Community Matters: Living your best life - first find your clan

Gill Knight is the Community Builder for Paignton South – Goodrington, Roselands, White Rock, Hookhills, Broadsands, Galmpton and Churston 

In order to live our best life, I very much believe that we need to find our clan, or in many cases clans, but in this new world of on-line friendships  and many of us being stuck to our computers, this is sometimes getting more difficult – and in some cases, we have lost the ability to connect on a face to face level. 

I was recently served by a lovely young man in a very quiet retail outlet, and with no one else around, he shared with me that he was in his late 30s and sometimes got lonely. We discussed the problems around making meaningful friendships and having people to enjoy activities with – and it really struck home what an issue it is for all ages.

We often talk about volunteering as a great way to get out and active without feeling a social pressure to “make friends”,  but more recently, I have rekindled a friendship with a childhood friend, which has been lovely – the connections that are already there made chatting very easy about things from the past.

It is important to prioritise your social health as well as physical and mental, as the art of conversation can go when you lose personal interactions, and with it, so does your confidence.  

In our roles as Community Builders, we connect people with people, people with places and activities, which highlights that we should do what we love throughout our lives. It may be watching football, baking, or playing games, but we can connect with others and find our clan through these things. It may be that in order to do this, you need to find a place to make these connections, a café, community centre, church, library, garden, pub, - somewhere where you feel comfortable and welcome, and the next step is to be open to others doing the same.  

Yes,  there are groups on Facebook, and meetup groups online which can help introduce you to others, and these are very important, but the first step for many of us is to put ourselves first, put ourselves out there, and find our clan. 

For help getting started or finding your place, clan or activity, call the Torbay Community Helpline on 01803 446022, and ask to be put in touch with your local Community Builder. – It’s time to live your life.