2025: Week 30 - Saunas and Pop-ups!

This week has been a busy one, full of meetings and visits around the constituency.

I have been in contact with Bloor Homes regarding the Dawlish Link Road, and reminding them of their responsibilities in getting it finished.  The agreement was that it would be completed when 50 homes were occupied, they have told me that at present around half of that number are currently occupied; however I am continuing to push them to finish the road as a matter of urgency, especially now that the South West Water works have expanded to close Elm Grove Road, the diversion in place just isn’t suitable for large construction traffic. I have spoken to the Construction Director who has assured me he will be visiting the site this week to assess progress, and he has assured me that the link road will be finished in time for the new school term, that remains to be seen but I will monitor the situation.

I had a lovely visit to The Good Space in Dawlish, it is new enterprise set up by three local women who identified a gap in the market for a new kind of work hub, one that offers co-working desks for hire to help with the isolation that can come with working remotely, there is also a large meeting and events space which is versatile enough to be used for a variety of things.  They are also intending on it becoming a well used community space, which will be an asset for Dawlish and the wider area.  Amy, Kate and Amy have done a fantastic job with this space, and I wish them every success.

A slightly more unusual visit followed, to a Community Sauna which is at Teignmouth seafront!  It is run by Devon Community Sauna, a CIC who are committed to providing saunas at seafront locations in Devon.  They have saunas in Teignmouth, Exmouth and Torbay currently, and they are passionate about bring the physical and mental wellbeing benefits of sauna to the Devon community.  The sessions are bookable in advance, for a reasonable fee, but they also have “Wellbeing Wednesdays” where sessions are offered on a “pay as you feel” basis, in order for people to access the benefits without finances being a barrier.  There is also the opportunity for users to pay for extra sessions on a “pay it forward” basis.  It’s a wonderful facility and although on this occasion I didn’t enjoy a sauna session, I may book one in the future!

Finally, I held a “pop-up” meet and greet session in Tesco in Kingsteignton, it was lovely to meet so many of you.  It’s often the best way to chat to constituents as there is no formality, no pressure, and often when I get the best idea of the main issues that people living in the area are coming up against.  Thank you for stopping by, and I hope to see more of you as the summer progresses.