Men of Frome walk a mile in heels for charity

AT this month’s Independent Market, men of Frome, including the mayor Toby Eliot, took part in a high-heeled walk to raise awareness of violence against women.

Over 20 men swapped their trainers for women’s high-heeled shoes and walked a mile around the town to raise funds and awareness for the White Ribbon Campaign. So far, nearly £150 has been collected and money is still coming in.

Mayor cllr Toby Eliot said, “I was delighted to take part in the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event at the Independent Market. It was a lot of fun, but we were highlighting the need for men to take more responsibility in the campaign against domestic abuse.

“Domestic abuse is an extremely serious issue, with one in four women having experience of it during their lifetime. Too often the rest of us have left the victims of domestic abuse to lead the campaign against it.

“The White Ribbon Campaign asks men to make a pledge never to condone violence against women and never to stand by while they know it’s going on. Hopefully by making fools of ourselves we’ve raised awareness and got some more men to sign up.”

The charity walk was organised by Engaging Women, a group of Frome women set up to increase female participation in the town.

Clare Scholefield from Engaging Women said, “A huge thank you to all of the big hearted men and boys who joined in the Heels Walk last Sunday at the Frome Independent. What a lovely afternoon, and the effort made by all was hugely appreciated. Many thanks to Mayor Toby Eliot for making such a thoughtful speech about the impact of domestic violence in the UK,  The Frome Independent for hosting the walk, Worley’s Cider and the Milk Street Brewery for providing much deserved refreshment afterwards, and everybody who encouraged, donated and asked questions.”

For information about the White Ribbon Campaign go to www.whiteribboncamapign.co.uk