When you look at it in the cold light of day, we do give pigs a bad press. Just consider all those figures of speech that involve pigs - "pig ignorant", "a pig in a poke", "dirty pig", "greedy pig", "pig headed" - and without exception they're all negative
Bridgwater and Albion 0pts, Rosslyn Park 33. The difference in Bridgwater's play between last week's victory in Reading and this week's horrendous defeat at home to Rosslyn Park had to be seen to be believed. Last week the handling was good, the understanding
Toolsttion Western League Premier Division Bridgwater Town 2, Brislington 1 BRIDGWATER Town gained three hard-earned points after holding on for 25 minutes with ten men following the dismissal of Ryan King. He received two dubious yellow cards resulting
NIGEL'S victory is all the more impressive when one realises that he has been confined to a wheelchair since a motorbike accident 20 years ago. Nigel, who is 44, lambed down his first ewe when he was 12 on a friend's farm and after his accident Nigel
ILMINSTER Town players were left kicking their heels on Saturday -- and not much else when their trip to Mangotsfield Res was called off. The cancellation of the Somerset County League Premier Division match, due to a waterlogged pitch, means Ilminster
DAVID Webb this week stepped down as chief executive of Yeovil Town - claiming he had been hounded out of the job after only seven weeks. And club chairman John Fry has blasted fans for their personal attacks on the former Chelsea star and ex-Glovers
A CHARD man is appearing before Exeter Crown Court this week, charged with murder. Ashley Thorpe, 29, is accused of killing Alan Eva, of Chard, with a crossbow. Thorpe has pleaded not guilty to murder. See the News on Wednesday for the full story.
In this month's issue please don't miss: How to rear ducks and goslings, Pig keeping from scratch, Could you move to a Scottish island? Polytunnels for sheep and much much more. Also in this month's issue is a 12-page supplement on 2006 Diary Dates, including
The NFU has welcomed the launch of an initiative by the Environment Agency, which will help farmers and growers comply with new waste controls. Based on the postcode of the farm, the online Waste Recycling Directory can provide information about the nearest
Farmers and landowners are being urged to act now to secure funding for diversification and marketing projects as time is running out for the government grant programme that supports them. "The project-based grant schemes under the England Rural Development
CONCERNS over speeding on Bridgwater's Hamp estate have prompted a community centre to action. ReCreation, together with the Red Cross, have been using graphic methods to show what a car could do if it hits them with speed. Police Community Support Officer
A THIRD giraffe died a Paignton Zoo at the weekend after a fire killed his mate and calf less than a week ago. Paddy the giraffe collapsed and died early Saturday morning. He had been receiving treatment for smoke inhalation since his mate Kizi and their
In this month's Smallholder there is a 12-page supplement on 2006 Show Dates. Below is an example of dates from May 9 to May 27, including the Royal Welsh Smallholder & Garden Festival on May 20-21. 9-10 British Pig and Poultry Fair, Stoneleigh Park
YOUNG people in South Somerset are jumping for joy after they were awarded grants to revamp their local play areas. The funding has been given out as part of South Somerset District Council's Community Grants Programme and include play areas in Langport
A NEW campaign has been launched by Somerset County Council's Trading Standards team warning residents against becoming victims of internet scams. The scheme will be part of the 2006 Scams Awareness Campaign, which runs nationally throughout January,
A BUSINESS leader has warned bosses to read the small print on a mail shot going out to companies. Firms they could end up with a bill for over £2,000 if they sign on the dotted line of a document headed 'free of charge'. For full details of the letter
TWO men from Stithians and Truro are taking part in a 170 mile bike ride to raise money for the Children's Hospice South West. Charles Newman, 33, of Stithians and Paul Bunt, 44, of Truro, both work at Bradfords Building Supplies in Pool have already
CHARD Town boss Stuart Parris was delighted with his side's 5-0 win over Clevedon United in Division One of the Toolstation League. In the end, the victory was pretty convincing, but the visitors started strongly in what was a potential 'banana skin'
TAUNTON drinkers probably already knew it, but pubs in the county town serve some of the best beer in the country, a new survey has revealed. Customers are guaranteed a near perfect pint in the town, which came fourth in the nationwide exercise. Inspectors
THIS is the battered and bruised face of a Burnham youngster, who was attacked on Saturday night by a gang of men who threatened to kill him. Matthew Lewis, 14, was thrown to the floor, then kicked in the head, and strangled in an assault near Axbridge
A NEW campaign has been launched by Somerset County Council's Trading Standards team warning residents against becoming victims of internet scams. The scheme will be part of the 2006 Scams Awareness Campaign, which runs nationally throughout January,
MEDICAL chiefs say it is back to the drawing board after plans to build a health park in the centre of Truro were rejected by Carrick district council. The Central Cornwall Primary Care Trust says it still remains hopeful and strongly committed to providing
Why is it necessary to have a meeting to decide who is responsible for the cost of relaying all the paving slabs on the Falmouth Moor events area? Whoever was responsible for providing the specification for laying the slabs on sand and not on a bed of
Am I alone when I say Costa coffee and Tesco Metro somehow leave a somewhat sour taste in my mouth - the kind of taste that perhaps a special Costa £3.49 muffin and coffee would wash away? Hum, perhaps not. What happened to a simple cup of char from your
Over 2,000 small shops closing annually and supermarkets dominating our shopping trends, threatening the infrastructure of not only villages but our towns as well doesn't bode well for the independent traders that this country's backbone was made from
I am involved in a major project to preserve the landscape value of the Pendarves area south of Camborne. Most of the woodlands surrounding the former estate are registered as common land under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act. I am also hoping that
A student from Wiveliscombe is appealing for help to raise finances and medical equipment for the poor people of Zambia. Rebecca Hewitt, 19, is currently studying medicine at Birmingham University and she also runs a charity called Students for Kids International
A farming social group has been given a tour around a Helston veterinary surgery. Members of Helston and St Keverne Young Farmers Club were shown around the Head and Head vets surgery during one of their weekly meetings. Vets John Head and Tony Ross conducted
REBIRTH of Bridgwater's Cornhill centrepiece is now only weeks away from completion. Work has been underway since summer and, despite missing its Valentine's Day opening plans, project bosses say progress is continuing apace. Sedgemoor District Council's
THE family of a fun-loving Bridgwater mum have paid tribute to the "loving daughter" and "devoted mum" they lost in a car crash. Angela Hale was just 23 and pregnant with her second child when she was killed in a car accident on January 27 in Ilminster
FOR many vegetable gardeners March is the true beginning of the year because it's the time when the first sowings of the new season take place, filling us with the promise of abundant crops in the months ahead, even if all we have at the moment are the
In this month's Smallholder there is a 12-page supplement on 2006 Show Dates. Below is an example of dates from May 9 to May 27, including the Royal Welsh Smallholder & Garden Festival on May 20-21. 9-10 British Pig and Poultry Fair, Stoneleigh Park
AS we said in last month's Smallholder, poultry shows and sales are allowed once more but under certain conditions. At the time of writing, it is difficult to be sure how many will be able to make a welcome return but several of the big shows including
When I think back to how I used to sit in my office dreaming of the day I would "escape" from so-called civilisation and begin a life where the quirks of Mother Nature and her unpredictable daughter Weather would be the most pressing challenges for me
A PATIENT from Redruth has had an apology from the Royal Cornwall Hospital after he claimed he was kept on a trolley in a corridor for 17 hours. Billy Salmon was taken to the hospital with chest pains last week and staff put him on a trolley where he
COMBE St Nicholas lost out to their bogey team Frome once again on Saturday, going down 1-0 away in Division Two of the Somerset County League. The visitors played well enough to get something out of a game against a team languishing in the bottom two
Chard 1st XV 39, Winscombe 10. CHARD were again forced to change their side, both in terms of personnel and positionally. James Twigg moved to fly half for the first time and Stuart Gold came into the squad following some excellent performances in the
AT one or more critical points in the year almost every small-holder has to tackle a major operation. It might be the annual tasks of hay-making, shearing sheep or mucking out cattle sheds or it could be a one-off job like ploughing up and re-seeding
ALTHOUGH the spring weather brightens everyone up and hatching chicks are a promise of a productive future, I always think that at this time of the year there is nothing to be lost and everything to gain by giving all the birds a thorough inspection.
Your report "Six figure bill to dig up The Moor after just five years" (Packet, February 15) will have shocked most, if not all, council taxpayers, who are still reeling from the latest of the annual increases that face them. I seem to remember we had
IN reply to the letter from Mr Rigall regarding the windows at the Royal British Legion building in Arwenack Street, Falmouth. I fail to understand the problem when a planning application has gone before Carrick district council some years ago in which
AS a relative of one of the longstanding residents of Pendennis Care Home, I find it abhorrent that citizens of these ages are not cared for by the authorities of the town. These folk live an extant life on their meagre pensions and are subject to this
THE Standards Board for England's rejection of a complaint against me for misconduct was reported in a recent edition of the Packet. Beyond mentioning that, from a personal point of view, it was most reassuring to learn that I have been completely vindicated
WITH reference to the article in last week's Packet from Councillor Jean Charman regarding the demise of Holmans Brothers, especially where she mentioned "There was the Holman's Sports club," suggesting the Holman's Sports Club is no longer. I would like
ILMINSTER Town players were left kicking their heels on Saturday -- and not much else when their trip to Mangotsfield Res was called off. The cancellation of the Somerset County League Premier Division match, due to a waterlogged pitch, means Ilminster
