On 20th January 2026 FACLT held a successful AGM, followed by a general meeting with guest speakers Paul Oster and Anita Collier from the Mayday Board. 

Despite the windy, rainy weather, there was a good attendance with some interesting and thoughtful discussion around a number of areas: raising funds for FACLT, the continuing housing crisis and impact on families in Frome, building relationships with developers and how we attract broader membership particularly young people.

AGM

The AGM proceeded as normal, a main point of interest being the announcements by John-Sebastian Clarke that after two years as chair he had decided to step down and by David Tanner that after 6 years as a director he too had decided to step down.  Tim Cutting and Delia Goddard were named as the new Co-Chairs of FACLT.  

General Meeting

At the start of the members section of the meeting Tim and Delia thanked John-Sebastian and David for their contribution to FACLT over the years – we are grateful that John-Sebastian will continue as a director on the FACLT board.

They outlined the plans for FACLT over the coming year. Delia spoke of “measured optimism” while we move into a more “patient” phase of our existence. Tim spoke of FACLT being at a “pivotal point”, needing to be prepared for the success of Mayday’s bid for Saxonvale while also exploring how we can work with other developers to build the new  social homes needed in Frome. 

FACLT will continue to focus on its Primary Purpose which is to remain viable so that we can continue to identify opportunities to provide homes locally for social rent. 

We have two objectives for 2026:

1. As part of our continued search for land on which to build homes for social rent we will work to strengthen our existing connections with Somerset Council, Frome Town Council, Mayday Saxonvale and other organisations that share our aspirations and values.
2. We will raise sufficient funds to cover our core costs and to remain operational.

Mayday Saxonvale

Anita Collier spoke with great feeling about her hopes for community-led development at Saxonvale in a very personal speech about “Taking you back”, outlining her vision of the major part the local community can play in the regeneration of this derelict town centre site that was once a beating heart in Frome.

Paul Oster outlined plans for the launch, in mid-February, of a community share offer to support Mayday Saxonvale’s ambition to purchase the site.

Active members

If you are interested in actively supporting us in achieving our objectives or have skills which may help us please get in touch : info@fromeareaclt.org