We had a huge turnout at the October meeting of Frome Town Council, mainly because residents wanted to share their views on the Weymouth Road parking scheme. It’s been a long-running controversy and has caused some division in town. Eventually Somerset Council decided to allow us to decide the matter locally, and after much discussion we voted by majority to remove the residents’ parking scheme. People who have paid for permits should be refunded. Now we just need to wait for Somerset Council to implement that recommendation, so please don’t ignore the existing rules until they remove the signage.
There’s lots been happening in Frome since my last column, but first I want to say what a great service is offered by Berry’s Coaches with their Superfast London service. In a previous life I used to drive far too much, so I’m always happy to find other options. An early morning pickup at the bus stop near Sainsbury’s got us into Hammersmith bus station in good time to take the tube to Covent Garden for lunch. We were staying overnight but in fact the return journey leaves late enough in the evening that even a day return would allow plenty of time in the capital, or even an afternoon matinée.
Back in Frome I dropped in on a workshop organised by Frome Birth Talk. Suzy, Lucy & Becky, together with many volunteers provide invaluable support for new and expectant parents. They offer free professional counselling, a pregnancy and new parent group, and a toddler group, as well as a baby loss support group. Look them up on Facebook or visit the website to find out more.
The middle weekend was exceptionally busy, starting with a chat with the Parkinson’s Group. They meet in the town hall on the second Friday of each month, for a chance for anyone affected by Parkinson’s to catch up over a cuppa in a lovely supportive atmosphere. Unfortunately, I missed the quiz but did win a prize in the raffle!
Saturday was a day of contrasts. I started by visiting the open day at Christ Church, where I heard about their plans to renovate and make more community use of the spaces in this beautiful building. I also help out at Broadway Community Garden, on Oakfield Road, where we normally have a gathering of volunteers on Sunday mornings and Wednesday afternoons, but Saturday was a special project to get a large area of turf laid before the weather gets too cold. It feels really good to work together on a shared project like that, and then to go back the next day and see what a difference it has made.
And then of course Sunday was Multicultural Frome at the Cheese and Grain. It’s such a great event and I really must thank Azeema and Lenka who work so hard with the charity Young People Frome to make it all happen. Now in its seventh year, it’s such a celebration of cultural diversity. I was honoured to be asked to open the event, and as I said in my speech, I know it’s an unsettled and scary time in many parts of the world, driven by a few people who use differences in race or religion as a rough surface to strike the spark of war. But here in Frome we prefer to see difference as enriching our lives, allowing us to enjoy each other’s art, craft, entertainment, language and food. We welcome people from across the globe, whether as new residents, visitors, or refugees. There is no place for racism in Frome – or anywhere. The Multicultural Festival is all about showing the richness that people from other cultures bring to our society and celebrating them. Long may it continue.
