BROADWAY Community Gardens has been saved for the local community, after Frome Town Council purchased the land for £24,000 from Mendip District Council.
The town council voted to purchase the land in November and the contract has now been agreed. The gardens will be run and looked after by Save Our Spaces (SOS) – a community group set up to try to protect green spaces in Frome – who will take on stewardship, following work later this year by Frome Town Council to make it accessible.
Local resident and campaigner, Mendip cllr John Clarke, “I would like to thank the town council, SOS Frome for their support, but especially and most of all, those who have fought so hard over the last four years to achieve our goal of saving this open space.
“Now we have the opportunity with the people of Frome, to create a special place where the community can come together, benefit from nature, helping to create a strong community where people’s health, physical and mental wellbeing can be enhanced, a friendly, welcoming safe space for all to enjoy.”
Ally, a local resident and member of SOS said, “This truly is a unique space and we’re absolutely thrilled to have got to exactly where we had hoped. That the land is bought by Frome Town Council and handed to the community and protected for the future generations of Frome. It’s a wonderful moment.
“As a group, we have worked hard on the land to demonstrate the value of the community coming together and the need to connect with nature. The pandemic has really emphasised the need for such spaces, for individuals to enjoy their physical and mental wellbeing, as well as learning about food growing and building up community resilience. Local illustrator, Louise Boulter, has also created a beautiful artistic interpretation of this unique green space, full of life.”
You can view Louise’s work at www.louiseboulter.co.uk or by searching @louiseboulter on Instagram.
Director of SOS and Frome town councillor, Andy Jones, said “SOS Frome is proud to support this key initiative in protecting the green spaces of Frome, working with interested groups across Frome to create a community garden, secured for future generations to enjoy.”
Cllr Fiona Barrows was keen to point out that this space is for benefit of the whole town. She said, “Run differently and complementary to our allotments, it will be a different sort of growing space. The mental and physical health benefits of growing your own collectively are so important – everyone who wants to should be able to get their hands dirty and reap benefits. Ultimately, our thanks must go to the two campaign group as it is their hard work that achieved this – a community growing space saved for the whole town to benefit from.”
There will be plenty to get involved in over the coming weeks/ years so please keep an eye on www.broadwaycommunitygardens.com for more information and to learn how to be involved.
