Peter Seib

The local branch of the RSPCA would really appreciate your help. They are in urgent need of items for sale at their shop at Street. Although the shop isn’t in Brympton, the funding raised supports critical work done here.

In particular they want clothing for sale and for “ragging”. They can also take small items of furniture and modern, working electrical items. Please have a sort though your wardrobes and houses and tell your friends. The RSPCA can arrange collection within a radius of 20 – 30 miles of Yeovil (phone 07885 295208 or contact them at rspcasomerseteast@hotmail.com).

Without items for sale the local RSPCA will be unable to maintain the high level of animal welfare in this area (something in which you can take some pride).

Guidance on severe weather services is posted on the SWP website, on the SWP Facebook page and Twitter feed, and made available to local radio and district council customer services.

The Nissan Leaf at Brympton's Allotments

As part of South Somerset DC’s drive to reduce back-office costs, we’re looking very carefully at our large mileage and fuel bills. The District is about 34 miles by about 13 miles and it’s very difficult for Council staff to do some jobs without travelling. People expect a planning application site to be seen, samples need to be taken at food factories and grass needs to be cut in situ. Indeed, District Council officers travelled well over half a million miles last year with Environmental Health being the lead user at 92,000 miles.

The car above is the Nissan Leaf, on long term loan to the Council for evaluation. Electric vehicles offer very low running and servicing costs and if the useage is high enough, this saving recoups the initial outlay. As a comparison, we’re paying about 2.75p per mile to re-charge the Leaf and we could be doing if for free – off the Council’s new electric roof!

As part of our evaluation Cllr Jo Roundell-Greene, John Richardson and I took the Leaf out to the Brympton allotments, which are on the border with St Michael’s, Jo’s ward. We were very impressed with the way it handled carrying 4 adults and the camera kit. This is definitely a saving I would want to make.

Peter

Please spend a few moments to fill in the survey at www.iontravel.co.uk/yeovil. The idea is that if we can state what we’re after from transport, the town can be better planned. So if you only want to use a car, parking would be needed whereas if you wanted to go by bus, but something is stopping you, that could be fixed.

For me, it’s not having a bus service at all from home to work, and I would also need a car for work travel. I’d be very happy if there were a bus that went into the evenings, and work would let me use a pool car. Meanwhile, I’ll tell them about my occasional cycling habit.

Click here for SWP revised collection dates 2011

Lib Dem Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has outlined a £1 billion pound Youth Contract to tackle youth unemployment. The aim is to ensure that all jobless young people are earning or learning again before long-term damage is done.

• Over three years, the Youth Contract will provide at least 410,000 new work places for 18 to 24 year olds into work. Starting April 2012
• Including 160,000 wage subsidies and 250,000 new work experience placements.
• In addition, there will be at least 20,000 more incentive payments to encourage employers to take on young apprentices.
• A new programme to help the most disengaged 16 and 17 year olds – getting them back to school or college, onto an apprenticeship or into a job with training.

People have been wondering about AW’s Future since the announced “re-structuring” (redundancies). In the absence of new MoD helicopter orders (Cameron and Fox bought American – hopefully not on advice, and Brown bought Romanian – by accident!), AW Yeovil is learning to be competitive on the civil market where margins are tighter but volumes are hopefully greater.

Back in July, the AW169 helicopter was launched, here in Yeovil, by Vince Cable and David Laws with the assistance of AW’s apprentices. They also announced a commercial loan package to secure UK jobs and funding for research support to help transition into the civil market.

In October, this aircraft was exhibited outside BIS (Vince’s department) giving unprecedented access to senior industrialists, overseas visitors, etc. The air-ambulance sized aircraft has been selling very well, even ahead of first flight.

Now AgustaWestland have announced that Bristow Group has signed a contract for another new AW type – the AW189. Bristow have initially ordered six AW189 helicopters plus options for additional aircraft. This new aircraft is aimed at offshore transport missions. Bristow, which already has smaller AW139s operating globally, is a hard-nosed commercial buyer.

Given the planned retirement of a large AS332 Super Puma fleet over the next few years, and the continuing growth of deepwater developments in the energy industry, prospects for this new type seem good. AW’s unveiling video is here.