The Mayor of Frome writes about a welcome back to a Frome favourite, now under new management.

Cllr Anita Collier writes in her regular column for Nub News:

Huge thanks to Deputy Mayor, Andy Wrintmore for stepping in for me last week, as I took a few days break.

I'd like to offer a big welcome back to the Bridge cafe, the little cafe with the big heart, located on the corner of Trinity Street & Selwood Road. The café is associated with Trinity Church and has always offered a friendly welcome and a listening ear for anyone who needs it. The Bridge has now reopened with a new menu, takeaways, Covid-19 safety measures, outdoor seating, a smart awning and a friendly smile! Wendy and John are the new managers following the retirement of Tony and Margaret, the cafe's wonderful founders, who have done (and do!) so much for the community. The cafe is lovingly staffed by volunteers.

Opening times are 11.00am - 1.30pm Tuesdays to Fridays, so pop in if you can!

An event I took part in this week was a Zoom meeting to understand the work that Mendip Health Connectors are doing to combat loneliness. There's a huge amount of work undertaken by this extraordinary team who are spearheaded by Jenny Hartnell, who is the Senior Lead for Mendip and Dr. Helen Kingston, Senior Partner at the Frome Medical Practice. Understanding what can cause loneliness can be complex but often it's associated with mobility issues which can limit the opportunities to socialise. In those cases, listening to what local people need is hugely important as it's easy to jump to the wrong conclusions. Active listening and understanding is key to providing the right solutions, but in the case of Mendip Health Connectors it's proved extremely successful in their fight against this isolating condition.

My walkabout this week was up at the top end of Catherine Hill, talking to shopkeepers about how their business is doing during these turbulent times.

I stopped off first to talk to Nick and Katie at Kobi & Teal, a beautiful gallery offering interior design items, Sarah at Deadly Is The Female, which is doing a roaring trade online too, Luke at Frome Model Centre, Max at Pilea, selling some stunning plants, Dan at Frome Hardware and Sophia who was planing wooden items to complete some interesting commission pieces, Angela at Solsken, the Swedish ware shop, Pete at the World Basket selling beautiful rugs, and Ciara at Poot Emporium, offering a creative collective of local designers and artists.

So, lots of activity this week as usual, and another busy one coming up. It's good to be back and thanks for reading.