OVER £24,000 will be donated to local groups following the latest allocation of money provided by the Frome Development Community Interest Company (FDCIC).
Your Space counselling, the Bridge Centre toy library, Frome Community Learning Partnership, Frome Day Centre, research into garden space schemes and Home in Frome will all benefit from the latest tranche of payments. Two further grants will be made available when partnership funding is agreed.
The FDCIC was set up after an anonymous benefactor was so impressed with the town since moving here, that he pledged £250,000 to encourage its economic growth. The money will be given in segments of £50,000 over the next five years and will be distributed by the FDCIC.
The FDCIC’s remit is to offer “catalyst” funding to individuals, groups and organisations to enable them to undertake specific projects. Members of the company say, “The latest grants fit this well – though exceptionally the directors have also felt it necessary to support vital services where previous funding has been withdrawn.”
FDCIC have agreed to fund Your Space counselling who work in three of Frome’s first schools, with £5,000. The service provides support to children and their families who are struggling to make the best of educational opportunities. The grant for this had been recently cut.
Similarly, the Toy Library (run from the Bridge Centre) would have closed without a grant of £6,968. This group has been lending toys and play sacks to families for nearly 20 years. Hopefully these grants will allow these two important services breathing space in which to find longer term funding, or ways to develop their services.
The company says, “One of FDCIC’s early aims was to increase links between the farming community and “urban Frome” and we are delighted to provide £6,000 for the Frome Community Learning Partnership to work with Jamie’s Farm as part of this. Jamie’s Farm is a nationally recognised charity based near Box, which gives children an intensive week of farm experience. The grant will enable children to attend a specially designed week, with a range of links and follow up with local farms.
“Frome Day Centre is constantly devising ways to keep its members engaged and involved – pottery classes will provide a new avenue, with 10 week courses starting in October, funded with £500.
“While the search for allotments continues, it seems prudent to be looking at other ways that garden space might be made available to those who need it. £1,125 will be made available to research various schemes being carried out elsewhere in the UK, and to start finding ways to enable this to happen.
Finally, Home in Frome’s exciting project to produce banners for the town and for a procession leading to the launch of a book on the workers of Frome will be funded with £2,350 once they have raised other funds. The same applies to funding of £2,500 to enable a dedicated worker to match potential volunteers with volunteering opportunities in Frome.
The next round of grant making will be on 1st October – all the details of how to apply are on the website at www.fromedevelopmentcic.org.uk.
