A festival-style party celebrating the life of an influential Frome resident has raised more than £1,200 for Fair Frome.
Party at the End of the World was held at the Cheese and Grain last month in memory of Phil Moakes, a well-known local figure who died last year.
Phil served as a town and county councillor and helped establish Frome FM radio station.
The event was coordinated by Phil’s partner, Maggie Gregory, and his family, with a long list of performers, all of whom had connections with him through his work in music.
Headlining was The Utopia Strong, led by Kavus Torabi from the prog rock band Gong. The band also featured Steve Davis, the former world snooker champion and broadcaster, who has a passion for music and now lives in the West Country.
Other acts included Arch Garrison, Sara Vian, Hodmaddodery, Thee Jolly Rotter and the trio Richard Wileman, Amy Fry and Chantelle Smith.
The event was compered by Martin Dimery, former director of the Frome Festival, who recalled booking Phil to engineer and provide the PA for a production of Tommy by The Who in 1992, marking the opening of the ECOS amphitheatre in the Frome College grounds.
Phil went on to work on several shows in Frome and became a key figure in local cultural life, including serving as chair of the Cheese and Grain board.
In memory of Phil, the Cheese and Grain underwrote all hall hire costs with support from programme manager Rob Dahl. Fair Frome also ran a collection on the night.
Lenka Grimes, senior co-ordinator of Fair Frome, a charity that runs the food bank and other projects in the town, gave “enormous gratitude” to those involved for “a lovely event.”
