A FROME volunteer has been on a special VIP trip to Bath Theatre Royal, thanks to money raised at a pop up auction organised by BBC One’s ‘Street Auction’ earlier this year.
92-year old Jo Dismore was surprised in May with £1,250 after neighbours in the Vallis Road area donated unwanted and unloved items, which were sold at the pop up auction hosted by Paul Martin of Flog It! in Frome’s Victoria Park.
Jo was nominated to receive the proceeds from the auction by Frome charity Active and In Touch as a thank you for all his dedication.
The money raised was used to organise a trip to Bath for Jo and his daughter Emma Tompkins that saw them enjoy a stay at the Bath Spa Hotel and a visit to the Bath Theatre Royal to see a production of ‘Driving Miss Daisy’.
Before settling down to enjoy the show Jo and his daughter were shown a plaque at the theatre, erected in recognition of Jo and his late wife Rosemary’s passion for the arts.
About the plaque Jo said, “I suppose my first thought was sadness that fate had prevented my wife from being with me to share the experience. Beyond that it was very humbling to realise that other people have such an opinion of us that warrants the public exhibition of a plaque and the same applies to the whole Street Auction event.
“I am a regular visitor to the Theatre Royal and the theatre visit was, of course, the main point of our treat. I have always loved everything to do with the theatre. We gave theatrical performances for charity when I was a child, I met my wife in the theatre when she was acting and I was on leave from the Navy, I have done a lot of AmDram and belong to the Frome Drama Club and still drive to London and Glyndebourne for opera and drama.
“I would like to thank Paul Martin and the lovely people from the BBC, my neighbours and friends, my colleagues at Active and In Touch Frome and my family for the extraordinary and unexpected honour they bestowed on me for my volunteering efforts.
“I should like to think that, in being singled out for such public approbation, I was, in fact, representing all those hundreds of people around here who equally give up their time to help those in need of it, whether it be by befriending the isolated and lonely, working in the charity shops or transporting people to medical or social events.
“I hope my experiences might inspire others to come forward as volunteers and to realise that volunteering is not a one-way thing; it is very rewarding and satisfying to be able to help others and, remember, age is no bar!
“You know, there is something built into you that makes it part of your nature to do things for the community and for other people. You just do what you can without consciously thinking what other people might be thinking of you or your actions.”
The episode of ‘Street Auction’ featuring Jo is expected to air in November on BBC1.
