Spring has Sprung! Time to take steps to enjoy your community

We have just experienced one of the wettest Februarys on record, and the most rain in March since 1947. However amongst those relentless rainy days there were some cheerful breaks of sunshine. Then I found myself on Torquay Beach with the beautiful blue sea lapping at my toes, watching intrepid swimmers brave the icy waters, their laughs and screams dancing over the waves.

Those sunny hours are now more frequent and with the clocks going forward creating longer days, it’s time to get out and about, meet friends and enjoy the beautiful scenery Torbay has to offer. Spring is here, with daffodils on grassy verges, blossom on the trees and nest building birds tirelessly gathering sticks, sometimes twice the length of themselves.

Why not join one of our many local walking groups, which offer walks of different lengths and abilities? Such as the Melville & St Luke’s Coastal Walkers who meet fortnightly on Tuesday afternoons at 2pm, next walk is on the 23rd April. Other groups include Hadyn’s Bay Walk Wednesdays 10.30am, or The Torbay Rambling Club, which meet most Saturdays and Sundays.

How about becoming part of a gardening group such as Torbay Coastal Volunteers (TCV)? Friendly local residents, who as well as meeting regularly to care for Torwood Coastal area (planting, clearing, litter picking, etc), also raise funds to enhance this picturesque location. They recently installed a Friendly Bench at Beacon Cove, with the support of Cllr. Patrick Joyce and Torbay Harbourside. They have also designed a new Info Board in conjunction with the Coast & Countryside Trust, which is placed at Peaked Tor Cove, sharing the history and wildlife of this exquisite inlet.

The TCV meet the first Thursday of every month (next date: 4th April)) at the Torwood Coastal Path, just along from the Imperial Hotel.  Another green space group presenting looking for more volunteers is the new Community Edible Growing Corner in Chelston.

To find out more about these and other activities in Torquay, please call me on 07931567885 or email cerisilk@torbaycdt.org.uk. I’d love to hear about what makes you Smile this Spring.