Our Torbay Story
Torbay Council and TDA are proud to be part of the Torbay Together partnership, which brings together a wide range of businesses and organisations across the Bay who want to work together to improve our area.
Over the past year, the partnership has been speaking with partners, businesses and residents from across Torbay to develop a forward looking, positive and compelling story of Torbay and the three towns of Brixham, Paignton and Torquay.
We are all doing this so that together we can put the place on the map, highlight the great things about the area and talk about the opportunities we can offer to attract investment, create jobs and attract funding from Government.
This is a fresh new approach to be place not organisation led in everything we do and the Council and TDA have an important enabling and convening role to help achieve this. This work builds on the successes of the partnership but also reflects the need for us to look outwards and think bigger as we seek to bring prosperity for all our residents.
The partnership have listened to what people think about our place, both the good and the bad, to create a shared story that highlights Torbay’s distinctiveness and character. We now have a clear, forward looking and vitally shared story for Torbay and each of the towns that will provide focus for their development and promotion.
We have also looked to widen the leadership of our place with a new Place Leadership Group for Torbay and Town Boards for Torquay, Paignton and Brixham. There is also a need to activate more collaboration within places and across Torbay and we are looking to energise that through the Torbay Together Champions Programme.
Photo: EFFECT Photonics
What’s next:
Torbay Together launched their story and their new approach at the virtual event on 12 January 2022 where those that attended heard the exciting new approach for Torbay. The launch covered how we can all work together to shout about what makes Torbay an outstanding place to live, work and visit; from our beautiful Tor Bay and our stunning natural environment to hi tech businesses and a vibrant arts and cultural scene, to the incredible countryside and water sport opportunities.
Attendees also heard from inspirational Torbay people talking about what makes the area and the towns of Brixham, Paignton and Torquay special to them, the opportunities that exist and how you can become part of selling and telling this important story as we look to make the most of what our place has to offer.
If you did not make it to the launch it was recorded for you to watch at a time that is suitable for you.
How you can help promote our story
The next steps are to use our place stories to drive the development of plans. We now want to find projects and ways that will help deliver what we aspire for our place. Funding may not be available right now, but we are looking at capturing ideas activities that don’t need any resource. Just collaboration and coordination of efforts in the community.
We now need to get the Torbay message out there. To Government, private sector investors, potential visitors, potential start-up businesses and so on. Plans are being developed to do this too.
The Torbay Visual Identity has been created to reflect our ideas, aspirations and themes. All future activity and communications will be driven by this place story. It consists of many elements that include a unique Visual Language, Visual Identity, colour palette, typefaces, and photography.
We encourage you to make the most of these assets. Apply them to your design; for events; in the public area. Also use them in your print and marketing collateral. This way, we can create a coherent and consistent sense of place.
Take a look at how our visuals can be used in this masterclass >
To request a copy of the toolkit, which has all the photography you can see in the masterclass, please email engagement@torbay.gov.uk and this will be sent to you.
Become a Torbay Place Champion
The Torbay Place Champions is a way to bring together businesses, education, the public sector, the community and third sector, indeed all organisations. You know what an amazing story we have to tell, and we have such a lot to be proud of, but we all need to talk the place up, celebrate our successes; together we need to act as Champions for Torbay and get our story out there.
We are lucky in that the Bay already has many individuals and companies who are quietly great Champions for our wonderful Bay, who promote the place, speak up for it and are keen to help move it forward. We want to build on their fantastic contribution and we want more of them, so we can create a powerful and compelling ‘team Torbay’ approach.
In what will be regular meetings you will be able to hear about new initiatives, developments and success stories from the people that are making them happen. Alongside this you will be able to create relationships that will benefit you and Torbay, influence and learn about the place, act as a spokesperson for it and perhaps develop initiatives with each other.
Collaboration has never been more important than now as we seek to overcome Coronavirus and work together to help restore and grow the economy. Together we can show the confidence we have in our future and play a part in making that happen.
By signing up to be a Champion for Torbay you will find out when the latest Champions events are taking place. You will also receive regular newsletters about what is happening in the Bay to help you feel more informed about what is happening here, and be able to share with your network. Sign up to be a Torbay Champion now.
Champions Events
Our first Champions event was held on Thursday 24th March at the Hi Tech and Digital Centre at South Devon College. There was a great turnout in person, along with a number watching online. The attendees heard from Alan Denby, Divisional Director for Economy, Environment and Infrastructure at Torbay Council about the Bay’s economy and the great regeneration plans; Dawn Sowerby, Head of People at Torbay Pharmaceuticals told the audience about their journey to setting up in Paignton and how they aim to employ and keep people who live in the Bay. And finally Kelly Widley from the English Riviera Business Improvement District told of the plans to put on another Seafood Festival later this year. If you missed the event, the recording can be found on YouTube.
The second Champions event was held on Tuesday 21st June 2022 and it was held again at the Hi Tech and Digital Centre at South Devon College. Another great turnout and the attendees had a chance to network before hearing from our invited three speakers. Laurence Frewin, Principle at South Devon College, hosted the evening and the audience heard from Hannah Rendle, the Operations Manager at Eat That Frog, about the amazing work this home grown community interest company does supporting our young people and adults into education and work. Alan Welch, Deputy Programme Director at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust shared the plans for new Torquay hospital buildings and digital systems which is all part of the national Building a Brighter Future Programme. And finally, Nick Powe, Chair of the English Riviera UNESCO Geo Park and owner of Kent’s Cavern gave a presentation on the importance of holding the recognition of being a UNESCO recognised area and the influence this brings nationally. The evening was recorded and you can watch this on YouTube.
Next Champions Event
Our next Champions event will be taking place on Thursday 23rd March 2023 so save the date now! We are being hosted at the Hampton by Hilton Hotel in Torquay and the evening will start at 5pm with networking, followed by presentations starting at 5.30 pm. You will hear from the Hotel’s Head of Sales about why the hotel picked Torquay and their story so far. There will also be presentations from the Torbay Youth Trust and the Chief Executive of the Torbay Community and Development Trust. Registration is now open, please book to make sure you secure your place.
Finally, if you are presenting to those in your organisation or at any events in or outside of the Bay and want to share information about the Torbay Story, we have put together a pitch pack. If you would like a copy of this please email engagement@torbay.gov.uk