Humans of Frome- Paula Hammond

Paula grew up in Portsmouth, living on the first road out of the city boundary which always caused unfair price hikes in cab fares, but was otherwise an idyllic existence. Surrounded by fields, sea and the city a mere bus ride away, Paula had happy beginnings.

The daughter of a nurse/midwife mother and a psychiatric nurse/tutor father, Paula marvels at their ability to give her and her older brother such a good childhood when they both worked opposite shifts. Her mother would spend the days with her and her Father the nights or vice versa, but the work/childcare balance has to have been an exhausting one. Sadly both of her parents have died now but Paula talks fondly of the press cuttings (her mother received many awards for being ‘top nurse’) that she found when clearing their house.

Paula, whose entire career has seen her immersed in the world of theatre and the arts, remarks that there is no direct family history or tradition in that world. Adopted at the age of six weeks, she has discovered in recent years that she has a half brother who works in theatre. So could it be that her attraction to that life is something that has lurked in her bloodstream from the outset?

Back in her school days she had a penchant for the visual arts and it was then that her lifelong love of embroidery and textiles began. She met her best friend Biddy Walcot when she was 12 and they attended the local grammar school together. Biddy was drawn to theatre and Paula to visual arts and graphics at the time, but her first introduction to theatre was through her friend. Despite her achievements in art at A-level, her parents talked her out of going to art college and guided her path to Manchester, where her brother had beaten a trail six years previously.

Headed for a career as a primary school teacher, Paula took up residence in a flat with Mick Hucknall (yes Simply Red’s Mick…in fact she remembers helping to come up with the band name around the kitchen table) and got herself a membership to the local club, The Hacienda.

Her membership number was 74, so it was early for the world-famous club, and she stresses that most of her clubbing was done midweek rather than at the tourist-populated weekends. Paula hated her course which saw her placed in the classroom for a high proportion of her time. She dropped out in her third year, safe in the knowledge that the teaching life was not for her. Manchester was teeming with life back then and contrary to expectation, she decided to stay on there after she ended her studies.

A fortuitous visit to the job centre landed her a job at the Palace Theatre. Working in the box office there she witnessed her first opera and her first ballet and a myriad of amazing productions. Working weird hours suited her clubbing life. Her work/social group included Padraig Cusack of the famed acting family and John Ray who went on to be the famed ITN correspondent, so she was in great company.

After six years in Manchester, she took the plunge and moved to London. Securing a job in the booking office at The Royal Festival Hall, she spent her days sitting in an office overlooking the Thames and straight over to the Shell Building.

Paula’s next step was into the shoes of box office manager at the National Film Theatre, where she would combine her breaks so that she could watch a matinee every day. That was a challenging position for one so young, so she took a step over to The Canal Cafe Theatre in Maida Vale where she booked late night cabaret. There she booked the likes of Eddie Izzard, Steve Coogan, Jo Brand and Bill Bailey; the year was 1986 and these now-famous comedians were on their way up – how wonderful to think that Frome’s own Paula Hammond had a hand in giving them a leg up.

The Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond operated out of an upper room of a pub when Paula took up the role of appeal co-ordinator. Her mentor was none other than Sir Richard Attenborough who was a patron. He was an incredible mentor to her and would give one-to-one sessions where he would impart his extensive wisdom on how to apply for money. Equally as wonderful was his wife, Sheila Attenborough who was a joint patron.

Paula remembers meetings at their fabulous house, amidst the Picassos going through Sheila’s Christmas card list to invite people to events. The process would take hours as Sheila had a great story to tell for each invitee…oh to have been a fly on that wall! In her time there, Paula secured funding which saw the theatre move out of the pub and into an old school building opposite, where it still stands today.

The Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, was next on the list for Paula’s tour of prestigious jobs. There she was head of marketing and sales. The Lyric was an exciting place to work as it did its own in-house productions, and would regularly host international work from far flung places and top quality productions from the UK too.

In 2000, the move from London to Frome was inspired by her best friend’s move to Bath. She had got to the top of her tree and on a whim, she applied for a job at the Merlin. Daunted by her move to Frome she kept her flat on in London before eventually taking the plunge. From day one it was tough; the Merlin had failed on a number of capital bids and it was looking very tired. But her predecessors (who had both come from Sadlers Wells) had done an impressive job before her and had managed to programme some phenomenal contemporary dance companies, who Paula continued to work with.

She had great support from the Arts Council back then, and her contact there had had been the Merlin director when it first became independent from Frome College, so he had a level of interest and care that perhaps others wouldn’t have done. Paula headed up the theatre for a decade and in that time, called upon her old friends Eddie Izzard and Bill Bailey, amongst others, to come check out and entertain the people of Frome.

When she left the Merlin she went freelance and worked for Creative Ecology Wiltshire where she was a dance producer. She then took up a full-time role in the theatre in Poole. For over two years she commuted back to Frome at weekends. The largest arts centre on the south coast, with its beautiful 2,000-seater concert hall, Paula enjoyed her time in Poole, but it did make her realise how special Frome was.

In Frome, she explains you can get anything off the ground, the people of this town are very active, it’s not quite so easy elsewhere. Now fully entrenched in her life in Frome, Paula still keeps a hand in as a freelance programmer for Poole, where she programmes the cinema and studio space. She is also interim director and programmer for Wiltshire Creative and works on bookings for Stuff and Nonsense Theatre Company. She also works alongside her husband Terry Pinto for his architecture practice PAAD and she is trustee for the Cheese and Grain and Mark Bruce Dance Company.

You might wonder if Paula has any time left to do anything else, but lately her attentions have been drawn back to her love of textiles. Over the years she has continued to work with textiles, and is beautifully gifted in the art of embroidery, in fact she takes the medium to workshops at Millie Moon on Catherine Hill. Over the years, despite her hectic working life, she has always taken time to embroider poignant gifts for her friends, a permanent reminder of her feelings for them, her legacy stitched in time. ….and as one drawn to permanent reminders, Paula has left her indelible mark along her journey…the world famous band name, the bricks and mortar theatre building in Richmond, the hall of fame who have played the Merlin and so much more besides.

These days Paula lives within the town boundary and rarely needs the use of taxis, although, I’m sure she delights in the cheap fares. She can be seen walking about town with Terry, her husband and their incredibly (nearly celebrity status) puppy, Betty.