Ellacombe & Plainmoor Community Magazine Issue 2

I read recently that Autumn is for fresh starts, so as the days become colder and the

nights start drawing in, what a lovely fresh start to look forward to with the beginning of a new group. Singing for Fun will run every 2nd Friday of the month at Victoria Park Church, 121 St Marychurch Road from 2:30 to 4pm.

Research has shown that singing can be good for you on many levels: Singing reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, improves breathing, boosts the immune system, promotes wellbeing, helps improve memory, improves mental health, boosts your confidence and, importantly, builds a sense of community. Why not come along and find out for yourself? Singing really is fun!

A successful Torbay Council Community Fund bid was completed to enable Singing for Fun to get started. If you have an idea for a group which will make a difference to your

Ellacombe

Contributors this issue:

Councillor Anne Brooks

Clare Burgess

David Clements

Dr Kevin Dixon

Sue Earle

David Evans

Councillor Hazel Foster

Sue Hamer

Councillor Ray Hill

Sarah O’Connor

Alan Tilley

Craig Bryant

(cover photo of Plainmoor) See more of Craig’s work at: www.throughthelensbycraig.com

community, but you need a helping hand in star ng up, find out more by giving me a call on 07702 557723.

I’m pleased to report that the first issue of the Ellacombe & Plainmoor Community magazine met with a posi ve response and several people came forward to deliver the magazine in their street. However, in order to reach as many households as possible we’re s ll looking for more magazine distribu on volunteers. If you’d like to help, please get in touch.

This is your magazine so we invite anyone in the area to contribute to it in whatever way you would enjoy, including le ng us have ideas of what you’d like to see in it or any stories, hobbies or passions you’d like to share.

Have a look at the Facebook page (below) or come along to our Community Drop In on the second Monday of the month at Coopers Coffee House in Union Street between 10am and 12pm, where you can find out what is happening in your neighbourhood and get

support for your ideas for new projects. You’re also welcome to come along to just say hello over a cuppa. It would be great to meet you.

To help with the winter cost of living crisis, organisa ons & churches are se ng up Warm Spaces across Torbay which are welcoming and safe. They are free to use and will provide hot drinks, conversa ons and a chance to meet new people. Some may provide food or ac vi es and will be able to signpost you to other support if needed. My colleagues and I will be at the Upton Vale Warm Space most Fridays between 11am and 4pm to chat about all things community. See page 9 for a list of other warm spaces in Torquay.

Get in touch with the magazine to submit material, make sugges ons or to volunteer to help out: ushagarra ley@torbaycdt.org.uk 07702557723.

Healthscape cic

Hi everyone! We just wanted to tell you wonderful people in our community about Healthscape CIC.

We are a charitable company and we help people who are struggling with their mental health by providing, mostly free of charge, ac vi es in the sea and around the coast. We have 3 hubs in Torbay: Torquay (Torre Abbey sands), Paignton (Preston & Broadsands beaches) and Brixham (Breakwater beach).

We run completely by voluntary effort –everyone from the Directors to the acvity volunteers. All of our hub leaders are mental health first aiders, beach first aiders and rescue trained to Surf Lifesaving Great Britain standards.

All the beaches we use and events we run are risk-assessed. We are so safe that we are accredited by Beyond Swim open water swimming community. You don’t have to be able to swim; you can dip, swimble [a leisurely float without much purpose other than to enjoy oneself Ed], chat, paddle or whatever makes you feel be er. Our hub leaders will give you a warm welcome and look a er your safety so you can just focus on yourself. When you arrive at one of our dips, you will receive a gentle, warm welcome and a volunteer to help you into the sea if you need it. We can lend

you boots, gloves or even a wetsuit to help you keep warm. There will always be a health and safety talk before everyone gets in the water together.

We thought we would share some stories of our par cipants and let you hear what they have said.

A was someone that came to us with complex mental health problems; she saw her Doctor several mes a week and took nine different medica ons. She was afraid to leave the house much of the me. When she first came to us, she would only paddle but one year on, goes to the Doctor once per week and has reduced her medica ons to three. In her own words: “I have made so many lovely friends, I feel so much be er.”

J came to us whilst she was on longterm sick leave from work. Her super stressful job made her unwell and she was at a loss as to how to move forward. A er a few months of regular a endance at our dips, she quit her job and aimed to be able to swim 800m to join in with one of our Adventure Swims. With the help of our volunteers, she reached her goal. She says, “If I can do this, what else can I do?” She now has a new job which she loves, has reduced her medica on and made new friends.

P came to us a er his wife passed away . He felt lonely and suffered from depression. Although he was confident in the water, he needed the company of other people. A year on, a er coming to our dips a couple of mes a week, he has made new friends, is able to cope be er, and is on less medica on. He is also going on holiday with a friend he made at Healthscape!

D is a confident swimmer and came to us to help with PTSD. She struggled to leave the house and felt anxious all the me. A er regular dips with Healthscape, she is coping much be er,

has reduced her medica on and now volunteers for us! She says, “Healthscape has changed my life.”

There are so many more stories we could tell you – but don’t take our word for it. Why not come and join us and start your own journey to feeling be er? Just go to the Healthscape website (below) to book on to your local dip or to find more informa on on everything we do.

See you in the Sea!

www.healthscapecic.co.uk

Healthscape par cipants and volunteers enjoy another dip in the sea!

Sue dives sky high! Swim Torquay

Sue Earle, 76, has arthri s, which is painful and limits her mobility, and uses the twice weekly Water Mobility sessions at Plainmoor swimming pool.

When an emergency fundraising mee ng was called, she was amazed to discover that the pool had no funding, relying totally on fundraising.

Swim Torquay is a community pool and a registered charity. They are open from 6.30am (except Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) for lane swimmers. All other sessions take place from around 9.30am (full details at our website below).

Water Mobility is available to anyone with a physical problem to book for themselves. Doctors and Physiotherapists can refer pa ents, Other sessions are available such as Aquasize, and Parents and Tots. Babies, who love water anyway, can gain water confidence so important in later life whilst parents can support each other. Twenty -five schools, including special schools, use the pool to teach their children to swim. This pool works hard for the community.

It is es mated that £40,000 is needed over the next two years, most in the first year, thanks to COVID deple ng the funds, repairs and replacements stack-

ing up and rising u lity bills. Sue decided to ‘jump start’ the fundraising, and raise the profile, by doing a tandem parachute jump from 15,000 feet 3 miles high. So far, the fund is in excess of £1500 once gi aid is added and a Gofundme page set up raised £20 on the first day.

If everyone who has benefited or is benefi ng from the pool gave £1 or so, we would be well on the way to our target. Donate at Gofundme Sue Earle.

A number of other events are planned, like a Pig Racing Evening on February 11th at the Anchorage Hotel, Cary Park.

For more informa on, or to help with the pool’s fundraising efforts: Email: swimtorquay@outlook.com Tel: 01803 323400

www.swimtorquay.com

The Smugglers of Ellacombe

During the 18th century the Royal Navy gradually gained control of the English Channel. A en on then turned to the long-standing prac ce of smuggling.

This was no minor irritant as a quarter of England's overseas trade was illegal and the good folk of Ellacombe played their part in the smuggling business.

By the late eighteenth century smuggling was a massive enterprise. A single cargo could be worth up to £10,000, the equivalent of £1,800,000 today, with a quarter of all the na on's smuggling vessels being based in Devon and Cornwall.

Contraband was landed across the en re Bay, though some mes it was be er to avoid any official observers sta oned at Berry Head. Anstey's Cove and Oddicombe were consequently preferred, and we have Brandy Cove as a reminder of its past use.

Smuggling could erupt into violence. In 1783 there was a sea ba le in the Bay and a mass fight on Paignton's beach. This was just one incident in the long cat and mouse game between local smugglers and those responsible for dealing with tax evasion. While the trade offered an escape from

Dr Kevin Dixon

poverty, it was also a way to resist an unjust society. In a pre-democra c England, avoiding tax was just about the only thing you could do to resist a government you did not agree with.

Smuggling was an ac vity that involved large numbers of residents in extensive distribu on networks while receiving the tacit support from those welcoming cheap goods. Nonetheless, this was a world of violence and in mida on, with Torbay known for its large gangs able to connue their trade without fear. Not surprisingly even those smugglers that were caught were o en not convicted.

Tasked with elimina ng smuggling were teams of preven ve officers. However, there were always insufficient resources to patrol the coastline and most smugglers went unchallenged.

By the early nineteenth century the Revenue men were be er organised with more and improved ships. And so the halcyon days of the free traders were coming to an end. Nevertheless, perhaps the real mothers and fathers of Torquay were organised criminals, and not the Georgian gentlefolk we are told about.

Warm Spaces in Torquay

People may visit a Warm Space for a wide variety of reasons. They might be struggling to keep their homes warm, or they might just need a bit of company.

Torquay Community Café & Help Hub,

Torquay Library

Lymington Road, Torquay TQ1 3DT 01803 714452

Mon , Wed & Fri: 09:30 - 18:00 Tue & Thur: 09:30 13:00 Sat: 09:30 16:00

The Acorn Centre

Lummaton Cross, Torquay TQ2 8ET 01803 328819

Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 16:00

Hot and cold refreshments available on a dona on basis. Free parking and wifi.

Temperance Street, Torquay TQ2 5PU 01803 212638

Tuesday – Friday, 10:00 !4:30 Home-cooked food, friendship and a variety of support and ac vi es.

The Living Room St Mary Magdalene Church Union Street, Torquay TQ1 4BX 07562 693938, Wednesday and Friday, 10:30 to 13:00 Hot food & drink available. No charge is asked, but dona ons welcome. Closed from 17 December to 3 January 2023.

The Playroom St Mary Magdalene Church Union Street, Torquay TQ1 4BX 01803 211868

Monday, 10:00 - 12:00 (Term me only) Large, spacious and well equipped play area. Coffee served all morning. New faces always welcome. £1 per family

Upton Vale Church St Marychurch Rd, Torquay TQ1 3HY 01803 400403

Fridays, 11:00 – 16:00

Church Of Assump on of Our Lady 76 Abbey Road, Torquay TQ2 5NJ 01803 294142

Tuesdays, 14:00 16:00

Riviera Life Church 527 Babbacombe Road TQ1 1HG 01803 291156

Thursdays, 09:30 14:00 All welcome, with hot drinks & food. St Ma hias Church

Babbacombe Road, Torquay TQ1 1HW 01803 214175

Tuesdays, 14:00 17:00

St Marychurch & Plainmoor Councillors

Over £6,000 is to be spent on community projects in the Plainmoor area with money from the Councillors Community Ward Fund. This year all Councillors have been allocated £2,000 each by Torbay Council to spend on Community projects to improve their local area. By working together with the St Marychurch Community Partnership, Community Builders, Park Rangers from SWISco and residents, we gathered ideas for projects and proposals this funding could support.

Projects agreed for this funding include:

* A new Defibrillator (Automated External Defibrillator) to be placed on the wall at the main entrance to Victoria Park Methodist Church on St Marychurch Road. This portable lifesaving emergency medical equipment can be used by members of the public to restore a regular heartbeat and save lives.

* A financial contribu on towards a new piece of play equipment for younger children in the Cary Playground, Cary Park, Babbacombe. This will be a four seater small roundabout which will replace play equipment that has come to its end of life.

* To provide new kitchen equipment for The Turning Heads Community Kitchen.

The refurbishment of the Kitchen area at the rear of Victoria Park Methodist Church will support Family Cooking Sessions (every Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday 4-6pm) and a recipe box scheme for a family meal that residents can collect or have delivered. For more informa on phone 07546 383634 or go to www.turningheads.org.uk.

Councillor Hazel Foster discussing the new menus for the Community Kitchen Recipe Boxes with Turning Heads’ Cole e and Community Builder Usha.

* 2nd Babbacombe Rainbows, 1st Babbacombe Brownies and 1st Babbacombe Guides each receive money to purchase new flags, badges, and ac vity books. All meet weekly during school term me at All Saints Babbacombe Church Hall. For more informa on Find

about joining Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, or becoming a volunteer helper, go to www.girlguiding.org.uk or phone 07736 371121.

* Christmas Lights for Plainmoor shopping area along St Marychurch Road are to be paid for from the fund. The tall streetlights along Plainmoor shops will be lit up this Christmas to welcome shoppers and bring the Christmas fesve season to life right here on our doorstep.

Councillor Hazel Foster said ''We are delighted the Councillors’ community fund is suppor ng these projects in our area. With this year’s £6,000 budget, plus a li le le over from last year, we have been able to fund projects across St Marychurch, Babbacombe and Plainmoor to make our area a be er place.” Two New Trees To Mark Jubilee and Lives Lost

Local Councillors joined residents and local schoolchildren for the plan ng of two trees in Corona on Park, Babbacombe.

The two trees are a Cherry Tree as part of The Covid Trail in Torbay to remember those who lost their lives to Covid and a Silver Brich as part of the 'Queens Canopy' to Commemorate the Queen's Pla num Jubilee.

Father Paul Jones, Vicar from All Saints Church Babbacombe gave a short bless-

Councillor Hazel Foster said ''It was early spring when Father Paul and myself first discussed a Covid Memorial Tree being placed in Corona on Park, with this being joined by a tree to mark the Queen's Pla num Jubilee. These trees will ensure the events are remembered for many years to come.”

As Councillors for St Marychurch, which includes Plainmoor, Hazel, Anne and Ray all look forward to seeing you out and about and making our contribu on to the next newsle er.

Cllr Anne Brooks, Cllr Hazel Foster & Cllr Ray Hill

St Marychurch & Plainmoor Councillors with Father Paul Jones

Doggy do & doggy don’t! David

It’s easy to just complain, but our environment is our responsibility. Leaving mess for someone else to clear up is selfish, an social and some mes dangerous.

Ellacombe Park, poten ally a perfect place for recrea on across the board for all ages, is, in it’s present incarna on, a play park for children and families. It has play equipment and enclosed zones for ball games. Parents can sit on the walls, the grass banks or under the trees when the sun demands. Altogether, a pleasant environment and a credit to our community.

Enter the dog! There are a few rules in this park. These are set out by the original contributor of the land and in byelaws that are designed to keep the space as it was intended. There are three I know of: no buying and selling within the confines of the park, no alcohol and no dogs.

There are a lot of dogs in Ellacombe! Dogs need to socialise, exercise, pee and defecate.

When there is no place to walk your dog it will do all four on the pavements. Most people clear up a er their dog, but with the best will in the world they can’t scrub the pavement or disinfect the walls. Dog faeces are toxic and carry parasites that can poten ally blind a child! (see Did you know? panel)

DID YOU KNOW?

The following parasi c infec ons can be transmi ed via animal faeces:

Cyclospora: causes gastroenteri s that can wax and wane for over a month.

Cryptosporidium and Giardia: causes intes nal diseases.

Roundworm: (including hookworm and whipworm) larva can migrate throughout the body to the brain, lungs, kidneys, liver, heart, or eyes and can can cause blindness.

Tapeworms: can infect humans through the pores of their skin or from being ingested.

Toxoplasmosis: causes birth defects if a woman becomes infected during pregnancy and is also dangerous for people with immunosuppression.

If there is nowhere for a dog to be trained then we can’t expect to have clean pavements, sweeter smelling walls or well trained dogs, but we can’t allow the chance of one doggie dump being le where children are playing. Dogs should not be excluded from the parks, but they should have areas where children are excluded and dogs can run free and do all the things doggies do.

Ellacombe Park has unused land areas, set behind hedges where the old pavilion used to be. It is far enough away from the children’s play zone to be viable as a dog walker’s haven and is served by two gates and a path.

If the grass is kept short and there is visible open soil animals can do their business, which can be cleaned up a erwards and placed in the bins.

When a dog defecates in grass and a family then comes to sit on that grass, even a er it is cleared up it will never be hygienic or safe. Folks walking around with bags of doggie do is another unpleasant side effect. Where are the bins? We need bins in the park!

At the moment no one gets a good deal here, not dogs, dog owners, children, parents or pedestrians. Lets band together, consider our children and neighbours and sort it out. All of us!

Many people are becoming increasingly concerned about the Cost of Living Crisis and how this will affect them in the months ahead.

If you are one of those people, then please be assured that you are not alone and, more importantly, you do not need to be alone. This winter the Ellacombe Community Partnership is offering a warm, safe space for anyone who needs it, at our Community Café and Help Hub in Temperance Street, Torquay.

If you are struggling to heat your home or are worried about using your own fuel to cook your meals, you are very welcome to come and visit us in the knowledge that you will be welcome to spend the day in a friendly and relaxed space, where you can access home cooked meals, ac vi es and games, the company of others, or a quiet corner to read or work without disturbance.

Regardless of your visit to our centre, everyone is treated equally and will not be judged. If you wish to discuss your concerns with us, there will be the opportunity for one to one conversa ons which will be treated confiden ally. Al-

terna vely, you can just turn up and enjoy the atmosphere no ques ons asked.

Our Community Café and Help Hub is currently open from 10am to 3pm, Tuesday to Friday and we are hoping to open for longer hours in the coming months.

Volunteering

If you would like to volunteer at our Café and assist us in suppor ng others, please do get in touch. Various roles and shi s are available, and we provide a free, cooked lunch and a friendly and fun working atmosphere as a thank you for your help. If you would like to make a posi ve contribu on to our Community this winter, then we would love to hear from you!

For more informa on, you can email us at ecpartnership2017@hotmail.com or visit us at 4 Temperance Street, Torquay TQ2 5PU

You can also find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EllacombeCafe and www.facebook.com/ Ellacombe.Community.Youth.Project

Why I volunteer

When I started ‘big school’ fi y years ago, I was given the opportunity to volunteer, and that choice changed the en re course of my life.

I remember talking with residents at a local care home, helping to renovate flats for the homeless and doing my first sponsored walk.

I con nued to volunteer wherever I lived, and there was plenty of variety. I helped out at an adult training centre, collected money for chari es and helped to replace a worn out childrens’ playground.

In a summer holiday from university, I volunteered at a local hospital, which led to full me employment, as volunteering o en does. It was at the same hospital that I met my future wife.

Fast forward to 2020, and when COVID invaded our lives, I saw a TCDT adver sement for Telephone Befrienders. A clever idea, I thought, helping to combat the loneliness that lockdown created for some, without pu ng anyone at risk!

I volunteered, received some basic common sense training and was given a few key facts about my client, together with their phone number and first name. That was all I needed to make a start.

I make me for the calls to my clients, and listen to them. They decide how long we talk but the four of them need no more than half an hour a week in total. The commitment fits perfectly around full me work. In addi on, everyone with a modern phone contract has unlimited minutes, which never get used in the age of instant messaging. I can’t think of a be er use for all those minutes.

In this way, nobody needs to be alone. Nobody needs miss to out on at least one friendly, non judgemental conversa on every week. It’s made a huge difference to some people’ s lives, including mine, as these talks always boost my mood. As many volunteers say, it’s really two way traffic. Everyone benefits.

My life is infinitely richer as a result of volunteering. I wanted to give something back, and I found a way of doing it.

If you’ve thought of volunteering, you’ve nothing to lose. There’s a huge variety of opportuni es, so why not make that call today?

Ellacombe Youth Project Clare Burgess

Ellacombe Community Youth Project has returned to our evening sessions following an incredibly busy summer.

We kicked things off in June with a wildlife cruise around the bay. We didn’t have much luck spo ng seabirds but eventually we found a small pod of dolphins over by Brixham.

Family visits to the Zoo and Plymouth Aquarium followed. We combined visi ng the animals with learning about the environment. The Aquarium helped us make wax wraps so we can be more eco friendly at home.

In the park we made our hands very dirty making self contained seed balls that will be brightening up Ellacombe very soon. With clean hands, we made our own cuddly toys for our TeddyBears Picnic, stuffing them and sewing them up ready for cuddles.

Ellacombe Park was temporarily brightened by street art ins lla ons put together by the children, with help from our resident ar st Yannis Nicolaou. The children learned how to make dogs in our balloon animal workshop. The adults could only struggle with swords.

We went out for a beach day at Torre Abbey Sands learning how to rake the sand in beau ful spirals. We learned about all sorts of seaside creatures from the birds and barnacles on the beach to the crabs and shrimps in the rock pools.

Mackerel fishing trips in the bay gave families the opportunity to learn new skills both on the boat and in the kitchen. We got reports of yummy barbecues once they got their catch home - and gu ed and filleted!

Now we’re back with our twice weekly evening sessions. We’re doing chalk art, playing football and prac cing our basketball skills. We’ve done jewellery making and played epic hide and seek games. As we head into winter, we’ll be indoors a li le more, but for now we’re enjoying what’s le of the mild weather.

Turning Heads Community Kitchen Alan Tilley

also see the development of our family cookery hub.

The Community Kitchen will provide employment and training for up to 10 adults with disabili es and will help anyone in Torquay access healthy nutri onal food recipes that are easy, fun, and healthy to cook.

The project has been funded by grants from various charies and organisa ons including UnLtd, Lo ery Community Fund, TDA Social Enterprise Grant Scheme, REACH, Clothworkers’ Founda on, The Prince of Wales Charitable Fund, The Norman Family Charitable Trust, Red2Design and through personal donaons.

September saw the launch of Turning Heads Community Kitchen at Victoria Park Methodist Church in Plainmoor, Torquay.

This exci ng ini a ve sees Turning Heads staff, volunteers and trainees producing pre-prepared recipe menus for people to purchase and then cook at home whilst following our own menu guidelines and cookery videos. It will

We work alongside other partners in the Torbay Food Alliance and our aim in this project is to help reduce food inequali es, improve public health and to empower people to get cooking at home.

Please feel free to check out our website for exci ng news, product availability and further informa on about what we will be running up at the church.

www.turningheads.org.uk