During lockdown Frome’s Town Rangers were unable to carry out their normal grass cutting, this led to the emergence of some wonderful wildflowers popping up around town.
We asked for your feedback and pictures of areas which you have loved seeing come to life and have been overwhelmed with beautiful pictures taken around Frome.
The Rangers are back to servicing the parks and open spaces around the town and have been creatively managing the areas so we can still enjoy things a little wilder. One resident commented: “Thank you to the town council for the incredible and well thought out management of open spaces around the town during the current crisis. The well-cut paths, and picnic areas through the old Showfield and adjoining fields, the Millennium Gardens, the paths through the wooded area at North Hill, have made walking and exercising so much easier and more enjoyable.”
Deputy Mayor Andy Wrintmore, commented: “As part of our Wild about Frome project, we tailor our management and maintenance techniques in certain areas to encourage biodiversity in the town’s parks and green spaces, by doing this we are creating a variety of different and complementary habitats, which help to support our wildlife and plant life. One way of achieving this is cutting the grass less frequently and letting the grass and wildflowers grow in-between. The rangers are now busily planning their end of season cutting programme for our parks and open spaces which will take place in August.”
The grass verges around Frome have also got a little wilder over the past months. Responsibility for these areas is shared and we are working with Mendip District Council and Somerset County Council to see whether they might want to leave some of the areas that they look after to create even more Wild about Frome areas around the town. We’re really keen to work with the other authorities to take this forward.
If you’d like to see more wildflowers in verges, another way to take this forward is to sign the open letter petition PlantLife have created, that will be sent to Somerset County Council. https://plantlife.love-wildflowers.org.uk/roadvergecampaign
Photo credit: Bev Nichols
Published 6th July 2020
