Summary

  • Latest breaking news from the West of England and coronavirus information

  1. Artist adds Queen in face mask to collectionpublished at 00:19 BST 26 May 2020

    Emelie Hryhoruk said We Will Meet Again "shows everyone is vulnerable no matter who they are".

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  2. 'The lads were buzzing to kick a ball about with their mates'published at 17:59 BST 25 May 2020

    Captain Liam Cooper says Leeds' players were "buzzing" as Championship clubs were allowed to resume training on Monday.

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  3. Colourful headbands for adult social care workers in Somersetpublished at 15:34 BST 25 May 2020

    headbandsImage source, Discovery

    People who work with adults with learning disabilities in Somerset are being given headbands and button extensions to make their protective gear more comfortable.

    Locality manager Jade Tillson who works at Discovery, which runs adult social services on behalf of Somerset County Council, has collected and distributed kits for all 900 staff who support adults living in their own homes or residential settings across the county.

    The headbands and button extensions stop the masks from rubbing over the ears and digging into the eyes.

    Jade first asked her mum to make them and after they proved to be popular among her colleagues, she contacted craft groups across the UK as far away as Nottingham.

    The accessories were sent to Dorchester and Jade made regular journeys to collect them. One woman in Bridgwater made 170 to help staff.

    Jade said: “People have been amazingly kind.

    "Over the past couple of weeks, I have been organising how many are needed in each of our services and driving around collecting headbands for everyone."

    Jade hopes to have distributed all of the headbands in the next few days.

  4. Worries for BAME teachers when schools reopenpublished at 15:18 BST 25 May 2020

    Race group head and teacher Esther Dean says "will we be the next to die, adding to the death toll".

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  5. Hospital halts admissions as virus cases increasepublished at 14:19 BST 25 May 2020

    Weston General Hospital has a high number of Covid-19 cases and has temporarily stopped accepting new patients.

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  6. Holst Museum appeals for donations to survivepublished at 13:12 BST 25 May 2020

    Gustav Holst statueImage source, Geograph/Philip Halling

    The Holst Birthplace Museum has appealed for donations to keep it going.

    The visitor attraction in Cheltenham is currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    Steve Wood, the museum's chairman of trustees, said in an email to supporters the museum needed "support as never before".

    He said income was currently "zero" and "down by around £2,000 per month".

    "We would all lose if The Holst could not bounce back from this.

    "It would be a loss to Cheltenham, to the country, and to music," he said.

    Composer Gustav Holst - most famous for composing The Planets suite - was born in the building in 1874.

  7. The unseen key workers keeping things goingpublished at 00:10 BST 25 May 2020

    Our toilets still flush and our homes still have power in lockdown thanks to these key workers.

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  8. Man 'overwhelmed' by 100th birthday card responsepublished at 13:41 BST 24 May 2020

    War veteran Bert Vincent has received more than 700 birthday cards after an appeal from his family.

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  9. Extra £91k to be spent on railway station forecourtpublished at 13:39 BST 24 May 2020

    Taunton railway stationImage source, Google

    An extra £91,000 is to be spent on the forecourt at Taunton's railway station.

    Due to design guidance adopted by Somerset West and Taunton Council, the paving chosen will no longer be of a high enough standard.

    The council is now allocating money from local housing developments to make up the additional cost.

  10. Couple sent home after travelling six hours for break in the Cotswoldspublished at 10:12 BST 24 May 2020

    A couple who travelled for six hours to stay in the Cotswolds over the Bank Holiday weekend, were promptly told to turn around and return home.

    Gloucestershire Police said an officer had greeted the couple when they reached the town of Stow-on-the-Wold on Saturday, to advise them that holiday lets were not open.

    Under current government guidelines, people are able to travel as far as they wish for exercise purposes, but overnight stays are not yet permitted.

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  11. Singer determined to keep putting smiles on facespublished at 16:54 BST 23 May 2020

    Steve Mather
    BBC News

    Shannon KitchenImage source, Shannon Kitchen

    A singer has swapped her usual performances at weddings and pubs, for entertaining queuing shoppers and care home residents.

    Shannon Kitchen saw her regular work cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, but wanted to continue to put smiles on faces and raise money for the NHS in the process.

    "I’m a professional singer so I was singing everyday but all my gigs were cancelled. At first I was upset but then I thought that there are so many people who are down and losing jobs, so I wanted to do what I can and use my skills to cheer people up."

    The 22-year-old, from Warmley in Gloucestershire, has raised two-thirds of her £3,000 target for Southmead Hospital in Bristol, through her mobile shows.

    Shannon, who appeared on the television show The Voice in 2017, also sings in regular live performances on Facebook., external

  12. Engineer makes masks to help people with hearing difficultiespublished at 16:04 BST 23 May 2020

    Media caption,

    The masks have a clear screen to make it easier for people to lip-read

    An engineer from Salisbury has designed face masks with a clear panel to help people with hearing difficulties who rely on lip-reading.

    Sonia Carley is giving them away to those who need them and is looking for volunteers to help create more using her design.

    You can find more information on her Facebook group, external.

  13. Coronavirus school border decisions 'difficult'published at 13:50 BST 23 May 2020

    Families living on the border discuss children returning to school amid different Wales and UK government policies.

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  14. Drivers urged to slow down as traffic levels increasepublished at 11:47 BST 23 May 2020

    Police checking speed of driversImage source, Getty Images

    Police are reminding drivers in Gloucestershire to keep their speed down as part of a speed enforcement campaign they're launching on Monday.

    Gloucestershire Police will be targeting roads in Cheltenham, the Cotswolds, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Stroud and Tewkesbury, as they respond to concerns around speeding vehicles raised by residents since lockdown started two months ago.

    Chief Inspector Al Barby said: “With the gradual move out of lockdown and with traffic volumes starting to increase, this operation is an important way of highlighting the dangers of speeding, particularly when so many people have not been out on the roads for quite some time."

    Drivers taking advantage of quieter roads during lockdown by travelling over the speed limit have been reported around the UK, including one motorist who was clocked doing more than 150mph (240km/h) on a deserted dual carriageway in Essex.

  15. Tough school decisions for families on the borderpublished at 11:28 BST 23 May 2020

    What do you do if your home is in lockdown, but your child's school is set to re-open?

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  16. 90s boyband singer becomes NHS ambulance driverpublished at 10:19 BST 23 May 2020

    Remember 90s pop band 911? A member of the aptly-named group is now enjoying a new role driving ambulances for Bath's Royal United Hospital.

    Jimmy Constable described his work over the past six weeks as "challenging" but "rewarding".

    He said his "day job" as a performer was likely to be one of the last activities allowed to return as it involved mass gatherings and concerts, so he was happy to continue for as long as help was needed.

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    In case you're feeling nostalgic, here's a photo we found in the BBC's photo library showing the band in those glorious 90s jackets with Lenny Henry.

    Pop band 911
  17. Five recycling centres to re-open in Somersetpublished at 09:54 BST 23 May 2020

    RecyclingImage source, Getty Images

    Five more recycling centres in Somerset - which have been closed because of coronavirus - will re-open after the bank holiday weekend.

    Most sites in the county had already opened up again but officials are asking people only to use them if it’s really necessary.

    Somerset Waste Partnership said it was opening Cheddar, Crewkerne, Castle Cary, Minehead and Somerton from Tuesday on a temporary timetable.

  18. Accused says fatal stabbing 'was an accident'published at 21:53 BST 22 May 2020

    The 15-year-old boy has pleaded not guilty to murdering Tyrone Hayman in Bristol in December.

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  19. Eagle-eyed Purton man catches fly-tipper in the actpublished at 21:43 BST 22 May 2020

    Fly tipping posterImage source, Wiltshire Council

    An eagle-eyed resident has been rewarded an undisclosed sum after catching a electrician dumping waste along a grass verge in Purton from the back of his van.

    He noted down the vehicle registration, reported the criminal offence on the My Wiltshire app and provided a witness statement to council environmental enforcement officers.

    The electrician was handed a £400 fixed penalty after admitting the offence.

    Cabinet member for Highways, Transport and Waste, Bridget Wayman said: “We thank the member of the public who gathered vital information which led to this fixed penalty been issued."

    Environmental enforcement officers are investigating several offences of fly-tipping that have occurred in Wiltshire since the lockdown.

    People who report fly-tipping can get up to a £200 reward for providing evidence which leads to a fine or conviction.

  20. Secret WW2 spy gadgets sell for £17k at auctionpublished at 20:38 BST 22 May 2020

    The objects used by stranded British troops included maps hidden in dominos and a hollow key.

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