A sea of red and white as Frome rallies behind Saxonvale

There was a moment on Monday evening when it felt as though the whole town had turned out.

Dozens of people, many dressed in Mayday Saxonvale’s red and white colours, gathered outside the Saxonvale site to celebrate a milestone that, only a few months ago, seemed almost unimaginable.

Just hours earlier, Mayday Saxonvale had submitted its bid to Somerset Council to buy the 12-acre brownfield site.

By Monday, more than 1,026 people had invested over £811,000 in the community share offer, making it one of the largest community fundraising campaigns of its kind.

A milestone worth celebrating

The atmosphere was equal parts celebration and determination. Although the bid has now been submitted, organisers were clear that the campaign is far from over. The community share offer will remain open until September while Somerset Council considers competing bids.

For Holly Lawton, one of the driving forces behind the campaign, the turnout was overwhelming.

“We only put the message out around lunchtime asking people to come and be part of the picture,” she told me. “To see this many people here is incredibly emotional. It makes you feel very humble.”

Holly said the level of support reflected years of growing public backing for community ownership.

“I think people are fed up with how private development has changed the town. More and more people want to have some agency in what happens here.”

She believes every additional investment strengthens Mayday’s position before the council reaches its decision later this year.

The campaign has already secured backing through the Government-supported Community Builders Fund, which Lawton described as the largest project the fund has ever invested in.

More than just homes

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If successful, Mayday’s plans go far beyond housing.

The proposals include affordable homes, community facilities, commercial space, riverside improvements, new walking routes through the site designed to reconnect Saxonvale with the rest of the town.

“It isn’t just about homes,” Holly said. “It’s about creating somewhere people want to spend time and bring the town back together.”

The message was echoed by Green councillor Shane Collins, who believes the project represents a rare opportunity for genuine community-led regeneration.

“We’re all fed up with private developments that aren’t building the homes we need,” he said. “This is an opportunity where the profits go back into the community.”

Collins, who sits on Somerset Council’s planning committee, said Saxonvale represents the last major development opportunity in central Frome.

“This is the last big site in the town centre. People understand what’s at stake.”

A community invested in its future

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Among the crowd were dozens of local residents who had invested themselves.

Jig, from Jigantic Flowers, said he wanted to see Saxonvale become “the golden centre of Frome”, creating a vibrant place where people would choose to spend time, support local businesses and enjoy being together.

Board member Kerry Campbell admitted she had been astonished by the strength of community support.

“We really think this should be a blueprint for other towns,” she said. “It’s people power. At a time when there’s so much negative news, this is genuinely uplifting.”

Architect Katy Duke, who has been involved with Saxonvale since 2004, described the current proposals as the strongest she has seen in more than two decades of discussion.

“I really hope the council can see what this community support means,” she said.

What happens next?

That sentiment seemed to capture the mood of the evening.

No one knows how Somerset Council’s decision will unfold or what rival bids have been submitted behind closed doors. But whatever happens over the coming months, Monday night’s gathering demonstrated something remarkable.

A thousand people have invested their own money. Dozens of Frome residents stood together in a sea of red and white overlooking a site that has lain dormant for years.

For one evening at least, Saxonvale stopped being just another development site and became something much bigger: a symbol of what can happen when a community decides it wants to shape its own future.

The August edition of the When in Frome podcast and FromeFM will feature extended interviews from the celebration, including conversations with Holly Lawton, councillors, campaign supporters and local residents about what happens next.

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Written by Daisy Steel.

Journalist, columnist and podcaster

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