CHARD, SOMERSET — Chard Town Council has officially launched Chard.info, an easy-to-use and fully up-to-date digital platform designed to bring all essential information about living in the town together in one single place. The website is highly accessible and simple to search, ensuring residents, visitors and professionals can find the exact resources they need instantly.
The website has been grant funded by Somerset Association of Local Councils (SALC) Community Health & Wellbeing programme and a generous donation from Chard Community Hub. From The project has been driven and developed by Chard Town Council’s Stakeholder Liaison Officer, Ingrid Edginton.
The Living in Chard section provides an exhaustive guide to local life, covering community groups, clubs, societies, sports, fitness, and local churches. It also serves as a vital directory for healthcare and emergency services, the local post office, banking options, the museum, the library, and Chard’s green parks and open spaces.
‘I’m delighted to see the launch of chard.info. our town has a wonderful community spirit with so many groups, organisations, business and events bringing people together,” said the Mayor of Chard, “this new website will make everything easier for everyone to get involved and connect resources for our whole community.”
To keep the town moving, the platform features a comprehensive transport section complete with live travel updates. For those looking to give back, a dedicated volunteering hub connects residents directly with local causes. The platform also provides direct links to Chard Town Council, local schools, and community organisations and local support available. A central “What’s On” interactive calendar ensures residents never miss local events and submitting an upcoming event is simple to do.
The website celebrates the town’s community spirit visually, showcasing beautiful images of Chard captured by local photographers. Furthermore, local youth are directly shaping the platform, with students from Holyrood Academy actively involved in creating and managing the dedicated “Young People” sections. “The directory looks really great. It is clean, smart and simple,” noted a representative from Forefront. “It is clear and easy to navigate, especially on a phone.”
The platform also provides direct links to local community organisations offering essential support and advice. Additionally, the website features a dedicated section for Somerset Frontline, making it easy to find and refer into trusted local health and wellbeing services, so people can get the right support at the right time.
“I was truly blown away by how comprehensive, clear and easy to use it is!” shared Suzy Fellows from Frontline. “A huge well done for all the hard work and commitment to make it happen. I’d love for there to be something similar for where I live too — as I’m sure would many other local towns.”
Chard.info also highlights #Help4All is a partnership of organizations in Somerset that connect individuals and families with vital community and health service ensuring tailored support and advice pathways are easily reachable for all who need them.
To ensure nobody is left behind, a network of Community Connectors will be trained with a grant received by Chard Community Hub and they be available across the town to support both residents and visitors in navigating and accessing the site. The platform will expand even further next month with the official launch of the Chard Business Directory.
As a truly community-led platform, residents, visitors, clubs, and local organisers are warmly invited to contribute to Chard.info. Anyone can easily add new items to the directory or submit upcoming local activities to the interactive “What’s On” events calendar to ensure the directory stays vibrant and complete.
Click or tap below to explore the website.
For more information contact:
Contact: Stakeholder Liaison Officer
Email: ingrid.edginton@chard.gov.uk
Phone: 07540 873350