county news

Somerset museum gets almost £1m to display Norman treasure

Somerset museum gets almost £1m to display Norman treasure

A grant of almost £1m will mean a hoard of Norman-era treasure found in the Somerset countryside can be put on permanent display.The Chew Valley Hoard, which features 2,584 coins dated from just after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, is thought to be the highest-value treasure acquisition on record at £4.3m.It was found in 2019 by a group out metal detecting in the Chew Valley, who split the findings with the landowner.The National Lottery grant of £993,345…

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National Trust launches £330k appeal to buy Cerne Giant’s ‘lair’

National Trust launches £330k appeal to buy Cerne Giant’s ‘lair’

National TrustStanding at 180ft (55m) tall, the Cerne Giant is sculpted into the chalk hillside above Cerne AbbasA £330,000 appeal to buy the land surrounding the Cerne Abbas Giant has been launched.The National Trust is hoping to raise the money to help fund the purchase and care of 138 hectares (341 acres) surrounding the ancient naked figure sculpted into the chalk in Dorset.So far over £2m has been raised to buy the swathe of land known as giant's…

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Boat users set for increase in Dorset harbour fees

Boat users set for increase in Dorset harbour fees

Boat users of three harbours in Dorset could face higher fees, according to a report.Dorset Council is looking to implement a minimum 3.4% increase to charges at Bridport, Lyme Regis and Weymouth harbours, although some exceptions have been made.The proposed changes, outlined in the report to the Harbours Advisory Committee, aim to keep the facilities financially sustainable while remaining competitive with other ports.Winter mooring fees at West Bay and Lyme Regis would remain unchanged and, following feedback, boat…

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Turnip art Prize winner for 2025 is bitter and twisted

Turnip art Prize winner for 2025 is bitter and twisted

Trevor PrideauxThis year's entry was entitled: 'Bitter & Twisted'The winner of the coveted 2025 Turnip Prize has been announced.Organised by a Somerset pub each year, the Turnip Prize is awarded to the person who has created a very bad artwork using the least amount of effort possible. It is a parody of the world-famous Turner Prize.At a special ceremony at The New Inn in Wedmore, Somerset, the prestigious art award, was given to 69-year-old Ali Can for his…

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Last rods of uranium removed from Hinkley Point B power station

Last rods of uranium removed from Hinkley Point B power station

Joe Skirkowski,West of EnglandandRoss Pollard,SomersetInside the control room at Hinkley Point BA nuclear power station which generated electricity for 46 years has had its final rods of uranium removed.Hinkley Point B became operational in 1976 and was once the most productive nuclear site in the UK. Its reactors were turned off three years ago when EDF - the firm which owns the plant - said the site had reached the end of its life.Its used uranium rods have…

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Family tribute to ‘treasured grandmother’ after Chiverton crash

Family tribute to ‘treasured grandmother’ after Chiverton crash

Family handoutPamela Arthur's family described her as "warm, glamorous, generous, and always fiercely protective of the people she cared about"The family of a woman who died in hospital a week after being involved in a crash has paid tribute to a "treasured mother, grandmother, sister, aunty and friend".Pamela Arthur, known as Pam, 76, died after suffering serious injuries in a two vehicle collision on the A390 near Chiverton Cross in Cornwall on 18 November.Police were called to the…

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Historic Cornwall pub warns rising rates threaten survival

Historic Cornwall pub warns rising rates threaten survival

BBCAmy Bennett runs The Seven Stars in FalmouthThe owner of a pub in Cornwall has said her costs will rise by thousands of pounds after changes announced in the Budget.Amy Bennett said she was "terrified" she was going to lose The Seven Stars in Falmouth, which has been in her family for seven generations, after learning how much her rateable value could increase in April.A firm's rateable value is based on how much it would cost to rent…

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Will Smeed: Somerset opening batter signs extension to 2027

Will Smeed: Somerset opening batter signs extension to 2027

Somerset batter Will Smeed has signed a contract extension to remain at the club until the end of the 2027 season.The 24-year-old starred during Somerset's six-wicket victory over Hampshire in September's T20 Blast final at Edgbaston, smashing 94 off just 58 balls to claim the player of the match award as his club picked up their third Blast title.The club also confirmed Smeed will be available for both red-ball and white-ball cricket after he amended his contract to…

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Poole Quay Hotel redevelopment permission set to be revoked

Poole Quay Hotel redevelopment permission set to be revoked

Planning permission to demolish a hotel is set to be revoked after developers failed to fulfil their planning obligations.MHA Burleigh Poole was granted permission in 2023 to replace Poole Quay Hotel, in Poole, with commercial units, flats and a new hotel, subject to a Section 106 agreement that required it to contribute to local services.But in March 2024, the hotel closed suddenly and the firm went into liquidation.A planning committee at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) has…

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Novice rower from Devon prepares for Atlantic Ocean challenge

Novice rower from Devon prepares for Atlantic Ocean challenge

Clare O'ReilleyClare O'Reilley is taking part in The World's Toughest Row alongside two other womenA woman with a fear of deep water is preparing to row across the Atlantic Ocean after being encouraged by someone she knows who has completed the challenge twice.Clare O'Reilly, 46, from Devon had never rowed before starting to train for The World's Toughest Row, which she will do alongside Rosie Tong, 26, and Mel Jarman, 33.The Row with the Flow crew will be…

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Graduate wins national award for innovation to detect water contamination

An innovation designed by a University of Exeter graduate to detect contaminated water and save lives has won a prestigious national award.   The FluoroGlow device is designed to detect Cryptosporidium in water – a parasite that can cause severe illness and even death, especially in children and vulnerable people. Previously, it has been difficult to detect without slow laboratory-based tests, but FluoroGlow aims to change that by providing rapid and reliable results directly at the water source.   Currently…

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