Mayor’s column – 4th January 2024
I hope that you were able to have a relaxing and peaceful Christmas with family and friends – those dearest to you.
I would like to thank all who gave of their time to help and support those in need over the Christmas period and will do so in the coming year. Organisations such as Fair Frome, who organise the Christmas Get Together for people who might otherwise spend Christmas alone. Active and in Touch, whose befriending service and volunteer drivers combat isolation. Purple Elephant and The Pod, making lives better for our young people. The work that these people do is so important for the health and wellbeing for so many within our community.
2023 was a year when we were able to fully enjoy all that our town has to offer following time of the pandemic. Many events were taking place again, and others continuing from the previous year.
My mayoral duties leading up to Christmas were numerous, which gave me the opportunity to meet and thank so many people and organisations for all they do to support and help others.
The candlelight Carol Service at St John’s Church, where I was asked to give a reading, was a evening where many people came together in Christmas celebration. It was Rev Colin Alsbury’s last Christmas in Frome, as he prepares for his retirement in mid-January, which made the event especially poignant.
As we are now into 2024, it is a time to look forward, a time for planning and of consideration. What do we hope and wish for us and our families?
We start the year with some uncertainty, as Somerset County Council face a financial emergency, as discussed in this issue of Frome Times by our Leader of the Council, Lisa Merryweather. Where that will lead remains to be seen, but the stronger our community, the better we will cope with whatever comes our way.
I ask you to think about those around you and consider how you may be able to contribute to the many organisations in Frome. What can you offer? How can you help? Or make contact with people near you who may be lonely. Show them an act of kindness. There are many volunteering opportunities in Frome: make it your New Year’s Resolution to make contact and volunteer! Collectively we will make a huge difference to many people’s lives.
Karin and I will be continuing our volunteering for Active and In Touch Cafe and help other organisations in any way we can.
We have much to look forward to in this New Year. These are still challenging times, and the road will be bumpy, but together we have strength and resilience. Let us be positive and work together for the good of our community. This is Frome.
Please do not hesitate to contact me or any of my colleges if there is anything we can do to help.
May I wish you a peaceful and healthy 2024!
