Almost £44,000 in grant funding has been awarded to local organisations in Frome Town Council’s final round of grant funding for this year.
Frome Town Council’s grants committee met last month and the funds awarded will enable software upgrades, improvements to facilities, and subsidised places on paid-for services and activities to improve access for the whole community.
All projects meet the grants committee’s criteria of being non-profit organisations fulfilling a need in the community with a direct positive impact on the people of Frome.
Chair of the grants committee and mayor of Frome, Cllr Andy Jones, said, “As always, the grants committee had both a rewarding and a genuinely difficult job to do. In Frome, we have so many motivated and dedicated people working to make a difference and it is great to be in a position to help some of them do it.
“There are always more deserving projects than there are funds to support them; that, of course, is the difficult part. Congratulations to all the funded projects and we hope to hear from them and from the projects we couldn’t fund this time in the future.”
Organisations that were awarded the top amount of £3,000 were the Merlin Theatre, for a new stage floor; Frome Monthly Women’s Circle, to reinstate the monthly event; Photo Frome, for next year’s Frome Photography Festival; Youth Productions Network CIC for a Frome Pride Parade and Stage; and We Are Connectors for Global Connectedness.
The organisations that were awarded grants of over £2,000 were Frome Town Band, which was given £2,720 for music in schools; Better Nature Ecotherapy CIC was given £2,990 to make their monthly drop-in nature-based sessions accessible to all; Frome FM CIC was given £2,121 to improve Studio 2.
Frome Festival was given £2,235 for the Friends Scheme Management Software Upgrade; Ecos Court Veg Patch, £2,600, for an afterschool homework club and community events; Rising Up was given £2,900 for the kitchen, play area and website; Somerset Farmers Market was given £2,000 to help with rising costs; and Edventure was given £2,000 for the Beautiful Launderette but initially had requested £2,920.
Other organisations that were given grants were Frome Selwood Bowls Club, £1,495.28 for the creation of a junior section; and Frome Museum, £1,600 for collaborative community exhibitions and displays.
Frome International Climate Film Festival was given £1,050 for The Green Gathering at next year’s festival; Evolve Music received £1,995 for Dads Rock, father and child music sessions; and Forward Step Tutoring CIC was given £1,500 for English for low-income/additional needs families, although they had initially requested £3,000.
Black Swan Arts were awarded £1,000 for a toilet refurbishment although had requested £2,000; Somerset Bus Partnership/FAVBUG were given £1,995 for promoting bus usage; and The Good Heart was awarded £1,600 for the Kindness Crew Phase 2.
The Good Heart’s director Alison Murdoch said, “We often hear people saying they would like to make friends and give something back through volunteering, especially if they are new to Frome. This grant from Frome Town Council will help us appoint a part-time volunteer coordinator who will start by recruiting volunteers for our new ‘community corner’ at The Good Heart Cafe and for the fourth Frome Kindness Festival, running from 15th to 22nd March 2025, and then help them explore other opportunities. If you are interested in our ‘Kindness Crew’ initiative, please get in touch via The Good Heart website.”
Hayesdown First School Parent Teacher Association had applied for £500 to create a sensory garden but was unsuccessful in securing a grant in this round.
The grants committee meets at least twice a year. The full list of grants awarded on last month can be found at frometowncouncil.gov.uk/event/grants-committee-4.
Information about future application cycles and committee meetings can be found at bit.ly/ftc-grants.
Cover Picture: Barbara Gonzalez and Tom Veck from Better Nature CIC
Pictured Below: The Good Heart’s volunteers in action
