. John Denver, Live at Cedar Rapids 12/10/87 (Floating World) Denver’s innocuous and happy-go-lucky
GLASTONBURY Festival has confirmed the line-up for its solar-powered Croissant Neuf stage, featuring Cut Capers, Moulettes, and K.O.G. The festival is returning in June after two years aways due to Covid and regular stage and area line-up
TRAFFIC cops have taken a pop on social media at two speeding drivers they've dealt with. The two motorists failed to slow down despite being followed "over some distance" by officers in a marked police car. Avon and Somerset Police's roads
HUNDREDS of people die in poverty in Somerset West and Taunton every year, according to estimates published for the first time, writes Patrick Jack, data reporter. End-of-life charity Marie Curie said it was "shocking" that more than 90,000 people
A CHARITY worker has set off to conquer the 630-mile South West Coast Path, all to raise money for Tools for Self Reliance. After years of planning, delays due to COVID, and months of training, Stuart Bailey took his first challenge step on May
STUDENTS from a Somerset school have scored highly in the spring SAT exams used by American universities' admissions teams to evaluate applicants. A total of 60 Millfield School sixth-form students sat the exams in March. The SAT exams test
AN artist is bringing his latest exhibition inspired by his experiences in Kenya to the Malthouse Gallery at East Lambrook Manor Gardens. Moish Sokal was inspired by several landmarks in the east African nation including an elephant orphanage,
AS the nation prepares for the upcoming Platinum Jubilee celebrations, a Hobbycraft colleague in Taunton has paid tribute to the service of Her Majesty The Queen with an amazing knitting project. Melanie Downing, who works at Hobbycraft Taunton
THE 15th Pride of Somerset Youth Awards highlighted the remarkable achievements of young people across the county. A group of 10 winners received their awards at a ceremony hosted by BBC Somerset presenters Claire Carter and Simon Parkin at Bridgwater
Straight up, neat or on the rocks - there is only one way to celebrate World Cocktail Day. As if we need an excuse to sip on a Strawberry Daiquiri or pour ourselves another Pornstar Martini but a boozy international celebration is as good a sign
For the first time ever LEGO has united with Hasbro to reveal the new fully converting LEGO Transformers Optimus Prime set. The set made of over 1,500 LEGO pieces stands at 35cm tall in Robot mode and 15cm in car mode. The iconic Transformers
As if we need an excuse to have a cocktail, but this Friday, May 13 we really do have one as it's World Cocktail Day! From margaritas (both spicy and not), martinis and daiquiris, whatever your drink of choice is, this Friday you can pour yourself
With glimpses of sunny days gracing us over the weekend, hopefully the warmer weather is here to stay. With many of us spending the milder days getting the garden ready for summer, you might be thinking about what additions to add this year.
Tesco is the latest supermarket giant to recall a range of chicken products amid fears they could be contaminated with salmonella. Major supermarkets and retailers across the UK have issued an urgent "DO NOT EAT" warning amid food poisoning fears
MINEHEAD Library has reopened following a £857,800 refurbishment to make it more accessible, modern and energy efficient. The roof of the 60-year-old facility has been replaced, the building updated and with improved thermal efficiency. It
THE owners of Wookey Hole Caves have been refused permission to build new homes in the nearest village. Wookey Hole Ltd wanted to replace a house and three park homes on the Homestead Park site in High Street with nine three-bedroom properties.
WORK has started to resurface the network of paths in Taunton’s Green Flag award-winning Vivary Park. The project at the town's Jewel in the Crown is part of Somerset West and Taunton’s ongoing re-surfacing programme and improvement plan for its
A NURSING and residential home in Wellington has won a top quality award for the fourth consecutive time. Staff and residents at Chelston Park, on the West Buckland Road, are celebrating scooping the Gold Standards Framework Award yet again.
A MIDDLE-aged man who damaged the premises and was abusive at a Taunton business that trains hairdressers has been sent to prison for 12 weeks. Jonathan James Bowyer, 58, of East Reach, damaged the front door of the Hair Academy South West within
Somerset is set to sizzle this weekend as the mini-heatwave finally hits, with temperatures reaching highs of 18C. The weather this month has been particularly hit or miss, with some gloriously sunny spells and a fair few grey moments. But
