Torbay Business Awards 2025: Inspirational advice from a star of Torbay's community

Costume king, music producer and local personality Lionel Digby was taken aback when he won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Torbay Weekly Business Awards. 

Delighted by his success, he now encourages others to “never give up”.

And you can recognise that great fighting spirit, synonymous with so many businesses in the Bay, by entering this year's awards. You can nominate your business or enterprise or, for the first time this year, you can simply nominate another business and the Torbay Weekly teams will do the rest with the application process. See How to Enter below

The Digby family entered the hotel business after moving to Torquay from London following World War Two, when Lionel was 11. 

In 1946, Lionel, along with his mother, father, grandfather, grandmother, and two uncles, relocated to Torquay and purchased the Derwent Hotel, which gradually expanded into Torquay Leisure Hotels.

“We didn’t have any hotel experience whatsoever, but  after the war was a good time to start learning, as nobody had been on holiday for six years,” said Lionel.

At 18, Lionel joined the army, serving for three years in the Lifeguards before returning to the hotel industry.

Above: Lionel as a Life Guard in 1955

In 1957, a chance encounter with someone who had just formed a rock band but lacked somewhere to play led Lionel to create a new music venue.

“I had no real interest in music,” Lionel admitted. “I’m not musical, I can’t sing, and I can’t play any instruments—but I can organise. In February 1957, we started the first rock and roll club in the Southwest.”

According to Lionel, the Tuesday Rock Club brought bands such as The Who, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, The Clash, and The Jam to Torquay.

“Kids came from all over because the only alternative was listening to records at youth clubs.”

Lionel built up the Tuesday Rock Club over 25 years but, by the 1980s, realised he no longer enjoyed it. He moved into business with his wife, who was running a small fancy dress shop.

Recognising a need for military uniforms, Lionel expanded the shop into a major costume hire company.

With nearly 40 years in the business, Lionel supplied costumes for blockbuster films and television shows, including The King’s Speech and Doctor Who.

Above: Lionel and Brian Blessed for the film The Bruce in the early 1990's

Despite his remarkable career and charity work — including support for children’s hospices — Lionel was surprised to win at the Business Awards for his contributions to the community.

“It was a really nice feeling when they announced it,” he said. “You don’t shout about the work you do for charity, but sometimes people notice what’s happening in the background. Everyone stood up and clapped, and I was taken by surprise.

“It was a wonderful feeling knowing that someone had appreciated what you had done.”

Above: Lionel and Princess Catherine in 2022

He offered this advice for others:

“Do what you believe in, and do it to the best of your ability, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. 

“Move forward, but always be true to yourself and honest with others — hopefully, that honesty will be returned to you.

“Knuckle down, put things right, and always listen to what other people say, even if you don’t want to. Set a goal and stick to it as best you can. Also, you can’t just take from life— you have to give something back. If you promise to do something, do it. Don’t let the people you work with down.”

* Interest in the Torbay Weekly Naturally Inspiring Business Awards 2025 is already gaining momentum - and we want to make it as easy as possible for businesses to enter or to be nominated.
Entries are now open for this year’s awards, with a date of Wednesday, June 11 already set for the glittering finals night at the Riviera International Centre in Torquay.
The awards have grown in size and stature since being launched three years ago. Now we are keen for even more businesses and their people to be saluted and recognised.
As before, you can enter a category as a business yourself. But now you can also nominate a business - and we will do the work for them. You nominate them and a member of our editorial or commercial team will make contact with them to help with the application process. Just go to torbaybusinessawards.co.uk to enter or nominate.
We also have two more categories for you to consider. South Devon building supplies firm Inter-Line are on board again with their Apprentice of the Year category and we are also delighted to welcome none other than Torquay United to the awards. They will be sponsoring a new Sport and Health and Wellbeing category.

How to enter: go to the website torbaybusinessawards.co.uk where you will find out how to enter or how to nominate businesses for the awards, the categories and their criteria. Entries will close at midnight on Friday, April 25. A judging panel will sit to choose the shortlisted finalists of each category. The finalists will be announced online and in paper on Thursday. May 15. They will go forward to the finals night at the Riviera International Centre on Wednesday June 11.
This year's sponsors
Torbay Council (headline sponsors and Overall Winner)
Wollens (Best New Business)
Newton Abbot Racecourse (Best Marketing Initiative)
Stagecoach (Greener Futures award)
English Riviera Bid Company (Tourism Company of Year)
Princess Theatre (Rising Star Award)
South Devon College (Inspiring Employer of Year)
Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez (Commissioner's Business Community Champion)
Torbay Business Forum (Small Business of Year)
Majestic Holidays (The James Wright Award for Inspirational Leadership, or ‘Jimmy Award’)
Sally Allen Innovation
Inter-Line Apprentice of the Year
Torquay United FC Sport and Health and Wellbeing Business of the Year
The Torbay Weekly Lifetime Achievement awards for contribution to business and the community will be announced on the finals night. The Overall Business of the Year will be chosen from across the category winners on the finals night and is not a category for entries.