HOW SOMERSET SHAPED EUROPE
DSAA marks 10 years of saving more lives
ADECADE of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) saving lives was celebrated at a special event.
In 2026, the DSAA is marking 10 years of delivering pre-hospital emergency blood transfusions, recognising and thanking those who have played a vital role in making the service possible.
Severe bleeding is one of the most urgent and life-threatening challenges following major trauma or acute medical conditions. Starting a transfusion at the scene can be the difference between a patient reaching hospital with a chance of survival or not reaching hospital at all.
When DSAA introduced the carriage of blood components in 2016, it represented a major step forward in pre-hospital critical care. It was developed in collaboration with Dorset
County Hospital, NHS Blood and Transplant, Devon Freewheelers, the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and the Henry Surtees Foundation and enabled doctors and specialist practitioners to begin replacing lost blood at the roadside, in rural locations and in patients’ homes.
Ten years on, 473 patients have been given a chance of survival through a blood transfusion provided by the DSAA team.
At a special event held at their Henstridge airbase on May 7, DSAA brought together key
partners, the clinicians who helped pioneer the initiative, and team members involved in its delivery and development to reflect on its impact over the past decade.
Among those in attendance was Louise Biggs and her family, whose first-hand experience of needing a pre-hospital blood transfusion immediately prior to giving birth in January was shared.
Speaking about the milestone, Dr Phil Hyde, DSAA’s medical director, said: “To have this life-saving resource available to us is a gift from society. It gives our
clinicians the ability and confidence to sustain patients with catastrophic bleeding long enough to get them to hospital for the ongoing emergency treatment they need.
"Before we carried blood components, many of us remember holding the hands of patients who sadly died on the way to hospital. Within just seven days of launching in 2016, we delivered our first transfusion, demonstrating both the immediate need and the impact of this capability.
"Today, we are holding hands and seeing patients survive, going on to meet them, their families and even their children. This is truly life-changing, both for our patients and for the clinicians delivering their care."
Dr Hyde added: "We are so grateful to every member of this regional collaboration for enabling life chances for the people of Dorset and Somerset.”
New construction training centre opens at Yeovil College as part of £60m plan
PEOPLE studying construction skills will be doing so in state-of-theart facilities after Yeovil College officially unveiled a new training block.
The college’s new Construction Innovation Centre, which aims to transform construction skills training in the south west, was formally unveiled by MP Adam Dance (Lib Dem, Yeovil), who cut the ribbon alongside employers, dignitaries, community leaders, representatives from funding partners, the Department for Education (DfE), and partners from BAM, the contractors who worked on the project.
The centre is the second major milestone in the college’s campus redevelopment, funded through more than £60 million of capital investment from the DfE, and comes as a response to the UK’s critical skills gap in the construction industry.
It will offer training spaces for traditional trades, as well as cutting-edge training in green construction and retrofit technologies.
Mark Bolton, principal and CEO of Yeovil College, said: “The Construction Innovation Centre represents a defining moment for Yeovil College and for the future of construction skills in our region.
“This outstanding facility has been shaped through close collaboration with our employer
partners, supported through significant investment from the Department for Education, and brought to life by the expertise and professionalism of BAM.
“It will provide exceptional opportunities for our learners and make a meaningful contribution to the development of a skilled, sustainable, and future-ready construction workforce.”
He added: “Our ambition is bold and it stretches far beyond this campus. Today’s opening is just one step in a much bigger plan to lead construction skills across South Somerset, Dorset
and the wider Wessex region.
“We’re already looking ahead, investing in new facilities that will bring even more trades on board, from plastering and painting to highways and modular build, creating a complete pipeline aligned to industry and driven by opportunity.
“There was a time when some might have called us ‘little old Yeovil’. What you’re seeing here today proves just how much that has changed. Yeovil College is stepping forward, standing tall, and building something ambitious, impactful,
and impossible to ignore.”
Alongside the development of the training centre – and also part of the college’s Big Build transformation project – is the Wessex Learning Centre, which is aimed at becoming the “academic heart and intellectual anchor” of the new-look campus.
Replacing the long-serving Kingston and Bridge buildings, the new centre will provide more than 10,000sqm of accommodation, including 100 classrooms, study zones, modern social spaces, and digital infrastructure.
Battle of Sedgemoor the topic at town talk
THE Battle of Sedgemoor will be the topic of a talk in Bridgwater this month.
The Friends of Blake Museum will host the event, aimed at giving people a comprehensive understanding of the battle, also known as the Pitchfork Rebellion. It will be given by historian Peter Evans at the museum on Tuesday, May 12, who will explore the dramatic events surrounding the last pitched battle fought on
English soil.
“Often referred to as the Pitchfork Rebellion due to the improvised weapons used by the rebel forces, the battle marked a turning point in English history,” a spokesperson said.
“Attendees will have the opportunity not only to learn about the conflict itself, but also to view a fascinating selection of period weapons and artefacts linked to the
battle and its aftermath.”
Doors open at 7pm, with the talk beginning at 7.30pm. The event is free for Friends of the Blake Museum, with a small admission fee of £3 for non-members, payable on the door.
n For more information about Bridgwater Blake Museum, visit bridgwatermuseum.org.uk.
Yeovil MP Adam Dance does the honours alongside college principle and CEO, Mark Bolton
Picture: Yeovil College
Work underway on Frome Bypass
WORK to cut speeds at an accident blackspot near Frome is set to begin this month – with road closures in place.
Somerset Council said measures to help improve safety along the A361 Frome Bypass and at its junction with the A362 will be installed from this week.
It comes after five people lost their lives in crashes on the stretch over the last five years – four of them between 2023 and 2024.
The work, which will see the A361 Frome Bypass close from 7pm to 6am for three nights, will include:
Junction resurfacing works, to improve the quality of the road surface
The introduction of a 50mph speed limit on the A361 and 40mph on the A362 approach Central hatching along the bypass
The scheme comes after a joint initiative with Avon and Somerset Police and the council which started last autumn and saw AI cameras positioned on the bypass capable of detecting unsafe driving.
The cameras detected
thousands of offences in drivers using the stretch, including not wearing seatbelts, speeding, and using mobile phones.
Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council’s lead member for transport and waste services, said: “We are continuing to develop plans for further phases of future schemes to improve the safety of the junction and in May will receive the output from the feasibility
report which we will then we be able to review to consider the next steps around this.
“We share the concerns of the community about the number of incidents on this stretch of road.
"Driver behaviour contributes to around 90 per cent of serious road collisions we would urge all drivers – if you are getting behind the wheel of a car please act
responsibly.
“The AI cameras installed last year have logged 4,500 offences in their first four months of operation, including 4,407 incidents of no seat belt being worn, 74 speeding offences clocked at over 80 mph and 119 instances of mobile phone use.
"We are continuing to support the police on developing this project.”
Refurbished Taunton toilets are awaiting sign-off for re-opening
PUBLIC toilets in a busy Taunton street are set to re-open soon – once the refurbished facilities are signed off by building control.
Taunton Town Council (TTC) pledged to re-open the public loos in Paul Street, near the library, after they were closed by Somerset Council in March 2024.
TTC invested more than £130,000 on refurbishing the block, and said they aimed for them to be open around August 2025.
Now, eight months after that initial target, the toilets remain closed, with residents and shoppers left wondering why.
Well, it turns out the work is done, but TTC told your Leveller it is “currently awaiting sign off from building control” for the work.
“Once we have received this, we are
looking to open them as soon as possible,” a spokesperson added.
Announcing the plan to re-open the toilets, Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts, chair of the Major Projects Working Group at TTC, said: “This project is about listening and acting. When we asked residents what needed improving in the town centre,
toilets came near the top of the list.
“We’re proud to be returning this key facility to public use in a way that reflects the needs of the town – safe, accessible and designed to last.
“We’re also proud to support the opening of this Changing Places toilet in the centre of Taunton. It’s a vital facility that helps remove some of the everyday barriers faced by people with complex disabilities and their carers. Everyone deserves to feel welcome and able to enjoy our town centre without worry or discomfort.”
Changing Places toilets are designed to be fully accessible to all, including those with limited physical mobility, families and more.
New safety measures will see the speed limit cut on the Frome bypass
Picture: Google
'Worst Christmas' in years closes shop
AWELLINGTON store is to close down amid “very low footfall” and “the worst Christmas sales we have had in three years”.
Mary’s Attic, in Lancer Court, made the shock announcement on social media, prompting sadness from town shoppers.
The store sells an “eclectic mix of vintage and antique, recycled, repurposed and handcrafted items” and will continue selling a range of items online – but the shop will close. It has been run by Sher Frendo for three years, opening in April 2023. But the post said trade had taken a downturn.
“It is with a very heavy heart and a lot of tears we are announcing the closure of our shop,” it said.
“Unfortunately, due to a very low footfall combined with the worst Christmas sales we have had in three years, the shop can
no longer sustain itself.
“The wooden handcrafted side of the business will absolutely continue doing its thing at markets and shows, we will just no longer sell from a permanent premises.”
They said shoppers have time to “come and grab a vintage bargain” during the two-month notice period, before the store closes.
“Please note, none of our
handcrafted items will be sold off due to the business still continuing,” they added.
Customers and fellow traders reacted with sadness to the news, and encouraged the firm to continue trading at shows and online.
One said: “Sad news but this is not the end. You have a fantastic business, great products and I look forward to seeing you out and about.”
Another shopper said:
“Paying rent in these times is getting harder and harder for the small businesses – not sure how you’re supposed to sustain it. You’ll continue to be successful at the markets and shows.”
And another added: “I know you guys will still go strong without your shop.
"You’re well established and make some incredible pieces. (It will) just be a shame not to see that lovely face when I walk past.”
Mary's Attic, in Wellington, has announced it is closing the shop
Bus campaigner wins Taunton council seat
BUS campaigner and former rail worker David Northey triumphed in a Taunton by-election last week (May 7).
The Liberal Democrat has been elected to represent the Pyrland ward on Taunton Town Council after topping the poll, beating the Reform UK candidate Suzi White into second place, with Labour’s Rowan Thorne in third.
“I am over the moon and want to thank local residents for putting their faith in me,” David said after the result was announced.
“I’ll do everything I can to work for them, from better buses to access healthcare to ensuring the basics in our neighbourhood are put right and not forgotten.”
He added: “It was great to have the strong Lib Dem team on Taunton Town Council behind me.
“Their work protecting our
Liberal Democrast celebrating the Pyrland by-election victory
green spaces, putting up bollards as protection from traveller incursions, saving Priorswood Library and public toilets and putting street marshals on the beat to improve law and order are all really appreciated by people locally.”
The full result was:
David Northey – Lib Dems: 468 votes (53.2%)
Suzi White – Reform UK: 348 (39.6%)
Rowan Thorne – Labour: 63 (7.2%)
MP Gideon Amos (Lib Dem, Taunton & Wellington) said:
“David is a superb addition to our team, having grown up and gone to school in North Taunton. With his years of voluntary work in our town, he will be a fantastic councillor for Pyrland.”
The new councillor joins TTC having spent 42 years working on the railways, from Taunton station booking office to strategic planning.
After retiring, he has co-chaired the Somerset Bus Partnership, lobbying for better services across the county.
He launched a ‘Better Bus
Services for North Priorswood’ petition – signed by 1,100 people – and, last summer, campaigned successfully to get the 6.22am Number 1 bus to Musgrove reinstated for key workers.
The result continues a successful streak for the Lib Dems in recent Somerset polls, including wins in Wellington and Frome in February, and in Wellington again at a byelection held last November.
Meanwhile, in the Mendip Hills, the Liberal Democrats also proved triumphant in a Somerset Council by-election called to fill a vacant seat.
The result was:
Sam Phripp - Lib Dems: 1,534
Greg Stone - Reform UK: 936; Nicola Perold - Conservative: 724
Victoria Welsh - Green Party: 330
Abi McGuire - Independent: 107
Terry Ledlie - Labour: 64
SOMERSET'S favourite cook - Dame Mary Berry - has spoken of her delight after being recognised with a Bafta fellowship.
The former Bake off judge and stalwart chef said she was "immensely honoured" to receive the accolade at Sunday's television awards.
Born in Bath, Dame Mary is a staunch Somerset advocate, and in 2017 opened a restaurant run by the students at thenBridgwater and Taunton College, where her relativeAndy Berry - is principal and chief executive, another link to the county.
Before receiving the honour in London over the weekend, 91-year-old Dame Mary said: "I always think about directors and actors and actresses getting it, so as a cook, I feel very honoured.
"I'm immensely honoured to join those wonderful people who already won it, it's amazing."
She said it was the
culmination of a long career, which started in the west country.
"I started off on Collector's World, in Bristol. I had to make cow's udder pie and all sorts of
Victorian dishes and I didn't really enjoy that and I moved on to other things," she said.
"In Bake Off I wanted to get everyone baking and cooking and I think I was quite kind."
Dame Mary Berry at the opening of the Quantock Restaurant in 2017 Picture: Bridgwater College/Clayton Jane
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Holiday park unveils expansion plan
ASOMERSET holiday park has applied for permission to install 60 new pitches.
The scheme would see the new lodges developed on a field adjacent to the Northam Farm Holiday Park, in Brean, as an extension to the current site.
Holiday accommodation has shown a “demonstrable shortfall” following the closure of the neighbouring Pontins Brean Sands resort, the application said, with the new plots to help meet demand after the 5,000-capacity operation shut down.
“The loss of this facility (Pontins) has resulted in a sustained reduction in visitor footfall and secondary spend, adversely affecting local businesses,” the application said.
“The proposed lodges provide a proportionate, sustainable response to this economic need.”
Tourism forms a “critical component” of the Brean economy, the plans said, with the proposal outlining a “low density” extension to the current
park, which prioritises “landscape quality, visitor amenity, biodiversity enhancement, and visual integration with the surrounding countryside”.
The 60 holiday lodge bases would measure around 14ft by 40ft, with the field neighbouring the Brean Sands site, the current Northam Farm resort and
fishing lakes, the Brean Country Club Golf Course, as well as agricultural fields.
It sits in flood zone 3 – but the plans said this could be acceptable due to the “temporary and removable” nature of the lodges.
For more details on the plans, log on to somerset.gov.uk and search reference 06/26/00003.
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New electric bus to serve Frome route
AN electric 16-seater bus is now helping people get around in Frome in an eco-friendly way.
Somerset Council has launched its first public service electric bus, which will serve the 30 service in Fromepowered by electricity.
The vehicle has a low floor, is easily accessible, wheelchair friendly and comes with zero emissions.
A council spokesperson said the service offered a “lifeline for residents needing to reach town centre services and being electric, is more sustainable and
less reliant on fossil fuels”.
Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council lead member for transport and waste services, added: “Our electric bus is helping us cut our carbon footprint, while providing a smooth and comfortable ride for bus passengers.
“I hope this will encourage more people to ‘bus it’ and swap a car journey for a bus trip. Electric vehicles are proving popular in other areas where they have been introduced, and I am sure the new Somerset Council bus will be welcomed in Frome.”
Cllr Wilkins with the new bus
Picture: Somerset Council
Village plot - with permission for home - for sale
ABUILDING plot near Bridgwater – will planning permission for a detached four or five-bedroom home – is up for sale.
The site – measuring around 0.38 acres – at Edington, is being marketed by Greenslade Taylor Hunt (GTH), with offers welcomed in excess of £250,000.
“Outline planning permission has been granted to allow the erection of one open-market detached home,” a GTH spokesperson said.
“Externally, there is space for a driveway, double garage and garden area. Access will be formed off Broadway.
“The site extends in total to about 0.15-hectares (0.38-acres) and is situated off Broadway, a well-maintained road to the east of the village centre.”
Edington is just off the A39, with access east to Street, Glastonbury and Wells and west to Woolavington and Bridgwater. Offers are invited on an unconditional basis and for more
The site, at Edington,
Picture: GTH
Runner beans in hand at climate meeting!
RUNNER beans played a role during the first gathering of Somerset's first climate café.
The event, in Wellington, took place at Wellington Meeting House on April 23, with participants handling a runner bean from town ironmonger HT Perry & Son & Granddaughter as they heard about the impact of climate change - and how they could help battle it.
Climate Café Wellington now plans monthly meetings, with the next gathering tomorrow (May 14).
"The audience listened with a runner bean from HT Perry & Son & Granddaughter in their hand as two keynote speakers talked about the local and global impact of a changing climate," a spokesperson said.
"Town weatherman Simon Ratsey began by explaining how climate data collected by his family over the past 65 years
showed that April had become the new May.
"Simon, who turned 80 recently, finished with an appeal to someone in the town with a garden to set up a new weather station and carry on his work."
Meanwhile, Halle Krieger, an American PhD student at Exeter University, followed with a talk about research into positive tipping points that could see the human species move towards a
giving rather than a taking relationship with the earth.
Halle then gave a moving account of watching from afar as wildfires in California in January 2025 destroyed the place where she grew up.
After a brief interval for gut-friendly flapjacks, fresh herbal tea, ground coffee and tea, Ewan Jones, chief executive of Somerset Association of Local Councils and founder of
Somerset river conservation group, BrueCrew, chaired a lively discussion.
After the meeting, he said: "For me, the climate cafe's greatest achievement was to bring two different generations together to talk about climate change. Halle's university friends and Wellington residents.
"As the older generation listened to the younger generation, you could sense that the uncertain future facing the younger generation was felt by the older generation and that was powerful.
"I hope the climate café continues to build further bridges between the generations because it helps us become more alert to the scale of what's going on and who it affects most."
Thursday's meeting runs from 6.30pm to 9pm. For more information, email climatecafe@posteo.uk.
Weather expert Simon Ratsay speaks at the first Climate Cafe gathering
How Somerset values helped shape Europe...
A44-YEAR-OLD, privately-educated, former Daily Mail journalist. It sounds like the archetypal candidate for a staunchly-Conservative Somerset seat in 1930s Britain.
But the late 1930s were not normal times. And Charles Vernon Oldfield Bartlett was not a normal politician.
On September 29, 1938, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signed the Munich Agreement, which handed Adolf Hitler's Germany control of the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia an act of appeasement in a bid to avoid a full-scale invasion.
The agreement - and the appeasement strategy it represented - was controversial, polarising the British electorate.
Away from the halls of Westminster and the conference rooms of mainland Europe, the British public itself was wrestling with how to deal with the emergent Nazi dictatorship and aggression of the German leader.
Little did they know, and while feelings no doubt ran
strong among the people in Sedgemoor and West Somerset, the population of just over 44,500 was about to have a huge impact on British foreign policy…
In October 1938, around four weeks after the ink dried on Chamberlain's Munich Agreement signature, a Conservative MP called Reginald Croom-Johnson was appointed as a High Court Judge.
The appointment meant Croom-Johnson had to resign his seat in the House of Commons, prompting a by-election.
That seat? Bridgwater, which at the time included parts of West Somerset, stretching to Minehead and Porlock.
At the time, as now, the Bridgwater constituency was viewed as being 'safely' Conservative. Bristol-born Croom-Johnson had represented the area for nine years when he was appointed to the High Court, and boasted a majority of more than 10,500 following his third and final election to the
seat in 1935, a whopping 56.9% share of the vote.
So, he would have been a good choice for his new role, as the Conservative Party would rightly have assumed a Conservative would be duly elected in the resulting byelection, as they had largely been since 1885.
The Conservatives selected 26-year-old Patrick Gerald Heathcoat-Amory, from Tiverton, to stand. A lawyer and former Territorial Army officer, Heathcoat-Amory's background near the rural West Somerset parts of the constituency were thought to give him an extra boost among voters - should he need it.
The Labour Party had historically always performed poorly in West Country parliamentary electionsincluding in the Bridgwater seat – and didn’t field a candidate. Not did the Liberals.
So would Heathcoat-Amory even have an opponent on the ballot paper?
Enter Charles Vernon Oldfield Bartlett - who went by
the name Vernon. Born in Westbury, Wiltshire, the 44-year-old was educated at Blundell's School before joining the British Army during the First World War, eventually invalided out.
He became a journalist, notably for the Daily Mail and later The Times. He then worked for peace organisation the League of Nations before returning to journalism with the BBC.
He is often cited as the broadcaster's first ever foreign correspondent, but fell foul of BBC bosses when, in 1933, he covered the decision of Hitler's Germany to leave the League of Nations, his former employer. Perhaps wishing to appear non-biased due to his former role, Bartlett's reporting of Germany's decision was deemed "not beastly enough" (he had said Britain probably would have acted in the same way, had she been in Germany’s position), with the Prime Minister even writing to the BBC chair, urging them to take advice before the broadcaster
Vernon Bartlett, left, ran - and won - in opposition to Neville Chamberlain's, right, appeasement strategy with regard to Hitler, launching his campaign at Porlock Village Hall
"put its foot in it".
As a result, despite receiving hundreds of letters in support, the broadcaster declined to renew Bartlett's contract.
He joined the News Chronicle as diplomatic correspondent, a role he filled for some two decades, including providing coverage of the Spanish Civil War.
In November 1938, the father of two decided to enter the political fray - in Bridgwateras an Independent Progressive candidate, representing a growing anti-appeasement movement in the country.
Bartlett's political pledge to voters in this staunchlyConservative West Country constituency consisted of one thing: opposition to the Munich Agreement.
He launched his fledgling campaign at Porlock Village Hall, which in a symbol of the interest in the race and the national debate, was packed.
During his speech to the assembled voters, he highlighted the national significance the race had assumed, saying: "The eyes of this country are on this election. If the Government's defence measures had been in an adequate state of preparedness, Hitler would not have dared to threaten war."
Aware of the importance - if only symbolically - of the race, Bartlett and Heathcoat-Amory campaigned vigorously in West Somerset and by election day on November 17, 1938, the poll was predicted to be on a knife-edge.
Bridgwater and West Somerset were about to become a national symbol of the British public's views on how we should confront Hitler's Nazis. Was the UK backing Chamberlain's 'appeasement' strategy, or did voters want the British to tackle Hitler's aggression head-on, even with the hardship and losses of the First World War fresh in their memory?
The answer was the latter. Bartlett turned a 10,500 Conservative majority into a
victory by more than 2,300 votes, a massive swing that started an even-larger political earthquake felt from the west country to the halls of Westminster.
After his victory, Bartlett told an audience in Minehead the "whole of the world was interested in the way they were fighting for freedom of speech and for standing up to dictators", even suggesting "they might send a telegram to Hitler".
The new MP made his maiden speech in the Commons on December 6, 1938, less than a month after being elected –and less than three months since the Munich Agreement was signed.
It came during a debate on the introduction of conscription ahead of a possible conflict with Hitler's Germany.
In an astute piece of analysis – perhaps the result of his time as a journalist and at the League of Nations – Bartlett backed the move while levelling some friendly criticisms of the Government's approach and took the opportunity to highlight three "qualities" he believed had prompted Hitler's rise to power in post-WWI Germany.
"One is the ability to play on
Café damaged in park blaze
POLICE are hoping to identify these people after a bin was set fire in a Somerset park that caused “significant damage” to a café.
The incident, at Collett Park in Shepton Mallet, happened at around 8.30pm on Saturday, March 21, when officers were alerted to the blaze.
The people pictured are thought to be teenagers, both with dark hair and wearing tracksuits, riding bicycles.
the little resentments and jealousies of the masses," he said. "We certainly do not want to follow that.
"Another is an understanding of the feeling of the poorest people in his country because he himself tramped the streets of Vienna with no work and with an empty stomach."
He added: "The third quality that Herr Hitler possesses is his wonderful mastery of dramatic presentation."
Mark Twain once said history "never repeats itself, but it often rhymes".
Bartlett’s words – and the actions of West Somerset and Bridgwater voters – are preserved in the annuls of our history in the build-up to a global conflict.
Not spotting the traits of a wannabe dictator - and pursuing a path of appeasement - soon led Britain into a second major conflict, and West Bartlett's constituency would soon, once again, play an often-forgotten role in recognising what true British values are... Do they rhyme?
In part two, we will find out how Bartlett’s West Somerset constituency would once again epitomise British values through acts we could learn from today.
Anyone who recognises the people pictured, or has information about the fire should contact police on 101, reference 5226078483, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
AN ice cream concession will NOT be installed in a Taunton park – after overwhelming opposition from residents.
Taunton Town Council (TTC) launched a recent consultation over the idea of an ice cream stand operating in French Weir Park.
However, TTC has now considered the responses – which numbered “the highest of any of our consultations to date” – and decided against the move.
A total of 75% of responses to the survey were opposed to the new ice cream concession, the council said, adding: “Councillors on the Operations and Assets Committee agreed that the strength of public feeling should guide the decision and resolved to not proceed with proposals.”
Adolf Hitler meeting Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain at the beginning of the Bad Godesberg meeting in September 1938
Pétanque on new terrain in Bridgwater!
ANEW pétanque terrain has been installed in Bridgwater – giving players old and new the chance to enjoy the sport.
The facilities, at Victoria Park, will be officially opened next week, when deputy mayor, Cllr Leigh Redman will do the honours at 11.30am tomorrow (May 14), during a tournament which gets underway at 10.30am featuring four clubs from across the west country.
Pétanque originated in Bridgwater’s French twin town of La Ciotat in 1907 and has grown in popularity worldwide, enjoyed by players of all ages and abilities.
The Bridgwater facility is a dedicated space for Bridgwater Pétanque Club (BPC), which has worked for many years to establish a permanent home for the sport in the town.
Michael Wheatley, chair of the club, said: “We are pleased
that we have finally got a facility to play pétanque on, as we have been striving for many years to achieve this.
“We are grateful to the Somerset Community Foundation for funding, Bridgwater Town Council for providing land and labour and to Bridgwater Pétanque Club for fundraising.
“BPC plays on Sunday mornings and Thursday afternoons and the facility is open to the general public for use at other times.
“Bridgwater is now able to play in the regional pétanque league and new members are welcome.”
Cllr Tim Mander, chair of Bridgwater Town Council’s Amenities Committee, added: “This new pétanque terrain is a fantastic addition to Victoria Park, further enhancing the wide range of facilities already available and providing even
more opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy the space.
“It is also a great example of partnership working within the community.
“The terrain offers a highquality, accessible area for both established players and those looking to try something new, while also strengthening Bridgwater’s connection to its French twin town.
“We are delighted to support a facility that encourages
outdoor activity and social interaction.”
Residents and visitors are invited to attend the opening event to see the new facility in action, with the terrain also set to host the annual Bridgwater Twinning Societies Pétanque Tournament on June 5, further celebrating the town’s international links.
For more information on Bridgwater Pétanque Club, visit www.bridgwaterpetanque.club.
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The new terrain at Victoria Park, in Bridgwater
Picture: BTC
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Half century for croquet club
THIS year marks half a century of croquet on a landmark Somerset lawn.
The Palace Croquet Club is celebrating its 50th anniversary - 50 years of play against one of the most historic backdrops in the south west, the Bishop's Palace and Wells Cathedral.
Founded in 1976, the club plays on the croquet lawn directly in front of the medieval building.
In the time, the club has evolved from a small group of 13 players in the late 1980s to a thriving croquet community.
Merryn Kidd, CEO of The Palace Trust, said: "The Palace
Croquet Club is a wonderful part of life at the Palace and a great example of how this historic site continues to be enjoyed in meaningful ways today.
"For 50 years, players have gathered on the lawns inside the Palace walls, creating not just a sporting tradition, but a real sense of community and continuity. We’re delighted to celebrate this milestone and to see the club continuing to thrive in such a special setting."
The Bishop’s Palace and Gardens has been home to the Bishops of Bath and Wells for more than 800 years.
Hyacinths
Residential and Dementia Care
When you make Gillingham Grange your home you are choosing the perfect blend of comfort and independence.
As well as your own spacious, en-suite bedroom, you can enjoy our boutique cinema, afternoon tea in our cafe, a quiet moment in the library and lots more.
We offer residential and dementia care for one all-inclusive price, and our wonderful team are here for you. They will create your personalised care plan, cook mouthwatering meals and treats and design a programme of activities and events to help you pursue your hobbies, try new ones and make new friends.
“Live well, every day, at Gillingham Grange care home”
Anthea Turner, Crystal Care Collection Ambassador
Yeovil nightclub building goes up for sale
LANDMARK Yeovil nightspot Club Neo is
The venue, in Stars Lane, is being marketed by Greenslade Taylor Hunt (GTH) with a guide price of £525,000.
Spanning more than 15,000 sq ft, the building boasts a foyer, with offices and stores off, dedicated customer WC facilities, a cloak room, bar cellar and stores.
“Two corridors and stairs access the upper ground floor seating and bar areas with stage and dance floor beyond,” the listing said.
“Stairs from the upper ground floor lead to a second
bar and seating area at first floor level with kitchen, stores and further customer WC facilities.
“To the rear of the stage are further store and service areas with stairs to a rear former first-floor flat used currently for storage purposes.
“Externally, there is an outside smoking area leading to a single-car parking space serving the property.”
The listing said the site has the “potential for a variety of alternative uses subject to consents” and is available freehold or leasehold.
For more details, see the listing at https://www. rightmove.co.uk/
Public Notice
GOODS VEHICLE OPERATOR’S LICENCE
ROGER THOMAS FOSTER, trading as RT Foster Ltd of Foxfield, Verrington Lane, Wincanton, Somerset, BA9 8BN. is applying for a licence to use Garrett Commercials Ltd, Camelot Works, Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 7LH as an operating centre for 1 goods vehicles and 0 trailer. Owners or occupiers of land (including buildings) near the operating centre who believe that their use or enjoyment of that land would be affected, should make written representations to the Traffic Commissioner at Quarry House, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UE stating their reasons within 21 days of this notice. Representors must at the same time send a copy of their representations to the applicant at the address given at the top of this notice. A Guide to Making Representations is available from the Traffic Commissioner’s Office
Brewers Fayre and Beefeaters are closing
PUB restaurants in Somerset are set to close after hospitality giant Whitbread announced it was shutting hundreds of Brewers Fayre and Beefeater outlets.
Whitbread, which owns the Premier Inn hotel chain to which many of the eateries are linked, has revealed it will shut around 200 restaurants amid soaring costs – with around 3,800 jobs at risk.
In Somerset, affected Brewers Fayre outlets are in Glastonbury and Minehead, while Beefeater venues affected include The Pavilion in Westonsuper-Mare, the White Lodge in Taunton, and the Frome Flyer.
The shock news comes as Whitbread revealed it was considering the complete closure of the chains as part of a new five-year plan which aims to cut £250 million from the firm’s budget.
Both the Beefeater and Brewers Fayre brands have been running for more than four decades, but Whitbread chief Dominic Paul said the potential closures came after “significant cost increases in the form of business rates and National Insurance” contributions. The future of the locations
themselves is also unclear, though Mr Paul hinted they could be adapted to extend “highly-profitable” hotel accommodation.
“We plan to convert all our remaining branded restaurants to an integrated food and beverage offer that is preferred by out hotel guests and will
unlock the addition of more highly-profitable extension rooms,” he added.
“Our continued efforts to drive our commercial plan and efficiencies will extend our market-leading position and allow us to take share from our competitors, many of which are struggling to grow.”
Brewers Fayre in Glastonbury is among those set to close down
Picture: Google
Old favourite and EVs top April sales table
NEW car sales saw a large increase in April – with an old favourite returning to the top of the pile.
The UK new car market grew by 24% in the month, with 149,247 registrations, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
It comes after a weak April in 2025, largely attributed to buyers opting to buy in March due to vehicle tax increases.
The 2026 total for April – a traditionally weak time for car sales – is the largest since 2019, when 161,064 units were registered.
Growth came in all sectors, according to the data, led by fleets – up 26.8% to 90,462 registrations. Private retail deliveries grew 20.2% to reach 56,116, while registrations by the smaller business sector rose 15.0% to 2,669.
Electric vehicles, including hybrids, saw the largest growth – achieving 53.2% market share in the month – while demand for petrol cars rose 8.2%. Diesel registrations fell by 1%.
April sales also saw the 2,000,000th battery electric vehicle (BEV) sold following a 59.1% increase in sales
compared to last year.
Experts said the Iran conflict added “uncertainty” to the industry, and could be behind an increase in interest in electric vehicles, which avoid the spiralling cost of fuel at the pump.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “April’s rebound is welcome, but underlines just how significantly fiscal changes can influence the market.”
As for the most popular cars sold in April, the data showed a return to an old favourite in the shape of the Ford Puma, which topped the table with more than 4,200 sales.
The Jaecoo 7 – which surprised many by topping the chart in March – dropped to 10th last month, perhaps tempered by the imminent release of the new Jaecoo 8.
In second place was the Kia Sportage, followed by the Nissan Qashqai, VW Golf and the Mini Cooper.
Events
Mods and Rockers putting their rivalry aside!
MODS and Rockers are back in Somerset –and they are uniting to do their bit for charity.
The rival factions are set to come together to mark the 10th anniversary of Taunton’s Lawns Soul Club with a celebration of 1950s and 60s culture, including music and fashion in aid of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.
The Mods and Rockers Charity Night, on June 13, has been organised by Drew Bennett, who runs ovencleaning service Ovenu Taunton.
“The Mods and Rockers rivalry is a historic part of British culture, but this event is about bringing people together,” Drew said. “We wanted to create something fun, nostalgic and a bit different, while raising money for a charity that does such incredible work in our region. The Lawns Club has
been hugely supportive and is a real champion of live music, so it’s the perfect place to bring both scenes together to create a real spectacle.”
Richard Wyatt, owner of The Lawns Social Club and an avid rocker, added: “We’ve loved hosting the Soul Club over the years, so this event feels really special. It’s all about great music, great style and bringing people together for a fantastic cause.”
The Mods and Rockers Charity Night runs at The Lawns Social Club in Mary Street, Taunton, from 7pm on Friday, June 13, featuring guest vocalist Max Hutton, alongside DJs including The Big Bald Bopper and Soul Survivors, playing 50s and 60s floor-fillers. There will also be a Battle of the Dancefloor, together with a prize raffle and an award for the best 50s and 60s outfits, from sharp-suited Mods to leather-
clad Rockers and Teddy Boys and Girls.
Classic scooters and motorcycles – including a 1961 BSA A10 and a 1967 Lambretta SX – will also be on display outside the venue.
Kate Wilson, community fundraising manager for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, added: “As a charity, we rely entirely on public donations to keep flying – we simply cannot operate without this kind of support.
“Incredible events like this bring people together in support of our life-saving service, and we would like to thank all Mods and Rockers involved, for helping our crew deliver critical care across Dorset and Somerset when every second counts.”
The event is sponsored by John Fewings of Westford Mechanical alongside Ovenu Taunton. Tickets are £10 and available from The Lawns.
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From left: Adrian Wise on a '61 BSA A10, club owner Richard Wyatt, DJ Dave ‘Big Bald Bopper’ Hook, Drew Bennett and DJ Trevor Nolan on a '67 Lambretta SX
A Worthy watch!
WHILE the fields of Worthy Farm take a year off to recuperate, festival fans can still enjoy that special Somerset vibe at a special screening of Julien Temple’s film, Glastonbury –The Mud, The Music, The Mayhem.
Bridgwater’s Engine Room will host a showing of the movie, 20 years after it was released, with the filmmaker set to be in attendance at the screening.
It tells the story of the Somerset event, the largest greenfield arts festival in the world, which attracts more than 200,000 to Pilton each year –barring fallow years, like 2026.
Put together by Somerset resident and director Temple, the film features iconic footage of performances spanning the early 2000s, as well as video from attendees and broadcasters
over the decades since the first event, in 1970. It premiered in April 2006 and remains a firm favourite among fans for its scattershot approach, mirroring the Glastonbury experience.
“2026 is a fallow or break year for the famous festival,
but you can relive the rollercoaster ride of music, madness and mud at this special screening with director Julien Temple,” an Engine Room spokesperson said.
“It also marks 20 years since the release of this acclaimed film, celebrating and documenting the history of the
OPEN GARDENS & CHURCH,
Sunday 24th May, 2-5pm, Manor Farm & Droop Farm, Hazelbury Bryan, DT10 2ED. Entry £5 pp (children free) All proceeds to St Mary & St James' Church. Regrettably no dogs
Glastonbury Festival.
“Featuring footage captured from 35 years of the festival and performances from David Bowie, Radiohead, Morrissey, and Coldplay amongst many others. The film perfectly captures the essence of this unique three-day spectacle of contemporary arts.”
The Engine Room, in Bridgwater High Street, will host the showing at 7pm on Saturday, June 27 – when the festival would usually be taking place.
n Tickets cost £8, plus a booking fee, and are available via somersetfilm.com/whats-on/ film-screening-glastonbury.
Funeral Services
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Can you identify these Somerset spots?
SOMERSET is beautiful. From the natural landscapes of the Quantocks and the Levels to the industrial history of Bridgwater and Street, all sorts of history is tied up in our county’s landscapes and architecture.
We’ve travelled quite a lot around Somerset, and thought we would challenge readers to identify where we took the pictures and what they show.
So get your mental photo album out and see if you can spot the landmarks here, and identify where we took these photographs –and what they show.
If you struggle with this – let’s be honest, it’s a tough ask to know places anywhere in the county! – you can always take our Somerset-based quiz HERE.
We’ve popped five pictures here to put your knowledge to the test, ranging from locations we think are pretty easily identifiable, to those that will really test you…
Good luck – let us know how you get on – and do let us know if there is a quiz you’d like us to put together!
Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3
Picture
Picture
(6,5) 4 Not these (6) 6 Large, lavish meal (7) 7 Adjust the pitch of (4)
8 Stick out (7) 10 Groups with the power to make decisions (11) 13 Three-part work (7) 15 Destroying (7) 17 Even chance (4-2) 20 Glass vessel (5)
Eagerly excited (4)
Sudoku 3D puzzle
Cryptic crossword
Across 1 Engage for a job with symbol raised? (4,2)
Place 1 to 9 once into every black-bordered 3x3 area as well as each of the 54 rows indicated by the coloured lines. Rows don’t cross the thick black lines.
Killer Sudoku Pro
Down
Across 1 Engage for a job with symbol raised? (4,2) 4 Young woman with work to make lump (6)
4 Young woman with work to make lump (6)
9 Some derailed for a long period (3)
1 Put aside ledge (6)
9 Some derailed for a long period (3)
2 Take care of railway employee (5)
10 The same study on old silver coin introduced by India (9)
10 The same study on old silver coin introduced by India (9)
11 Footage with voice over about freshwater fish (5)
12 Slate New England state horse (3,4)
14 One amazed I’d altered? It’s commonplace (1,4,1,5)
Killer Sudoku Pro
3 Academic institute and class lately discontented in even fashion (9)
5 Choose work on Thailand (3)
11 Footage with voice over about freshwater fish (5)
6 Driver requires this departure from a rule
12 Slate New England state horse (3,4)
7 Starts to picture unusually large mass on lung (5)
14 One amazed I’d altered? It’s commonplace (1,4,1,5)
17 A slant that varies round year for financial expert (7)
17 A slant that varies round year for financial expert (7)
8 Judge material that’s worthless change policy? It produces complaint (5,6)
13 First model pretty poor mostly when reviewed (9)
18 Depth found in Central European river? That’s more peculiar (5)
18 Depth found in Central European river? That’s more peculiar (5)
20 Striker let out start of critique on railway? It’s heard in engagement (9)
23 Noise in criminal enterprise (6)
20 Striker let out start of critique on railway? It’s heard in engagement (9)
15 Unpleasant star upset when detained by police after turn (7)
16 Give weapon to a duke on a fleet of ships
22 Endless complaint in gigantic bird (3)
22 Endless complaint in gigantic bird (3)
23 Noise in criminal enterprise (6)
17 Curve in road first off is orange (5) 19 Director and boss is unintellligent type (5)
Line that is fiction (3)
24 Exercise taken by group before a ball game (6)
24 Exercise taken by group before a ball game (6)
Engage for a job with symbol raised? (4,2)
Young woman with work to make lump (6)
Place numbers 1 to 9 once each into every row, column and bold-lined 3x3 box. No digit may be repeated in any dashlined cage, and all the digits in any cage must add up to the value shown in that cage.
Some derailed for a long period (3) 10 The same study on old silver coin introduced by India (9) 11 Footage with voice over about freshwater fish (5) 12 Slate New England state horse (3,4) 14 One amazed I’d altered? It’s commonplace (1,4,1,5)
17 A slant that varies round year for financial expert (7)
18 Depth found in Central European river? That’s more peculiar (5)
20 Striker let out start of critique on railway? It’s heard in engagement (9)
22 Endless complaint in gigantic bird (3)
23 Noise in criminal enterprise (6)
24 Exercise taken by group before a ball game (6)
1 Put aside ledge (6)
2 Take care of railway employee (5)
3 Academic institute and class lately discontented in even fashion (9)
5 Choose work on Thailand (3)
6 Driver requires this departure from a rule (7)
7 Starts to picture unusually large mass on lung (5)
8 Judge material that’s worthless change of policy? It produces complaint (5,6)
13 First model pretty poor mostly when reviewed (9)
15 Unpleasant star upset when detained by police after turn (7)
16 Give weapon to a duke on a fleet of ships (6)
17 Curve in road first off is orange (5)
19 Director and boss is unintellligent type (5)
21 Line that is fiction (3)
Business, legal & finance
You Shall Not Pass? Why Old Access Rights Still Matter...
‘PRESCRIPTIVE rights’ are often treated as old-fashioned law, but having seen the issue arise on three very different matters in a single week, it has been a timely reminder that they remain highly relevant in modern property practice. Given that access and parking rights so frequently arise, it is hardly surprising.
What struck us across those three matters, was how ordinary the problem looked at first. In each case, the route or parking area had simply always been used. The property owner had never thought of it as controversial. Nobody had been stopped. Nobody had gone back to the old deeds every year to check the wording still matched what was happening on the ground. It was only when a transaction came into view that the awkward question surfaced: where is the actual legal right?
That question is surfacing more often now because older property is being repurposed more readily than before. Since the March 2024 changes to Class MA permitted development rights in England, the route from commercial use to residential use has widened, with the removal of the former 1,500 square metre cap and the previous three-month vacancy requirement. As more older buildings are adapted and sold
by DAWNA CONRAD & MATT PARKHOUSE Senior Associate Solicitor and Solicitor at Pardoes
on the basis of changed or intensified use, old conveyances and historic arrangements concerning access and parking are coming under closer scrutiny.
Auction sales add to that pressure. The auction market has grown strongly, with EIG reporting that lots sold increased from 25,375 in 2023, to 28,063 in 2024; in the same period total funds raised rose from £4.8 billion to £5.5 billion. Speed is part of the attraction, but speed also means title issues come into focus very quickly. If access depends on “we have always used it”, that may not be enough once a buyer’s solicitor asks to see the legal basis.
That is where ‘prescriptive rights’ may save the day.
In simple terms, a prescriptive right is a right acquired through long use. HM Land Registry’s guidance recognises that an easement may arise through at least 20 years’ qualifying use, provided the use has been “as of right”, meaning without force, without secrecy and without permission. In practice, that often means a
Getting your Jollyes!
JOLLYES Pets is set to open a new store in Yeovil next month. The chain has announced a new shop will welcome shoppers at the Houndstone Retail Park from June 19.
Jollyes currently runs around 120 stores across the UK, with around 25 more planned this year as part of an expansion plan.
Other new branches set to open this summer include at the Moorlands Centre in Lincoln on May 15; the Crossley Retail Park in Kidderminster on May 29; and the Wyvern Retail Park in Derby, though the date is unconfirmed.
It has also identified a range of areas where it would like to open new stores, including in Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leicester, Nottingham, Manchester and within the M25 around London.
track, lane, yard or parking area that has been openly used for many years, even though the modern title paperwork does not clearly spell out the right.
The real difficulty is that these issues often lie hidden until the moment a sale, lease, refinance or auction forces them into the open. The owner is rarely trying to invent a right that was never there. More often, they are trying to prove a right that has simply always been used; the route has always been driven over, or the rear area has always been used for parking etc. The property has always functioned that way in practice. It is only when the paperwork is examined closely that the gap between practical reality and legal title becomes obvious.
Prescriptive rights do not create certainty out of thin air and they still depend on evidence. HM Land Registry’s guidance makes clear that statements of truth or statutory declarations are the usual evidence used to support a prescriptive easement claim.
Long use alone is not a
magic wand. The use has to be of the right legal quality and the scope of the right may be shaped by the actual use from which it arose.
But the practical lesson is simple; do not assume the title says what everyone thinks it says!
Where access or parking matter to the value (or use) of a property, check.
The hardest cases are often not the ones where nobody ever used the route, they are the ones where it was used for so long that nobody thought to ask where the right came fromuntil the deal was already underway.
Matt and Dawna are solicitors in Pardoes’ Commercial Property team. If you would like to discuss a commercial or agricultural property matter with them, please get in touch in one of the following ways: enquiries@ pardoe.co.uk or 0800 862 0442.
Answers to the Somerset picture quiz
The answers to our Somerste photo challenge on page 29 are:
Picture 1: This is in Minehead, but it is a trek up there!
Picture 2: Castle Bow in Taunton - look up next time!
Picture 3: The stone circle at Ham Hill, of course, with the monument in the background.
Picture 4: This is in the Saxon Longhall at Avalon Archaeology, near Glastonbury, a replica structure based on a late 9th-century building excavated in the early 1960s at the Kings of Wessex School in Cheddar. Carvings in the hall were created by volunteers.
Picture 5: This is taken from Cat Street, in Chiselborough. A lovely little village in South Somerset, near Ham Hill.
Picture 6: A sign and bridge at Bishops Lydeard station.
Taunton firm making solar-powered savings
ATAUNTON-BASED
health insurance firm is hoping to save around £1.2 million in the coming years – after installing solar panels at its Somerset HQ.
WPA Health Insurance (WPA), based in Blackbrook Park Road, said as well as saving money in fuel costs, the company was inspired to make the change by a “commitment to environmental protection”.
Around 400 commercial solar panels have been installed at the Taunton site, and operate alongside electric or hybrid vehicles in the company fleet, and energy-saving LED lighting and energy-efficient boilers inside.
The solar installation was carried out last summer by south west firm, SolarSense.
“We hadn’t worked with SolarSense before, but they were in the final two companies we considered during a
competitive tender process,” said Clare Sampson, WPA’s head of operations.
“Our motivation was very much about reducing emissions and this system promises annual carbon savings of more than over 31 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year – that’s equivalent to over 1,000trees
absorbing carbon across a year – and generates up to 150kWp of clean energy.
“We can already see solar helping to offset off the environmental impact of the rapid growth of our business since the pandemic,” she added.
“When we met with SolarSense we knew straight
away they had a similar ethos to ours. They were forward thinking, excited by our ambitions, and had both the specialist knowledge we needed for this project, and connections with other companies who could offer the very specific technology we wanted to embrace including the Sigenergy App.
“It helps us manage energy in real time, giving us insight into how we can get the most out of every watt generated.”
“This was such an exciting job to work on,” said SolarSense MD, Russell Mees. “Organisations like WPA, and their commitment to what is possible, allow for really innovative and efficient energy solutions to reduce their carbon footprint.
“We couldn’t be prouder to have been a part of what they are now showing the region and their sector.”
WPA Health Insurance has installed solar panels on its Taunton HQ
Pricking out seedlings: Handle with care
by Sally Gregson
THIS spring has seemed to have arrived faster than ever before. The wet and cold winter has suddenly turned baking hot, and the seedlings are growing away too fast, getting leggy and thin. Pricking them out is suddenly an urgent task.
Using an old kitchen fork, gently remove each seedling
from the seed tray holding it by a seed leaf, or cotyledon.
(Never hold a seedling by its stem – the merest touch will bruise the cells in the stem and it will keel over and die in days).
Dibble the small seedlings into a tray of potting compost using the end of a pencil or a thin stick. Make a grid pattern in the tray – four by five rows of, for example, lettuce or cabbage seedlings, should allow enough room for a few weeks’ growth. Always choose to prick out the strongest little plants with the largest root systems, and short gaps between the sets of leaves or internodes. And
‘plant’ them with the compost right up to the first pair of leaves to keep them short. If there is plenty of air around them, they should not ‘damp off’ at soil level.
Mostly, it is that the nutrients in the potting compost will have drained away by the time the seedlings’ roots reach out to take advantage. And a few days or weeks later the seedling will be sitting on a pile of wet mud, rotting off, not growing. So be prepared to ‘pot on’ the seedlings as soon as the roots have filled the containers, every time.
It may seem tempting to save time and trouble by pricking out and potting up seedlings into larger pots straight away, but there are some drawbacks to this sort of ‘common-sense’.
Once the seedlings have been pricked out or potted up, water the tray thoroughly to settle the compost around the roots and place them somewhere fairly sunny and out of reach of any late frosts, where the little lettuces or cabbages can start to capitalise on their new environment. Harden them off gradually and plant them out as soon as they are big enough to cope with the outside world. And protect them from marauding slugs and snails.
Groundworks Specialist. Domestic and Commercial
As specialists in general and agricultural groundworks and construction, we offer a range of services across Somerset and the surrounding area. Our services include everything from horse riding arenas, drainage and tarmacing to excavation, foundations and more – so whatever you need, we can help.
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Items for Sale
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BRASS BATH TAPS & white curved side-panel: £25.Tel: 07773-753654
METAL FILING CABINET IN RED. Two draws. 26inch tall x 16x16. Complete with key. £20.00 Huish Episcopi 01458 252128
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BIG BAG OF BOOKS PAPERBACKS hardbacks etc all in good condition 7 pounds the lot phone mobile 07311-828831 or WhatsApp same number
SICILIA GAS BBQ. From Homebase. On wheels, VGC. £45. Tel 01747-840835
KARCHER STEAM CLEANER, Very good condition. £40, Tel. 01823 442452
WHEELCHAIR USED ONCE £150 Tel: 07835-989213
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Publisher
Lloyd Armishaw - tel: 01963 401177
Advertising and Distribution
Chris Lewis - General Manager Chris.lewis@blackmorevale.net tel: 07714 289410
Paul Jones - Editor in Chief newsdesk@somersetleveller.co.uk tel: 01963 401177
Classified Advertising
Editorial adverts@somersetleveller.net tel: 01963 401177
CLASSIFIED ADVERTS: adverts@somersetleveller.co.uk ONLINE : www.somersetleveller.co.uk
Editorial deadlines are the Wednesday the week before publication. Display ads must be booked by Wednesday the week before publication, with final copy submitted by the Friday. Classified ads may be accepted after this, however these will be subject to space.
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