When the world feels heavy – the headlines relentless, the climate crisis urgent, the pace of life dizzying – it’s never been easier to slip into a quiet kind of despair. Yet in towns like Frome, there’s a different story quietly unfolding, one rooted not in fear, but in possibility.
Here, taking action isn’t about grand gestures or impossible goals. It’s about connection, partnership, collaboration, and the courage to imagine… that things can be different – better even.
The Power of Doing Things Differently
Frome has long been a place that dares to do things differently. We know that life is complicated and very rarely linear – and what Frome does so well is joined-up thinking. Partnership and collaboration sits at the heart of this town’s approach to positive change.
Take Frome Medical Practice, Frome Town Council and Edventure Frome, who together co-creating the Green and Healthy Project. With shared goals and a truly collaborative spirit, they bring joined up thinking to every initiative they deliver.
One powerful example is ‘Healthy Homes’ – a free practical advice and support service to help people access grants or low-interest loans to reduce energy bills, tackle damp and futureproof their homes. This project is co-ordinated by Green and Healthy Frome at Edventure, facilitated at Frome Town Council and supported by Frome Medical Practice, who are able to signpost patients to this service. Particularly patients suffering from respiratory problems due to poor housing conditions.
It is not as simple as treating the symptom but looking at the root cause, connecting health and housing, and climate for the wellbeing of our whole community.
Frome’s collaborative approach, coupled with a passionate, activated community, allows us to achieve better outcomes. We recognise the value of increasing access to community services and supporting meaningful relationships. A clear example is the introduction of Health Connections Mendip in 2018, when Frome Medical Practices’ invested in a social prescribing and health coaching team to fill the root-cause-gap that a pill alone could not fix. This cohesive appoach to connecting community with healthcare – contributed to a significant reduction in unplanned hospital admissions, reducing healthcare costs and helping patients feel more able to manage their health and wellbeing.
Helen Kingston, a GP at Frome Medical Practice says, “Through a shared understanding of the importance of strong relationships and communities, we have found a way to systematically help individuals to reconnect to their community and re-establish a sense of agency and belonging…. (we) have achieved so much more than would have been possible as individual organisations.”
With a spirit of uplift and collaboration each organisation, weaves a thread into a larger tapestry of resilience and regeneration. Whether it’s creating opportunities for young people, reimagining how healthcare supports wellbeing, or empowering our community to take climate action, these efforts remind us that local action matters.
And when those threads come together, something even more powerful begins to emerge – a collective force for good that ripples far beyond the boundaries of the town itself.
Envisioning as a Practice
Hope isn’t naïve. It’s a discipline – something we nurture through conversation, creativity, and shared vision. And in the coming weeks, Frome offers four inspiring opportunities to do just that:
🌟 Finding the Lights – Join Chris Smaje on the 14th Oct, 7 – 8.30pm at Frome Town Hall for an uplifting evening that meets the challenges of our age by envisioning a more equitable re-organisation of society, economy, land and food production, driven by local community.
🌱 Imagining Our Future Workshop – with Rob Hopkins – Join renowned changemaker Rob Hopkins on the 23rd Oct, 9am – 4pm at the Cheese and Grain for an immersive, hands-on session that invites us to dream boldly about what’s possible when imagination meets climate action, helping to inform Frome Town Council’s ‘Climate Action Plan’.
💚 How to Fall in Love with the Future – Join this conversation with Rob Hopkins on 23rd Oct, 7 – 9pm at the Cheese and Grain for an exploration of how we can reframe our relationship with the future, and create a future we want to live in.
🌏 Green and Healthy 2025 Conference – a conference with a difference on 3rd November 9am – 5pm at Wesley Church, Frome. GHF are inviting healthcare professionals, policymakers and community changemakers to exchange ideas and insights from our three-year project improving health and climate. Through real-world learning, inspiring stories, interactive tours and practical workshops – you’ll gain tools and confidence to replicate, adapt or scale up in your own community.
A Collective Vision for a Shared Future
Individually, these moments offer inspiration. Together, they represent something even greater – an invitation for Frome’s changemakers to connect, align, and create meaningful impact as one.
Because real transformation rarely happens in isolation. It happens when people come together, share stories, listen deeply, and imagine bravely. It happens when we remember that we are all part of the same living system, each of us capable of shaping a more beautiful future.
So, if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, uncertain, or simply unsure of where to begin – start here. Show up. Listen. Dream with others. Frome already holds so many of the answers within its community. All we have to do is bring our light.