Members of Frome Society for Disabled Artists (SODA) and their guests enjoyed a Christmas tea, catered by Bernie Hewitt last month.
Among the distinguished guests present were the Society’s president, Mrs Angela Yeoman, OBE, DL and the Mayor and Mayoress of Frome, Toby and Rosie Eliot.
Secretary, Marjorie Morris said, “To begin proceedings, church warden Elizabeth John welcomed the members on behalf of the Vicar, saying that their regular booking of the hall was undoubtedly helping to keep it open as a community resource. There followed a 20 question seasonal quiz, compiled by Paul Hewitt, which was won by Sue Danby and Teresa Fox, who worked as a very effective team.
“After all that hard work, everyone was more than ready for the delicious sandwiches, cakes and mince pies, washed down by Chairman Clive Irvine-Gizzie’s famous non-alcoholic mulled wine.
“Clive made a short speech, welcoming new members Teresa and Geoff. He stressed our concern when last summer, after a successful 10-day exhibition at the Frome Festival, the group had found itself possibly homeless for the start of the September term. However, the church had come to the rescue, offering safe storage of our equipment and full disabled access to an attractive venue. We were grateful to Hall Manager John Rhymer for all his hard work in making the move so smooth.
“Formal proceedings concluded with a short speech from the mayor emphasising how much the Town Council valued the existence of such local community groups and his hopes that Town Council meetings would be open to all who were interested in attending.
“A Grand Raffle finished off the afternoon, with nearly everyone somehow managing to win a prize. Our talented homegrown musician Michael Fletcher played us out with a few carols on the piano.”
