South Somerset District Council, Chard Town Council and Somerset Art Works, on behalf of a consortium of local partners, have been awarded a grant from Historic England as part of the Chard High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) Cultural Programme. Over the next three years, creative and community organisations in Chard will work together to deliver the Culturally Chard programme that won them the funding.
Other partner organisations involved in the consortium are Chard Museum, Chard Carnival Committee, Holyrood Academy, Chard One Team and Chard Town Team.
Chard Town Council was established in 1974 following the changes in local government, it is comprised of fifteen councillors representing the town’s five wards: Avishayes, Combe, Crimchard, Holyrood and Jocelyn.
It is responsible for a number of play areas and open spaces in Chard, Chard Cemetery, the allotments and is the operator of The Guildhall, Chard, a Grade II* Listed Building.
The Town Council is Joint Lead Partner with Somerset Art Works and responsible for helping to deliver the Culturally Chard programme over the next three years.
www.chard.gov.uk
The new Somerset Council is now the lead partner for the Chard High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ). We are ambitious for the future of Somerset, and as part of delivering on this ambition, we continue to prioritise the regeneration of Chard’s town centre.
Culturally Chard has an important role to play in making the town centre vibrant once more. We will continue to oversee the Culturally Chard programme to ensure it meets the objectives set by our funders, and to ensure that it complements the main High Street Heritage Action Zone scheme.
Find out more about this at www.chardregeneration.com
Chard Town Team was set up in conjunction with the Mary Portas High Street regeneration scheme in 2011. The team has engaged with many community events over the years, Easter Egg Hunts, Halloween, Christmas Lights, a pop up shop initiative and now the annual Summer Festival. The team consists of voluntary community members and anyone is welcome to join the team and be involved in the organising and planning of the events. Meetings are held every 3 months to discuss plans and ideas for the years activities, sub committees are formed to look after each individual project that is undertaken. It is vital to develop a vibrant business and community in our market town.
https://www.facebook.com/chardtownteam
Chard One Team
‘One Teams’ have been working in Somerset since 2013. They are designed to bring a multi-agency focus on our areas of highest demand to the public sector. Chard – Cathie Morrison cathmorrison38@gmail.com
Somerset Art Works is a registered charity, artist membership organisation and Somerset’s only countywide agency dedicated to developing the visual arts.
We want Somerset to be a place where people expect to engage with excellent visual art that is surprising and distinctive. We initiate a wide range of projects in a variety of settings, weaving together communities and raising the profile of the vibrant contemporary visual, digital and applied arts scene in Somerset. Somerset Art Works is Joint Lead Partner with The Town Council. An Arts Council NPO organisation.
https://somersetartworks.org.uk/
Chard Museum exists to help today’s community ‘uncover yesterday’s heritage, history and hidden stories’. Telling the story of the town and the local area including: geology, the fire of 1577, the Monmouth Rebellion, local lace, the Lace Riots and the rise and fall of industrial Chard. Displays on notable people with connections to the town include; John Stringfellow (flight), James Gillingham (artificial limbs), Margaret Bondfield (first woman Cabinet minister), James Griffith (X-rays). https://www.chardmuseum.co.uk/
Chard Carnival is an illuminated procession which takes place on the second Saturday in October, and raises money for local charities and organisations. In 1967, representatives from the League of Friends and Chard Youth Centre met to discuss ways in which to raise money for the respective groups. Gerald Quick, Mervyn Ball, Tom Miller and Wendy Clulow decided that the best option would be to revive Chard Carnival, after a break of 13 years. The carnival is now in its consecutive 54th year and has raised over £100,000 for local charities and organisations, including The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, Chard Christmas Lights, Children’s Hospice South West, Chard Hospital and all the local schools.
www.chardcarnival.co.uk https://www.facebook.com/chardcarnival
Holyrood Academy provides comprehensive education to 1300 of Chard’s young people. Geographically placed at the centre of the town, Holyrood is keen to take a central place in the community alongside other community partners to enrich the cultural experience of all.
We are proud to serve the young people of Chard and the surrounding area and work to foster their pride and engagement in the community in many aspects of their lives. For more details of the school please email: office@holyrood.uat.ac
Culturally Chard 
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