The town’s annual Kindness Festival is due to return next month and preparations are now under way.
The festival is due to run from 15th to 22nd March 2025.
“The theme of our fourth festival will be ‘Kindness is a Superpower’ and we’ll be exploring how kindness underpins our health, relationships, community and planet,” says festival coordinator Jess Francombe.
“If this sounds a bit serious, don’t worry, the programme is full of light-hearted family events such as ‘Swapping is a Superpower,’ a toy and book swap with a difference, a River Event with our partners Green & Healthy Futures and all kinds of pop-up creative activities in the town centre.
“It includes Frome’s first Grief Disco and an Edinburgh Fringe First comedy drama called The Duke and a range of musical events.
“On Saturday 15th March, the mayor of Frome will also formally launch the Frome Grief Network, with workshops, talks, a bookstall and information stands for anyone who is facing loss and bereavement.”
The Frome Annual Kindness Lecture, which is in its third year, will feature Marina Cantacuzino MBE, the award-winning author, broadcaster and founder of The Forgiveness Project, who will be speaking at Frome Town Hall on the evening of Tuesday 18th March about the connection between kindness and forgiveness.
On Saturday 22nd March there will be a full day of workshops about forgiveness at the Bennett Centre from local experts such as Jo Berry, Barbara Hunt and Professor Simon Keyes, alongside the internationally renowned ‘F-Word’ exhibition created by Marina.
The festival team will also be going into local schools sharing the benefits of letting go of grudges and grievances.
“I absolutely love the Kindness Festival. It’s a brilliant example of ordinary people coming together to do something good and real to support themselves, each other, our town, and our planet,” says one of the 2024 helpers.
Every Sunday afternoon from now until 9th March, The Good Heart will be open from 2pm to 5pm for anyone who wants to drop by and find out more, help with making badges, costumes and other crafty things, or just enjoy a free hot drink.
The Kindness Festival is almost entirely volunteer-designed and led. If you’d like to help out and be part of the ‘Kindness Crew’ team, please contact Becky Ravenscroft on beckyrgoodheart@gmail.com
Pictured: Marina Cantacuzino MBE, Shôn Dale-Jones
