Man injured as A39 crash causes traffic delays

A MAN was taken to hospital this evening after being trapped in a three-vehicle crash on the A39 at Cannington.
He was cut free from the wreckage of his vehicle by fire and rescue crews who removed the roof of the vehicle using road rescue equipment.
The collision happened in Main Road, near the Tincknell Mitsubishi dealership and Bridgwater Mowers, and the casualty’s car ended up in a roadside hedge.
Paramedics then used a spinal board to out the injured man in an ambulance and take him to Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton.
One lane of the road was blocked and queues of traffic travelling toward Bridgwater built up during more than two hours while the rescue was carried out and the highway cleared after the accident, which happened shortly before 5 pm.
A fire appliance from Bridgwater and a rescue tender from Taunton attended the incident.

New woman takes the helm for constituency's Lib Dems

FORMER Sedgemoor district councillor Marilyn Wallace (pictured) has taken over as chairman of Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency Liberal Democrats.
Mrs Wallace succeeds Janice Beasley, who lives in Cannington and who had been chairman for the past three years.
She was elected at the branch’s annual meeting of Bridgwater and West Somerset LibDems held in Nether Stowey.
Mrs Wallace, who lives in Chedzoy, said: “This will be an exciting and busy year as there will be both county council and European elections.
“We must also be prepared for a General Election when it comes.
“I am looking forward to working with our Parliamentary candidate Theo Butt Philip, our members, and supporters, and hope to encourage new people to join us in our social and campaigning events.”
Mr Butt Philip said: “Marilyn has been involved in the Lib Dems locally for many years as both an activist and a district councillor.
“Her experience will be invaluable.
“I would also like to pay tribute to Janice Beasley for the sterling work she has done as chairman for the last year.
“She has been a great source of strength and support to me and to the whole of the Bridgwater and West Somerset Liberal Democrats.”

Job losses shock at dairy as recession hits yoghurt buying public

THE first major round of West Somerset job losses was announced today as the recession began to bite at Cannington organic yoghurt producers Yeo Valley Farm.
The family-owned company shocked the local community by saying 100 out of 250 jobs could be lost next March at its Cannington dairy site, which it bought from Dairy Crest 11 years ago.
Yeo Valley said it was restructuring because it was being affected by increasing production and raw materials costs at the same time as consumers were showing in the recession and spending less on its products.
West Somerset MP Ian Liddell-Grainger expressed his shock at the news.
Mr Liddell-Grainger said: “I am absolutely horrified and obviously very concerned by these job losses.
“I understand things have not been good for anybody lately, but I would not have expected Yeo Valley to have been hit by the economic problems.
“Yeo Valley is an exemplary employer and I am very worried about these figures of 100 jobs to go.
“I will be in touch with the chief executive to find out exactly what is going on.”
The Cannington redundancies are likely to be across the board with both operational and management posts affected.
The plan is to move the factory from a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week production cycle to a 12-hour shift pattern.
Yeo Valley director Graham Keating said: “Trading within the dairy market is currently very tough.
“Although we saw an increase in sales over the last 12 months of seven per cent, our raw materials and production costs have rocketed significantly.
“Our organic milk sales continue to grow strongly but within the highly promotion-driven and price sensitive yoghurt market, we have seen consumers become more cautious with their spending over the last three months and this trend is set to continue into 2009.
“It is imperative that we restructure our business in order to remain competitive and we are therefore left with no alternative than to reduce production in the parts of the company most affected by this buying downturn.”
Mr Keating said every effort would be made to offer alternative employment within the company to those affected by the job cuts.
The company has now begun a 90-day redundancy consultation period with staff.
Yeo Valley also runs two other dairies, in, Blagdon, North Somerset, and Newton Abbott, Devon, and a distribution warehouse in Isleport, near Highbridge, with a total of 1,300 employees.
Cheese and other dairy products have been made at Cannington since the 1930s, and today it produces Yeo Valley Organic’s big-pot yogurts, as well as those for a number of retailer brands, plus the innovative ‘Yeos’ organic children’s yogurt tubes.
Despite its 24-hour production cycle - which was necessary to meet demand - Yeo Valley boasted that its small-batch production methods ensured its yoghurts were ‘untarnished by modern processing aid ingredients - they simply are not necessary’.
The firm is part of a family-owned farming and dairy business founded by husband and wife Roger and Mary Mead, who started making yoghurts with milk from their dairy herd in 1974.
Organic yoghurt production started in 1993 after an approach by local farmers who were producing organic milk but could not find a regular demand for it.
Last year, the firm welcomed the Queen to its North Somerset headquarters after the firm was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its contributions to sustainable development, including the long-term, fair-trading support it had given to organic dairy farmers.
In October of this year, Yeo Valley closed its luxury organic ice cream and frozen yogurt dairy near Bovey Tracey, Devon, and transferred the 50 staff to Newton Abbot because it said demand was so great that it needed larger production facilities.

• Our photograph shows Yeo Valley’s Cannington factory. Photo submitted.
  

MOTORING NEWS:From Motor Show to Cannington comes the stunning new Alfa Romeo

ALFA Romeo’s new, compact and sporty Alfa MiTo (pictured) is coming to Longstones Alfa Romeo, in Cannington, this weekend.
From the beginning of November, Longstones will be exhibiting a static example of the company’s brand new Alfa MiTo, a full two months before its official UK launch on January 24, 2009.
For hundreds of local Alfa MiTo fans and Alfisti, this is the first chance to see the car at close quarters since its world debut at this year’s British International Motor Show.
While sharing styling cues with the Alfa 8C Competizione supercar, the Alfa MiTo is also equipped as standard with features and technology, not previously available in this segment.
These include a special electronic control system DNA (Dynamic, Normal, All Weather) which adjusts the response of the car depending on driving style and conditions, and LED rear lights.
Together with an eye-catching price of £10,975 for the entry level Alfa MiTo 1.4 16V 95BHP Turismo, comes news that industry experts CAP expect the Alfa MiTo 1.3 JTDM Veloce to retain a massive 47 per cent of its value after three years and 60,000 miles - the second highest in its segment.
So, the new MiTo is set to appeal to heads as well as hearts.
Drivers who want to be first behind the wheel of the Alfa MiTo next year can place orders from November 1 and take advantage of competitive financial offers available at Longstones.
For further information contact Longstones Alfa Romeo on 01278 652233 or visit http://www.longstonesalfaromeo.co.uk/.
Photos submitted.

£1 million community fund-raising challenge launches in college gardens

A CHARITABLE fund which aims to raise £1 million across Somerset by 2011 was launched at a reception in Cannington yesterday.
The Grassroots Grants Endowment Match Challenge is being organised by the Somerset Community Foundation, a Wells-based project set up in 2002 to provide a new, independent funding body to tackle poverty and disadvantage throughout the county.
Foundation director Justin Sargent said: “Our target is to raise £1 million over the next three years, which would attract an additional £500,000 from the Government.
“This is a unique opportunity for us all to build a major endowment fund for Somerset.
“It will provide much-needed long-term support to hundreds of local projects and initiatives that make such a difference to the lives of so many people.”
Clifford Hall, in Cannington College, was one of three venues across Somerset to host launch events for the effort to build a long-term community asset.
Mr Sargent said: “The events were enjoyed by all and a special thank you to those groups who helped to make the events a great success.”
More than 50 guests from the local area attended the Cannington event, including West Somerset MP Ian Liddell-Grainger and the West Somerset Business Network chairman, Sandra Wilson, from Dulverton.
They heard a talk by the college’s head gardener and were also shown around the college’s walled gardens.
Among the groups attending the Cannington reception was ALFFFA, a voluntary group providing Filipino and multi-cultural programmes and information to the community in the form of dance, song, music, food.
Also represented was the Sedgemoor Deanery Youth Project, which aims to care for and challenge young people, encouraging them to reach their full potential.
The local branch of Ups and Downs, a support group for parents and carers of children with Downs Syndrome, also took part. The charity provides face to face support, information and resources to help children reach their full potential both educationally and socially.
Mr Sargent said: “We are a unique charity in two respects. We are able to support a wide range of charitable causes across Somerset, which means we can respond to the specific and changing needs of each community, and we provide a flexible, professional and personal ‘donor service’ to a wide range of donors, enabling them to achieve their specific charitable goals within Somerset.
“At the heart of our approach is a strong belief in the importance of helping communities respond to their local circumstances in their own way.”

• Our photograph shows some of the representatives who attended the launch of the foundation’s Grassroots Grants Endowment Match Challenge held in Cannington College. Photo submitted.

School is a dinner winner for second year running

SCHOOL dinners at Minehead Middle School have been judged the best in the district for a second year running.
The school was named ‘District Winner’ in Somerset County Council’s annual ‘Best School Dinner Awards’.
The council invited all primary and secondary schools in the county to submit a description of a main course which they serve regularly, to find the ‘Best School Dinner’ in Somerset.
The Minehead lunch will now go head-to-head with winning secondary schools from the other districts in Somerset.
To find the district winners, menus were shortlisted on the basis of healthy ingredients and cooking methods.
Minehead’s menu featured beef en croute, new potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and gravy.
The competition judges, county council chairman Councillor Alan Gloak and healthy schools adviser Dr Kath Wilson will now visit all the district winners to sample the menus and select one primary and one secondary school winner for the overall award.
Councillor Gloak said: “This is the second year that we have run the ‘Best School Dinner’ awards and we are very pleased with the enthusiasm of the local schools.
“The standard of entries is very impressive and reflects our commitment to encourage young people to eat healthily and be active.”
The winning schools will be invited to an award ceremony to be held in July.
There were no primary school entries from either West Somerset or Taunton Deane.
The Sedgemoor district secondary school winner was Brymore School of Rural Technology, in Cannington, while Spaxton Church of England School was the primary winner.
Castle School, Taunton, was the Taunton Deane secondary school district winner.

Villages' motorists warned of Quantocks police blitz on thoughtless parking

POLICE in the Quantock Hills are warning people in Cannington and Nether Stowey to park considerately and legally, or face being given a fixed penalty notice.
The move comes after a series of complaints from residents and parish councils in both villages where parking has at times obstructed highways and been dangerous to pedestrians and other road users.
Despite talking to offenders and offering words of advice, the problems have persisted, so police officers and Police Community Support Officers have now been instructed to take action against those breaking the law.
PCSO Karen Evans, from the Bridgwater rural safer, stronger neighbourhood team, said: “The parking in both villages has been inconsiderate at best, at times dangerous and illegal.
“In the past we have tried our best to deal with these issues by finding owners of vehicles and giving words of advice, but following further complaints form local residents and parish councils we have been forced to take a tough stance.
“Unfortunately people seem to think that controlled areas of zebra crossings, bus stops, and loading bays can be used as their own personal parking space while popping into the shop for 10 minutes.
“This is not the case and, although it is not our wish to issue tickets, I would urge people to heed this warning or face the consequences.”

Appeal for witnesses to death of man walking on A39

WITNESSES are being sought to an accident in which a young man was killed when he was hit by a car as he walked along the A39 early on the morning of Saturday, November 10.
The man was named by police as Ashley Richard Taylor, aged 21, of Coultings, Fiddington.
He died as a result of his injuries shortly after he was hit by a Peugeot 307 car at about 6 am.
Mr Taylor was walking along an unlit area of Quantock Road, near Wembdon, on his way out of Bridgwater toward Cannington when the accident happened.
Police would like to speak to anybody who may have witnessed the collision or may have seen Mr Taylor walking on the road a short time before.
Anybody who can help is asked to contact the Collision Investigation Unit on 0845 4567000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Alternatively, the secure Crimestoppers internet contact form can be used by logging on to https://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/crimestoppers/ContactForm.aspx
Callers do not have to give their name, but they could receive a reward for helping the police.