somerset

Cheryl DennisSomerset, Wellington andChris LockyerSomersetBBCHeather Bubb said having a new NHS service was "wonderful"A woman whose long-term dentist went private said it is "wonderful" that a new NHS surgery has opened in her town.Heather Bubb, 77, had been with her dentist in Wellington in Somerset for more than 25 years before it suddenly went private, leaving her facing a £5,500 bill she could not afford in 2023.The new dental surgery on an industrial estate is the first NHS…

Adam PostansLocal Democracy reporterAvon Fire and Rescue ServiceAvon Fire and Rescue said it is often using specialist equipment to help ambulance crews move patientsThe number of obese people being rescued by one fire service has increased by nearly 50 per cent in the last three years, according to new figures.Avon Fire and Rescue Service, which covers Bristol, Bath, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, is now carrying out an average of nine "bariatric rescues" a month compared to six…

Sammy JenkinsWest of England andMatty EdwardsBristolBBCWork to improve the surface of walkways is expected to take six monthsSwimmers say they will miss using a marine lake while it is closed for a £1m upgrade, as "cold water brings you alive".Work being carried out at Weston-super-Mare's seawater pool includes the construction of more public toilets and resurfacing steps and ramps.The repairs mean the lake will be shut until April 2026, but the work will safeguard the pool's future, council…

charlessainsburyplaice.co.ukFormer fashion designer Roger Saul now farms walnuts in Somerset with wife MontyA fashion designer who turned his hand to walnut farming has boasted a bumper crop of the nut this year.Roger Saul, who founded handbag company Mulberry, now owns Sharpham Park in Somerset - a walnut farm.Mr Saul has said his crop this year is three times the size of any other year, and believes more support is needed to support British growers.But despite the burgeoning harvest…

Ross CraneWest of EnglandBBCThe social enterprise group had been given "exclusivity status" to buy the Saxonvale site A council has confirmed it will vote to decide whether a derelict site earmarked for redevelopment by a social enterprise will be put back on the market. Somerset Council agreed to sell the Saxonvale brownfield site in Frome to the Mayday Saxonvale group in January, with the hope it would deliver low-cost homes, commercial space and leisure facilities. The plans are…

Ruth Bradley andMichelle RuminskiSomerset politics reporters, TauntonBBCParents and children gathered outside County Hall in TauntonDozens of families gathered outside a council's headquarters to protest against special educational needs and disabilities (Send) provision.More than 50 parents and children gathered outside County Hall in Taunton, Somerset, angry about the authority's Send service which they said was failing their children,and leaving parents "exhausted".Organiser Tatjana from Somerset Send Army said: "We are barely standing. I'm just about keeping my job. I'm mentally…

Daniel MumbyLocal Democracy Reporting ServiceJuliet EardleyMore than 100 residents in Crewkerne have objected to the plansResidents in a countryside market town have said local services and infrastructure are already at "breaking point" amid plans for more than 300 new homes.Proposals to build 325 homes on the A356 Station Road in Crewkerne, opposite the railway station, were submitted in September. The application also includes a 'mobility hub' and additional station parking.More than 100 residents have objected to the plans,…

A man has been arrested after a woman was raped in a park, police have confirmed.The woman was found in a distressed state in Victoria Park, Taunton, by members of the public at about 05:00 BST on Saturday, Avon and Somerset Police said.The arrest was made at an address in the town at about 18:30 on Sunday."Although an arrest has now been made, our investigation is really just beginning," said Det Sgt Wendy Fellowes."It's important now that people…