Frome
welcome to
Political revolution, alienation and happiness.
Our 3-part series on Frome explores how this small English town embodies the tumultuous and thrilling 21st century.
EPISODE 1
THIS IS WHAT THE NEW ECONOMY LOOKS LIKE
EPISODE 2
A TOWN DIVIDED
EPISODE 3
A NEW CULTURAL VISION
What happens when a group of frustrated and ambitious residents take over their town council and begin running things in a radically different way? What kinds of new economics and politics begin to emerge? And what happens to those who feel like they don't belong to this new movement? What are the scars left from thirty years of closing factories and cutting services? How do these scars reveal themselves in our hearts and in our communities? Is it possible to bridge the economic, social, and psychological divides that carve up our societies? If it's possible, then how do we do it?
Upstream spent the summer in Frome—a small town in the sleepy western countryside of England. We came here to explore a specific story, but we soon discovered that there was another story bursting from the seams. It wasn't long before we realized that this fiercely independent and historic town is a microcosm of a much larger phenomenon taking place in towns and cities all over the world. To understand Trump, we must understand Frome. To understand Brexit, we must understand Frome. And to understand if it's possible to live in a different world—one that values people and planet over profit—we must start here.