Mayor Andy Jones hosted Frome’s Annual Town Meeting on Wednesday 2nd April at the town hall. Reflecting on a busy year, Andy said:
“I asked my colleagues on Council to elect me as Mayor because I wanted the opportunity to find out more about what makes our wonderful town tick and meet some of the amazing people who make it all work. I’ve certainly done that!
“The role of Mayor seems to fall into three main elements. First is the only legal requirement that I chair the meetings of Frome Town Council, but I’m not going to spend too much time talking about that part of the work as I assume that like me, you all spend happy hours every evening glued to You Tube watching FTC meetings on catch up!
“Second is the ceremonial role, attending the annual rhythm of events in Frome, including Light the Night – it’s worth being Mayor just for that one night on the balcony! Overlaid on all those regular events is the third part of the Mayor’s role, celebrating specific milestones and events for some of the nearly 200 voluntary and not for profit organisations that make this town tick. It’s also a highlight and a privilege of being mayor to be able to recognise the brilliant work of some of the groups and individuals who go above and beyond for our town.
Thanks to Graham of Keyford hedgehod rescue for his ‘lightbulb’ pitch and invitation to make Frome a hedgehog-friendly town – watch the recording on YouTube to find out more!
Civic Awards 2025
“Ian Regler, Sharon Payne and Stephen Caffyn of IMS Ltd who volunteered to help Friends of Frome Hospital with the resurfacing of their car park in June 2024 and delivered work anticipated to cost £40,000 free of charge. Thanks also to Tarmac, Wainwrights, Heidelberg, Aggregate Industries, Morris and Perry, Jet Plant Hire, CH Contracting, Amos Markings Ltd and Hellard Haulage for their contribution to the project.
“Darren Bowsher, a local businessman, who has made a number of generous donations through his business, including providing a solar array to Fair Frome which enables them to operate their base in Frome with significantly lower electricity consumption costs. He has donated medical equipment to allow local doctors to deliver services to people who might otherwise not receive it, including the homeless, and secured funding for the Frome Fridge project with a £20,000 donation.
In addition to these extremely generous and valuable donations, he offers his time as a mentor to local independent business owners providing much needed practical advice..
“Karen Stewart has worked tirelessly to support Fair Frome and also to support our amazing Community Radio station, Frome FM. Unfortunately we weren’t able to present Karen with her award at the meeting; we’ll be doing it very soon!
“Marjorie Morris and her late husband Bob approached me at a previous town meeting and persuaded me to join their work with Frome Festival. Marjorie also ran SODA, which became Art for Wellbeing, enabling artists with a wide range of abilities to develop their art within a supportive and creative environment. She recently stepped down after 26 years service – and I’m told they’ve had to find three more volunteers to cover everything she did!
“Richard Lines is due for an award because he’s celebrating multiple centenaries this year. Not his own, true, but Richard has volunteered for many years at the Memorial Theatre which marked its centenary last year, and he’s also a key member of Frome Rotary, who celebrated their centenary in 2025.
“Tim Fielding last, but by no means least, is a figure familiar to all of us who use The Westway. I had several people suggest that Tim Fielding deserved a Mayor’s Civic Award to mark his move on from the Westway, here’s a tribute from Police Inspector Rachel Clark:
“Tim worked in the Westway precinct as a security guard, and before that as a doorman in many of the pubs around town spanning over two decades. He has been the eyes and ears for our neighbourhood team and if you needed to find someone, Tim would be the one to find them! His altruistic being is second to none and we will thoroughly miss him!
Andy Jones also presented a Civic Award to Reg Ling on Valentine’s Day, at his final ceremony at the Valentine Lamp.
Watch the Annual Town Meeting on YouTube at https://bit.ly/frome-atm-2025.
