Christmas may seem like a distant memory, but what a busy few months it was in the Kings Ash and Foxhole areas of Paignton.
I’ve been getting around to as many groups and activities in the area to meet as many people as possible. I am passionate about helping people get the best out of themselves and their community.
November brought Children in Need and another big Prize Bingo held by the knit and natter ladies at the Crafty Fox Community Hub. This was so well attended I had to stand! Well done to those who organised that one! There were plenty of Pudsey cakes to have and a raffle, with prizes including lots of lovely Pudsey’s knitted by our wonderful knit and natter group. More than £200 was raised by the ladies for Children in Need.
The knit and natter group is open to all, and if you don’t knit, it doesn’t matter; just go along for a chat and a coffee. You’ll be made more than welcome. The group meets every Wednesday at 10am at the Crafty Fox. Prize Bingo is the last Friday of the month from 10.30am, and it has prizes and a raffle, also held at the Crafty Fox. Everyone is welcome.
The Foxhole Community Centre put on a lovely event just before Christmas, with raffles, a quiz, face painting, free lunch for all the children attending, and the most amazing pulled pork and stuffing rolls! The smell was amazing, and there weren’t many who could resist! The children were also treated to a visit with Father Christmas and his crazy elf, where they got a gift and a chat with the big man himself! It was a fantastic afternoon and well supported by the local residents. The team at Foxhole Community Centre did an excellent job at putting the event on. Hats off to them and their hard work.
The knit and natter group had their Christmas bingo, which was well attended. There was a raffle run by the group with lots of prizes, and the Crafty Fox had its own raffle where the prize was a beautiful donated hamper, won by the lovely Janet.
They also had a ‘guess the number of sweets in a jar, which was also donated and won by one of the younger visitors to the Crafty Fox, Joel. I’m sure he loved the 78 different sweets in the jar! From the hamper raffle and the sweets in the jar raffle, more than £100 was raised to help with funding activities at the Crafty Fox.
The bereavement group had a wonderful Christmas lunch at the Old Smokey Pub in Marldon. We had a couple of quizzes while we had lunch, and Santa had left gifts on the table too. It was a lovely meal with lots of fun, laughter, and friendship. The bereavement group meets every other Thursday at the Crafty Fox. It’s a very supportive group where we chat about lots of different subjects, accompanied by homemade cake and coffee.
Above: Great Parks Chinese New Year 2025
The walking group had a slow start in October. We had a few outings, meeting at the Crafty Fox and going to Paignton Beach for a walk and a coffee at Shoreline. One of our trips was to Occombe Farm; not much of a walk, as when we were about to leave, the heavens opened. But a nice coffee, cake, and a chat were had at the farm cafe. The walking group is now postponed until the 17th of March to allow the weather to settle and hopefully get a little warmer. Come and join us at the Crafty Fox at 1.15pm to explore the beautiful place where we live. All abilities are catered for on our walks.
Great Parks Community Centre had a wonderful Chinese New Year event, with craft activities, Chinese food, and cakes decorated with the Snake, as this is the year of the Snake.
We finished a very busy couple of months with the first of our litter picks held at the Crafty Fox with the Play Torbay team. Four children and one of the Play Torbay Team helped with the litter pick, suitably kitted out with high-vis vests, litter pickers, gloves, and rubbish bags, which were donated by Swisco. There was a prize of a box of jelly babies for the person who collected the most rubbish from around the shops at Foxhole, which was won by Reece. A passerby very kindly went into one of the shops and bought two bags of sweets for the children to share, as he was so impressed with their dedication, especially on a cold afternoon.
I’m looking forward to many more activities in the area and connecting more of our residents together.
I’m hoping to get more groups and events started in the Foxhole and Kings Ash areas in 2025; if you would be interested in attending any of the above groups or want to find out what’s going on in the area, you might even have an idea of a group that you would like to start up, then please give me a call or send an email—07977635984,
sarahgreener@torbaycdt.org.uk.
