Frome’s Missing Links charity received a massive boost in their efforts to raise funds to complete a new active travel path this month.
Frome and District Wheelers have donated £5,000 towards the surfacing of a new 1.3km path, which connects the end of the Colliers Way path at Great Elm to Elliots Lane.
“We are incredibly grateful for this important donation. It’s fantastic that Frome and District Wheelers have helped us in this way. Hopefully we can soon make a smoother route for them and other path users,” says chair of Frome’s Missing Links, Richard Ackroyd.
The new path makes use of an old GWR railway track that ran between Radstock and Frome. The plan is to eventually connect Frome to Radstock and beyond. “This new stretch of path is currently open to the public; however, the surface is made up of old railway ballast, which is fine for walking on but terrible for mobility scooters, wheelchairs, horse riders and non-mountain bike cyclists. We want to create a high-quality route that can be used by everyone for leisure and for work.
“By completing this section, active travellers can already avoid several hills and traffic hot spots and the remaining gap to Frome is now less than 1.5km.”
Secretary of Frome and District Wheelers, Darren Chapman, said, “I visited the group recently on a Friday morning to meet some of the volunteers who have been working on the path. We hope that this donation can kick-start the funding needed to complete it.”
Frome’s Missing Links is working with a range of active travel organisations in the area and together the aim is to create a 76-mile traffic-free ‘Somerset Circle’ of active travel paths that will connect towns across Somerset using the old railway network as a framework.
The Missing Links Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 28th May at 7.30pm at Frome Town Hall and members of the public are welcome to attend. More details of the above can be found at www.fromesmissing links.org.uk
Frome and District Wheelers Club was formed in 1925, first as a cycle touring club, then post war as an active Time Trialling club. Anyone can join at www.britishcycling.org.uk/club/profile/3713/frome-and-district-wheelers
