On Saturday 8th March, a community action forum at Frome Football Club brought together people from statutory and voluntary organisations, venue staff from Frome’s ‘nighttime economy’, Frome town councillors and residents to discuss how to improve safety for women and girls in Frome. In keeping with this year’s International Women’s Day theme, ‘Accelerate Action’, the discussion aimed to identify tangible actions, however small, that we could take in Frome as a community. Cllr Fiona Barrows said:
“Violence against women and girls is, sadly, a huge global problem and a small town in Somerset isn’t going to end that, but on 8th March we focused on what we CAN do about it. The atmosphere at the event on 8th March was so fantastic, collaborative and focused and we look forward to following up some of the ideas that emerged. It was great to have a mixture of experts and interested, motivated people in the room and specifically not to just have those experts presenting and everyone else listening, but to work together – and we really did.”
Cllr Carla Collonette said “I’m feeling inspired and motivated after Saturday’s ‘Accelerate Action’ forum focused on creating a safer future for women and girls in Frome. The energy and commitment in the room at Frome Football Club was palpable as community members, local officials, and experts came together to address violence against women and girls. Special thanks to Inspector Rachel Clark from Avon and Somerset Police and representatives from Somerset Domestic Abuse Service who shared invaluable insights. Their expertise helped ground our discussions in reality while highlighting the concerning statistic that violence against women and girls represents 20% of crimes reported to police in 2023/24. Our facilitated discussions on women’s safety at night, education and youth, male allyship, and domestic violence yielded thoughtful conversations and practical ideas. I was particularly moved by the stories shared of positive interventions and the genuine desire from all participants to create meaningful change in our community. To everyone who attended and contributed to the discussion: your passion for making Frome safer is the catalyst we need for real progress. This International Women’s Day event was just the beginning. The real work starts now as we implement the actions identified and continue to build a safer Frome for everyone.”
Cllr Tracey Ashford said “What a great collection of people. You know something is right when so many people happily pile in and work so willingly together. I look forward to seeing the ideas develop in the coming months; there was so much being said and such energy in the room.”
Cllr Anne Hills said: “There was so much positive energy in the room, and great to see people from different generations. I left feeling inspired.”
Find out more about International Women’s Day at https://www.internationalwomensday.com.
