We are bringing an exciting new search feature to Cornwall Link. It is being tested at the moment, and we hope to launch it properly by the end of October 2026.
What is changing
At the moment, different things on the site sit in different places. Services and events are in one area. Groups and organisations are in another. Advice and information pages are somewhere else again. That means you have to work out where to look before you can start looking.
The new search brings this all together. You type what you need, and you get everything that might help in one list.
A better experience
Start with a search term, a place or a category (e.g. childminders).
You do not have to use the right words. If you type something like "help with my mum’s memory", you will still see memory cafes, local groups and advice pages, even if none of them use those exact words.
Once you have your results, you can narrow them down. You can choose to see only events, only services, or only organisations. You will also be able to filter by new options like ‘free’, or ‘wheelchair accessible’.
Results are easier to read, too. If something runs every Thursday, you will see that straight away without having to visit the detailed page view. You can save anything to your favourites or share it with someone, right from the list.
How the search works
To find things that match what you mean, rather than just the words you type, the search turns writing into numbers.
Every listing on the site is converted into a set of numbers that stands for its meaning. When you type something into the search box, your words are converted in the same way. The search then looks for the listings whose numbers are closest to yours. That is how it can connect "help with my mum’s memory" to a memory cafe, even though the words are completely different.
That conversion is done by a service run by Microsoft, on their Azure platform. The search results themselves are handled by a search provider called Typesense.
The only things sent out when you search are the words you type in the search box, and the listings on the site, which are public anyway. We do not send your name, your account details, or anything else about you. There is more detail in our privacy policy.
Why we are doing it
People told us they were not always sure where to look, and that useful things were being missed because they were somewhere people did not think to check. We want you to be able to type what is on your mind and get a helpful result, without having to navigate the menu.
What happens next
The new search is being tested now with groups in Cornwall. We are aiming to launch it fully by the end of October 2026.
If you’d like to get involved in testing, please do let us know!