A 'missing link' between two Somerset towns could be completed in the spring of 2025 after a local campaign group hit its fundraising target.

The Frome's Missing Links project aims to deliver a new multi-user path from Welshmill Lane, just north of the town centre, to the Colliers Way cycle path in Great Elm, providing an unbroken route between Frome and Radstock.

Phase two of the project, which runs from the Colliers Way terminus to Elliots Lane in Hapsford, was partially implemented in December 2018 – but the surface is currently too "loose and uneven" for horses, bicycles, scooters or wheelchairs.

The charity launched a Crowdfunder in early-September to allow phase two to be brought up to the same standard as the other existing sections of the route.

The group has confirmed it has hit its fundraising target for the project – meaning the work can be carried out in the spring of 2025.

The phase two section runs for around 1.3 kilometres (just under one mile), with pedestrians and cyclists being able to join westbound from either Buckland Road in Great Elm or from the Colliers Way active travel route itself (which forms part of National Cycle Network route 24).

This latter entrance takes pedestrians over the former Buckland railway bridge, with the path running alongside the remaining single-track freight line all the way to Elliots Lane.

When this section was originally constructed in late-2018, volunteers cleared the route of brambles, removed the old railway track and concrete sleepers. levelled the ballast and built steps up the embankment.

Volunteers also installed benches and picnic tables made of railway sleepers along the route, reflecting the route's heritage and giving its users the best view of the surrounding countryside.

The rough surfacing, made of old railway ballast, means the route is walk-able even in cold or wet weather, but the less able-bodied or those wishing to cycle or wheel their way along face a bumpy ride.

The latest improvements will see the ballast replaced with smooth Tarmac, making it easier for people of all abilities to utilise this route to avoid the numerous narrow country lanes between Frome and Radstock.

Trustee Ruth Knagg confirmed that the project was fully funded on the charity's official Crowdfunder page – which is still accepting donations for the remaining phases of the route.

She said: "This is completely brilliant – we reached our target. Heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you who has supported this campaign.

"We are right now in the process of selecting and appointing a contractor to do the surfacing work, which needs to be completed before the end of next March – so please keep your fingers cross that this step goes smoothly.

"We have left this campaign page open for anyone who finds their way to this page after the initial deadline, because we will simply use any extra funds towards the next (and hopefully final) phase of Frome's Missing Link."

The work to Tarmac this section of the route will cost around £120,000, with Sustrans and an anonymous local donor each providing £50,000 on the condition that the work can be completed by April 2025.

As of Wednesday (November 28), the Crowdfunder has raised £21,565, with a further £4179.75 being able to be claimed back via GiftAid – more than enough to bridge the funding gap.

Two further phases of the Frome's Missing Links have already been delivered, with phase one (which opened in February 2015) running north from Welshmill Lane for 950 metres, skirting around the Rossett House care home and the town's waste water treatment plant up to Whatcombe Fields Phase three (which was completed in September 2023) runs north from Whatcombe Fields along the river to just south of the railway line.

Once work on the Great Elm section has been completed, the group can turn its attention to the final section of the northern 'missing link', which will run from Elliots Lane to the railway line and take cycle traffic away from the busy A362.

The group also has longer-term ambitions to deliver a southern missing link, which will run south from the Edmund Park housing estate under the railway line and link up NCN route 24 towards Longleat.

The Frome's Missing Links forms part of the wider Somerset Circle project which, when completed, will form a 76-mile traffic-free circuit linking Bristol, Bath, the Mendip Hills and the Somerset Levels.

Around two-thirds of the route is currently complete, with the remaining gaps lying predominantly within the Somerset Council area.

Numerous projects are under way to complete the route, with the Strawberry Line Society working to close the gap between Shepton Mallet and Wells following the delivery of the Dulcote extension and a new bridge over the B3136 West Shepton.

Work is also under way on extending the small section of the route between Westbury-sub-Mendip and Easton, in a bid to provide a safe car-free route between Wells and Cheddar.

In addition, the Friends of Windsor Hill Tunnels are currently progressing a safe route north of Shepton Mallet towards Emborough and Binegar, with an aspiration that the route will eventually link up to Radstock.

To donate to the Frome's Missing Links Crowdfunder for future phases, visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/surfacing-phase-2.

For more information on Frome's Missing Links, including how to volunteer, visit www.fromesmissinglinks.org.uk or email [email protected].