Alex Wilkinson, fundraising support assistant for Oxfam in Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for people in the community to form an inspiring team and to make a global impact through local activity. It is also a great chance for individuals to develop new abilities and learn more about one of the world’s leading charities.”

Oxfam’s Fundraising Groups are teams of volunteers who work together to organise a calendar of fundraising events. These activities can be of any type and can range from coffee mornings to sponsored walks, quizzes to music events.

There are roles to suit everyone and that fit a large variety of skill sets. For instance, group members may manage event logistics, speak to local media or use social media to spread the word of the group. Groups consist of a leader, secretary, treasurer and group members. These positions will all provide a great platform to develop new skills and to have a voice in Oxfam and its work.

Oxfam envisages the Frome Fundraising Group being at the very heart of the community. The group will provide a unique chance to help make a real difference to people living in poverty, importantly whilst having fun!

For information on how to join please contact Alex Wilkinson awilkinson@ oxfam.org.uk tel: 0117 916 6476.

WESTWAY Cinema is officially going digital after a real community effort helped raise £10,000 to buy the equipment. 

The family-run cinema was facing closure as the 35mm film they had been using since the 1980s when Dennis and Dolores O’ Connor bought the cinema became obsolete. Now their daughter Martina, who now owns the cinema, will be steering the cinema into a new digital age.

The existing 35mm film they were using was being phased out, meaning the cinema would have no choice but to shut down.

However, as this became a real possibility, the community pulled together to raise the funds. Events such as pub quizzes and clothes swaps took place across the town in a bid to raise the vast sum of money. Local children also helped as pocket money was handed over to the cinema in a bid to save it.

Eventually the £10,000 required was reached and the cinema’s immediate future has been secured. The new digital era for the cinema will allow customers to enjoy better sound and picture quality, along with a wider selection of movies available.

Owner of the Westway, Martina O’Connor said, “It has been so heart-warming to know that everybody was so desperate to see us continue. We felt so deflated after the council rejected us for a grant but I think the community understood the importance of the cinema in the town and pulled together.

“If we hadn’t received this money, there is no doubt that we would have closed. I have taken on a second job to raise more funds and the effort by everyone in Frome to reach our target has been amazing! I would like to thank absolutely everyone who helped. The list is massive of those that made this possible, but I really do appreciate it.”

The cinema hopes to launch its digital experience from Wednesday 19th June with early films being shown on the new equipment including Man of Steel, Despicable Me 2 and the Great Gatsby.

THREE of Frome’s leading arts and entertainment centres have all received a major boost to cement the town’s place as one the premier towns in the country for the arts. The news comes just two weeks before the start of the Frome Festival which has announced record ticket sales.

Supporters of the Cheese and Grain, Rook Lane Arts and Frome Cinema were all celebrating as the popular venues made major announcements over their future.

Planning permission has been granted for a £500,000 investment in the Cheese and Grain. The plans, revealed by Frome Times in February, were given the go-ahead by Mendip District Council’s planning committee on Wednesday 5th June.

Rook Lane Arts has had its long-term future secured following an announcement by NVB Architects and Rook Lane Arts Trust. Working closely with community partners, NVB Architects have developed a new long-term strategic plan that integrates the arts, community events and business in this unique and cherished building in Frome.

And the Westway Cinema is to go digital with a £10,000 investment in new equipment which will ensure the cinema can continue to show all the latest blockbuster releases.

The family-run independent cinema has been using 35mm film to project films but due to this being phased out, the cinema had to raise the funds to buy the equipment needed to go digital.

At the Cheese and Grain, new meeting, training and rehearsal rooms and a new bar and café will be part of the half a million pound scheme. New toilets and a new wheelchair ramp to access the building will also be installed. The box office will also be open all day, every day and into the evening, selling tickets for events across Frome, and for events and outdoor festivals across the region.

Four or five new full-time jobs will be created.

Cllr Toby Eliot, chair of Frome Town Council’s internal affairs committee said, “Investment is always better than subsidy. Instead of propping up the Cheese and Grain, this initiative will create a truly self-sustaining community asset.”

At Rook Lane Arts, NVB Architects currently support arts and community events having invested £1million over the past ten years. Their new plan, produced in conjunction with Rook Lane Arts Trust, ensures that there will be a secure future for both the building and the events by expanding the schedule of activities, and providing much-needed further investment in the facilities to enable these new activities to take place.

Rook Lane Arts trustees will now operate as stakeholders for the building, and will continue to work closely with the arts coordinator to further develop a rich programme of arts and community activities.

Russell Lillford of the Somerset Buildings Preservation Trust said, “I only wish that the model NVB has developed could be rolled out across the country to safeguard our significant buildings with community access at its heart.”

FROME Collegians completed their climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro this week. 

Managers, players and friends set off on 1st June, a full two years after the idea was proposed to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. The journey began with a flight to Tanzania where Mount Kilimanjaro – the highest mountain in Africa lies.

An overnight stay in Arusha was followed by a four-hour drive to commence the climb via the Rongai route. The route is less crowded than the others.  It has a relatively gentle gradient passing through farmland, rain forest and several climatic zones.

Four days later the team from Frome arrived at Kibo, from where the ascent to the summit took place.

The ascent commenced at midnight with the summit being reached by the team between 7.25am and 8.00am. Members of the team suffered bouts of altitude sickness but this did not deter them in their quest to reach the summit.

The climb was dedicated to Alistair Banks who was a coach for Frome Collegians and sadly died in January from motor neurone disease. To date, the team of climbers have raised nearly £30,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association charity.

“The climb was by far the toughest physical and mental challenge I have ever completed,” said one of the team, Adrian Marchment. “Once the summit had been reached, relief and elation were felt by us all.

“The Rongai route was one of the hardest routes to complete.  We experienced walking through forest, desert and at the summit, the cold.  Preparation in all the conditions prior to leaving was difficult but the whole team coped admirably despite the extremes of heat and cold.

“We were raising funds for MNDA and were all determined to reach the summit in memory of Alister Banks to whom we were dedicating the climb.

“We saw some fantastic landscapes and made friendships which will last forever. There was a lot of fun (including a raven stealing sun cream!) and at the end, a huge sense of achievement.

“The local team of porters, cooks and guides were amazing, always smiling and happy to assist no matter what the request.”

To donate visit the Collegians Just Giving website at www.justgiving.com/user/34439497

A SELL OUT crowd took to the dance floor on Saturday 8th June in aid of a worthy cause. 

Jane Wilson, business owner and hairdresser along with a dedicated team, put together a fantastic night of fun, food and dancing, to raise money for Dorothy House.

With a sit down meal, accompanied by music from Frome College student Jacob Yeo, people soon got into the party mood, and everyone had made a great effort in keeping with the theme of ‘black tie’ and were made to feel very glamorous on entrance with photo’s being taken.

The night then got into full ‘swing’ with Frome Swing Band playing some classics and the guests were able to party the night away with PC’s Mobile Disco. By the end of it all there were some sore feet but very happy people.

The event was a roaring success with even more money being raised on the evening through a prize raffle.

Jane of Jane’s Hair Salon said, “The smiles, dancing and general atmosphere on the night was amazing, and we could not have asked for a better turnout.”

The total amount raised has not yet been finalised, but Jane and her team would like to thank everyone who came, and all of the very generous people who donated prizes for the raffle.

LOCAL tailor Stephen Shoebridge from Frome, is celebrating having been awarded £14,800 by the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST). 

Stephen was presented with his award by the President of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, Jenifer Emery, at a special awards lunch held at the London Hilton Hotel on Tuesday 4th June.

Stephen’s original background was in historic building conservation but after a lifetime interest in sewing and textiles, and several years of related courses, he decided upon a change of career. He began by running a small workshop taking clothing alterations and repairs. This progressed to making a ready-to-wear range of men’s and women’s garments using tweed produced by a small company in the Hebrides.

QEST will enable Stephen to study at the Savile Row Academy, London. This unique training facility established five years ago, was initiated to preserve, teach and develop the historic skills of traditional English hand crafted tailoring at the highest level.

QEST was endowed by the Royal Warrant Holders Association to advance education in modern and traditional crafts and trades in the UK.  Scholarships of up to £18,000 are open to men and women of all ages and are awarded twice a year.  Since 1991, the Trust has awarded £2million to 296 craftsmen and women aged between 17 and 50+ to develop their skills through study, training and work experience. This summer the trust awarded 23 scholarships totalling £162,600.

QEST, the charitable arm of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, was established in 1990 with money contributed by its members, to mark the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the 150th anniversary of the founding of the association.  The Trustees look for well thought out projects, which will contribute to the pool of talent in the UK and reflect the excellence of British craftsmanship as symbolised by the Royal Warrant of Appointment.

Application forms for QEST Scholarships can be downloaded from the QEST website: www .qest.org.uk.

Pictured: Jenifer Emery, President of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, awarding Stephen Shoebridge,Tailor, with his QEST award.  

PUPILS of St John’s Junior School in Frome are the first to benefit from an important new cross-community initiative to make schoolchildren, between the ages of 3 and 13 years of age, aware of possible health issues such as obesity, alcohol, smoking, and drug abuse. 

With the Friends of the Hospital (FoFH) underwriting the cost of the mobile ‘Life Education Wessex’ classroom to visit all the First and Middle Schools in the town and local villages, the initiative is being fully supported by the Frome Town Council, Frome Medical Practice, Frome Rotary Club and each of the schools educational and management teams.

Parents have been asked to become involved with the radical initiative to teach children at an early age on how to look after their health, and to resist peer pressure which can lead to social problems later in life. A fun ‘Stop Watch’ promotion has been devised by the Frome Rotary Club to help with fund-raising for the scheme’s education within their children’s school.

Peter Smith, chairman of the Friends of Frome Hospital, welcoming the first visit of the Life education Wessex mobile classroom to St. John’s School said, “This is an excellent way the whole community, related to health and education of our young people, has come together to address these serious social issues. There is no better way than to head-off problems before they start by educating children at an early age. Again, this is another pioneering project championed by and across the Frome community.”

Above: l-r, Humphrey Barnes, president Frome Rotary Club; Mike Cole, Frome Rotary Club; Pippa Goldfinger, Frome Town Council; Alan Burgess, principal St. John’s School with children, Spencer, Effie, Frannie and Logan, Harold and Karen Perryman, Life Education Wessex; Polly McRea, Frome Medical Practice and Peter Smith, chairman FoFH – inspecting the Life Education Wessex mobile classroom

The festival boasts a fantastic line-up of events and has been hailed as one of the most diverse and successful community arts festivals in the country.

Organisers have signed up some of the best comedy acts and live musical talents the country has to offer, alongside interesting talks, exhibitions and workshops to make this year’s festival the biggest and best yet.

Creative director Martin Dimery said, “This year we have some incredible acts and we’ve been rewarded with record ticket sales. There are still tickets available for many events but you’ll need to get in quick to get tickets to the most popular shows!

“Rich Hall is near capacity, as are many of our classical music events. Olivia Chaney at Cooper Hall is nearly sold out, classical pianists Stephen Marquiss and Ashley Wass are selling strongly, and so is our semi-staged opera The Turn of the Screw (also at Cooper Hall).

“Theatrical events are also selling very well – Under Milk Wood and Waiting For Godot are going fast, as are the Fine Chisel Co. at The Granary. Both of their shows have been hits at the Edinburgh Festival.

“Prunella Scales is selling out rapidly at Rook Lane in her ‘Assortment of Sybils’, featuring the poetry of Leo Aylen. Ian McMillan is also doing well at The Merlin. Our masterclass with John Shirley-Quirk at Cooper Hall is also proving very popular.

“Workshops and walks are  selling in record numbers this year – Dr Archibald Combellack’s ‘Alternative Guide to Frome’ is virtually sold out, as are the tunnel walks, Indian head massage and stone carving workshops. Children’s writing workshops are going well, so too are Babar the Elephant and What’s the time, Mr Wolf – but there is still time for last minute purchases.

“We’re expecting a surge in sales nearer the day for local bands such as the Frukes, Fat Stanley, The Critters and the Honk Masters. Eddie Martin is doing well. You can still bag tickets for Hank Wangford and his extended line-up, and the chance the see John Power of Cast play an intimate acoustic set mid-week at the Cheese and Grain. Other names to look out for include Adam Clayson singing Jaques Brel at the Granary and the wonderful Afrobeat Messengers at ECOS.

“As usual, there are too many names to mention – but take a look at the festival website, visit the Cheese and Grain box office and book your place at a festival to remember.”

This year’s surprise hit has been ‘Somerset’s 17th Century Witches and Witch Hunters’ –  over 60 tickets have been sold for the event which explores the story of witchcraft around Frome.

This year, the festival has also launched a brand new Festival app. Designed to be downloaded onto smart phones of all kinds, the app will provide a complete guide the festival, together with suggestions for great places to eat and places to stay for people from out of town. In case there is time between shows, try your hand at the ‘app’ version of the Frome Town Trail and interactive guides to hidden gardens and artists’ studios at the click of an icon.”

• The Frome Festival takes place from the 5th-14th July. Find our more at www.fromefestival.co.uk 

Earlier this year, Mendip District councillor Derek Tanswell launched fresh calls for a 24-hour on-call doctor for Frome.

He says that figures for out-of-hours calls only account for people who use the local out-of-hours number – and not those who choose to travel to Bath RUH or call NHS Direct (which is to be replaced by the 111 number).

Consequently, he believes demand is far greater than the figures recognise.

He explains, “A lot of people don’t want to go to Shepton Mallet, because you can get pushed down to Yeovil. That’s 40 minutes away. They say, I’ll go to Bath.”

Cllr Tanswell says that, with Frome’s population and modern health facilities, the town should have a 24-hour on-call service to match.

“There’s no cover from Friday evening ‘til Monday morning.

“When people are ill they are vulnerable and it is not acceptable that a population as large as Frome should not be able to have access to a 24-hour doctor.

“There’s the financial costs as well. If you’re poor, you can get a taxi across Frome – but you certainly can’t get a taxi to Shepton Mallet. If you’ve lost your licence through a medical illness, you can’t drive down there. It’s all  the things like that. People say they support the campaign, and then tell you what their horror stories are.”

Cllr Tanswell suggests people write to the paper to voice their support for the campaign.  “I want to keep the pressure up,” he says.

That’s the view of local councillors who have unanimously agreed to introduce a framework to help them make ethical decisions.

This will be used when choosing the council’s suppliers, when considering the council’s bank accounts and investments, and will be applied to the grant application scheme to encourage local organisations to take an ethical approach as well.

The town council will also include an ethical commentary in the Annual Report, and will investigate how to promote other ethically-based organisations.

Other measures include looking into the possibility of creating a Frome Energy Company, aiming to make Frome carbon neutral over time; a community food web; and the town council forming a new working party to look at poverty and the impact of austerity measures.

A number of initiatives –  such as Frome’s status as a Fairtrade town and the toilet twinning scheme – already exist.

Now a framework has been created by a working party, using the premise that ‘the mark of a good society is how it treats its vulnerable people and considers future generations in decision making.’ This could include considering sustainability, where things are sourced from, and the impact on poorer people.

Cllr Peter Macfadyen explained, “This came up because we believe in Frome looking out, not in, and punching above our weight.

“Toilet twinning is an example – why should we fundraise for African toilets through a town council-led scheme?  Because it’s a joined up world where we all have impact on each other.

“We see it very much as leading by example.  We already do most of our investment ethically and we will be bumping this up now.”