Community Matters: Conversation Week brings Community Builders out across Torbay

Next week, from 2nd–6th March, your Community Builders will be doing what they do best: getting out and about across Torbay and having conversations.

No theme, no agenda, no clipboards — just genuine chats with the people who make up our communities.

For more than ten years, Community Builders have worked across the Bay with a simple but powerful focus: looking at what’s positive, what’s strong, and what people can do — not what they can’t. You may well have heard our two favourite sayings over the years: “Concentrate on what’s strong, not what’s wrong,” and “We have what we need when we share what we have.” Together, they sum up much of our philosophy.

During Conversation Week, we’ll be talking with residents about their hopes for Torbay, for their neighbourhoods, and for themselves. It’s an invitation to think — together — about how we can all play a part in making our communities even better places to live. You might even find yourself answering questions like, “What would a perfect day look like for you?” or asking the ever-popular, “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?”

We keep up-to-date “What’s On” lists for each council ward across the Bay and are always happy to talk about local activities you might enjoy — not just during Conversation Week. And if you’re feeling a little nervous about going along to something for the first time, we can come with you and make introductions.

A Personal Note

This will be my final column for Torbay Weekly in my current role, as I will be retiring at the end of March.

I’ve been part of Torbay Communities — previously TCDT — since its very beginnings over a decade ago, as a trustee, volunteer, and most recently as part of the Community Builder team. It feels like a natural moment to reflect on how far we’ve come, what has changed, and what challenges remain.

When we first began, the idea that loneliness, isolation and a lack of human connection were major contributors to wider social problems were considered niche — our solutions were even dismissed by some as “just sitting about drinking tea.” A decade on, the national conversation has shifted. Our work, and the principles behind it, are now recognised much more widely.

Locally politicians and council officers have seen the impact of our community-led efforts to rejuvenate Winner Street in Paignton and to address anti-social behaviour in Melville. The NHS has seen the value of our grassroots connections, whether in supporting residents to deliver smoking-cessation initiatives or helping to bridge the gap between Torbay Hospital and home through our partnership with the Torbay Helpline.

Today, Community Builders work to find and support those who may be quietly isolated — single parents, the recently bereaved, and people recovering from serious illness — helping them reconnect with the communities around them.

Rebuilding community doesn’t just enrich individual lives, enabling people to be known for their skills rather than their needs. It strengthens society as a whole. Connected people tend to be happier, healthier, and more able to contribute to making their neighbourhoods better places to live.

Torbay is now seen nationally as a leader in this approach. Yet there is still much to do. The challenges of AI, increasing economic and social divisions, and global events place new pressures on all communities. But our core beliefs remain the same, and we will continue adapting while holding firm to the principles that have guided us from the start.

As for me, I’ll be returning to volunteering with Torbay Communities and others — and I’m looking forward to seeing what the coming years bring for all of us.