Hi, this is Jane from the Wild Bunch with our latest column.
What do you know about Frome’s ‘Wild Bunch’? Possibly not a lot! You may have heard the name but have little idea who we are, what we do, when we meet and why some of us get to write a few column inches in the Frome Times every fortnight.
The idea of The Wild Bunch grew from Frome Town Council’s Neighbourhood Network meetings which took place online during the pandemic. We all wanted to build better links within our neighbourhoods, but another common interest emerged. We wanted to find ways to help our neighbourhoods to support wildlife – animals and plants. Even those without a garden may well have space for flowers in pots and a bird feeder on a doorstep or windowsill – and all of us in Frome have access to local community green spaces. By promoting gardening for wildlife, we can all play our part however small, in tackling the critical loss of biodiversity.
From these small beginnings our monthly meetings began and continue today. They are open to all, providing an opportunity to share wildlife experiences, pick up new ideas and link with like-minded neighbours. In winter these take place at the Town Hall (with a zoom option too) whilst in summer they are often out and about. Recent outdoor gatherings have included pond-dipping, allotment visits and bat counts, along with neighbourhood workshops building bird boxes. Town Hall gatherings have covered topics such as slugs, composting and building bird feeders.
Why not find out more about ways to encourage more wildlife in your garden or local open spaces? To sign up for one of our get-togethers – “Butterflies and Bees” in Rodden Meadow on 20th July or “Hedgehog Awareness” at Frome Town Hall on 21st September – or to join our email list for quarterly updates, or to put forward ideas for future topics and activities, visit the Wild Bunch page. We look forward to hearing from you!
