Fair Frome looks forward to 2025

Press Release, 15th January 2025

Fair Frome, serving the community of Frome and surrounding villages, has had a challenging but successful 2024 in meeting its aim to provide practical support for those experiencing financial, health and social difficulties.  

Lenka Grimes is the Senior Co-ordinator at Fair Frome. 

“For many people in Frome the past year has been an extremely challenging one with rising food and energy bills and inflation hitting individuals and families,” says Lenka. “Over 40% of our food bank users are in work but with high local housing rental prices and low wages they are unable to make ends meet. As a local charity as well as providing practical support we have also provided emotional support to those who come to our doors in crisis. Over the past year some of the services we have provided include the following: 

• Our Food Bank, which has given out 488 individual food parcels and 753 family food parcels over the past year with additional items supplied of fresh food like eggs, milk, cheese, butter,
• Our Community Garden produced some wonderful fresh fruit and vegetables and a space for everyone to enjoy

• Given out over 2,400 vouchers through the food bank for fresh fruit and veg from a local shop 

• Given out over 2,400 vouchers for a local butcher to provide quality fresh meat 

• Given out over 1,100 vouchers for a local baker to provide quality fresh bread 

• Given out over 150 Christmas Food parcels  

• Given out 273 wrapped personalised Christmas presents for children 

• Part of The Frome Christmas Get-Together team which provided around 150 meals and company on Christmas Day 
• Our Community Pantry was accessed by 204 households (126 families and 78 individuals)

• Food at Five: Our team has provided 5,278 hot meals in 3 different areas of the town, free to anyone on benefits or low income, offering a warm space from 4.30-6.30 and support in a welcoming environment 

• Holiday Lunches: Provided 1,787 across 51 sessions during school holidays, in partnership with activities delivered by Purple Elephant
• Monthly Sunday Lunches for families, in partnership with Purple Elephant 

• Furniture Bank: Supported over 140 households in the Frome area. We have repaired cookers and washing machines where possible, supplied 256 donated items, 65 donated electrical items and bought 60 white goods items (mostly cookers and washing machines), We have saved 7.4 tonnes from landfill.

• Assistance Scheme: supported 95 families; Providing school uniforms, refurbished laptops, vouchers for clothes and shoes, heated blankets, transport for appointments, carpets, and many other essential items to referred families. Frome Lions, Kevin Corcoran and Rotary have worked with us to provide funding for carpets 

• Baby Basics Bank- supported 25 families, providing baby equipment like cots, prams, 
• Provided weekly shower and clothes washing facilities for homeless people

• Hosted Housing advice drop ins, Homeless and Inclusion GP drop ins, Citizen’s advice sessions and digital inclusion drop ins

• Hosted meetings with partners, referrers, other statutory and voluntary groups to look at levels of need and coordinate practical support 

• Campaigned on issues relating to local poverty. We are also affiliated to the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN), the Living Wage Foundation and The Equality Trust and have supported their campaigns

Rebecca Harrison is the Assistant Coordinator at Fair Frome. 

“We were delighted to have built on the strength of our Community Pantry, which is now in its second year, offering a low-cost shop to members for a 6 month period to facilitate sustainable access to food and allow individuals and families to budget,” adds Rebecca. “The scheme has been a real success story and currently has 60 members and is growing. 2024 also saw the start of our Breakfast Club. It was being made clear to us that some children were going to school without breakfast. The government has promised that eventually every schoolchild will be offered the opportunity of a breakfast but until that actually happens, our team of volunteers are at the Cricket Club every Monday during term time, distributing well over 70 breakfasts to local schoolchildren.” 

The Chair of Trustees at Fair Frome is John Killah. 

“Frome is a truly remarkable town,” says John. “I have never ceased to be astonished by the incredible generosity of the people in this town. On behalf of our trustees I would like to give a huge thank you to everyone in Frome who has supported us over the past year – staff and volunteers, local Councils, businesses, The Rotary Clubs, Inner Wheel, Frome Lions, charities, churches, schools, all our referrers, voluntary agencies and the many thousands of individual people and families who have donated their time, food and funds to help us continue our work. Without the help of all these amazing people and organisations, Fair Frome would simply not be able to achieve what we already do. As we move into a New Year, a huge ‘Thank You’ once more to our many supporters who help make sure that as a charity we really do make a difference.” 

[email protected] 

01373 488578/077145