The Mayor of Frome wore a chain of office with a difference when he toured the Green Energy Fair at The Cheese and Grain on Sunday 14th September.
Councillor Peter Macfadyen sported a new chain made from recyclable plastics of old clothes pegs, spoons, bottle tops and toothbrushes as he chatted to stallholders and visitors at the One Planet Sunday event, aimed at promoting the town’s commitment to recycling.
The chain was made by the general manager Mark Lloyd of Frome recycling company Protomax which turns waste materials into useful products. He said he wanted to come up with something completely different and eye-catching and only completed the chain concept in the early hours before the show.
The Mayor is pictured chatting to Nick Stillwell, the founder of Protomax and he shows the Mayor the especially designed shopping bag made from recycled materials, displaying a Frome logo. The bag has been designed by international craftsman and creative designer Bill Amberg, who lives in Bruton.
The variety of stalls attracted scores of visitors throughout the day and those who stopped at the Protomax stand were fascinated to hear about all the range of potential products that the company can make from waste materials.
The fair also promoted Frome’s vhs amnesty which runs until 1st December, where people can put their old videos in a collection bin outside the Cheese and Grain ready for recycling by Protomax.
Councillor Peter Macfadyen said he was delighted with the range of stalls, talks and demonstrations at the fair and with the public turnout. He said, “It was a brave decision to start introducing the concept of One Planet Living which is core to the Neighbourhood Plan Frome is completing. We as a town will recognise in our decisions that resources are finite. It was also a great example of how the council and community organisations like Frome Renewable Energy Co—op can work together for mutual benefit.”
Nick Stillwell commented it was great to be able to showcase the company’s products to the local community. He said, “We would also like to set up a recycling park in Frome where people can take their used plastics for us to turn into everyday items.
“It’s important to us to make the local community aware of what we can produce from recycled materials and the fair has given us an opportunity to do that.”
