Nick Bye: Stop moaning, there's plenty to like in the Bay

Every week seems to be 'have a go at Hazel Foster week' in the Town Hall.

For the record my Wellswood Ward colleague is one of the hardest working people I have never known, totally straightforward in her dealings and absolutely loyal. She richly deserves the position of Deputy Mayor and I was absolutely delighted to nominate her for this position at the recent Annual Meeting of Torbay Council.

As some might know she previously held the position of Lord Mayor of Coventry so is exceptionally well qualified to be the Deputy Mayor here in the Bay. Hazel is one of those special people who is there for everyone.

I very much hope Cllr Barbara Lewis and Cllr Hazel Foster have an enjoyable and successful civic year 2025/26 as Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively and I look forward to seeing them out and about at all the community events as well as in the Council Chamber.

The Mayor has chosen Rowcroft Hospice to be her charity for the year and I am sure she will endeavour to support and instigate fundraising events for this supremely worthy cause as well as taking a close interest in proposals for the hospice's future.

Barbara and Chris Lewis were both present for the Strictly Rowcroft night of "glitz, glamour & giving" at the Princess Theatre on Saturday May 17.

All I can say is "what a night!"

It must have been the biggest fundraising event of all time to be held in the Bay and by a country mile. The competitors themselves raised thousands in sponsorship and donations with the total raised in excess of £176,000.

Yours Truly competed in a similar event in 2019 (people are still talking about my paso doble) and came bottom of the leaderboard, but tops for fundraising. I was actually quite chuffed to raise a couple of thousand pounds. But this year's event was on an entirely different level. Hats off to Robbie Savage who raised a simply staggering sum of money.

All the dancers deserve praise for stepping out in front of an audience well in excess of 1,000 cheering fans. Congratulations to Barry Young for running off with the glitter ball and a special mention for Caroline Voaden MP who acquitted herself very well indeed. Between ourselves I thought she deserved higher marks for her waltz ....

Like the TV programme it's just a great variety show with some points awarded as much on personality, popularity as dance ability. It was a great night out, all for a good cause and many thanks to all those involved including the judges and "your fab-u-lous compères" Debbi Shotton and Steve Reynolds. The latter should certainly have pursued a career in show business rather than banking.

I was back at the Princess three days later for the Prat Pack; a sellout show in the style of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Junior but with Bradley Walsh, Brian Conley, Shane Ritchie and Joe Pasquale plus a superb fifteen piece band. My understanding is all the tickets were sold within hours of going on sale and it felt like a real privilege to have four big names on the same bill.

The banter was great, likewise the singing and some of the gags took you back to the summer season shows we used to enjoy "back in the day" both at the Princess and the Festival Theatre Paignton.

Torquay is a funny sort of town where folk moan and groan about what we used to have and what they say we really ought to have, without celebrating some of the things which we actually do have and make the town special. The Princess Theatre is the largest theatre this side of Bristol (many more seats than the Theatre Royal Plymouth) & just at the bottom of the hill where I live.

It certainly deserves celebrating & it simply wouldn't be possible to have nights out on the scale of Strictly Rowcroft or the Prat Pack without the Princess. The boost it gives to our tourism and hospitality sector as well as the wider cultural life of the Bay is immense.

To cap a theatrical few days last Thursday I enjoyed seeing the stars of tomorrow at Disney's  Frozen, The West End Musical at St Cuthbert Mayne School.

What a talented bunch of youngsters! It was great to see such confident performers with such a large cast and another full 15-piece band. I can vaguely remember my own school plays with one year a slightly terrifying Macbeth (we weren't friends) in what theatrical folk sometimes call "the Scottish Play", who ended up in the Cabinet as well as pursuing a lucrative legal career. But I don't recall full scale musicals. If only.

So many congratulations to all those involved and many thanks for providing such a wonderful evening of entertainment. It was something the whole school should be proud of.

Torbay at its best!