Hello everyone and welcome to this weeks update.
I recently took part in one of the most significant events in the mayoral calendar, the Remembrance Service at the Memorial theatre. It was an extremely moving and powerful moment; many residents came along to hear the service and to watch the wreaths being laid. I was very pleased to be able to lay a wreath on behalf of the town and along with others, spend time acknowledging the sacrifices made by servicemen, women and animals and innumerable others. It’s an inevitably sad event, made all the more poignant this year as some of our Ukrainian guests were there to lay their own wreath, and it really brought home the sadness and futility of war.
It was also a time to remember all victims of all wars, for the effects spread far and wide across populations and countries. I was a child when I lost all of my grandparents, so a personal sadness for me was never getting to hear their own stories, but it was a real pleasure to speak with veterans and others about their own experiences and I thank them for sharing that time with me. A huge thanks also to the musicians, cadets and groups involved for creating such a memorable event.
On a lighter note, I popped into the Pod’s Scrapstore session at the Cheese and Grain. The Pod is an organisation that works with young adults with learning difficulties providing opportunities to gain work experience, and they themselves organise the event, which brings together materials that can be used for play and creativity like paper, packaging, stationery etc that Frome businesses would otherwise have sent to landfill. This is then sold by the bag very cheaply and goes to places like playgroups and workshops to be reused. It really was impressive to see the amount of ‘stuff’ that would otherwise have gone to waste, but it also did bring home just how big a problem this kind of waste is. The Pod’s model is great and recycling and reusing unused materials is definitely something we should all be doing more of.
I’ve also recently attended the Frome College GCSE certificates and awards ceremony. The ‘Class of 2022’ have been through some of the worst imaginable years for studying, so it was a real delight to hear how brilliantly they have done and what an exciting pool of talent lies there for the future. Good luck to them all on their next adventures.
Finally, you may have seen FTC’s Cost of Living leaflet which has been delivered to every household. This is a directory of places and organisations that can support people with a range of issues through these challenging times and will hopefully signpost anyone who needs help in the right direction. Do have a look and if you haven’t got one they can be collected from the Town Hall or by looking at our website here: www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk/cost-of-living-crisis-support In the meantime, as always, look after yourselves and each other and don’t hesitate to contact me or my council colleagues if we can help.
