Fair Frome launches new Furniture Bank

Local charity Fair Frome, which runs the Food Bank and other projects designed to provide practical help and support to people in acute need in the town, have just launched their new Furniture Bank.

Fair Frome works closely with other local charities and organisations to deliver services. It is these organisations which have pointed out the need for furniture for families and individuals who are fortunate enough to secure housing, but unable to then afford to buy essential items to furnish their property. Housing issues in Frome have been highlighted recently and Fair Frome regularly hears about families moving into properties without even the most basic of equipment which most of us take for granted.

Run along the same lines as the Food Bank, organisations working with the homeless or those in housing need will refer people to the Furniture Bank whom they assess as needing furniture and other household goods. Fair Frome with their new furniture bank coordinator, Victoria Gale, and local volunteers, will collect donations of good quality items and then deliver them free of charge to those in need. The charity will also work closely with other charities in the town which also help families to ensure a joined–up service.

Bob Ashford the chair of trustees for Fair Frome said, “Whilst Frome appears to be a thriving town, there are many people who struggle to survive on a daily basis. The Food Bank which has seen take up double over the past year, is an unfortunate sign of the difficulties many people face, the majority of them working families. Frome people though are also incredibly generous. We have been working on this project for the past 18 months with our partners, raising the cash needed to start and sustain the project. Without the financial help from individuals and organisations in Frome we would never have got this off the ground. One of the largest donations has come from the Frome Carnival Committee which has given us £5,000 to buy a van. This means we can now get the project launched and with the Food Bank, we can now provide food, plates, and tables to eat off and chairs to sit on”.

Quintyn Howard-Evans  of Frome Carnival Committee said, “As you can imagine, the trustees of the carnival charity deliberated long and hard before making such a sizeable donation. However, Fair Frome is a modern and egalitarian response to a real need to assist Frome people and families struggling on a low income.

“Frome is an outstanding community and as a town we are doing very well. However, if we are not careful the hidden Frome of low incomes, vulnerable children and people just missing out on an enjoyable life will only increase. This money – money raised by the people of this town – will be used by Fair Frome in a fair, balanced and exciting way.”

For more information or to offer donations of furniture and household items please contact Victoria Gale, Fair Frome Furniture Bank coordinator on 07718 652991 or email fairfrome furniture@gmail.com