Frome is to host an exciting new River Festival this summer to celebrate life within and around the water. From Sunday 17 July to Saturday 23 July there will be a range of free activities on offer, from walks to talks on local wildlife.
The River Frome is a very important part of the town of Frome – after all the town was built on it for a reason. It’s also a vital part of the Bristol Avon catchment and home to a diverse range of insects, fish, birds and mammals. It provides vital services to agriculture and society in general, and endless enjoyment and pleasure to anglers, canoeists and walkers.
For the above reasons it is not surprising that many groups of people take an interest in the river and that community focused groups have formed specifically to look after it in their own way. In Frome recently a collaboration between Frome Town Council, The Friends of the River Frome, The Wild Trout Trust and Frome Angling Club supported by the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust carried out a project to improve stretches of the river in the town. This was funded by the Environment Agency.
Ian Mock, Trust Manager of Bristol Avon Rivers Trust, said, “Instead of letting the project end, we have decided to build on this work by working together to raise awareness of the importance of the river and to get more people involved in looking after it at many different levels. The need for increased public awareness of their water environments has been highlighted in recent pollution events within the river. Despite the recent pollution, enthusiasm is undiminished and events are being organised and advertised every week so please look out for them and book some time in your diaries to enjoy the river.”
As a starting point Bristol Avon Rivers Trust are organising a week long River Festival where the efforts of all of the group can be highlighted to engage more people in the town and along the river, getting involved, or just enjoying the benefits a clean river can bring.
Details will be published regularly on www.bristolavonriverstrust.org and http://fromeriverfriends.org.uk/
