Local volunteers and organisations have been awarded with Mayor’s Civic Awards for their service to the town.
The awards were presented by Mayor Anita Collier at the Annual Town Meeting on Wednesday 1st April at Frome Town Hall.
The award recipients were The Pod Charity, family support charity Purple Elephant, Director of the Merlin Theatre Claudia Pepler, Jane Norris from the Royal British Legion, Ted Prendergast from Safe Space Frome, and Marilyn Burrows from the Widows and Widowers Group.
Before the awards were presented, Cllr Anita Collier gave a presentation sharing highlights from her year as mayor. She said, “I absolutely love what I do. It’s something that makes me very emotional just to think about it, to be honest. I have always been a very strong ambassador for Frome. It’s a fabulous honour and it has been an enormous pleasure for me to see and do so much in this incredible town. We are so lucky here with all the kindness that people show in every respect and all the wonderful work that people do.”
Civic Award Winners
The Pod Charity
The Pod Charity supports young people and adults with additional needs, young carers, and their families through a variety of groups and activities. They also run the Little Scrapstore, providing materials and resources for arts and crafts, which recently reopened on Justice Lane.
The charity was awarded for their ‘untiring’ support for local children and adults with special needs. Charity manager Sue Paxton collected the award.
Jane Norris – Royal British Legion (RBL), Frome Branch
Jane Norris is the Branch Community Coordinator of the RBL in Frome and coordinates the annual Remembrance Day commemorations. She also organised last year’s Victory in Europe (VE Day) and Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) anniversaries.
Jane was awarded for her ‘unparalleled’ support to the British Legion and veterans.
Purple Elephant Family Support Charity
The family support charity runs various groups and services for children and their families, including a youth club, holiday activities, a toy library, a befriending service, and the annual Children’s Festival.
The charity was awarded for their ‘amazing work’ supporting families. Office and Finance Coordinator Mark Besley collected the award.
Claudia Pepler – Director of the Merlin Theatre
Claudia was given an award for her work at the 240-seat Merlin Theatre, a registered charity.
The theatre hosts drama, dance, comedy, literature, and music by professional and non-professional companies, shows films, and runs regular classes, workshops, and one-off participatory projects.
Claudia was awarded for her creativity in showcasing the facility.
Marilyn Burrows – Widows and Widowers Group
Marilyn has given years of service running the group in Frome, which supports those living alone to meet new people in a friendly setting. The group often includes speakers, quizzes, bingo, and day trips.
Ted Prendergast – Safe Space Frome
Ted received the award for his work coordinating ‘Safe Space Frome’, which highlights businesses in Frome that welcome gender diversity and inclusion.
Ted has led the movement in Frome, which has seen local businesses advertise that they are a ‘safe space’ business with window stickers and on social media.
Pictured: l-r- Sue Paxton, Marilyn Burrows, Claudia Pepler, Mayor Anita Collier, Ted Prendergast, Jane Norris and Mark Besley
