Local charity Fair Frome has shared its annual figures for 2025, highlighting just how many people across Frome and the surrounding area have been supported during another challenging year. Many local residents are still struggling with rising food and energy bills, high rents and low wages, leaving more people needing practical and emotional support to get by.
Throughout 2025, Fair Frome’s Food Bank gave out 422 individual food parcels and 615 family food parcels, ensuring people in crisis could access emergency food when they needed it most. The Community Pantry was accessed by 210 households, including 132 families and 78 individuals, helping stretch tight budgets further with affordable groceries.
Fair Frome’s community food projects also made a major impact over the year. The Food at Five scheme provided 5,217 hot meals – sit‑down and takeaway – in three different areas of the town, as well as supporting YMCA residents and offering a warm, welcoming space. Holiday Lunches delivered 852 lunches across 28 sessions in school holidays, including a family Christmas party in partnership with Purple Elephant.
Support went far beyond food. The Furniture Bank supported 120 households, repairing cookers and washing machines where possible, supplying 229 donated items, 65 donated electrical items and purchasing 30 white goods items, saving 6.7 tonnes from landfill at the same time. The Assistance Scheme supported 65 families with school uniforms, refurbished laptops, clothes and shoes, heated blankets, transport for appointments, carpets and other essential items, working alongside Frome Lions, Kevin Corcoran and Rotary to fund vital household goods. The Baby Basics Bank provided baby equipment such as cots and prams to 28 families.
Alongside this, Fair Frome gave out 2,120 vouchers through the food bank for fresh fruit and vegetables from a local shop, over 150 Christmas food parcels, and 400 wrapped, personalised Christmas presents for children. The charity was also part of The Frome Christmas Get‑Together team, which provided around 200 meals and company on Christmas Day so that no one had to spend the day alone.
Fair Frome’s support also includes welcoming spaces and specialist help. The charity has provided weekly shower and clothes‑washing facilities for people who are homeless or in temporary accommodation, and hosted housing advice drop‑ins, homeless and inclusion GP sessions, Citizens Advice sessions and digital inclusion drop‑ins. Staff and volunteers have also brought partners and referrers together to look at levels of need and coordinate practical support for those most affected.
Throughout 2025, Fair Frome continued to campaign and raise a voice on issues related to local poverty, supporting national campaigns from the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN), the Living Wage Foundation and The Equality Trust. Senior Co‑ordinator Lenka Grimes said that for many people in Frome the year has been extremely challenging, with many beneficiaries in work but still unable to make ends meet due to high housing costs and low wages, and emphasised that Fair Frome has provided both hands‑on practical support and emotional support to those arriving at their doors in crisis.