The Chard and Ilminster News recaps the stories that made headlines in 2016

JANUARY

• TWO Ilminster residents were left amazed and humbled by the town's kindness after their was destroyed by fire.

Adam and Liz Woodard were bowled over by the support they have received from family, friends and people they do not even know.

The couple, who have two young sons Albert and George, were out when the fire broke out and destroyed their home.

• A WHEELCHAIR-BOUND student was left a “prisoner in his own bedroom” for nearly five days after his specialist lift broke down.

Jake Cullen, 15, who has the rare Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy condition, has been fed-up at not being able to get downstairs while his parents, Mark and Tash, have been exasperated at not being able to get the lift fixed.

“It’s been a nightmare,” said Tash at their home in South Petherton.

• A GREAT-GRANDMOTHER who knocked over an infamous Nazi official and shook hands with the Pope celebrated her 100th birthday.

Helen Ouin, of Ashcombe Court, Ilminster, celebrated the milestone with her family.

Helen, who has 23 grandchildren, also revealed she once ran into and knocked over Joseph Goebbels while in Vienna.

FEBRUARY

• TRADERS branded road works that were set to close a main road for five weeks a “nightmare”– with a 22-mile diversion recommended for motorists.

Businesses on Ilminster’s Station Road said the five weeks of closures would be “horrific”, with the road set to be closed from Monday, February 22 as engineers carry out essential drainage works.

• AN ILMINSTER car dealership was feeling revved up after it starred in a national television show.

AM Cars, on Station Road in the town, supplied one of the cars for former Top Gear presenter James May’s new show, May’s Cars of the People.

• THE future of Chard’s swimming was thrown into doubt after it was revealed that an ambitious funding bid was rejected.

Somerset County Council, owners of Cresta Leisure Centre, submitted a bid to Sport England as it sought to raise funds for urgent repair to the building’s roof.

Although the council owns the building, the leisure centre is managed by 1610, which leases the building from the council.

The repairs would be £1 million in total.

MARCH

• ILMINSTER’S Air Cadets are flying high after purchasing state-of-the-art equipment and received a visit from a former defence chief.

The cadets, which are based at the centre in Ilminster, bought a flight simulator after a fundraising campaign.

• A LOVED-up couple from Ilminster made it a leap year to remember with a special engagement.

Emma Langdon popped the question to her unsuspecting boyfriend Will Vickery at his work on February 29 and he lovingly accepted.

The pair have been together since 2011 and after the engagement, Will whisked Emma off for a long romantic weekend in Rome, where they spent time pounding the streets of the Italian capital hunting for a ring.

• A MAN who suffered a heart attack in Chard thanked the heroic efforts of passers-by and paramedics for saving his life.

Peter Lonton collapsed in Tesco car park, and was given emergency treatment by passers-by before an ambulance was called.

Peter and his wife Serena have thanked those who helped save his life.

• A CHARD man was commended for his heroic role in the Second World War after receiving a Legion D’honneur from the French Government.

Dennis Till, 92, was involved in the D-Day landings and Operation Infatuate, which was the Allied Powers attempt to open the Belgian port of Antwerp to shipping.

APRIL

• A NATIONAL coffee shop chain started serving up a treat for residents in two South Somerset towns.

Costa officially opened its new store in Falkland’s Square, Crewkerne at a ceremony attended by a host of local dignitaries.

As the froth settles, the firm geared up to open its next chain, on Fore Street, Chard.

• A SOUTH Somerset playgroup warned it was in danger of closing down.

Isle Abbotts Playgroup, which is north of Ilminster, was struggling to find enough children for them to stay open, and is the only remaining feeder playgroup for nearby primary school Curry Mallett.

• PEOPLE from Chard turned out in force to see the beacon being lit in celebration of the Queen’s 90th birthday.

Dozens of people flocked to the beacon lighting ceremony, which took place at Mitchell Gardens in Crowshute Link Park.

It was one of many a long line of celebrations held place across South Somerset.

MAY

• WILFRED Isaacs died after he was hit by a shotgun on a travellers site in Ilton. Later in 2016, three brothers were jailed for his murder and three other people received a suspended prison sentence.
• ONE of Chard’s district councillors controversially decided to leave the Conservative Party and move to the Liberal Democrats.

Councillor Amanda Broom announced she was changing political parties, citing the impact of current Conservative policies on her constituents.

• ILMINSTER had something to shout about as the town played host to its second annual crier competition.

The event was held on Saturday, May 7, in the town centre.

The award for best crier was given to Christian Ashdown of Haslemere.

• FROM Chard, to the champions of England.

That is the story of Ben Hamer, professional footballer for Leicester City who picked up the coveted crown of the Premier League title.

Ben, who lived most of his life growing up in Chard, was snapped up by Reading FC when he was 15, and has had a roller-coaster career since then.

• AN ILTON 10-year-old has raised more than £2,500 to buy a hot tub for her friend who suffers from a progressive muscle disease.

Molly Harris, from Ilton, raised the money for her friend Joel A’court, 12, who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

JUNE

• THE brother-in-law of a vulnerable man who went missing in Chard thanked the community and police after he was found safe and well.

A huge search was launched for Vasco Manuel Macedo, 38, after he was reported missing from his home.

He was found a week later in a field at the back of Tesco in Chard by a young boy and his mother.

• A DILAPIDATED and disused old bus was given a new and unusual lease of life in South Somerset.

The red and white double decker was given a new coat of green paint and transformed into a café near South Petherton and has attracted dozens of people since it reopened.

• THOUSANDS of people across South Somerset made their voice heard as the district and Britain voted Leave in the historic EU Referendum.

Across South Somerset, a total of 56,940 people voted to Leave the EU, with Remain gaining 42,527, meaning that around 56 per cent of people in the area voted to leave.

JULY

• POLICE were hunting Kyle Unsworth after he skipped his trial where he received a prison for leading officers on a “dangerous” high-speed car chase through Chard.

Unsworth was found and arrested later that month.

• Chard mayor Dave Bulmer criticised plans to build 323 new homes on land off Forton Road in Tatworth saying the infrastructure needed to go hand in hand with the development.

• MORE than a thousand people turned out to see Britain’s biggest waterslide come to Ilminster.

The event also saw the Ilminster Town Football Club unveil its brand new Archie Gooch pavilion.

• POLICE were hunting for an arsonist after a suspected arson attack at the Ilminster recreation ground toilet block.

• CHARD'S My Local store on Fore Street closed after its parent company went into administration.

It was one of the firm's 93 stores which permanently shut its doors in July.

AUGUST

• BEREAVED mother Julz Scott, whose five-week-old baby tragically died, was shortlisted for The Butterfly Awards for turning her experiences into a book.

• A COMBE St Nicholas carer for vulnerable adults was spared jail after stealing thousands of pounds from the bank of an autistic man when she was manager to fund a drug addiction.

Kelly Helliker was found out after bosses carried out an audit at the home in Langport where they discovered £5,000 had been plundered from the victim’s account without his knowledge.

• SOUTH Petherton farmer Will Powers, said his year had "gone up in smoke" after his farm in East Lambrook was one of those hit in a series of suspected arson attacks.

His barn, three tractors and more than 200 tonnes of hay and silage went up in flames.

• A SOUTH Petherton farmer's year went "up in smoke" after his farm was hit in a series of suspected arson attacks.

• TATWORTH Church Youth Club and South Petherton Youth Club were thrown a lifeline after council grants allowed them to continue running.

Helena Baker from the Tatworth Club said they were set to shut in September if the grant application failed.

SEPTEMBER

• THERE was dismay when it was announced that a 'lifeline' bus service from Chard to Taunton was to stop, with operator Stagecoach blaming a drop in passenger numbers.

But the dismay didn't last long over the 99 service as it was saved a few weeks later by Buses of Somerset.

• A Chard woman set up a petition calling for the government to set statutory requirements and laws for rehoming centres in the UK after her niece was mauled to death by a re-homed dog.

Victoria Whiteman's niece Lexi Branson died in 2013 after she was attacked by the family's recently rehomed Alston bulldog.

• TRIBUTES were paid after a 69-year-old motorcyclist from Ilton died following a crash in Kingweston.

Raymond William Mullett died at the scene from injuries sustained after a blue Mitsubishi, a red VW transporter and a red Ducati motorbike collided on the B3153.

• NEARLY 200 angry residents labelled plans to build more than 500 new homes in Chard as “unsuitable, unsustainable and unsympathetic”.

Residents of Holbear and the surrounding streets set up the petition, opposing Persimmon Homes plans for the development near Forton Road.

OCTOBER

• CARNIVAL season got off to a flying start in Chard.

Hundreds turned out to enjoy the entertainment, which was celebrating 49 years in Chard, and has raised more than £100,000 for charities and organisations.

• Toni Sloman and her niece Micha Sloman were killed in a major crash.

The crash involved a van and a car on the A358 Chard Road in Tytherleigh.

• DOWLISH Wake residents rallied together and vowed to build a bigger and better pavilion after the Dowlish Wake Pavilion was destroyed following a suspected arson attack.

NOVEMBER

• ROBERT and Brenda Newton, 72, from the Ottery St Mary area were killed after a serious crash on the A303 near Buckland St Mary.

The road was closed in both directions for more than nine hours after the collision which involved a car and a van.

• AN 80-YEAR-OLD woman with terminal cancer had to wait 30 hours after calling 111 for urgent medical help.

Doreen Whitworth’s husband Victor, 85, called for help shortly before midnight on Saturday, October 29, although a doctor didn’t arrive until 5.40am on Monday.

• ELEOS Cafe in Chard was celebrating after being named the best cafe in the south west in the Britain's Best Cafe competition.

The cafe beat off competition in the regional heat, thanks to votes from customers.

• TWO of Catherine Wells-Burr's killers were told they would have to stay in the UK to serve their sentence.

Rafal Nowak, Anna Lagwinowicz and Tadeusz Dmytryszyn were all sentenced to 32 years in prison after being found guilty of murdering Miss Wells-Burr 23, at her home in Chard in September 2012.

Nowak was granted permission to serve the majority of his sentence in Poland however the Ministry of Justice rejected Lagwinowicz and Dmytryszyn's applications.

• FAMILIES and businesses in Chard were left distraught after learning the town's essential Co-op store is to close on February 4, 2017.

DECEMBER

• TRIBUTES were paid to a popular photographer who served the Chard and Ilminster News for more than 60 years after he passed away.

Dave Wheadon started working for the news in 1949 at the tender age of 17, he passed away aged 84 after a few years of living with Alzheimers.

• BROTHERS Charlie, Billy and John Broadway were all jailed following the murder of Wilfred Isaacs Snr in May.

Charlie was convicted of murder at Bristol Crown Court while Billy and John were convicted of manslaughter following the murder at a travellers site in Ilton.

• A PATH near Holyrood Academy was closed after a spate of anti-social behaviour.

The school closed the path between it and the Co-op following numerous reports that schoolchildren were being assaulted by a gang of youths.

• IT WAS confirmed that Chard Police Station is set to close in three years, with officers moving to another base in the town in a cost-cutting measure,

Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens made the announcement during a visit to the town.