My partner, Steve, and I thoroughly enjoyed our holiday in Crete and luckily, we were nowhere near where dreadful wildfires were forcing people to evacuate. I really hope the wonderful people of Crete will remain safe from harm.
It was delightful to get away, but luckily all that lovely sunshine was, and still is, also being enjoyed here in the UK, so I hope you’re managing to make the most of it.
I’d like to say a huge thank you to Fiona Barrows, Chair and Leader of the Council, who was kind enough to take on my column while I was away. She wrote a great piece and it felt good to leave it in such a safe pair of hands. Thanks, Fiona.
By the time this reaches you, our wonderful Frome Festival will be all over. How incredible that a town of this size can host over 250 events in over 50 venues!
I’m a massive supporter of the festival and I’ve already attended events at Christ Church, The Food Feast, The Merlin, The Blue House and The Cheese & Grain. Before the festival is over I plan to visit Lotte’s, The Silk Mill, the Town Hall, the Sun Inn, the Memorial Theatre, Frome Victoria Park, the Cornerhouse and more. Phew!
I really hope you were also able to take advantage of some of the wonderful events that happened around the town.
One of the loveliest events for me is, without doubt, Hidden Gardens, where you can uncover hidden gems that are never usually visible. How lucky are we to have all this at our fingertips! Frome, you rock!
Since I spoke to you last, we’ve had an extremely difficult decisions to make as a council, regarding whether or not to begin the handover of Frome Football Club to a private operator. We saved the club in 2022 and we’ve always wanted to protect this wonderful and much-loved asset for the community. Unfortunately, it became apparent that things weren’t working in the way we’d hoped, and out of the blue we were approached by a private individual who showed an interest in taking it on.
As you might imagine, it took months of research, due diligence and legal negotiations before we felt able to take a decision, but on 2nd July, we finally agreed to lease the ground, with an option for the operator to buy during the length of the lease. I truly hope the town supports our decision and that you will now look to support the club by attending matches, utilising the club house for drinks and for booking group meetings and events. It’s up to us as a community now, to help the football club thrive and bring back to life what has been a favourite venue for the town for many, many years.
My Mayor’s chain has been out on show almost constantly since I’ve been back, and next time I’ll share some of the amazing things I have been, and will be, doing. Don’t forget, if you’d like me to visit, just contact me via Laura Flaherty at lflaherty@frometowncouncil.gov.uk.
Until next time, be safe and be kind.
