Business

A charity hopes to set up a record for the most people yodelling in unison in Somerset.

Charity School in a Bag (SIAB) is hosting its annual fundraiser event Home Farm Fest from 6-8 June for the 18th time.

As part of the festival, Yodellynne, or Lynne Nash, will be teaching yodelling to the festival goers – hoping to become the biggest group of people yodelling in unison in Somerset.

Luke Simon, Founder of School in a Bag, said: "This year is by far our biggest Home Farm Fest to date – we have sold out for the first time ever. At a time where so many festivals are folding we are clearly doing something right."

Learner drivers in the West say they are resorting to using expensive cancellation websites in a desperate attempt to book their tests.

With the official routes for booking tests oversubscribed, the BBC has been told that companies are block-booking appointments and selling them on to people unable to find a spot.

Daisy Bodkin, 24, from Cheltenham, said it was "impossible" to get a test through the official Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) website, and she and many of her peers had turned to the private apps as a last resort.

Loveday Ryder, DVSA chief executive, said the organisation had been working "tirelessly" to address the issues and reduce driving test waiting times.

These unofficial companies will use the applicants' driving licence number to reserve a bulk amount of test appointments until they can resell them at a higher price.

The license number will then be changed to match the buyers'.

Using these sites is what allows automated bots to exploit the driving test booking service, by getting users to provide the necessary details the companies need to hold the slots.

This leaves those who are ready to take their test struggling to find one at a date and time of their choice.

Nearly 27,000 people responded to a call for evidence from the DVSA between December and February.

Of those, 93.1% said they had struggled with a lack of suitable test appointment slots.

Ms Bodkin, who recently finished university and works as a freelance journalist for the BBC, said she had booked a test in October 2024 for March 2025, but had failed.

"I waited until I felt like I was ready to book a test, which I think was probably not the right thing to do – I should have booked it ages ago," she said.

With the end of her university in sight she put rebooking her test "on the back burner", only to find later that there were no tests available through the DVSA in Cheltenham or Gloucester until 2026.

"Everyone is recommending the apps, which I know is the thing that is causing all the issues, but also I don't really want to be left behind when everyone is doing it," she added.

With booking tests on the DVSA website "impossible", she said, her and her peers have been left "constantly checking" the apps for cancellations.

The pressure of knowing another test would likely be a long way off if she failed "definitely added" to her nerves, Ms Bodkin said.

Russell Marchant, who runs Bubble Driving School in Somerset, said many learners will cancel lessons to save money while they wait for their test.

But this risks them forgetting what they have learnt and feeling unprepared when the time finally comes, he added.

"As soon as someone starts in the car, as soon as they've passed their theory, we encourage them to try and get a test booked because we know it's going to be six months down the line."

Mr Merchant blames the Covid-19 pandemic for the mounting backlog, as postponed tests were continually added to the waiting list.

"[there were] Four lockdowns and in all of them the DVSA were not testing," he explained.

"That caused a lot of instructors to find other jobs. We had examiners leave the industry and not come back."

However, Ms Ryder told the BBC the DVSA had been "making good progress" on a plan to bring down waiting times, which was announced in December 2024.

"[Our] goal is to make booking a driving test easier and fairer for everyone while preventing excessive charges for learner drivers," she added.

A man from Kent who has been living with a diagnosis of Parkinson's has said he tries to stay active and positive every day.

Richard Harvey, from Tenterden, also said he was confident one day a cure for the condition will be found.

World Parkinson's Day is on Friday, with events organised to highlight awareness of the condition and the help available.

Mr Harvey says, despite occasional "dark thoughts", he always tells himself "life could be far worse".

"As long as I can continue to go to jazz concerts at Ronnie Scott's, and the theatre and meet up with old mates for lunches, a positive approach and a supportive partner as I've got with my wife Helen, it is absolutely key to combating the disease," he said.

"Because one day there will be a cure."

He said staying active has been key to his approach to Parkinson's.

"All the literature I read said vigorous exercise for at least two and a half hours every week could help to slow the disease's progression," he said.

"Every Monday I have a fitness session with an ex-army physical training instructor at the Tenterden Boxing Club, on Fridays I work with a specialist Parkinson's trainer and I go on an organised walk each Wednesday."

Parkinson's is a condition in which parts of the brain become damaged over many years, affecting speech and movement.

Famous names affected by the condition include comedian Billy Connolly, the musicians Ozzy Osbourne, Neil Diamond and Linda Rondstadt, and the actor Michael J Fox, who campaigns and fundraises in a bid to find a cure.

As part of World Parkinson's Day hundreds of people around the UK will join together to sing Gloria Gaynor's disco classic I Will Survive from 13:00 BST.

Meteorological summer is here! And while it may have not felt like it some days this week, Somerset's calendar of events is warming up.

Bath Rugby were on fire on Friday night, booking their place in the Premiership final at Twickenham.

Home Farm Fest is taking place at Chilthone Domer this weekend, and Weston College are performing their musical Echoes of The Stage.

Here is our weekly snapshot of life in the county over the past few days.

Heading for the final: There were fireworks on and off the pitch at the Rec on Friday night as Bath beat local rivals Bristol 34-20 to book their place in the Premiership final at Twickenham.

Lamb season: Weather Watcher Nutkin captured this mother and child grazing on a hill in Priddy.

New lease of life: Gordano School's "Secret Garden" has been given a makeover thanks to the hard work of nearly 40 volunteers from Enjoy Church, who cleared rubble and improved the outdoor learning space.

For the greater good: The county's charity School in a Bag (SIAB) is hosting its annual fundraiser festival Home Farm Fest from Friday to Sunday in Chilthorne Domer for the 18th time.

Relax and kick back: The Gibbons at Tropiquaria Zoo in Washford take a break every afternoon to "chill and groom each other", according to the zoo managers.

Musical journey: Weston College Performing Arts are presenting their showcase production, Echoes of the Stage, at the Playhouse Theatre this weekend. A fusion of song, dance, and drama, their play is a celebration of musical theatre.

Disappointed: Fans were left "extremely disappointed" after a Frome Town Council postponed a decision that could have "saved" Frome Town Football Club. The council purchased the club's Badgers Hill stadium in 2022 after its previous owners got into financial difficulties. An anonymous private operator has now offered to lease the ground and buy the team but the council delayed a decision on the deal at a meeting on Thursday.

Two men have been arrested, including one on suspicion of murder, after a man died following a crash involving a quadbike on a main road.

A 20-year-old man from Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, was pronounced dead at the scene after a quadbike was found overturned on the A465 westbound between Rhymney, Caerphilly, and Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, at around 04:50 BST on Saturday.

A 40-year-old man from Merthyr Tydfil has been arrested on suspicion of murder, driving while unfit through drink, and driving while unfit through drugs.

A second man, a 37-year-old from Merthyr Tydfil, has been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and assisting an offender.

Both remain in police custody.

Police believe a second vehicle – a white BMW found burned out in the Dowlais area – may have been involved in the crash.