Radio Ninesprings

05/10/2025

05/10/2025

Steve Bulley's Sunday Survey

78% of us have done this in the last 12 months?

04/10/2025

Not the afternoon Yeovil Town FC were hoping for.

FT | Yeovil Town 0-3 Boreham Wood

It’s defeat for the Glovers this afternoon.

💚

04/10/2025

Steve Bulley's BIG Question

In the 1970's there were around 40,000 of these, now there are just 400?

03/10/2025

It's time to talk jobs for October in this week’s edition of From the Potting Shed with Julie Haylock of Sandhurst Garden Design




The Gardens Group

03/10/2025

Friday 3rd October

An investigation is underway following an incident involving a firearm in Yeovil. It happened on the Lufton Trading Estate at around 12.45pm Wednesday lunchtime when a shot was fired from a moving car. No one was hurt. A car believed to be have used in the incident, a red 4X4, has since been located and seized. If you have information that may help the police, you’re asked to please call the non-emergency number 101.

Yeovil Town Council has written to adjoining parish and town councils asking for a financial contribution towards re-opening the Octagon theatre. At a meeting this week, the Council voted to press ahead with taking out a loan of £3.3 million to pay towards a £15 million pound refurbishment of the Octagon with people in Yeovil parish paying extra in council tax to cover the costs of the loan. Now, the Town Council is hoping nearby town and parishes will make a financial contribution to lessen the amount Yeovil parish residents will be charged.

Two Somerset beauty spots have been recognised with a top award. Ham Hill and Chard Reservoir have both received Green Flag Awards, an international quality mark for well-managed parks and green spaces. Both sites are managed by Somerset Council.

The Liberation Brewing Company in Jersey is relocating the business to Somerset. Butcombe Brewery, the owners of the Liberation Brewing Company, says the move is being made to safe on costs. The Liberation Brewing Company has been in Jersey for nearly a 150-years.

A road in the parish of Wambrook near Chard will close for two days next week. Shaggs Flood Lane will be shut to all traffic from the junction with Linnington Lane to the junction with Castle Wood Lane from 9.30am to 3.30pm on Thursday, October 9 and Friday, October 10. It’s to allow for Openreach to replace a telegraph pole.

02/10/2025

02/10/2025

Local News Thursday 2nd October

Councillors have voted to go ahead with taking out a loan of £3.3 million to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. At a special meeting last night, councillors and members of the public spoke both in favour and against borrowing the money, and loading the re-payment charges onto the council tax bills of households within the parish of Yeovil. Three councillors voted against and one abstained when the vote was taken, which follows a public consultation in which a small majority said it would be wrong to ask Yeovil town residents to pay extra in council tax to re-open the Octagon.

A cafe owner in Yeovil has started a petition to stop Somerset Council from selling off public car parks in the town. Jane Talbot, who owns Cafe 50 in Princes Street, says her business will go bust if Somerset Council close and sell off the Court Ash, North Lane and Stars Lane car parks.Somerset says no decisions on selling the car parks will be made until the end of the year.

A so-called ‘quiet zone’ for children and adults with special needs could be introduced at this year Chard Carnival. Organisers plan to provide a dedicated area along the route of the carnival for spectators with sensory needs and their families to gather in.

Chard boxer, Brendon Moore, will compete for a new world title later this month. The 38-year-old and current UK Boxing Union London champion takes on Connor O’Rourke for the World Boxing League Hybrid Boxing title, in Torquay, on Saturday, October 11th.

A volunteer scout leader in South Petherton has been recognised for his good work. Andrew Doble of the 2nd South Petherton Scout Group has been given the Chief Scout’s Commendation for his “extraordinary commitment and dedication to the local scouting movement”.

01/10/2025

Adrian Dening's Stars Over Somerset
Monday 6th to Sunday 12th October 2025

If you pop outside just as it's getting dark on the evening of Tuesday 7th, say around 7pm and look towards the east, a Full Moon will be rising above the horizon, with Saturn visible a little to the right of it.

A Full Moon reflects so much sunlight that it creates the ultimate natural light pollution and this will spoil your view of Saturn a bit. It is also the worst possible time to go hunting for faint deep sky targets.

We have just passed the autumn equinox and as this Full Moon is the closest to that date, it is known as the 2025 Harvest Moon. Coincidentally, this particular Full Moon occurs at perigee, when our celestial neighbour is closest to us in its orbit around the Earth.

In astronomy, there is no such thing as a perfect circle and all objects' orbits are elliptical (or egg-shaped) to a greater or lesser degree. In the case of our Moon, at perigee our natural satellite is approximately 225,000 miles away from us, where at the opposite point in its orbit, known as apogee, it is more like 251,000 miles away. This cycle repeats every 27 days, which is how long the Moon takes to go around us.

The Moon appears slightly larger when it is at perigee and the difference is size between the two extremes is about 14%. If a Full Moon occurs at perigee, it is known as a Supermoon. So on 7th, we really have a Harvest Supermoon!

Because the Moon will be close to the horizon when you view it, you may also witness that phenomenon known as "Moon Illusion" where your eyes play a trick on you and make it appear artificially large.

www.starsoversomerset.com
Screenshots courtesy of Stellarium
Moon images and diagrams courtesy of NASA
Copyright Adrian Dening and Radio Ninesprings 2025

01/10/2025

Local News Wednesday 1st October

Glastonbury and Somerton MP, Sarah D**e, is calling for the introduction of a national caravan licensing and registration scheme. She says she’s concerned about the high number of people living in unsafe caravans in Glastonbury. In a letter to the government she says people who live in caravans would be made a lot safer, if a national caravan licensing and registration scheme were introduced.

Two thousand British military personnel, including members of 40 commando based in Somerset, have started legal action after being given ear protection they say was faulty. The combat earplugs, made by he American company, 3M, are blamed for causing deafness. 3M has already agreed to pay out billions of dollars to resolve similar claims by US military veteran.

A community enterprise is raising money to buy a farm on the outskirts of Bridgwater. The Merry Moos Farm Project say the farm will be used to support people with their physical and mental health issues.

Somerset Council is asking for comments on a draft plan to protect and restore wildlife and habitats. The public consultation on the Local Nature Recovery Strategy is open to the end of October.

Holyrood Academy in Chard is hosting a series of open events for prospective parents and students to find out what makes the school special. The sessions take place on Thursday evening, October 9th, and Tuesday and Thursday mornings, October 14th and 16th.

Eight electric vehicle charging bays have been installed in the car park at Montecute House. The National Trust says the move supports its goal of becoming carbon net-zero by 2030.

Children at Hatch Beauchamp Primary School have held a coffee morning, raising £300 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

30/09/2025

Local News Tuesday 30th September

Somerset Council has given the go-ahead to build 18 new homes in Curry Rivel. Six of the properties on Abbey Close will be ‘affordable’ with an attenuation pond created off Drayton Lane to reduce the flooding risk.

NHS Somerset is claiming positive results from a pilot scheme aimed at cutting waiting times for people using local podiatry services. The trial aims to identify patients who would benefit from undergoing surgery at a community hospital in the early stages, rather than waiting for an appointment with a consultant at an acute hospital.

An Ilminster hair studio has won a top award just a year after opening. Recreations Hair Studio, on the Ashwell Business Park, run by Roishin Conway, won the Best Hairdressers Somerset Award at the English Business Awards, held in Bristol.

A fashion designer from Somerset has hit the heights by having his collection modelled at London Fashion Week. Nathan Slate runs a shop and cafe in Bridgwater and designs conceptual clothing, which has been worn by the likes of Lady Gaga and Rihanna.

Holyrood Academy in Chard is hosting a series of open events for prospective parents and students to find out what makes the school special. The sessions take place on Thursday evening, October 9th, and Tuesday and Thursday mornings, October 14th and 16th.

Paintings by an artist who lives in Hinton St George have gone on display at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. Fourteen giant cow portraits, painted by Jackie Spurrier, are on show in public areas at Musgrove Park to the end of January.