Over 3,000 people work at the helicopter factory.
Phoebe Hobbs
04:56, 15 Jan 2026
As you hop off the train at Yeovil Pen Mill, one of the first things you'll see is a sign reading "Welcome to the home of British helicopters". They might have take that sign down soon.
Yeovil's main claim to fame is Leonardo, a defence company with a helicopter factory in town. The Italian defence firm employs about 3,000 people locally.
For one local shopkeeper, who asked to be anonymous, the company's influence is inescapable: "I don't know anybody who doesn't know anybody who works there."
However, a chief executive has admitted there might not be a future for the factory after waiting almost 15 years for a government contract. Roberto Cingolani was quoted in The Times as saying: "It's getting difficult for us to keep this big plant alive".
He continued: “It is 14 years that we haven't had any contract from the UK Government. It's getting difficult for us to keep this big plant alive without an institutional collaboration. Should this not happen, well, we should seriously consider why we keep a plant there.”
Earlier this week, Yeovil MP Adam Dance told parliament that the government has until March to come to the factory's rescue: "If this contract is not awarded by March, we will lose over 3,000 manufacturing jobs in Yeovil, support for over 12,000 jobs in the regional supply chain and the £320m that Leonardo contributes to local GDP.
"We would also lose our country's ability to produce our own helicopters end to end here in the UK at a time of serious global tensions and insecurity."
Leonardo's closure would be a big blow to a town struggling to get back on its feet. £24 million has been invested into the Yeovil Refresh project, which aims to make the town more attractive for residents and tourists alike: with Leonardo gone, it could make all that hard work more-or-less futile.
Martin, 66, said: "My other half works at Leonardo. Closing would be devastating for the town. A lot of employees do not come from this area.
"A lot of people travel from Weymouth, Bristol, and Bath."
As far as Martin is concerned, if these people lose their jobs they would no longer have any real reason to visit Yeovil. No reason to grab a coffee at the local café, buy a round for their friends after a long week of work, or sign up for any events in town after work.
Up at The Butcher's Arms, I get talking with three regulars who are also worried about Leonardo leaving Yeovil. "We're becoming a ghost town now", said one of them.
His friend agreed: "It's the last place that's employing people, apart from the hospital".
If Leonardo does close, it wouldn't be the first time the town has lost a major employer. In 2023, a historic leather manufacturer which employed hundreds went into administration.
Martin recalled: "The two main employers were Leonardo and Pittards."
At the time, a former Pittards employee called the closure "a shock but not altogether a surprise". Three years later, the fate of the other big employer in town remains to be seen.