Volunteer Voices, Malcolm and Sue Worth: Community, connection and finding their home
Together for Colwyn Bay (T4CB) is an Invest Local group that has gone from strength to strength throughout its journey so far. The group is fortunate to benefit from a diverse group of volunteers sitting within the heart of the project’s steering group who have been committed to driving the project forward, making sure to keep in mind the community's requests and how these needs could best be achieved, successfully and sustainably.
T4CB has been clever in using networking as its greatest tool; the town of Colwyn Bay is the home to many brilliant community group projects, from writing groups to gardening groups and gaming clubs to film project hubs, the town benefits from lots of creative and cultural activities. However, the area has also experienced a sharp decline in community resources and funding support over the past few years which have left a clear mark on the town and resulted in areas of the community struggling with the realities of economic decline.
With Glyn Ward feeling the largest impact from this decline, it’s the goal of T4CB to support local people to build a network of local and community-led resources and opportunities that are accessible to the ward's residents and that, in the long run, will spill over into the wider town and empower people across Colwyn Bay.
Two volunteers who have been with the project since the start are Malcolm and Sue Worth; a husband and wife team who joined the group out of a wish to see people speak more positively about Colwyn Bay, particularly following their own positive experience of having moved to the area some years ago.
BCT recently went to chat with the couple about T4CB, including the way the community group has evolved over the last few years, and their personal journey with the group so far.
Sue begins: “We lived for 20 years in Preston; I don't think I had any sort of volunteering roles at that time apart from things like the Women’s Institute (WI). Malcolm was the same, he was in the Lions Club but we moved around every 2-3 years during our marriage because Malcolm was in the Airforce, so we were never settled until we moved to Colwyn Bay and started taking roots.”
Malcolm adds: “The reason we chose this area was because previously Sue had been a carer for our daughter, but she had since moved into independent living accommodation, though she still needed the support background, so we drew a circle on a map and looked for areas which would mean that we could get to our daughter within an hour and a half, or she could get to us. Colwyn Bay came within the circle and because we had visited the Llandudno Victorian festival and knew and liked the area we decided to buy here.
“Our original plan was to let it out to families who were carers so they could have a holiday in between us taking our holidays here, however because I was made redundant, we moved much sooner than planned and we have now been here for nearly 13 years.”
Malcolm explains that although the couple liked the area very much, building up a sense of connection to the community did initially take a little while, however a chance meeting in the street quickly changed everything and became the spark that led to Malcolm becoming more involved in the community than he could have ever imagined he would be.
“I must admit Sue made friends very quickly when she joined the WI, whereas I didn't know anyone, I knew people that she knew but I didn’t make any friends of my own. One day I was walking through the town and this guy walked up to me, gave me a leaflet, and said: ‘You look like you need a Men's Shed.’ I asked what that was and he said: ‘We're going to start one’ and then explained that the Men’s Shed was about getting blokes together who didn't know anybody or were stuck indoors or something like that, then it all started from there.
"I went along soon after and I became one of the founding members and after about three years I was elected Chair. It’s a brilliant space and it really supports members who attend and gives them connections, friends, skills and a real space to come and have a laugh and some fun with like-minded folk.”
Sue adds: “I always prefer to be in the background, I'm always willing to help and do things, but I do not usually take a lead role. However, in a few of the groups that I attend I have taken up a lead volunteer-type role like Malcolm, for instance the lady section of the She Shed started up a few years after the Men’s Shed and I’d attended, but after a few years that Chairperson moved away due to personal circumstances and after that I was elected as the Chairperson. Then, for the arthritis support group, I went along there as just a member and then COVID-19 hit; when we wanted to start up again, they needed people to run it and I stepped forward. The arthritis group I enjoy because they are so appreciative, and it is a place to meet and just to talk and laugh and we really do laugh.”
By this point in the conversation, it is clear that Malcolm and Sue are the type of people who care for community resources very much and they are not afraid to step up and help steer things if needed. But as Sue explains, it was when the Invest Local project came to Colwyn Bay that she and Malcolm would be able to rally community spirit and help start achieving one of their personal goals with regards to supporting Colwyn Bay and the area as a whole.
“We wanted to support the community really, because everybody was saying: ‘Colwyn Bay, that's down in the dumps, you don't want be there, it's full of druggies....’ Of course, Colwyn Bay, like many places, has its challenges and many areas are classed as deprived, but our experience of the town has always been a friendly one. When we were moving into our house here we were looking to buy some second-hand furniture and went to an antique shop, they had this sofa outside which was reduced and we asked if we could buy it and the man was very friendly and so we bought the sofa from him. Then later, when he delivered it, it was terribly cold because we had lots of snow that winter and it was late, and we said how cold it was and he said: ‘I’ve got a lot of blankets in the back of the van I use for moving do you want some?’ It was just that kindness and the sense of community that we had never experienced before. So yes, for us it was sad how so many people were saying how down Colwyn Bay was and we thought, well, if you are down, you can only go up!”
“Our first introduction to the Invest Local group and what has now become T4CB was when Gwen Thirsk, BCT’s Invest Local Officer for North Wales, had been to the Men’s Shed and talked to them about the project; then we had a leaflet drop through the door saying that we, Glyn Ward, had been awarded this amount of money for us as a community to decide how we wanted it to be invested or spent. Well, we thought being a bit nosey, it's the area we live in and so we went along to the meetings.
“At the very first meetings, the group decided we'd find out what people in the community wanted. The best thing was we had an event outside the Bay Centre; there was a fairground for the children, and we had questionnaires, and the children could go on the ride for free as long as the parents answered a few questions about how they felt about Colwyn Bay.
“From those questionnaires we got a list of possible ideas. Then we did a follow-up, but we didn't get many answers as to which areas we should prioritise – there was a fair amount of apathy. One problem was trying to get people to understand what we were trying to do. But, despite all odds, from then on, the steering group increased in numbers and came up with ideas, initially it was that we gave out grants because of COVID-19, supporting food banks and things like that. Then we realised that due to the pandemic we have all missed birthday parties, so we held our first big event in Eirias Park, with support from Cartrefi Housing and we called it ‘Everybody's Birthday Party!’ It was an enormous success. A lot of
local organisations got involved - Morrisons were great and gave us most of the food, cakes, and drinks. It’s now evolved over time and turned into the Big Picnic and has run every year since then.
“A bit further down the line the group decided we needed some dedicated help from people with skills and training and so we employed Georgia and Vin, because things were so busy by that point, we knew we couldn't all do it by ourselves. So, we’ve been there with T4CB since the beginning and Malcolm even supported as Chair for two years before stepping down to open up the role to our current Chair David Padmore.”
Malcolm and Sue feel passionate about T4CB and the potential the group has for bringing about positive changes for Glyn Ward, Colwyn Bay, and its residents. Their willingness to take on new challenges and experiences, and their desire to move T4CB and its community support projects into the heart of the town is clear, they also strongly believe that Colwyn Bay must build a sustainable community response to changes in the wider world.
Reflecting on the future, Malcolm and Sue have the same vision: “It has been incredible to see what everyone has built over time. Resources like Toastie Club, where parents would attend and start to talk about other things that the community needed. Hannah Stant was one of those parents and she spoke about wanting to start a youth club and we said we could help. Once Huw and Georgia, our staff members, got involved then it happened... there used to be no youth groups in the areas, now there are two and they are thriving.
“Another thing that has been created for the community from T4CB’s work is free dance lessons. We had exercise lessons for adults, but nothing for children. Tim, another volunteer, handled the networking with parents and got the word out for children’s classes. So, it is things like that we’ve seen developing from T4CB’s work, which has created valuable community connections. People who didn’t know each other before, now all chat, get on and support each other with childcare which for young families is invaluable. Older people have groups and events to attend and feel comfortable coming in and sitting and having a coffee and a chat.
“We would like to see T4CB continuing to build a real home in the hearts of the people who live in Colwyn Bay, because local residents need something to build on, to believe in, places to connect, resources to call on in times of need, and networking and learning opportunities. That’s what T4CB is aiming to do for the community of Colwyn Bay and, for us, the group is really starting to make big steps towards achieving that goal.”