Dave Thomas: Challenging cost of Christmas is food for thought

As we turn our attention to Christmas, which is less than 13 sleeps away (I am reliably informed!), many of us will be focusing on the food we need to get or make available for friends and family who may be visiting us over the festive season. 

And whilst the inflationary highs of the last couple of years are starting to subside, we do continue to see the impacts of the higher cost of living crisis we are left with, still making food unaffordable for some families. Because of this, we continue to support our communities with our partners to ensure emergency food provision is available to those experiencing food insecurity through food banks and other support services.

Here in the Bay, we have a Torbay Food Partnership, which is hosted by Local Motion, and the council is very much involved in this. The partnership is a positive, neutral space for collaboration and connects different departments and sectors to amplify work that is already underway.

At next week’s Cabinet meeting we will be looking at the Torbay Food Strategy, which the Food Partnership has developed. In this strategy, the Partnership wants to give people the opportunity to connect through food, be that growing, cooking, and eating together. They also want to look at the spaces that are available for community food-growing projects and that we have a positive ‘good food’ culture.

The Partnership’s vision also includes ensuring everyone in Torbay has access to affordable, healthy food, regardless of their income and circumstances. They also want to support people to gain the skills, knowledge, and means to grow, cook, eat, and enjoy good food, including cooking more meals from scratch. It is possible for us all to choose produce that is seasonal, organic, free-range, and fair-trade, and when purchasing food, we should try to make sure we buy items that don’t use a lot of or any packaging.

By improving our efforts with recycling and not throwing food into our black bins, we can all make sure we waste as little food as possible, and if you do have any food waste, please put this in your food recycling bin or in your own compost bins. The Food Strategy for Torbay will cover the next five years, so as this work progresses, I’ll ensure I share any updates the Partnership is achieving here.

Last week we received the latest bathing water standards, and it was great to see that 14 of our 15 beaches measured have achieved an ‘Excellent’ rating. This is the highest possible rating and marks an improvement on last year’s ratings.

Notably, Hollicombe Beach and Paignton Sands improved from a ‘Good’ rating to ‘Excellent,’ and Watcombe Beach also achieved an ‘Excellent’ rating. The Watcombe Beach was not sampled in 2023 as access was closed due to safety concerns after severe weather, so it is welcoming to see that beach not only being sampled again but returning an ‘Excellent’ rating. Across in Paignton, Goodrington Beach has improved from a ‘Satisfactory’ rating to ‘Good’.

Above: Watcombe Beach. Image: Derek Harper / Creative Commons

Tor Bay Harbour Authority has a duty to ensure our bathing waters are clean and suitable for people to enjoy. We are dedicated to improving the bathing experience for you and those that visit the bay. It also allows us to apply for Blue Flag status, confirming our beaches as some of the best in the country. These results demonstrate our commitment to closer working with the Environment Agency, Southwest Water, and other partner investigations to maintain our bathing water quality.

Don’t forget, if you fancy taking a dip on Boxing Day and raising some money for local charities, why not join what is normally a large crowd of fancy-dress goers on Paignton Beach for the annual Lions event—‘Walk into the Sea’? The morning’s proceedings start with registration opening at 10.00am where all participants must register to take part and are then encouraged to make their way onto the beach for the judging of the fancy dress at 11.45am followed by the starter's signal at 12 mid-day.

The event always draws a large crowd of onlookers, who are usually excited to view the many residents and holidaymakers taking the plunge while donating to the various charities represented by the Paignton Lions Club.