THE Frome Times is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a fortnightly newspaper.
The paper was originally launched in 1998 by David McGregor with the help of the late John Frapwell as a monthly A4 publication. The duo sold the title to Ian and Susan Drew in 1999 and the fortnightly newspaper style was introduced in line with the couple’s other two publications which cover Westbury and Melksham.
Now over 500 issues and 20 years later, the paper – one of only a handful of independent family-owned newspapers left in the country – is one of Somerset’s biggest newspapers.
Over 13,700 copies are distributed every fortnight putting Frome Times in the top three of all the newspapers in the county, ahead of other publications including the Frome Standard and Bath Chronicle and even the Bristol Post.
Thanking the Frome Times for its 20 years of service to the town, newly-elected mayor of Frome, cllr Mark Dorrington said, “The Frome Times has always been supportive of the town and its organisations – it’s a fantastic resource for the community. As it’s free and is delivered to every home in the town – it’s a great platform for organisations and groups, giving them an opportunity to share their message. It’s also an important method of reaching those in the community that don’t have digital access or are not keen on using social media. What I love about the paper is that it concentrates entirely on Frome issues and events – there’s never any generic content.”
Editor of the paper, Ian Drew said, “It’s tremendous to be celebrating our 20th anniversary. Our aim has been simple right from the start – fill the paper with everything that is going on in the town and help to build a vibrant community here in Frome.
“We get absolutely fantastic support from the town, both from the local community and local businesses who advertise with us and make the paper possible. We’d like to say a really big thank you to everyone who has contributed in any way over the past 20 years; here’s to another 20 wonderful years!
• To celebrate our 20th anniversary, turn to pages 15 to 26 for a stroll down memory lane with some of the highlights of the past 20 years.