Frome’s popular Valentine’s Day ceremony returned this February, with organisers hailing it as ‘the best attended’ event yet.
On Saturday 14th February, a Queen of Hearts rocket was fired into the skies above the Valentine’s lamp at the top of Catherine Hill ahead of the annual lamp lighting ceremony.
There was entertainment from Selwood Bounds Morris dancers and musicians, who performed a special Valentine dance.
Mulled wine and berry juice were enjoyed by young and old, with donations raised for the upkeep of the lamp and future lamp lighting ceremonies.
Organiser Beverly Shackleton-Jones said, “The weather was dry and mild, providing a much-needed break in the long and wet winter we have all endured.
“The town crier, Martin Scott, exulted the crowd with words about love. Jane Hughes read Lovers Lament by the late Frome poet Crysse Morrison, followed by readings from poets Mike Rogers, Caroline Rose and Roz Dace, from the Frome Writers’ Collective.
“Eddie Young, the lamplighter, said a few words and proposed a toast to St Valentine before lighting the lamp to a cheering crowd. The mayor, Cllr Anita Collier, thanked the organisers and performers, and presented Reg Ling with a specially commissioned hand-painted illustration, called Reg Lighting the Way, by Frome artist Paul ‘Murtartis’ Boswell. The illustration will be featured in an upcoming book about Reg and the creation of the Valentine Lamp, to be published later this year. The crowd dispersed happy and full of love.
“This year’s ceremony was better attended than ever, and it was lovely to see so many children. The lighting of the lamp on Valentine’s Day has become an eagerly anticipated event in the Frome calendar.”
A film of the full ceremony can be viewed on https://fromevalentinelamp.co.uk/index.php/previous-ceremonies/
