There was some good news at Frome Town Council meeting (December 6) that the toilets in Victoria Park will be opening very soon, with the refurb being nearly complete.

Councillors were told that this photo shown at the meeting sees them nearly complete after a long renovation which saw them closed in the summer months.

With Victoria Park on Weymouth Road one of the most popular parks for children and older residents, closing the toilets was not welcome news.

There was applause at the meeting to greet the announcement along with other updates about the town centre and, in a welcome to the meeting, a presentation by Wise Children, the theatre company which is now housed in the former Methodist chapel on The Portway, which closed for services in 2021.

The company, which operates as a theatre school, will use the chapel, renamed Lucky Chance, for performances but also as a launch space for plays which would go on tour.

It is about to stage a sell-out Christmas show, partly because it is hampered by lack of space. Artistic Director Emma Rice explained to councillors, due to fire regulations there are only 60 seats in the building, but they are hoping to double capacity in the coming months.

Ms Rice , who lives in Frome, will be developing shows within Wise Children at their new home and then taking them on tour.

She was formally a director for Shakespeare's Globe in London which she told the meeting at the Town Hall, she had been 'kicked out of' for being too radical.

One other news flash from the meeting, the new finger posts, up around town, were, it was revealed, sponsored by rail company GWR.