The nominees for Frome Times’ Person of the Year 2009 competition have been compiled, and now Frome Times readers are being asked to cast their vote on who they think should be crowned the winner.
Last month, Frome Times asked readers to nominate their ‘person of the year’ – somebody in the town who deserves recognition for their outstanding actions over the past year or who has had the biggest impact on life in the town. The nominees are as follows:
Humphrey Barnes
Without the hard work of Humphrey Barnes, Frome’s Memorial Theatre may not be as successful as it now is.
Humphrey is chair of the Frome Memorial Theatre Trust and fought hard 25 years ago to keep the theatre open in 1984 when it was in danger of being closed.
Humphrey has also been involved with the Frome Amateur Operatic Society since 1951.
A stalwart of the group’s annual pantomime, Humphrey often lands the blousy, animated and much-loved role of the Dame. Humphrey was also the FAOS chairman for some years.
Last year, FAOS awarded Humphrey and his wife Gill a Lifetime Achievement Award.
His nominator said, “Humphrey’s leadership and hard work has kept the Frome Memorial Theatre open for over 25 years.”
June Barnes
Frome woman June Barnes has been involved in the running of the annual carnival for the past 40 years, spending the last 10 years as chair of the carnival committee.
“From organising the carnival royalty competitions, to ensuring the procession runs smoothly each year, June works amazingly hard throughout the year to make sure the carnival is a success,” said her nominator.
June, who is now 76, has also been chairman of Frome Netball Club for almost 60 years and is the president of the Somerset County Netball Association.
Helen Hill
Helen Hill runs Slimming World classes in Frome. She has been described to the Frome Times as “an absolute inspiration” by one of her members.
Helen helps people to reach their weight loss targets, offering encouragement and motivation along the way.
Her nominator said, “She was so welcoming and friendly when I started, I immediately felt at ease. Without Helen’s ongoing support and friendly advice I would not be where I am today. My state of mind has changed and I look forward to my weekly meeting with her and my group.
“Helen helps many people each week and no matter how tough her week has been she will always be there for you, no matter what time of the day or night it is.
“She is an absolute inspiration and the dedication and commitment that she shows to so many people is outstanding. She has helped me stay focused and I will always remember Helen for what she has done to help me.”
Phil Moakes
Local man Phil Moakes has dedicated much of his time over the past three years to getting Frome’s own radio station Frome FM off the ground.
Phil spent around 10 years as a local councillor before standing down last year to focus on developing the radio station.
His nominator said, “He has worked non-stop around the year to ensure Frome FM has been kept on the air. He has put so many countless hours of unpaid work into the station – it would never have got off the ground without him.
“There have been times he has been obviously physically exhausted and has battled health issues still while saying nothing, but is a delight to talk to. He is truely someone that anyone can look up to, and that’s not even taking into account he also finds time to be a father, a full-time worker, a county councillor and a good friend. He never gets the praise he deserves so I truely think he deserves this.”
Darren Perrin
Since stepping in at the Aldersmith Stadium last September, Darren Perrin has taken Frome Town to the top half of the Zamaretto Southern League Division One.
After promotion last year, Town had a tough season ahead of them, with pressure on the club to stand its ground in league. Despite having to step up to a higher standard of football, Frome Town is currently 8th in the league table.
Since taking on the management position four months ago, Darren Perrin has overseen an extraordinary unbeaten run of 18 games.
One nominator said, “Frome is an excellent town and now has an excellent football team that it can be proud of. Having a manager like Darren, who can provide us with consistently good results, is important to the club’s success.”
Shirley Wort
In March this year, it will be 10 years since Frome resident Shirley Wort lost her son Julian to a rare heart condition. Since then, Shirley has dedicated her time to raising a staggering £27,458 for the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).
Through the CRY fund, Shirley has raised money for Frome’s hospital to buy equipment especially for the detection of heart problems.
Julian Wort died from a rare heart condition known as hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and all the fund-raising in Frome has been supported by the charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young). With the help of family, friends, and the local community, Shirley has helped fund two ECG machines (one for Frome Medical Practice and one for the hospital’s minor injuries unit) and two defribrilators (one for the old hospital and one for Frome’s new community hospital).
A nominator said, “I know Shirley is well known in the town for her work but as yet has never had any public recognition from the people of Frome. I think it is about time that someone so cheerful, energetic and positive should be recognised.”
