A TOWN app telling visitors and locals all they need to know about Cardigan is to be officially launched later this month.

Local shops, B&Bs, hotels, guest houses, pubs and other interested businesses are all being invited to the launch on Wednesday, February 21 at the Guildhall (7pm).

A demonstration of the app and how it works will take place, while bilingual free coasters and flyers will be handed out for distribution to promote the service and what it has to offer.

Visitors coming to Cardigan can now log in on their mobiles and get a whistle-stop tour of everything the town has to offer, from local shops, where to go to eat and drink, events, places to visit and even a brief potted history and pictures from a bygone era.

The app has been funded by support from the Town Centre Partnership, Cardigan Traders who have subscribed to be part of it and the town council. The development cost was covered by a European grant via the local authority of £5,000.

Ongoing costs will be covered by the town businesses and town council.

The app has been under constant development for the past few months and is kept up to date with help from the developers and Cydeithas Aberteifi Society who will stage an exhibition during the week from February 19-24.

Former mayor and current town and county councillor Clive Davies has been a driving force behind the scheme.

He believes it will provide a significant boost to businesses in the high street as the town looks to build further on the success of Cardigan Castle’s victory in the Great Restoration project on Channel 4 last year and events such as Barley Saturday, the revived carnival and lantern parade.

“Its aim is to simply provide anyone who comes to Cardigan everything they need to know about our little market town,” said Cllr Davies.

“It includes some very clever features such as 360 degree images, augmented reality, games and you can even take a selfie with our Teifi otter.”

In the near future, the app will work alongside the free town Wifi system being introduced in 2018 and also new car park signage and information boards for those visitors to the town.

The app has already received a warm welcome from Cardigan Traders chairman Martin Radley.

“This is very good news and I hope every business owner will buy into this and take advantage of it as this is the future,” he said

“The key now will be traders feeding information into the site. A potential customer could now walk past your shop, their phone would ‘bing’ and they would instantly be aware of what’s on offer.

“Most people are now smart phone savvy and we have to embrace this as the way forward.”