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Celebrating Success The latest cohort of newly qualified social workers with Torbay Council’s Children’s Services team are celebrating passing. Krystal Erasmus, Liz Cooper, Angela Findlay, Natasha Hughes and Lois Dark were all presented with their certificates by Councillor Cordelia Law, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services for Torbay, and Nancy Meehan, Interim Director of Children’s Services for Torbay Council. They have all recently completed their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) for children’s social care with the Council. The ASYE aims to ensure that all newly qualified social workers receive dedicated, consistent and effective support in their first year of practice, enabling them to approach their career in social work with confidence. Angela said: “I felt proud to have successfully achieved getting through the ASYE programme and it was lovely to be able to celebrate this with my colleagues.”
Speaking Penguin A penguin chick at Living Coasts has been learning its own language by listening to recordings of adult birds. Keepers at Torquay’s coastal zoo played a digital recording of the zoo’s colony of African penguins during feeding times while the chick was being handreared away from the other birds. Senior Keeper Jason Keller explained, “We want this chick to grow they reach breeding age, but youngsters can be mischievous and disruptive in the meantime.” The sounds help get the chick used to the complex din of a penguin colony, and forge an association between penguin noise and food. Jason said, “We’re basically teaching it to speak penguin!” Living Coasts is home to 12 macaroni penguins and 65 African penguins.
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Ladies Lounge - Supporting vulnerable women in Torbay -
up as a penguin and not think of itself as a human. Inevitably, hand-reared birds become imprinted – they respond to the keepers as if they are their parents. Penguins tend to lose this imprinting when Torbay Ladies Lounge, a place for vulnerable women to meet, share and find support has been awarded £10,000 by the Devon Community Foundation. The Lounge provides an opportunity for ladies to take part in craft activities, meet and chat with others and eat a hot meal. They can feel safe among its women volunteers, who are
also there to talk and offer support. The drop-in centre is open on Mondays from 11.30am-2pm (with free lunch) and on Wednesdays from 1.30-4pm (with coffee, tea and cake). Launched five years ago by co-ordinator and volunteer Ros, Torbay Ladies Lounge has been a lifeline to hundreds of women, often from complex backgrounds. Ros, who is now in her early 70s says that to support the group’s growth, a part-time administrator will now be employed. The £10,000 grant, together with other funds they have raised, will pay for the new role for 18 months. The Ladies Lounge is located in the Salvation Army Building, 27 Market Street in Torquay. ladies-lounge.co.uk
Volunteers celebrating 4 years of Ladies Lounge in January 2019
Tech Tasters South Devon College is hosting a range of fun, hands-on one-day ‘Tech Tasters’. These taster days will introduce participants to exciting technical concepts and fun practical skills, sparking interest and confidence to pursue further learning. The Tech Tasters are being delivered as part of the Digital Momentum programme; a Heart of the South West Digital Skills Partnership pilot programme funded by the DCMS Digital Skills Innovation Fund. The sessions run from Monday 30 March until Friday 3 April and cover: robotics, games design, data science, machine learning, coding, 3D design and printing. You will be introduced to some key concepts such as the use of robotics in industry future developments, coding and programming languages such as Python, C++ and Javascript. Assistant Principal of South Devon College, Steve Caunter, said, “These taster sessions are the perfect way to find out about training opportunities available on your doorstep in this fast growing sector. southdevon.ac.uk/event/digital-momentumworkshops
Dave and Shirley Musgrove, the founders of the Disabled Sailing Association, Torquay have been presented with an award by the RYA Sailability, a branch of the RYA Association dedicated to encouraging participation in the sport by disabled people. Dave and Shirley Musgrove, both disabled, founded the local Disabled Sailing Association in 2005 to enable disabled people to sail our beautiful coastal waters. Through their constant dedication, the DSA is now one of the leading disabled sailing associations of its type in the UK and has been recognised by the Royal Yachting Association. The DSA has two specially adapted yachts moored in Torquay Harbour. Freedom (38ft) and Free Spirit (34ft) are out on the water from spring to autumn taking people of all disabilities, including those in wheelchairs, for day sails. Everyone who helps run the organisation is an unpaid volunteer. The charity has recently received a donation for £3,500 from Hawksmoor Investment Management in Exeter. The charity’s patron Sir Chay Blyth is expected to make a visit to the Bay in June. Disabled Sailing Torquay
Cleaning Fish Ingenious aquarists at Living Coasts have trained strange fish to help clean their tank of a naturally occurring pest. Filefish, or leatherjackets, have been introduced into the large stingray tank to help control an invasive anemone. Aquarist Tom Fielding said, “Aiptasia is a common temperate and tropical sea anemone. It comes in through our filtration system when seawater is drawn from the Bay. It’s regarded as a pest in saltwater aquariums because it can multiply rapidly and compete for food and space and occasionally even sting fish. There’s something of the cartoon about filefish. They have deep but slender bodies; from the side they look quite large, but from the front you can see that they are actually very narrow. They have remarkably rough skin – the common name comes from the idea that dried filefish skin was once used to finish wooden boats. In addition, these fish are aquatic chameleons – they can change colour to blend in with their surroundings. livingcoasts.org.uk booking levels and customer satisfaction. Now with the increased marketing budget and resources of a national company, Coast & Country Cottages is a leading provider of holiday homes in South Devon. If you are thinking about letting your holiday home, visit coastandcountry.co.uk or call 01803 227994.
Holiday Home Owners Wanted Following a record breaking 2019 season, when bookings were an impressive 50% up year on year, South Devon holiday letting agency Coast & Country Cottages is looking to work with even more property owners, to meet unprecedented demand in the self-catering holiday market. As the interest in coastal and countryside locations such as Torbay, Brixham and Kingswear continues to grow, they are actively seeking new holiday-home owners to fulfil the needs of their growing customer database. The Sykes Holiday Cottages group acquired Coast & Country Cottages in 2018. This was an exciting change for the local team, which has provided owners with excellent results in terms of exposure,
New! Devon Cove Launched Much-loved local business Bays Brewery has just launched Devon Cove Pale Ale (4.1%). It’s a sister product of their popular Devon Rock; however it will be more of an American style pale ale, using American hops. Devon Cove has been crafted to perfection using a unique combination of English malts and ‘zingy’ American hops creating a smooth and refreshingly balanced pale ale. It will be available from 30 March and is the ultimate modern pale ale brewed locally in Paignton. The family business is very involved in supporting the local community, has raised considerable sums for local charities and has a splendid range of
multi-award-winning brews including Topsail, Gold and Devon Dumpling. You can buy online or in their brewery shop at Aspen Way in Paignton. Is this the perfect tipple to get you through the dark days ahead and into the summer? baysbrewery.co.uk
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Torquay £1,300,000 Freehold With extraordinary views of Tor Bay the property is a house of exceptional size (over 4500 square feet) providing versatility of use for family living. It features accommodation arranged over 3 oors, with the reception room having a seaward facing wall of glass capturing the views, rst oor with 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. The lower oor currently o ers workshop, storage, accommodation space, but could provide a self contained unit. Gardens, parking. EPC Rating – D
Torquay £750,000 Freehold A classic Victorian villa, retaining many features of its era, having been in the same family ownership for decades, requiring a degree of renovation to restore its original splendour. The accommodation has 2 reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast, utility, cloakroom, 5 bedrooms, en-suite bathroom, cellarage with 4/5 rooms. Gardens, double garage, parking. EPC Rating – D
Torquay £475,000 Leasehold The apartment captures panoramic views of Tor Bay and forms part of a landmark development situated about the harbourside. Situated one oor below entrance level, the accommodation includes a lounge, dining room, kitchen, laundry room, principal bedroom with en-suite, 2 further bedrooms, bathroom. Single garage, parking for visitors, residents gardens. EPC Rating – C
