13 May “This is what communities should be like”

“This is what communities should be like”, said Rachel, as we packed up after the Community Sing. She’s right. If this group were a representation of society, the world would be a better place. 

It is a joyous group that welcomes everyone who walks or wheels through the door (it has excellent disabled access). A lady who came this week for the first time was told as a child that she should mime rather than sing. It was a delight to see her join in and sing her heart out.  

Another lady came, who has health and mobility problems and has consequently become very isolated, but, regardless, she turned up on her scooter and joined a table. They made space for her and ensured she had a song sheet. The joy on her face was a pleasure to witness.  

She always says, “Well, I can’t sing, but I can come to this because it doesn’t matter”. The truth is, it doesn’t matter; it is never perfect, yet I can tell you from standing at the front, the sound produced is amazing! And we laugh a lot. We have both men and women joining, including people with dementia, troubled minds or painful bodies, but 90 minutes of singing and mixing with others can reduce those issues significantly.  

Normally, the Community Sing happens regularly, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month, 2-3.30pm in Paignton Baptist Church Hall in Winner Street. However, on June 17th, as a one-off, we are going to join an event in Paignton Library with the brilliant Torbay Community Helpline staff from Torbay Communities. It’s an open community event, where you can meet the friendly faces behind the Helpline phones and join the Community Sing (if you wish), all for free. How could you resist? 

Singing may not be for everybody, so let me tell you about the Harbour Group, which meets every Monday afternoon, 2-4pm, in the Esplanade Hotel at the end of Paignton seafront. This is a coffee group, which originated in 2023, when I realised that most activities occurred in the town centre, but a lot of people live in or near Roundham. I planned three meetings in a harbourside coffee shop to see how it would go. 

The first date was a bitterly cold Monday in December, and six people turned up, only to find the coffee shop closed! In sheer panic, I suggested we head over to the Harbour Light, so we trailed over there and huddled round the log burner. And that is where we stayed. The group gelled immediately, and although many faces have come and gone along the way, the group remains strong. 

In January this year, we trialled a new venue, the Esplanade Hotel on the seafront in Paignton, and at the end of the month, the majority voted to stay there. We have more space here, and it is less noisy, making it easier to welcome newcomers. It has not been without teething troubles, but we are working with the staff to make it our new “home”. 

Six months after the birth of this group, a lady from Essex contacted me, wondering if I could help her uncle, who lives outside of Paignton and had become very isolated. I contacted said gentleman and encouraged him to join Man Talk, a bi-weekly social group just for men. This was relatively successful, but after some while, the man drifted away and off the radar.  

However, this man’s niece was not easily deterred. She contacted me again earlier this year, and I invited him to try out the Harbour Group. Well, he has never looked back. This gentleman comes regularly every week, and it is a joy to see him chatting away, laughing and animated with whoever he happens to sit with. He also comes to the Community Lunch once a month in different local venues, unfazed at travelling in on his own, walking in on his own, and sitting wherever a seat is available. The transformation is remarkable. Such is the value of a kind, open-hearted community. 

We are so privileged to live in such a beautiful area, amongst good, kind people. Let us never take either for granted.