HUNDREDS of people, young and old, from all over west Wiltshire as well as Trowbridge, will have access to free training courses, personal support and scheme s which will help them get their lives back on track, once charity Eat That Frog’s partnership with the Trowbridge Town Hall is confirmed.

The two charities are in the final stage of talks which will see them work closely together for at least the next three years, starting in August, bringing much-needed extra income to the Trust which runs the Hall, so helping to save it from closure.

Eat The Frog became involved because it is now working closely with training provider The Learning Curve, currently based in Melksham, who already organise the Princes Trust courses which have found such a perfect home at the Town Hall.

The extra money they will bring to the Town Hall Trust, by using the Hall as a base for even more courses and projects which all have the same aim, to help people get back into work, improve their quality of life and become happier members of their community, contributing to the society they live in, will be more than welcome, says Director Tracy Sullivan – although it will of course mean more work for the staff, running extra projects for new ETF clients.

But where does the unusual name come from? It’s based on a saying credited to American writer Mark Twain, which sums up their philosophy: ‘If your job is to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.’

This week ETF explained why they have chosen to get involved with the Town Hall Trust, saying: “The Learning Curve is also looking to expand its Building Bridges programme, jointly funded by the European Social Fund and the National Lottery, via the Big Lottery Fund. This work supports people across Wiltshire who are facing significant challenges, via 1:1 and group support, impartial information and advice, leading to further support and/or training.

“TLC currently offer community learning at various venues across Wiltshire, and it will be fantastic to have the expertise available at Trowbridge Town Hall – they are putting together a range of workshops and courses for us around arts and drama provision.”

“It’s such a fantastic fit for us, because their projects already use the arts to allow people to grow and develop, and they have lots of really positive ideas for new uses for the Town Hall, and things they can do which will benefit people in Trowbridge.” Tracy explained..

“They want to put a pottery kiln in the basement, for example, and to start a project to train young people in catering skills, which they can then take out into the workplace.

“They’re all about getting people to accept that if they’ve not had good experiences of life, work or r education, it’s not too late and it’s time to take the chance to do something about it – to Eat That Frog and move on.”

The Devon based charity, which currently has major projects in Plymouth, Torquay and Newton Abbott, is equally excited about expanding into Wiltshire. Eat That Frog Group's Managing Director Ian Powell, one of the people who founded the group in 2011, said: "We're delighted to have this chance to work more closely with Trowbridge Arts and expand the training available to local people, especially around arts, drama, media and music.

“We know how vital it is that people can access training, cultural and social opportunities in their local communities and are keen to see Trowbridge Town Hall, which is such a valuable community resource, survive and thrive."

“The fact that so many of the Eat That Frog courses are free to people who are claiming benefits or have particular needs or health issues, including mental health problems, or come at a low cost to people on low wages who want to improve their skills, means a huge amount to us,” Town Hall Board chairman Colin Kay said.

“Although our initial aim is to preserve the heritage of the Town Hall, and restore it for the future, we want to do that by creating something that has a positive impact on our community, and this will certainly do that.”