Torbay Culture
Culture, creativity and heritage, improve quality of life, and shape the places we call home
‘It is about our way of life – and our quality of life’
Quote from the Cultural Strategy for Torbay and its communities
Torbay Culture was established to help improve our home
Culture, creativity and heritage, improve quality of life, and shape the places we call home. Based at TDA, Torbay Culture was established in 2015 to deliver Torbay’s ten-year Cultural Strategy ‘Enjoy, talk, do, be’ which was created following extensive public consultation.
Published jointly by Arts Council England, Torbay Council and TDA, the Cultural Strategy reflects the needs of local people. Local residents and stakeholders informed the shape of the vision for culture and determined the strategic aims. To echo the authors’ remarks it was made as much by Torbay as for Torbay.
Torbay Culture’s mission:
‘Enable the cultural and creative development of Torbay through collaboration, making our home – the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark – a better place in which to live, work, learn and visit.’
Aims:
- To increase engagement and participation in cultural opportunities in Torbay.
- To maximise the distinctive natural and built cultural assets of Torbay.
- To ensure cultural development is a key driver to economic, social and environmental development in Torbay.
Torbay Culture comprises an independent advisory Board led by a Chair, supported by a Vice Chair; an Executive Director employed by TDA, and independent contractors or suppliers as required to deliver work related to the strategy.
In recent years grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, The Health Foundation, and Culture Recovery Fund, enabled Torbay Culture to facilitate and support these aims: From commissioning innovative cultural programming which celebrates our UNESCO recognised environment, to life-enhancing culture and wellbeing work with local health partners; from advocacy and leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, to brokering support for capital projects. Since April 2021, Torbay Council and TDA have committed funding to support the executive role.
