Frome’s Silk Mill Studios opened its doors to a very special photographic exhibition last weekend: Save the River Frome Pathway.
Curated by Chloe Jones, social media lead for the campaign, the exhibition showcased photos from local people and photographers taken on the Wallbridge to Adderwell stretch of the River Frome. This section of the river is a local beauty spot and home to a rich and wild biodiversity of species including kingfishers, herons and meadowsweet.
The path was considered under threat from private development and the aim of the campaign was to ensure that the pathway remains open as a public right of way. One of the campaign aims is to ensure that no development is authorised which may block the path.Somerset County Council is still considering whether the path is a public right of way or not, but in a surprise twist, campaigners have just discovered that the path has been made a public right of way on the area’s latest Ordnance Survey online map.
The campaign has had a large local following with 890 members on the Save River Frome Pathway Facebook group and over 1,700 signatures on the original petition to save the path.
Chloe Jones said, “The exhibition was a great success and hosted talks from Friends of the River Frome and The Ramblers. We had a steady stream of visitors and it was fantastic to hear about everyone’s experiences and support for the path.”
Chloe would like to thank local Frome collaborators Silk Mill Studios, Mount Art Studios and 42 Acres without whom the event could not have taken place. She is the business owner at Earth Mother Energy. You can find out more about the campaign @swapfrome on Instagram, Save River Frome Pathway on Facebook, or check out the https://swap-frome.org.uk/ website.
Photos: Nathan Slee.
