Digital Edition
Click here to view the latest
weekly Chard paper.
Chard
A303 closed between Honiton and Ilminster due to serious collision
THE A303 between Honiton and Ilminster is closed due to a serious collision, and motorists are being advised to avoid the area.Emergency Services were...
Council tax to rise as district accepts ‘unfair’ funding deal from government
SOUTH Somerset residents will see a rise in their council tax after the district council “reluctantly” accepted a four-year settlement of central government grants.Discussions...
CCG director retires after 40 years of service with NHS
LUCY Watson, Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) Director of Quality and Patient Safety, has retired from the NHS after 40 years of service.At a...
Forde Abbey fair raises £30,000
THIS year’s charity fair, organised by the Roper and Kennard family at Forde Abbey, near Chard, raised £30,000 for two charities, the Royal Agricultural...
Chard strong man visits school to inspire students
STUDENTS at Holyrood Academy were given a real treat as Britain’s first disabled strongman and Chard local Gary Clarke visited the school to inspire...
Plenty of laughs at ‘Vicar of Dibley’ production
MEMBERS of the Chard Entertainment Society can take a very big bow following their hilarious production of ‘The Vicar of Dibley’.The show – performed...
Students trek across West Dorset in Duke of Edinburgh expeditions
WITH route cards prepared, maps ready and rucksacks packed, students from both Wadham School in Crewkerne and Holyrood Academy in Chard headed off on...
Witness appeal following crash that left two dead
POLICE are appealing for witnesses following a road traffic collision that has left two dead and a further two in hospital.Emergency services were called following...
Emergency services rush to three vehicle smash between Chard and Axminster
EMERGENCY services have been called to the scene of a road traffic collision on the A358 Chard Road, this afternoon following a three car crash,...
Crews called to rescue man after fire is thought to have been started deliberately
FIRE crews were called into action in Chard on Saturday afternoon to rescue a man trapped in a building where a fire was thought to...
District council urges owners of empty properties to help with housing shortage
PEOPLE with empty properties in South Somerset are being urged to get in touch with the district council so it can bring them back...
Somerset gets behind Macmillan fundraising campaign
A GROUP of staff from Tesco in Chard got on their bikes to cycle to the Ilminster branch in aid of The Tesco Macmillan...
Town councillors test out troublesome dropped kerbs
CHARD town councillors and local residents joined forces to assess the condition of dropped kerbs throughout the town.All of the dropped kerb problems will...
County completes extensive road works ahead of winter
THE end of summer saw the completion of the largest surface dressing programme in Somerset County Council’s history.Surface dressing is a nationally-recognised maintenance technique...
Somerset artist Brian Rice publishes book of paintings from last 64 years
THE distinguished Somerset artist Brian Rice has published a book of all his paintings from the last 64 years.In the 1960s, Brian was at...
Plenty of laughs at fun-filled Chard Carnival
CHARD residents lined the streets to enjoy this year’s carnival procession, and the floats were bigger and better than ever.In what is turning into...
Sponsored walk for Orchard Osteopaths
A TEAM from Orchard Osteopaths in Chard took on a challenging walk recently to raise funds for those who are unable to afford osteopathy.Osteopathy...
Ambulance service ‘requires improvement’
THE South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) service has been rated as ‘requires improvement’ following an inspection in June.The trust has been...
Council lobbies government as £24million overspend predicted
SOMERSET County Council has called for help in putting collective pressure on the government as it wrestles with the impact of falling funding and...
CCTV images released after Chard Rugby Club break-in
CCTV images have been released as part of an investigation into a burglary at Chard Rugby Football Club.The club, in Essex Close, was broken...
Residents celebrate Henson Park regeneration project
RESIDENTS of Chard celebrated the completion of a regeneration project with craft activities and the chance to get rid of any unwanted items.The regeneration...
Lord Ashdown to host book signing
FORMER leader of the Liberal Democrats Lord Ashdown will be signing copies of his new book at Chard BookShop.Chard BookShop opened in June this...
Chief Constable pledges to ‘make communities safer’
CHIEF Constable Andy Marsh has pledged to improve Avon and Somerset Constabulary’s detection rate and response to dwelling burglaries.The pledge was made after the...
Lauren named as Miss Chard 2016
LAUREN Swanston has been named as Miss Chard 2016 and will be at the head of this year’s carnival.She was unveiled as the new...
Mental health charity promotes how it can help young people
THE Project, which supports local young people experiencing emotional health issues, promoted itself at an event hosted by Yarlington Housing Group at Henson Park...
Holyrood appoints head boy and girl
KATHERINE Locke and Seamus Curtin have been appointed as this year’s head girl and head boy at Holyrood Academy in Chard.Headteacher Matt Collins was...
Charity horseless steeplechase a great success
SOUTH Somerset Mind held its first ever horseless steeplechase at Chard Equestrian during a recent family day.With races for all the family to enter,...
New efficient street lighting will pay for itself within seven years
A MASSIVE £3.6 million, six-month programme to replace 18,000 plus street lights across Somerset will start this month.Somerset County Council will replace around one...
Golf day fundraiser
SOMERSET Chamber of Commerce’s annual golf day raised £3,200 for Stand Against Violence (SAV).Now in its tenth year, the annual fundraising event, which took...
Supermarket launches new charity campaign
A CHARD supermarket reports that the launch of its new charity got off to a good start, with plenty of keen customers eager for...