Jim Parker: Torquay's Rock Walk lights are shining again and mum would be so pleased

I used to give mum a shout when I needed ‘20 minutes of peace’ and ask her if she fancied a quick drive and cigarette and for me then (not now!) cigar either down on the sea wall at Meadfoot or the Torre Abbey steps on Torquay seafront.
She never said no even though she was dressed for bed in her nightie. A quick coat over the top and she was ready.
She loved the tranquility of Meadfoot and watching and listening to the waves coming and going at Torre Abbey.
Something she absolutely adored were the famous lights which adorned Rock Walk and the Royal Terrace Gardens.
I am not sure exactly how and why, it was years ago, but suddenly Rock Walk fell into darkness. The lights were no more.
It may have been the cost of repairs or making way for safety work to the rock face and new-lit stairway and lights now adorning the Walk. Whatever the reason, mum was saddened and so angry she wrote a letter to the editor of the then Herald Express who I knew quite well at the time…
Then Mayor Nick Bye was invited to tea at her little flat in Hele Village where he was given what for and, if I remember it rightly, his then deputy Chris Lewis felt the full force of mother’s disgust.
If only she was alive today because, have a guess what, the Rock Walk lights are back in all their glory.
Cllr Lewis, now the councillor in charge of regeneration at the Town Hall, says: “I can remember your mum giving me grief. I can remember it well.”
The upgraded lights are back as part of Operation Brighter Bay, an initiative to literally make the English Riviera look brighter and at its best for the benefit of the locals as well as our visitors.
Torbay Council and its current administration says it is committed to making ‘real improvements to public spaces all across Torbay’
In 2024, the Town Hall allocated £300,000 to support this work, and it remains a  priority for 2025, with a further £200,000 already committed.
The Rock Walk project was a joint effort between SWISCo and locally-based contractor Future Technical Solutions.
The council is pleased to announce: “As part of Operation Brighter Bay, the lights at Rock Walk have been repaired and replaced — bringing vibrant colour back to Torquay seafront.”
Adam Billings, the councillor in charge of Pride in Place at the Town Hall, says: “The Rock Walk lights are from the Brighter Bay funding which is designed to make a difference and make the Bay look as good as it possibly can.
“One of the things SWISCo has wanted to do has been the Rock Walk lights. I am really pleased that we have been able to get on and get things sorted out.”
He said technology has helped to see projects like this delivered, adding: “We are trying to bring things up to standard.”
With the seafront not a huge space to cover, he said it was important that people remembered the area for the right reason and the place they ‘had those photographs taken’.
Cllr Martin Brook has also played a part in Operation Brighter, in particular making sure roads, grass verges, flower beds and our ‘Welcome to Torbay’ gateways are up to scratch.
He is quick to praise the part played by SWISco and adds: “It is going well and the feedback we have had from people has been lovely.
“We used to have overgrown grass and litter and flower beds in mud. All that has gone.
“The English Riviera BID Company says they are also getting good feedback from visitors, which is fantastic.
“The place isn’t falling down any more. It’s trying to make the Bay a place to be proud of.”
Going back to those lights, the response has been brilliant.
One comment was: “Fabulous to see the magic of my favourite childhood walk in Torquay lit up again!
“The whole area of Rock Walk and the Royal Terrace Gardens on the seafront is looking beautiful. Thank you so much to SWISCo and Future Technical Solutions for all your hard work in achieving this and making this part of Torquay a more beautiful and colourful reincarnation of its former self.”
And another: “Here to stay, I hope, as they look great and bring back happy memories of all the times I walked along there as a child with family when we used to come on holiday to Torbay. Now I live nearby and it’s been so sad without them all these years so it’s great to see them back.”
And finally: “We walked through a few weeks back and I was over the moon to see the coloured lights back, so many memories of how it was when I was a child. Please never take them away ever again, they're awesome now, and I would love my son to grow up making memories just as I did.”
You know, I sometimes still head for those steps that me and mum sat on together on the seafront, hoping she may be sitting there waiting for me. I am sure now the lights are back she will be looking down with a beaming smile…