I’ve been wondering how to write a Mayor’s Christmas message that isn’t painfully cliché, empty predictable drivel or self-important prattle as if it’s the festive period only after I’ve acknowledged it to be so!
But we’re living in extraordinary times, and history continues to be written with all of us just trying to get on and get by the best we can while that happens. Last year the uncertainty around whether Christmas would be ‘cancelled’ brought things back to their traditional core values of community, family, communication, quality time and the communal nature of celebrations. I hope that some of those things continue at the core of this year’s Christmas.
We’ve seen a better time recently overall thanks to restrictions being eased earlier in the year but with the news of a new variant we must still stay safe and vigilant. Frome however has in many instances led the way. I’ve spoken to numerous journalists from all over the world this year about how we all came together, tackled loneliness, and mounted huge community efforts to stay connected and support each other. So, it’s no surprise that 2022 might have its challenges but we are well practiced and have a great wealth of collective experience to draw upon and plough through. I have nothing but faith in this and the Frome community.
I hope you all have a happy and healthy festive period; however you decide to celebrate (or not) this year. Let’s continue to look out for each other and shop locally, utilise our many incredible and hardworking independent businesses while sliding into a new year full of smashing goals, chasing dreams, and finding success on whatever is most important to you. Despite the current state of the world, as individuals we still yield so much power over the directions we take and the decisions we make.
Have a great Christmas and a very happy new year, I’m ready for 2022 already and I know you’re all with me.
