HUGE crowds are expected to turn out for the annual Wellington Street Fair on Sunday. Backed by the Somerset County Gazette, the fun event is organised by Wellington Carnival Club as its main fundraiser. The day is sure to be another great success with
BURNT sausages were not the only cinders left over from a barbecue in Wellington on Sunday. Just hours after enjoying a barbecue lunch with his wife and children, deputy head of Wellington School, Stephen Page discovered his shed was ablaze at the bottom
POLICE are hunting a couple believed to be attempting to flood the Wellington and Taunton area with hundreds of pounds in forged notes. Pubs and businesses have been warned to be on the look out following four incidents involving fake £20 notes since
THERE will be an inaugural meeting for the newly-formed Blackdown Hills Woodland Association in July. The meeting will take place on Monday, July 4, at the Forbes Lounge, Hemyock Parish Hall. The BHWA represents the interests of woodland owners and timber-using
BURNT sausages were not the only cinders left over from a barbecue in Wellington on Sunday. Just hours after enjoying a barbecue lunch with his wife and children, deputy head of Wellington School, Stephen Page discovered his shed was ablaze at the bottom
WATCHET rowers are planning a four-hour marathon voyage across the Bristol Channel. Watchet Sea Rowing Club plans to row both its 24ft French class boats from Barry, South Wales, to Watchet to raise money for Watchet Carnival Club. Club captain Lesley
URGENT action is needed if Aquasplash, Minehead's ageing council-run swimming pool, is to remain open to swimmers. Members of West Somerset District Council's cabinet will be told that "no action is not an option" when they meet on Monday. A hard-hitting
NEW offices for West Somerset District Council are likely to be built at Vulcan Road, Minehead, it has been revealed. Deputy council leader Bryan Leaker told the Somerset County Gazette yesterday (Thursday): "It is likely a new civic centre will be built
VILLAGERS in North Curry claim that police have advised them not to look out of their windows after gypsies on an illegal site complained their privacy was being invaded. The lives of Julia Tibbs and Hilary Harris were turned upside down when Romany gypsies
JEREMY Browne used his maiden House of Commons speech as Taunton MP to call for Somerset to have its own police force. He told Parliament last Thursday that the county is largely rural and has very different policing requirements to a large city like
WELL known West Somerset businessman John Donner has died. Mr Donner, 74, of Heddon Oak House, Crowcombe, was a director and shareholder in West Somerset Railway, and an avid collector of classic and vintage cars. He and his wife were attacked with a
A TAUNTON-OWNED horse could be worth a punt in the Oaks at Epsom today, Friday. Three-year-old Something Exciting, leased by Setsquare Recruitment construction agency, is third favourite at 6-1 after some recent impressive runs. Trained by David Elsworth
RESIDENTS of Norton Fitzwarren are furious about the prospect of further hostel accommodation in the area. Trenchard House, in Trenchard Park Gardens, has applied for planning permission to retain the current accommodation and build further units for
A YOUNG mum in Taunton has spoken out about the treatment she has received on Taunton's First bus service. Vickie Moran, 23, who is six months pregnant, regularly pays the £2.10 return fare to go into the town centre on the No. 1 Ladymead bus from Cheddon
A BISHOP'S Hull woman who was about to become a grandmother has been found dead at the side of a railway line. The body of divorcee Lesley Rice, 51, of Chaf-finch Close, was found by a member of the public near the new bridge being built over the Silk
YOUNGSTERS will be encouraged to chatter and natter, whisper and yell at an event in Taunton. Make Chatter Matter is being organised by Taunton Deane Childminding Network and the I Can charity, which helps children with communication skills. The event
RESIDENTS objecting to a proposed play area at a primary school have been told there is nothing to worry about. Bishops Lydeard primary school wants to build the facility, with timber climbing equipment and an artificial grass surface, on a piece of waste
THE relaunch of Oxfam, on Taunton's Bridge, has been so successful the builders have been called in to expand it. A new sales area is being built on the first floor, while work is underway improving the ground floor, which will incorporate a music department
A THIEF has come clean and helped police solve 73 crimes he committed in Taunton last year. Heroin addict David Fraser, 28, drove around with officers over three days on a guided tour of areas where he broke into garages and cars, and stole thousands
TAUNTON Deane Patient and Public Involvement in Health Forum is holding a public meeting at Taunton Library meeting room at noon on Tuesday, July 26.
I WRITE with a feeling of exhilaration, and on the other hand a feeling of deep sadness. The French people have at last turned on our Brussels masters and, hopefully in future, like true patriots, will continue to think of France first and the United
I AM writing to tell you why my family is supporting the British Heart Foundation's 'Hearts First Bike Ride' on the Somerset Levels, on June 5, and part of the charity's national fundraising week, 'Help a Heart Week'. My husband and I have been involved
I READ with great interest the letter 'Pity UKIP did not see the light' printed in Postbag (May 20). I am a UKIP member and I was not going to vote tactically as suggested by the writer, in fact I would not have voted at all. I choose to vote for a party
THE Scouts in Wellington can 'a Ford' to be pleased this week. They have raised £35,000 to buy a brand new 17 seat, Ford minibus complete with chairlift. Fundraising events and grants have helped raise the money needed, with a special mention to the Big
BURGES Meadow gardens at Maundown, near Wiveliscombe, was open on Monday to raise money for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association. Over 200 people took advantage of the Bank Holiday weather, enjoying a relaxing walk around the gardens
TWO Wellington students attending Richard Huish College, Taunton, were runners up in the Taunton Audi "Young Designer of the Year" competition. Chris Keates, 18, and Marcus Smith, 17, netted second and third places respectively from an initial entry of
A CATERING student from Nynehead was left distraught this week after she claimed she was told her course will be cancelled when tutors at Somerset College of Arts and Technology are made redundant. Eleanor Perk, 18, heard on Wednesday that if tutors on
FRUIT smoothies and biscuits replaced timetables at Danesfield Middle School, Williton when youngsters from six local schools put into practice maths skills. During the two sessions pupils from Crowcombe, Stogumber, St Peters, Williton, Old Cleeve and
LONE women have again been warned to be on their guard following another incident of indecent exposure at an isolated Minehead beauty spot. Police say a man wearing only white socks and trainers appeared in front of an unaccompanied female motorist on
DULVERTON'S first Farmers' Market has been judged a resounding success. The market, which took place on Friday, attracted a throng of people anxious to buy local Exmoor produce. Among best sellers were traditionally made bread, local asparagus, lamb,
A PICTURE-BOOK Exmoor church has been handed a massive £121,000 grant towards major repairs to make the building watertight. The windfall from English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund will help pay for the complete replacement of both main roofs
WELL known West Somerset businessman John Donner has died. Mr Donner, 74, of Heddon Oak House, Crowcombe, was a director and shareholder in West Somerset Railway, and an avid collector of classic and vintage cars. He and his wife were attacked with a
POLICE are targeting bikers in spot checks on the A39 in West Somerset in a bid to curb deaths and injuries. As sunshine and warm weather bring thousands of holidaymakers onto the roads, officers of the Road Policing Unit are stopping motorcyclists to
AVID Watchet jigsaw puzzlers have raised £436 for Macmillan Cancer Relief. They assembled a 1,000-piece jigsaw to raise funds for the charity at a competition at Holy Cross Chapel on Saturday. Pictured, from left, Emma French, nine, with mum, Helen French
IT is quickly becoming the planning wrangle that will never end - and now bid for a multi-million pound 12-turbine wind farm at Hinkley has been delayedby another four months at least. Your Energy submitted a blueprint for the huge development back in
POLICE are targeting bikers in spot checks on the A39 in West Somerset in a bid to curb deaths and injuries. As sunshine and warm weather bring thousands of holidaymakers onto the roads, officers of the Road Policing Unit are stopping motorcyclists to
A THIEF has come clean and helped police solve 73 crimes he committed in Taunton last year. Heroin addict David Fraser, 28, drove around with officers over three days on a guided tour of areas where he broke into garages and cars, and stole thousands
THE Somerset Wildlife Trust is urging everyone to get involved with World Environment Day on Sunday. The trust, based in Wellington, is promoting conservation techniques for saving energy. Simon Nash, SWT chief executive, said: "I would encourage everyone
A TAUNTON-OWNED horse could be worth a punt in the Oaks at Epsom today, Friday. Three-year-old Something Exciting, leased by Setsquare Recruitment construction agency, is third favourite at 6-1 after some recent impressive runs. Trained by David Elsworth
TAUNTON historian Robin Bush is taking viewers through 2,000 years of conflict involving the South-West and its people on a TV programme next month. Somerset County Council chairman Mr Bush, PICTURED at the grave of T.E. Lawrence at Moreton in Dorset,
A MAN who went for an impromptu dip in the River Tone in Taunton to cool off got more than he bargained for when police and firefighters were called. Crowds of onlookers gathered on The Bridge and along the banks of the river as the man, wearing nothing
VILLAGERS in North Curry claim that police have advised them not to look out of their windows after gypsies on an illegal site complained their privacy was being invaded. The lives of Julia Tibbs and Hilary Harris were turned upside down when Romany gypsies
YOUNGSTERS in the Bath and Wells Diocese, which includes the Taunton area, are being asked to turn their imagination to peace as part of a competition. Prizes in the Margaret Portwood Peace Awards for Bath and Wells, Bristol and Gloucester are £25, £50
A YOUNG mum in Taunton has spoken out about the treatment she has received on Taunton's First bus service. Vickie Moran, 23, who is six months pregnant, regularly pays the £2.10 return fare to go into the town centre on the No. 1 Ladymead bus from Cheddon
IT is quickly becoming the planning wrangle that will never end - and now bid for a multi-million pound 12-turbine wind farm at Hinkley has been delayedby another four months at least. Your Energy submitted a blueprint for the huge development back in
HOW quirky is fate? The very Iraq war which the LibDems so famously opposed won them the very limited success which they obtained at the recent local and General Elections. Those socialists disaffected by their leader's slavish avowal of all things American
HAVING very recently visited Hestercombe House and Gardens, may I say "many congratulations" to Philip White for the latest addition of the Heritage Centre, restaurant and shop etc. After walking around the glorious gardens, where even more work is being
A SWIMMING pool in Wellington is open again after being restored. The pool, situated behind the Arts Centre, is available to members of the Blue Horizon Swimming Club. They currently have about 100 members but there are some vacancies. Club secretary
