It was great to see so many people at the celebration at the old Showfield (on Wednesday 30th September) to mark the handover to Frome Town Council. This important green space is now managed (and mostly owned) by the Town Council for the community and with the local community. Local residents should feel more of a sense of ownership and involvement. It has taken many years to sort this out, many meetings at Mendip and with others. When the improvements scheme and transfer process got truly stuck last year, taking the issue up at Frome Town Council proved a decisive step (see here for details). Thanks go to the supportive people at Frome Town Council, the Agricultural Society, Mendip, FROGS, Collegians, Vision for Frome, Somerset CC and others. Getting local spaces and facilities managed more locally makes sense for many reasons and I am keen to see this continue. The Town Council now has more work to do, and will need to sort out the improvements (mainly funded by the Health Centre development) so that uneven badly surfaced paths are improved, more benches are put in to help people catch their breath and admire the views, more play facilities and some sort of fence to stop dogs worrying children there, an area for picnics, and the fitness trail. The basic stuff will also need doing better, like getting the grass cut on time, keeping the site secure, keeping paths free of flooding, and fixing the faulty street lights.  Mendip councillors still have a role (in the approval of funding) and I know many local people are still keen to have a say about the final scheme. I am proud to have helped make this happen, and hope soon we will have an even better Old Showfield park to be proud of.

(Letter to Frome Times and Frome Standard, 7-8 Oct 2015) Adam Boyden, Mendip District Councillor, Frome College ward (Lib Dem)

The Frome Times front page article on this is here (see photo below): Frome Town Council have agreed “to set up more events and ways for people to give feedback on the options and put forward their own ideas.” To get involved in the improvement project and make suggestions, please email Ruth Knagg on knaggr@frometowncouncil.gov.uk.

Please see here for previous news.

Update, 27 November 2015: After taking over the old Showfield on 30^th September, Frome Town Council are working up details of the initial phase of improvements, including to improve footpath surfaces, to address path flooding and make improvements to the playground. Frome Town Council recently fixed the street lights quickly, and will consult residents on their plans. I will keep residents informed as things progress.