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Chard Area Resilience Group (CARG)
A coming together of volunteers aiming for actions to help and benefit the community.
R4ABC (Residents for a Better Chard) and Stop Flooding Chard are two groups of residents based in Chard and the surrounding villages.
A meeting of these two forces, now working in collaboration to promote and establish CARG, came together via the public gallery of a Council meeting.
We now have the CARG “umbrella organisation” comprising local, skilled and professional people from the communities, Councillors of differing party politics or no party working together, Parishes and developing collaboration with our local neighbours in Ilminster. We work with agencies and local authorities such as the Local Lead Flood Authority (LLFA), Civil Contingencies. Wessex Water, South Somerset District Council and Somerset County Council.
Since April 2022, we have harnessed a considerable community-wide force for good. We continue to push for solutions, not just sticking plasters.
We want to help protect from future flooding and other civil incidents by increasing resilience through fact-finding, illustrative design and sketches based on evidence, the “voice of reason”, sharing information and community cooperation.
This fundraising campaign will establish a funding base for equipment for our growing number of volunteers and cover recurring costs such as meeting venue hire, consumables and website costs.
Feedback to the first six months of CARG:
“Working collectively and positively to address the issues at a local level”.
“The tone that you have all set within CARG to recognise what has happened, and to concentrate efforts on the future, provides a framework for collective action, provides a voice for all where everyone’s views are equal and valid and instils a sense of community where everyone feels supported”.
