News in Shepton Mallet

Shepton Nub News has seen at least two local events cancelled in the last day due to rising numbers of coronavirus infections.

Yesterday (December 16) it was revealed that the R rate of transmission of the new Omicron variant has been estimated as between 3 and 5, Susan Hopkins, the chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency, told MPs.

A tribute has been issued to a man who died in a collision on the A361 Park Hill, Pilton, overnight Thursday 9 to Friday 10 December.

The family of Harry Brooksbank, 27, of Shepton Mallet, said: "We are all heartbroken by the tragic loss of Harry, a wonderful warm, fun loving son and brother. We will miss him dreadfully. We would like to thank everyone for their love and support."

There are lots of activities happening in and around town this weekend, and all will surely help you get into a festive spirit! Our friends at Make the Sunshine are hosting a new group aimed at the over 55s to help people make new friends and try new skills. Held today at the Paul Street community centre between 10.30am-12.30pm, simply turn-up, no pre-booking required. Make the Sunshine are also hosting a pop-up Christmas Disco at tomorrow's market; the children at St. Pauls practised their disco moves in the pouring rain on Monday so if you're around please go along and join in! Saturday sees our popular Park Run take place in fancy dress form and of course later on in the evening, our park plays host to our fabulous Lantern Parade. Gather by the pond at 5pm to be mesmerised by the colours and shapes; it's one of the most visually spectacular events in our town's calendar.

And Sunday sees a welcome return to the Sunday market; Victorian themed for this one, it'll provide a great opportunity to pick up last-minute Christmas gifts. Straight afterwards at 3pm. St. Peter and St. Paul's church has its annual Christingle service. A calmer way to end the weekend!

Shepton Mallet branch of the Salvation Army, is helping the local community this year by providing over 100 food and toy hampers to families in need at Christmas.

"There are many more families struggling this year, since the pandemic. People are also being hit by a double whammy of benefit cuts and increased energy bills. Local churches, Social Services, the Citizens Advice Bureau and voluntary organisations have been working together to reach out to those most in need" said Heather Bryson-Banks, a volunteer.

Come along to Shepton Mallet's Friday Market this week for a fun Pop-Up Disco with Disco Queen Cheryl Sprinkler as part of Shepton Mallet Town Council's Winter Events Programme.

Bring your funky festive moves, your dad dancing, and a good dose of Santas-sillyness!

Some 100 traders set up stalls in Wells and enjoyed success with hundreds of shoppers visiting the 'Christmas in Wells' festive market.

Stalls stretched through the Market Place and on the Bishop's Palace Green, offering a feast of festive food and drink and great gift ideas. Plus there was music and entertainment on offer too.

A green rubbish collection revolution is quietly underway for the Somerset Waste Partnership as it takes on its first electric collection truck.

After a successful three-month trial in the Bridgwater area, an electric refuse vehicle has been bought and will be used on routes across the county.

Bath-based Truespeed has started rolling out its ultrafast, full fibre broadband network in Shepton Mallet. In parallel, the firm is also kicking off its network build in neighbouring Glastonbury and Street.

More than 15,000 premises across these three areas of Somerset are set to benefit from Truespeed's gigabit-capable brand new network infrastructure. Truespeed gives customers their own dedicated fibre-optic cable direct to their door, guaranteeing symmetrical upload/download speeds and ultra-low latency and contention rates to bring residents, businesses, GP surgeries and schools mega-star reliability and lightning-fast, crystal-clear connectivity - even at peak times - for decades to come.

The RSPCA is appealing to people to show compassion towards animals after an unwanted mouse was discovered dumped in a plastic box.

The tiny mammal was left in a lidded plastic box, which also contained food and toys in a bag, on a quiet track with no through access in Chilton Trinity, near Bridgwater, in Somerset.

The Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) - which serves Shepton Mallet - is predicting a budget deficit of around £1.2million due to rising costs with its contractors.

The SWP contracts multiple different companies to dispose of Somerset's waste – including Suez for its kerbside collections, and Biffa to run the county's 16 household waste recycling centres.