08 Aug Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together in Hele, Watcombe & Barton

I have recently started as a Community Builder for Hele, Barton and Watcombe. Joining Torbay Communities, I’m part of a team of 18 Community Builders working across the Bay. Our aim is to work with isolated people of all ages and help them get back into their community, have value and gain in confidence.

Whilst Torbay Communities is now celebrating its 10th year, my debut as a Community Builder is in a Summer that has had mixed fortunes for both the weather and our international sporting achievements. However, at the time of writing both are looking much, much better.

Watching England play in the Euros was to witness a nation’s collective stress. Nail-biting moments. I watched most of the matches at Barton Cricket Club and experienced the highs and the lows of the competition. Everyone had their own take on tactics, who should play and how we played. But the Euros did bring people together, laughter, cheering and even tears. The country and communities large and small got behind a team.

The slight issue for me is that I’m in no way a sports person. However, I have recently been supporting a pan-disability football team at the Windmill Field the home of the fabulous Waldon Athletic FC. The footballers are certainly teaching me more than I can teach them and the collective sighs when I miss an open goal are mixed with the cheers when I do something right. This is usually more by luck than by my channelling an inner Jude Bellingham or local hero Ollie Watkins!

However, what I enjoy most is the sense of community, laughter and people supporting each other. I feel that our communities are often like sports. They have their challenges, highs and lows, but when people come together great things happen.

We are always looking for ideas for groups and activities that bring our community together. I love wildlife photography, gardening, cooking and music. What do you want in your community? I’d like to hear your ideas and together we can work to make things happen. It would be great for people to bring their skills, passions, and ideas together to share with our community. In the area, we have three great community centres with the Medway, Windmill and Acorn offering numerous opportunities as well as a wealth of activities and groups in churches.

The current Paris Olympics is already going well for Team GB with athletes representing us in a wide array of sports and making history. The Olympics is great for bringing people together and celebrating achievement. Every place however has its own, unique history. A group of people have come together to talk about the local history of Hele, Barton and Watcombe. It’s fascinating listening to people who have lived in the area talking about what’s new, what’s changed and things unique to the area. The next meeting is at 1.30pm on Wednesday 21st August at St. Martins Church Hall where we will be joined by local historian Dr. Kevin Dixon.

Hopefully, the Summer will continue to be good, and it would be great to hear your ideas about local groups that could make such a difference to people in our community. The Olympic motto is Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together. For me, I know I won’t excel in sports, certainly, I won’t get faster, but I do know our community is Stronger Together.

Please contact me on 07821 666322 or [email protected]