Paul Jones

1 week ago | somersetleveller.co.uk | Paul Jones

KIERON Goodwin has been jailed for life for murdering his girlfriend Olivia Wood in Frome – on the night she planned to leave him. Goodwin, 33, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 35 years today (May 8) at Bristol Crown Court, having previously been convicted of 16 offences – including murder – against 29-year-old Olivia and three other women. Olivia, a 29-year-old conservationist, was killed by Goodwin on July 30 last year, with the pair having been together for less than three months.

1 week ago | somersetleveller.co.uk | Paul Jones

PLANS to redevelop Wells Skatepark to create a “new and much-improved” facility have been submitted. An application by Salmon Planning Company has been handed in to Somerset Council on behalf of Wells City Council and the Wells Skatepark Community Group. It details plans to replace the 20-year-old skatepark, off Lovers’ Walk, near the Waitrose car park, which is “ageing and out of date”. “Many ramps have recently been removed as they are no longer fit for purpose,” it said.

1 week ago | somersetleveller.co.uk | Paul Jones

“THE SEND system is broken, and unequal funding is a major reason.”Those were the words of MP Sarah Dyke (Lib Dem, Glastonbury & Somerton) during a passionate speech highlighting education funding issues in Somerset. During a debate in Parliament on Tuesday (May 6), the MP called for fairer education funding for Somerset and urgent reform of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system, which she said is failing some of the county’s most vulnerable children.

1 week ago | somersetleveller.co.uk | Paul Jones

POLICE were called to Frome College this morning after a ‘hoax call’. Students were kept in tutor groups for an extended period, the college said, as officers attended “to ensure everyone’s safety”. “This morning, we received a hoax call which necessitated a visit from the police onto college site to ensure everyone’s safety,” a spokesperson said. “We extended tutor time whilst the police checked our site, and we have now returned to our normal timetable.

1 week ago | somersetleveller.co.uk | Paul Jones

THE great farming plains of Norfolk are a long way from Somerset – and the last place you would think you’d wish to spend any time while making the journey is a rail station waiting room. However, for one recent visitor from East Anglia, it was exactly that location that left a lasting impression. King’s Lynn native, Felicity Ling, recently spent some time living in Frome before making the 220-mile journey home.