BBC Somerset

Chris LockyerandClara Bullock,SomersetHarriet Gordon-BrownChase Africa is educating women in Africa about healthcareA charity from Somerset that promotes healthcare for women in Africa is celebrating 25 years of work. Chase Africa is based on a farm near Frome, but works in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda by bringing birth control and healthcare to women in rural communities.Robin Witt founded Chase Africa after visiting his wife's family in Kenya and noticing that the local forest was disappearing.Mr Witt said: "Environmental health…

Carys NallyWest of England Getty ImagesRecycling centres and tree collection services are available across the regionAs the festive period comes towards a close you may be thinking about what to do with your Christmas tree. There are plenty of options across the West - whether you want to recycle or even give it to charity.For regular waste collections, residents have been urged to check their postcode-based collection calendar and to use recycling and food waste collections as much…

Bea Swallow,West of EnglandandJohn Darvell,BBC Radio Bristol Hana LaurieSam Smith underwent a double mastectomy without reconstruction to reduce the risk of developing breast cancerA woman who had a double mastectomy is taking on three endurance challenges topless in a bid to promote body positivity and health awareness.Sam Smith, from Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, was 19 when she had treatment for blood cancer which left her at high risk for developing breast cancer later in life.The now 31-year-old said looking…

Carys NallyWest of England Hector MilesAmina Makele moved to the Somerset countryside from London in July "Black people shouldn't move to the countryside - or at least that's what I've been told."Amina Makele, an author who moved to Somerset from London in July, published a reel on Instagram that detailed her fear about living in the countryside.The video, which has had more than 500,000 views, started with the author stating her family and friends were concerned when she…

Work is under way to demolish a bridge first built during the Second World War.Winterstoke Road Bridge in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, runs over the mainline railway which connects Bristol and the South West of England.Work to demolish the structure, which has reached the end of its life, began late at night on Christmas Eve - to coincide with seasonal railway closures.It is being replaced with an £11m bridge which is due to open in spring 2027.If it was…