News in Wells

Director Edgar Wright has many fans of his movies in Wells, where he grew up, but how many of them know that he created a fake film sequel for an alternative Spider-Man universe?

The former Stoberry and Wells Blue School student is most well-known for his Cornetto trilogy of movies - Shaun of the Dead, The World's End and Hot Fuzz, which was filmed in his home city.

Wells musician Sarah Curtis has joined with other talented artists to remotely perform a song for the NHS.

Boasting horn lines from the HM Forces Band of the Scots Guards, an ARIA no1 selling artist, a former member of Noah and the Whale - plus the lead singer of Brand New Zeroes (and little brother of Elvis Costello) - Sarah is among 24 singers and musicians from the South West who all gave their time freely.

Figures for coronavirus cases by district have been released for the first time by Public Health England, and they show that the district for Wells, Mendip, has had 49 confirmed cases so far.

As of 5pm last night (May 7), Mendip's 49 cases meant it had one of the lowest levels of coronavirus cases at a district level in the country.

Thirteen-year-old Charlie Ballamy, who is a scholarship pupil at Wells Cathedral School, plays The Last Post in honour of all those who lost their lives.

He is just a few years younger than the men who went to war and the hundreds of thousands of them who lost their lives on the battlefields.

People in Wells who have experienced a mental health crisis are now getting additional support when they are medically fit to leave hospital.

A new "step-down" house has opened its doors in the city to provide a safe place for people who are ready to leave a mental health ward but would benefit from that extra support before they return home.

Dulcote Recycling Centre is one of 11 sites to reopen on Monday (May 11) along with the restarting of garden waste collections.

To ensure social distancing, protect public and staff and limit numbers, there will be a range of temporary restrictions - queues and delays are likely.

Details of when and how Dulcote Recycling Centre could reopen are expected within days following new advice from central government.

The centre will not operate in the same way as before lockdown, and it is expected that there will be restrictions on how many people can visit and what they can bring.

A plan for a new community hub to be built in Coxley along with eight new houses has been given the green light by Mendip District Council.

The application for outline planning permission with all matters reserved for the erection of eight dwellinghouses with a community hub on land north east of the former Pound Inn site, Main Road, Coxley, was submitted by Guy Roberts in conjunction with the Coxley Community Land Trust.

A further three care home deaths linked to the coronavirus have occurred in Mendip, new figures reveal.

It comes as care home bosses across the UK warn of problems in sourcing sufficient levels of personal protective equipment (PPE), while Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the number of deaths in care homes is still "far too high".

Wells City Band members will stand separately outside their front doors and play The Last Post at 2.55pm on Friday (May 8) to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

"Our band family has kept morale high in the lockdown," said member Jane Hill, "despite the challenges for practising.