11 Jun Community Builders: A Year of Connection, Strength and Shared Humanity

Asset-Based Community Development is a core element of Community Building

As I write this, we’ve just come out of a wonderful weekend of the airshow and school holidays, blessed with the greatest weather. Getting together with friends, neighbours, and our families has been a welcome break — a reminder of how good it feels simply to be with one another.

As Community Builders, we meet people from every walk of life, and it is a privilege to do this work. It can also be hard. We are a team that does not judge, does not limit people to a set number of sessions, and does not focus on what is “wrong”. Our role is to find out what is strong, and to work with that strength. Sometimes that means walking alongside someone at their pace; sometimes it means working with other organisations to make sure a person gets the right support at the right time. Every individual is unique, and we honour that.

Many of our referrals come from people who have become lonely or isolated and need help reconnecting with their local area. We work closely with the Torbay Community Helpline, who triage all referrals into our team at Torbay Communities. Referrals come directly from people calling the Helpline and from Adult Social Care, the NHS, Social Prescribers, Age UK, Talkworks, and many others — as well as directly from the communities we serve.

You will find a Community Builder in every ward of Torbay. Our job is to truly get to know our communities: what’s happening locally, which groups are active, who is doing great things, and where there are gaps. We link people into local groups, help residents set up new activities they want to see, and share these opportunities widely. We connect with community centres, churches, local businesses, schools, associations, charities — the list is endless.

There are times when the workload feels overwhelming. But we also know how lucky we are to be in a position where we can help, respond, and walk alongside people when they need it most.

📊 The Ripple Effect: April 2025 – March 2026

From 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026:

• 349 events and groups attended
• 7,012 people connected with across Torbay

Every conversation, every introduction, every moment of encouragement creates a ripple — and those ripples spread further than we ever see.

New Community Group at Paignton Harbour

We are also delighted to share news of a brand‑new group starting at Anchor Rest on Paignton Harbour: A Chess Club, running every Tuesday evening from 7–9pm. It is open to everyone — all ages, all abilities, and complete beginners are warmly welcomed. It’s a friendly space to learn chess, meet new people, and enjoy a relaxed, intergenerational activity in a beautiful setting.