News in Shepton Mallet

The not-for-profit community arts organisation in Shepton Mallet, the Rubbish Art Project, has received almost £29,000 from the Arts Council England to help it survive the coronavirus crisis.

The arts organisation, which is back at the Art Bank in Shepton Mallet High Street, has received a grant of £28,950 from the Arts Council's emergency response fund.

Edric Hobbs, who was elected last May as an Independent Mendip district councillor for Shepton West, has joined the Liberal Democrat group at Mendip District Council.

"I am really pleased to be joining the local Liberal Democrat party and the other Lib Dem councillors at Mendip," said Councillor Hobbs, who is also the newly-elected chair of Shepton Town Council.

The chairman of Shepton Mallet Chamber of Commerce has called on local people to support small businesses in the town as non-essential shops reopen today (June 15).

Alan Stone said there were many challenges for independent shops in reopening and it would take different stores different amount of time to get ready to welcome back shoppers.

There are scheduled to be temporary traffic lights on the A371 through Croscombe this week.

The lights should be in place on Wednesday (June 17) on the A371 Long Street for Bristol Water to undertake works.

Three crews put out a wood chipping machine fire near Shepton Mallet yesterday afternoon (June 12).

Just before 3pm, Devon and Somerset Fire Service attended a wood chipping machine fire off the B3135 Roemead Road, near Oakhill.

The temporary pedestrianisation of Shepton Mallet High Street from June 18 is being considered in a bid to help shops reopen.

Somerset County Council and Mendip District Council are consulting with Shepton Mallet Town Council over the possible pedestrianisation of the High Street from the Market Cross up to the Park Road Roundabout, with delivery access only.

One person has died in Shepton Mallet after contracting coronavirus, according to the latest figures.

The figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show deaths at a local level for people who have contracted Covid-19.

More than 100 miles of Somerset roads will be surface dressed this summer, including some in and around Shepton Mallet, to improve the surfaces for motorists and prevent potholes from forming.

Somerset County Council has published a full list of every road which will be dressed up until September, including those where the work has already been completed.

A Black Lives Matter protest is being held in Shepton Mallet at the weekend, with both the organisers and the police urging people attending to make sure they follow social distancing rules.

The protest is being promoted as a peaceful, family-friendly event and it is taking place at the bandstand in Collett Park from 2pm on Saturday (June 13).

Fans of the Glastonbury Festival will remember in 2017 when organiser Michael Eavis invited Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn on stage with him.

It was the year when chants of "oh, Jeremy Corbyn" could regularly be heard, after his party unexpectedly deprived then-prime minister Theresa May of a parliamentary majority in the Brexit-themed snap general election.