Frome Town Council’s grants committee met on Wednesday 20th November and has awarded almost £44,000 in grants to local organisations in the final funding round of 2024. Funded projects include money to enable software upgrades, improvements to facilities and subsidised places on paid-for services and activities, to improve access for the whole community. All projects meet the grants committee’s criteria: nonprofit organisations fulfilling a need in the community, with a direct positive impact for the people of Frome.
Mayor Andy Jones, chair of the grants committee, said: “As always, the grants committee had both a rewarding and a genuinely difficult job to do. In Frome we have so many motivated and dedicated people working to make a difference and it’s great to be in a position to help some of them do it. There are always more deserving projects than there are funds to support them: that, of course, is the difficult part. Congratulations to all the funded projects and we hope to hear from them, and from the projects we couldn’t fund this time, in the future.”
One of the organsisations to receive a grant was Better Nature Ecotherapy CIC, to make their monthly drop-in nature-based sessions accessible to all. Better Nature’s Barbara Gonzalez said: “These monthly drop-in sessions, which can now be affordable to everyone, will be invaluable in showing people how nature can help their wellbeing and steering them towards the deeper work taking place in our six-week courses. It’s also a great opportunity to introduce people to the other amazing green social prescribing projects happening in the town.”
The Good Heart received £1,600 in the latest round of grants. Director Alison Murdoch said “We often hear people saying they’d like to make friends and give something back through volunteering, especially if they’re new to Frome. This grant from Frome Town Council will help us appoint a part-time Volunteer Coordinator who will start by recruiting volunteers for our new ‘community corner’ at The Good Heart Cafe and for the fourth Frome Kindness Festival, running 15th to 22nd March 2025, and then help them explore other opportunities.If you’re interested in our ‘Kindness Crew’ initiative please get in touch via The Good Heart website.”
The Grants Committee meets at least twice a year. The full list of grants awarded on 20th November can be found at frometowncouncil.gov.uk/event/grants-committee-4. Information about future application cycles and committee meetings is at bit.ly/ftc-grants.
