Jim Parker: A humbling thankyou from me - and Ant - to the heroes of our community in Bay

I realise I keep banging on about regeneration and the Torbay Story’s crucial part in selling the English Riviera and attracting investors and investment. But there is one vital ingredient that cannot be overlooked if the English Riviera is to flourish as a ‘place’.
And that’s its people.
Combine what we have to offer as a place with the passion of the people who live and work here and you have a powerful weapon in the battle to provide a healthier, happier and prosperous future and Bay for all.
That passion, that spirit and that community coming together was there for all to see at this year’s Torbay Community Champions Awards, which offered the chance to recognise and salute those who have devoted — and have just started devoting — their lives to others.
The Bay Church was the perfect venue and setting for these awards and it was simply an honour and downright privilege to be allowed to co-host the event with the other half of the so-called new ‘Ant and Dec’ partnership, namely David Gledhill from Torbay Communities who, with the Torbay Weekly, launched the awards for the first time last year.
To see young and old celebrating together, like 92-year-old Good Neighbour Award winner William ‘Bill’ Taylor and little Leighton-Rose Widley, Young Volunteer champion from last year, left a lump in the throat.

Overall Torbay Community Champion 2025 Tanny Stobart with last year's winner Norman 'Norrms' McNamara Pic miraclePR.com

The long standing ovations given to the Lifetime Award recipients and this year’s young volunteers — we decided all those nominated should be winners this year — were magical and moving moments. And likewise when children’s champion Tanny Stobart was named overall Torbay Community Champion — one of the littlest ladies with one of the biggest hearts you will ever meet.
As I say, we couldn’t separate those shortlisted for lifetime recognition.
This is why:
Carolyn Morgan for her voluntary work over more than 35 remarkable years with Brixham Old People’s Association, Brixham Orpheus Male Voice Choir, Brixham Horticultural Society, Brixham Methodist Church, Torbay branch of Parkinson's UK, the Exeter branch of the Merchant Navy Association and the Diabetic Association of Torbay.
Major Ron Goodwin, who saved the Paignton branch of the Royal British Legion from closure 23 years ago and went on to build it up to be one of the most active branches in the country, raising £50,000 annually and overall an incredible £1million for the Poppy Appeal.
And Tanny, who was the founding director of Play Torbay promoting children's play in the Bay. Tanny has been the inspiration and driving force behind Play Torbay, which has touched so many people’s lives over the last 25 years.
Heroes every one of them….
They typify what Torbay is all about and what makes this place special in so many ways. It was the great community spirit which saw us through the truly awful times of Covid and it’s there now helping others when they need help the most.

Anthony Roach with Oscar and Arlo.jpg

It may be switching focus a little but take for instance local businessman Anthony ‘Ant’ Roach and an SOS he put out on social media to help stop his Riviera Events business from going under.
The business set up in 2015 supplies bouncy castles, ball pools etc for parties and other events.
Trouble is, amid all the economic doom and gloom, fewer and fewer people are partying and Riviera Events is struggling.
Ant, married to Charlotte, was hoping he would one day be in a position to hand down the business to son Arlo, now 11, and stepson Oscar,12.
But he posted on Facebook: “I’m writing this with a heavy heart and a dream that is slipping away. I’m sitting here at my kitchen table, writing this with tears in my eyes.
“We have spent 10 years building Riviera Events, pouring our heart and soul into your parties and celebrations. But I need to be real with you all: we are in a very dark place.
“In those 10 years building Riviera Events, my dream has always been to build something strong and proud to hand over to Arlo and Oscar should they want it when they’re older when I retire in 10 to 15 years’ time. I wanted this to be their future as much as it is my present.
“But I need to be honest with you all: that dream is in serious danger. It hasn’t just been a bad month; it has been painfully quiet since October. We have tried everything. We’ve promoted the business, we’ve run offers, we’ve shouted from the rooftops — but it just isn’t working. The bookings are not coming in.
“The reality right now is terrifying: We have only five bookings for February, two for March and then just one in July for the rest of the year.
“To cover our business bills, keep our equipment maintained and pay the personal family bills along with the mortgage on the house I’m sitting in right now, we need at least 25 bookings a month.
“I’ll be honest — those numbers don’t just hurt the business. They mean we can’t cover the bills to operate and they mean we are struggling to pay the mortgage on the house. The worry for the last few months has been enormous and you might always see me with a smile on my face and saying everything is OK but in reality inside I’m seriously worried.
“I know we aren’t the only option out there but we have always run this business with 100 per cent integrity. Over the years, we have turned down bookings that we felt were unsafe due to high winds, inadequate surfaces or equipment too big for halls — even when it meant walking away from money we really needed.”
He added: “We have never put profit above safety and we never will. We stand by those hard choices but right now, standing by our principles is making it very hard to survive.
“I am fighting for my home, but I am also fighting for my sons’ future. I don’t want to have to tell them that the business I built for them is gone.
“We need your help to turn this around. We aren’t asking for handouts. We are asking for the chance to work.”

Anthony and Charlotte Roach on their wedding day

(Go online to the Riviera Events page to find out how you can help — https://www.facebook.com/
rivieraevents.co.uk/ )
Ant, who will be well-known in local football circles, having played for Newton Abbot Spurs and as a former secretary of the South Devon League as well as being an avid Torquay United supporter and a season ticket holder since 1979, told me: “Obviously it was a struggle during Covid but it has been going really well. But in the last seven to eight months there has been a steady decline. It must be the cost of living. Everybody is tightening up.”
He has 30 different themed bouncy castles and hires out other party favourites like ball pools.
“We started the business from scratch and have invested and invested,” said Ant.
Well, Torbay and that community spirit has come up trumps once again with a helping hand for Ant and his family. He has had bookings coming in since the appeal and other offers of help like marketing and advertising.
He admits: “The response has surprised me. I have had quite a lot of help. People have been very generous. It is very humbling.”
And he vowed: “I will keep going. I am not going to give up easily. I am a fighter.”
With the help shown to Ant, you can see why the Bay is such a great place to call home.
And you can see why I personally was humbled to be among such extra-special, outstanding and remarkable people in the Bay Church last week

THANK YOU!