SOMERSET transport campaigners need less than £20,000 to complete a ‘missing link’ between Frome and Radstock.

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 the Great Elm, providing an unbroken route between the two towns.

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 has now launched a Crowdfunder to allow phase two to be brought up to the same standard as the other existing sections of the route – with the work intended to be carried out in the spring.

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 walkable 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.

Frome’s Missing Links’ new Crowdfunder 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.

A spokesman said: “We have a quote of £120,000 to fully Tarmac this stretch of the path, which will be great for all users.

“We have two pledges totalling £100,000, one from Sustrans and the second from an anonymous donor.

“So long as we can do the work before April 2025, we now only have £20,000 to raise.

“Please contribute as little or as much as you can so that we don’t miss that crucial deadline.”

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.

Speaking in September 2023, Frome’s Missing Links chairman Richard Aykroyd said: “We’d like a network on these sorts of paths in Frome to connect with businesses, to connect with leisure facilities, and to give people the ability to walk their dogs or go for a stroll without having to cross roads all the time.

“To reach the Colliers Way link, you’d have to travel on some pretty busy roads and some big hills – so we’re trying to get rid of that.

“To the south of Frome, we want a link to Longleat, because at the moment you’ve got to cross a very, very busy road [the A361].”

As of Monday morning (September 16), the Crowdfunder has raised £3,244, not including gift aid – with numerous donors expressing their public support for the scheme.

Diane King said: “We use the greenway a lot for walking and cycling. It is a wonderful asset for the local community.

“Joining Radstock to Frome would be of great benefit to both communities.

Lucy Ingram agreed: “The cycle path is a real asset to the Radstock area and we would love to see the links to Frome completed. We hope you reach your target for 2025.”

Emma Parker added: “This is an amazing route and will benefit so many people for so many different reasons.

“Thank you so much to the Frome’s Missing Links team for making this happen.”

The Frome 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 in the summer.

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 Missing Links phase two CrowdFunder, visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/surfacing-phase-2.

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