February started for me with welcoming the new Vicar of St John’s, the Revd Seamus Hargrave, who is joining us from the Diocese of St David’s in South Wales. I presented him with one of our new ‘Welcome to Frome’ information packs and I’m sure we’ll soon see him around town at various events.
Saturday 8th February saw people enjoying themselves at The Weylands Wassail, making a noise to wake the apple trees from their Winter slumbers. I have to admit that neither event would have been in my diary had I not been Mayor, but then my primary reason for taking on that role was to experience all that Frome can offer, and it’s been a busy year so far!
There was a huge turnout for the latest Tech Amnesty again, it’s the best way to dispose safely of redundant gadgets and also make sure they get repurposed or recycled appropriately. Bttween the DonateIT team and Fixy, they collected a tonne of donated tech that might otherwise have ended up in landfill. If you missed them, the next opportunity is during Great Big Green Week, Sunday 8th June, 10am to 1pm.
We had a packed house recently at the Town Hall for a gathering of Community Organisations, sharing concerns about the challenges those organisations face in Frome. The group discussed many topics including
- Improving the ‘offer’ for volunteers with clear roles, use of skills and expectations etc.
- Exploring how we might use volunteer ‘passports’ with skills, DBS etc so people can move between Organisations
- Connect with Young People as volunteers
- Exploring new ways to share information and opportunities
Much of this chimed with the agenda when I joined the first meeting of The High Sheriff of Somerset Charitable Trust in Yeovil. After an address from Deborah Meaden (of Dragon’s Den fame) we talked about:
- The lack of young people volunteering
- The difficulty of getting working age population into the habit of volunteering
- The ‘demographic time bomb’ in Somerset of an extensive elderly population becoming less able to volunteer and themselves dependent on volunteer services
As is often the case, it’s far easier to state the problem than it is to find answers, and obviously when many people are working two or three jobs just to keep a roof over their heads, they have no bandwidth for anything else. But there’s no doubt many of our most treasured local community organisations need some more help so if you fancy getting involved have a look at the Frome Town Council website.
Finally, don’t forget to support another great Frome tradition this Friday, 14th February from 5:30pm when everyone is summoned to await the arrival of the Lamplighter at 6pm for a short ceremony. After over 30 years of tending the lamp, this will be Reg Ling’s final appearance before he hands over to his successor. Thank you, Reg!
