Sit, relax and engage on Torbay's friendly benches

Starting with the past, Helen Kelly, a fellow Community Builder, and I have had conversations with locals about the old days when Hele Road was the centre of Hele village, full of shops and a place to meet your neighbours and do your weekly shop.

This interest sparked the idea of doing a history project focused on our area, using old photos and memories, and sharing this with the younger generation, maybe a film or an exhibition. Who knows? If you are interested in getting involved, let us know.
Our area is buzzing with social activities, and we are lucky to have lots of meeting places. If you are considering joining a group or doing a new exercise class, our area has many choices. We have three community centres, The Medway, The Acorn, and the Windmill, offering lots of lovely activities, from table tennis to bingo, craft and wellbeing, and lunch clubs. The churches also offer support and activities for old and young. Just give them a call to find out more or contact me for more information.

What does the future hold? Last month, we held a “What if...?” workshop where we imagined the future and what new things we might want in our area. Then we held the BIG event at St Martins church hall and gathered more ideas from local people. This is being taken to the Community Partnership meetings held every quarter to progress these ideas into action.

You will see some friendly benches popping up over the next few months, a place to sit and engage with other people, ideal if you feel like a chat, or feel a bit lonely. The first one will be the bench by the shops on Barton Hill Road. If you want to suggest a bench that could be turned into a Friendly bench, then please get in touch.

Theo Tanser- Community Builder for Hele, Watcombe and Barton. Call 07599 993987 or email  theotanser@torbaycdt.org.uk, or follow my Facebook page “Theo Community Builder Hele, Barton & Watcombe”