Frome Lions cancel summer fete after 50 years due to town council vehicle policy

Frome Lions Club has reluctantly taken the decision to cancel this year’s summer fete, an event that has been a staple of the town for over 50 years. 

The popular fete, which was due to take place on Saturday 14th June in Victoria Park, has been run by the Lions Club for five decades. Initially started as a way of thanking the people of Frome for their support shown to the Lions during the year, the event offered a day of entertainment for local families while also providing charities and organisations with a platform to raise funds and promote their work.

However, the club says that restrictions on vehicles in the park—imposed by Frome Town Council—have made the event ‘untenable.’

The council says this is not a new policy and that vehicles have never been allowed in the park except under carefully managed arrangements. However, the Lions say this restriction was only communicated to them when they applied for this year’s event, and they believe it makes the fete unworkable.

‘Devastated’

“We are devastated that this event could come to an end after 50 years without any incidents or problems in all that time,” said a spokesperson for the Lions Club. “The Lions consider that this requirement by the council makes an already labour-intensive day for us even more burdensome and means our ability to continue holding the event at the park is untenable.

“We have not taken this decision lightly and have consulted with many of our regular stallholders to gauge their feelings about their participation under these restrictions. Whilst some have said they would still be prepared to attend, many have stated that it would not be possible to continue with their support.”

One of the main ring events, which involves animals, has also indicated that the restrictions would make participation impractical. “They would not have anywhere secure and safe to leave their dogs, and the likelihood of having to park randomly and potentially far away would mean that it would be impossible to coordinate a suitable presentation. As a result, it is unlikely that they would attend,” the spokesperson added.

The club also raised concerns about the impact on local charities, saying, “As a rough guide, we usually have 18 to 25 charities taking part. So [if the event doesn’t run], it could be two or three thousand pounds that they will not be getting.”

Council policy

Under the council’s policy, participants are allowed to drive into the park to unload equipment but must then remove their vehicles and attempt to park elsewhere. Vehicles can only return at the end of the event for collection. Only emergency vehicles and those deemed essential for the event’s operation are allowed to remain in the park.

The council says the policy is being enforced due to an increase in vehicles at events, which has caused damage to the grass and raised safety concerns.

However, the Lions say this restriction makes the fete unworkable. “We believe that the council’s stance on vehicles not remaining in the park during the event does not make participants any safer but has the opposite effect in that it endangers our exemplary record,” the club said.

Future of the fete

The club says it hopes to bring the fete back in 2026, either by finding a new venue in Frome or if the council reverses its policy. “We fail to see how this policy is compatible with the council supporting local voluntary organisations or the local community,” they said. “We implore the council to rethink their stance on Victoria Park.”

Council response

A spokesperson for Frome Town Council said, “The council will continue to allow cars on and off Victoria Park, as they always have, for dropping off event equipment. However, the increasing number of cars at events using the park as a car park year on year is not sustainable.”

Cllr Mark Dorrington added that the council believed it was still “in conversation” with the Lions about potential solutions, including on-road parking options.

“Community events are really important to us and the Lions Fete is always an excellent fixture in the calendar, which we are keen to secure,” he said. “However, cars parking on grass in extremely wet conditions was also a cause for concern last year. Just because something has always been done a certain way does not mean there are no new ways to achieve a similar and safe event. We want to continue to support the event and ask the Lions to continue discussions with us about how best to achieve this.”

Pictured: Lions members manning the BBQ at last year’s fete. Chris Bailey, Clive Smith, Keith Mcleod and Val.