Tomorrow, work will begin on replacing the current town website; interruptions to service can be expected from late morning while the work is undertaken. Further interruptions may occur when the events calendar is added once the site has gone live.
The website story:
The current town website was part of the Town Centre Improvement Plan (TCIP, 2007-10) funded by the South East England Development Agency (now defunct) and at the disbanding of the TCIP Steering Committee, responsibility for its day to day oversight passed to the trustees of the Whitchurch Association, who also oversee the running of the Gill Nethercott Community Centre and the town’s Walkers are Welcome accreditation. The TCIP budget did not provide funding for ongoing maintenance or upgrades.
The design of the original site was heavily customised and despite revamps over the last three years funded by the Whitchurch Association, it had become apparent that due to aging, and out of date software, it needed to be replaced.
The Whitchurch Association has used the same company that the Town Council employed to design its new site. We have learnt from experience and taken on board advice from Comms Team volunteers and have streamlined the website. The new website is clean, fresh and up to date in appearance and has been designed, like all new websites, to be easy to read/navigate across multiple devices.
To support the town in the best way we can, the decision was taken to develop a site that serves two purposes,
1) to attract people into Whitchurch (tourism) hence the use of fabulous pictures to really showcase the town and area and the ‘What to Do’ section, encouraging visitors to stay longer and hopefully spend more money and…..
2) to continue to serve the local community.*
* Residents, community groups, clubs and societies will still be able to submit suitable news articles and events by following the links clearly shown in the footer of each page. Please Note, it is NOT the responsibility of the Whitchurch Association, or the website Comms Team to provide an editorial/news service. If details of news items/events are not submitted externally, for consideration, they will likely not appear.
Trustees are very grateful for the assistance they have received from local residents and businesses who have provided professional quality photographs and information.
Going forward the site will continue to be overseen by a small team of Whitchurch Association trustees and volunteers.