Issue 300 – 300 issues of Frome Times

You are reading the 300th issue of the Frome Times!

The paper – one of only a handful of independent family-owned newspapers left in the country – was set up in 1998 and is delivered free to the whole of Frome.
12,500 copies are distributed every fortnight making it the newspaper with the largest circulation in the town.
Mayor of Frome, councillor Damon Hooton, congratulated Frome Times on the milestone. He said, “It is tremendous that Frome has its own community newspaper.
“Frome Times is widely respected in the area and I am very pleased that it has managed to reach its 300th issue. I really hope it goes from strength to strength.
“As mayor, I have been very pleased with the support it has given me over the past year and the support it gives to the town council and other organisations in the town and it certainly plays an important part in the life of the community.”
The Frome Times title was started by David McGregor with the help of the late John Frapwell and was first published as a monthly A4 publication. The duo sold the title to Ian and Susan Drew in 1998 and the fortnightly newspaper style was introduced in line with the couple’s other two publications which cover Westbury and Melksham.
“It’s quite a milestone reaching 300 issues,” said Ian, who also edits the paper. “It’s quite rare these days for an independent paper to survive – most papers are now owned by large national companies – and that’s a tribute to the dedication of our team here and the fantastic support we get from the people and businesses of Frome.”