Frome Medical Practice, Edventure Frome CIC and Frome Town Council have formed a pioneering partnership to create climate and health win-wins within the community. The 2-year project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and their dedicated Climate Action Fund will explore how local communities can work together to create wellbeing benefits for all local residents.
The three organisations have a track record of creating high impact, locally focused action. They share values around creating new, local opportunities for improved health and wellbeing and a strong, resilient carbon-neutral economy that works for all people in Frome. They each have visitors from around the world with whom they share their models.
Here at Frome Medical Practice we are a green-award winning medical centre, the largest in the UK. The practice supported the development of the renowned Health Connections Mendip service based on trust, kindness, creativity and connections. 600 Frome residents have been trained as Community Connectors helping people access activities, reducing isolation and boosting wellbeing – promoting George Monbiot to dub Frome “The town that’s found a potent cure for illness – community.”
Frome Town Council is “made differently” the UKs first fully independent local council, they have been leading the way as an independent, forward-thinking town council, working to provide the best for its community. They work closely with local people to maximise engagement and participation – enabling Frome’s residents to have a greater say in the decisions that affect their lives.
Edventure: Frome is “A School for Community Enterprise.” They run courses, events and programmes in community entrepreneurship. People come to Edventure to start things up; to gain transferable skills & experience; to build connections; to get support to realise their ideas; and to gain the sense and confidence that it is possible to create a kinder, fairer, greener world.
Johannes Moeller, MD of Edventure says “It’s in the Frome spirit to experiment with new ways of doing things, and the partnership organisations have a long history of developing innovative projects. When it comes to the issues of climate and health, we certainly need fresh approaches and we cannot continue to put these problems in separate boxes. The health of our planet and that of its people is connected. Real solutions cannot just address one or the other. Instead we need to find real win-wins”.
Each of the partner organisations has declared a climate emergency. We will work together over the next 2 years on a collective vision to become a healthy, zero-carbon town by 2030. Together we will develop and support community-led, practical initiatives that give people the opportunity to increase their health & wellbeing and reduce their climate impact. The hope is that these initiatives can also be implemented in other UK towns.
Dr Helen Kingston, our Senior Partner, said, “We are really excited as a practice to continue working with Frome Town Council, Edventure Frome and our community. This grant will further support us working together and accelerate our work towards a healthy and sustainable future. Our long term health and the wellbeing of our community relies on each one of us playing our part in supporting the health of our planet.”
The partnership is inviting all Frome residents to join them on Thursday 4 March 2021 at the Cheese and Grain to hear their plans, get involved and share their thoughts. This will be an opportunity for local people to meet the partnership team and get involved with the various initiatives and projects launching across town. There will be space for people to share their ideas for initiatives, projects or enterprises that can help people in Frome to live healthier and greener lives and suggest ways we can work together as a community we can create a greener, healthier future for everyone in Frome.
The Mayor of Frome, Anita Collier said: “As one of the first councils to declare a climate emergency we set a commitment to be zero carbon by 2030. We could never as a council meet this in isolation and that is why working in partnership with Edventure Frome and Frome Medical Practice, but also with residents in the town is so very important, and that the twin priorities of well-being and climate action are seen as one and the same. The award from the Climate Action Fund will enable us to move forward with real projects which will meet these aims and help us to really make a change in people’s lives: Ensuring warmness and wellness, whilst really committing to a cleaner, greener, healthier future.”
All three organisations are also recruiting new staff members for this project. Have a look at our website here for more details of the project, to book (free) tickets the the launch event and for job opportunities across the partnership.
