Thank you so much to everyone who joined the town in marking the start of Christmas on 21st November what a wonderful night it was! And thank you to the organisers and the many who turned out for a brilliant Cobble Wobble on 23rd November too!
As promised, here is a little background on some more of my councillor colleagues.
Andy Jones has interests in education, finances and the Frome Festival. Polly Lamb, Councillor for Park Ward, is heavily involved in the planning team and eagerly supports women’s voices within the council.
Lisa Merryweather is passionate about mental health and supporting young people. Sara Butler fervently supports the ecology and natural habitats for wildlife. Anne Hills is heavily involved in repurposing digital items, she is the instigator of our White Ribbon campaign and worked with Prosper Frome to campaign for our long-awaited banking hub, now happily dispensing cash and serving residents.
Naturally this is just a small selection of their interests, as every councillor is involved in many other areas and in making important decisions that are brought to council. I’ll cover the last of my colleagues next time.
It was my birthday recently and it got me thinking back over the years to when I first moved to Frome – 65 years ago!
It was a very different town then and having moved from a busy city, I initially found it to be a very inward-looking and rather parochial town.
I was immediately enrolled into Frome Technical College in Park Road to study for my ‘A’ levels. I slowly began to get to know people and, contrary to my original beliefs, found them to be warm and friendly, although still a little cautious.
Success in my exams enabled me to find a job in Lloyds Bank, where I spent four years before marrying and moving to London.
Back in the sixties, the River Frome was subject to heavy flooding, which often meant watching pots and pans and shoes floating in the Market Place and being rowed across the water to get to work. What fun days they were!
Wednesdays were always busy, with several market stalls around the Boyle Cross and huge activity at the cattle market, then situated in the Market Yard. Trucks filled with cattle and sheep would trundle into town, driven by farmers who were ready to buy and sell their stock.
One Wednesday in particular was the highlight of the year. On the penultimate Wednesday of September, the town would gather in the Old Showfield to attend the annual Cheese Show. Traffic was chaotic, as it brought in all the farmers, the field was prepared for horse jumping, dog shows, a flower show, hospitality tents, ice cream vans and of course, the enormous marquee displaying all the wonderful cheeses.
It was deemed to be such an important event for the town that all shops, schools and even industry shut for the day so that everyone could enjoy it. What a memory!
Naturally, it soon became the victim of its own success, until it was no longer viable for the town to accommodate it. We lost the cattle market to Standerwick and the Cheese Show to Bunns Lane, on the fringes of the town.
Since then, most of our big industries have shut down, but in the days of Beswicks, Notts Industries, Butler and Tanner, Tool & Gauge, Wallington Weston, J.W. Singer & Son, Cuprinol and Benchairs, our carnivals were spectacular, heavy machinery abounded, and it was easy to find a job.
Life is very different now, with young people having little access to apprenticeships; the town’s focus is more on service industries, boutique shops and a growing passion for theatre, music and the arts.
Do I miss it? Yes, in a way, but I’m also loving what we have now. We’re growing rapidly; welcoming newcomers, taking pride in all our wonderful community groups that have emerged due to an increasing need to combat poverty, loneliness and mental health issues. We could have collapsed when industry left but Frome dug in its heels and successfully reinvented itself.
I’ve seen a lot of water go under the bridge but I’m more than happy to be where I am today. I’m lucky enough to have both my sons and their families in the town, together with my sister and her husband.
There is always something to do, something to see and somewhere to go. I took the opportunity to stand for election 10 years after I retired, which has already given me eight years of learning even more about the town while also providing me with a network of amazing colleagues, many of whom I now consider good friends.
I’m lucky enough to be Mayor of Frome again (this time without having to contend with lockdown) and I can’t begin to tell you how proud and honoured I am to represent you.
I also feel lucky to be living in such a warm, friendly and community-minded town. Frome, you’re fabulous!
Anita Collier
