Last year has been amazing for me as Mayor. I’ve met so many wonderful and caring people who go out of their way to help make Frome great. FTC celebrated with many of them in the Town Hall just before Christmas, when we hosted a coffee and mince pies afternoon, joined by volunteers from Discover Frome, the Frome Shed, the Litter Warriors, Volunteer Rangers and many more. I thought I was eating the last mince pies from Robin, the erstwhile Baker of Cheap Street, but I’m assured he’s planning to carry on selling at the weekly market even after he’s closed up the shop.
Here we are, a quarter of the way into the 21st Century. Globally, civilisation feels like it’s stuck in the past, repeating the same struggles over conflicting ideologies and perpetuating the same inequalities that mankind has faced for centuries. But locally it feels to me like we’re making some progress on the things we can impact. The rhythm of life in Frome will see us wassailing at Weylands in February before March brings The Kindness Festival – which just gets bigger and better each year. This year’s theme is forgiveness, one of those virtues that brightens everyone’s lives, whether forgiving a perceived slight, or forgiving ourselves for past mistakes. 2025 will bring another round of Transition Streets workshops, helping neighbours work together to have a positive impact on the environment, and simultaneously strengthening those bonds that make communities work, and later in the year we’ll be celebrating the LGBTQ+ community with the Frome Pride event, before moving on to Frome Festival in July.
New Year has traditionally been a time to make resolutions, many of which are broken or forgotten within weeks. At Critchill School every child has a PLIM, a personalised learning intention map based on their strengths and aspirations. So this year, why not be kind to yourself? Create a PLIM for yourself, based on what matters to you and what you intend to do about it – but forgive yourself if you don’t meet all those goals. I plan to enjoy 2025 in Frome, I hope you do too.
