Ian Marshall and Louise Howell, the head of the Frome Food Hub and Louisebees in Frome, are two of 15 leaders in Somerset to have been selected for a competitive learning programme and Match Trading grant of up to £5,000. 

The programme will support Ian to grow the Frome Food Hub, which offers click and collect shopping for the Frome community to access local producers who may not otherwise have a viable route to market. Shopping is available at www.fromefoodhub.co.uk where customers can browse numerous producers including popular choices like Vallis Veg and Ivy House Dairy as well as smaller businesses like September House Smallholding and Sugar & Spice Bakehouse, Meadowsweet beef and indeed Louisebees.

Helping the local food system become more sustainable and resilient is at the core of what Ian and his partner Kerry-Ann are trying to achieve with the Food Hub as well as offering a convenient choice for those more rurally isolated through a delivery option. Louisebees want to do more than sell local honey. They plan to help Save the Bees, by establishing new colonies in our region, through matching landowners, beekeepers and local companies. The company sponsors the hive. The landowner provides the environment.

The beekeepers look after the bees, who provide pollination services and honey. They all receive some honey, positive PR and improved well-being. The initiative also offers education and first hand experiences to attract new people to beekeeping! Ian and Louise have begun a four-month Start Up learning programme with the School for Social Entrepreneurs, which supports people starting up and running social enterprises, charities, community business and environmental projects.

 Ian and Louise say: "We are delighted to have been accepted onto the Somerset Social Entrepreneurs Programme, The programme, and Match Trading grant of up to £5,000 will help us to grow The Frome Food Hub and Louisebees so we can support more people (and bees!) in Somerset in 2022." 

Somerset Social Entrepreneurs Programme is led by the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) in partnership with Somerset Social Entrepreneurs Network, Somerset Community Foundation, SPARK, Somerset Community Foundation and Somerset County Council. It is funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund, which is managed by Somerset County Council within the Somerset region.

Dirk Rohwedder, South West Director for School for Social Entrepreneurs, says: "We are delighted to welcome Ian and Louise onto the Start Up programme, where they'll learn alongside other community leaders how to build a more resilient organisation and create greater social impact for the region. We are confident Ian and Louise have the leadership qualities and motivation to increase their impact on Frome even further, which is why we have awarded them a highly coveted place." 

As part of the programme, SSE has partnered with Somerset Social Entrepreneurs Network, SPARK Somerset and Somerset Community Foundation and Somerset County Council to provide free support through workshops and events until the end of June 2022. These will tackle subjects ranging from managing finances and fundraising to future planning and scaling up.

They are open to all social enterprises, community businesses, charity and voluntary organisations in Somerset whether or not they're on the programme and can be booked here: For further information, please contact: • Ian Marshall [email protected] 07543221548 • Louise Howell [email protected] 07729 167003 • Akulah Agbami, marketing and communications lead, the School for Social Entrepreneurs: [email protected]

Frome Food Hub Www.fromefoodhub.co.uk offers local, sustainable produce with all the convenience of online click and collect shopping, combined with taster opportunities to meet the producers and shake the hand that feeds you. Order online through our website Thursday-Monday then come along to pick up your fresh produce at our weekly collection on Wednesdays 5.30-7.00pm at the Bennett Centre, Vicarage Street, Frome. . Alternatively, you can choose to have your produce delivered within central Frome, and up to a 10km radius of Frome. Interested? Join now (it's free) to buy online. There is NO commitment to buy, and NO minimum order quantities. We have worked very hard to source produce from a huge variety of local farmers and growers. When we say "Yes to local!" we mean it.

We have sourced most of our food from no more than 25 miles away (and closer when we can) although we have made the occasional exception for fish and a few, select exotic fruit and veg. You can buy a HUGE range of local produce; free range, heritage breed meat, seasonal fruit and veg grown free from chemical nasties, freshly baked bread, organic Jersey cows' milk, butter and cream, Guernsey cows' milk and goats' milk yoghurt, as well as home cooked ready meals, wine, beer and juice, as well as locally grown plants and flowers and a few, key household essentials from ethical wholesaler Essential Organic, based in Bristol. www.louisebees.com It's all about the bees. We sell local honey from Frome and across the West Country, bringing together individual beekeepers, often with a lifetime of knowledge of how to look after their bees. The honey comes straight from their hives, retaining all the goodness the bees collect. Each variety represents the countryside they live and forage in. Our honey is in local Frome shops, at the Frome Independent and other markets.