News in Shepton Mallet

SHEPTON MALLET BRIEFING: Monday March 16 2020

TODAY'S SHEPTON MALLET SUNRISE:

The community in Shepton Mallet is coming together to help each other out during the coronavirus pandemic.

Organisations large and small are adapting the way the do business or operate to make sure as many people as possible are supported.

"I hope you are all keeping well," is how we used to begin a letter or even a press release, says Evercreech Mendip Councillor Barry O'Leary.

"Now it seems to be the most important greeting we can make. I've just come back home to Somerset from Ireland, where the handling of CV-19 seems very different to here in the UK."

It will be a busy time for Bristol Water in Shepton Mallet this week, as the company has three sets of roadworks planned.

From Tuesday March 17 to Thursday March 19, the firm will be repairing leaks outside of Shepton Brasserie and the Sue Ryder shop in the High Street, and in Kingsland Road.

Nature-lovers in Shepton Mallet are being invited to dig out their spades and join The Food Forest Project's latest planting event being held later this month.

The project, which works to help combat mental health issues through planting food forests, will be at Rock Farm, off the Windsor Hill Lane end of Ham Lane, on Saturday, March 21.

Shepton Mallet Nub News is sharing the key messages on coping with the coronavirus outbreak.

Our easy-to-read guide has been compiled from Government-approved sources.

The East Somerset Railway (ESR) is set to host a bumper Steam Gala on March 21 and 22 with five engines in steam.

On loan from Dartmouth Steam Railway, newly arrived small Prairie 4555 will be making its first appearance at Cranmore.

Access has been limited to the Field House care home in Shepton Mallet due to the coronavirus.

Somerset Care, who run the home, have limited access to just health professionals and family members.

Shepton Mallet Chamber of Commerce has reacted cautiously following the announcements made in the government's Budget yesterday (March 11).

Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered his first Budget yesterday, and key points included firms eligible for small business rates relief to get a £3,000 cash grant, £2.5 billion to be made available to fix potholes and resurface roads in England over five years, and fuel duty to be frozen for the 10th consecutive year.

At the time of writing (10am on March 12), Shepton Mallet and the rest of Somerset are still officially coronavirus free, despite a government table saying two people in the county had the virus.

A Somerset County Council spokesperson has confirmed to Shepton Mallet Nub News that no one has tested positive for Covid-19, or coronavirus, in the county.