News about the Board of Torbay Culture - Vice Chair appointed
When Torbay Culture was established in 2015, an independent advisory board was established. The purpose of the board was to champion and advocate for culture in the bay, offer insight and expertise, be critical friends, and act as an advisory group for the work we want to do to improve culture, creativity and heritage in our home. The members all generously volunteer their time, in a similar way that advisory board and expert panels for the National Trust operate, or as charity trustees offer their skills and knowledge.
Jacob Brandon was appointed Chair in 2019, and works closely with Martin Thomas, the Executive Director of Torbay Culture who was recruited at the end of 2018. Both live and work in Torbay. All the other board members live or work in the bay’s towns as well. TDA remains the accountable body for Torbay Culture, as it has since the cultural strategy was adopted in 2015, and both TDA and Torbay Council support the executive role.
In recent years most of Torbay Culture’s activity has been externally funded, thanks to grants from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage, Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Health Foundation. Torbay Council, Torbay Culture and Arts Council England meet regularly to improve communication, and help ensure local issues impacting culture are better understood by national partners and funders.
At the May board meeting, the role of Vice Chair was established to support the Chair and the work of the board, and we are very pleased to confirm that Matthew Harbour, Deputy CEO and Vice Principal of South Devon College, was appointed unanimously to this role. Matt has served on the board since 2018, and in this new role will support the advocacy for culture in the bay.
Matt said:
‘I am delighted to be the new Vice Chair of Torbay Culture. I am really looking forward to continuing my work with the board, especially at such a crucial time moving forward with our aspirational vison for arts and culture in Torbay.
Although we are currently living though a very challenging time, there are so many great opportunities on the horizon for Torbay. My role, working alongside colleagues on the board, and the many excellent local organisations we work with, is to ensure that arts, creativity and culture play an ongoing important role to enhance our communities and enrich lives in Torbay’.
Matthew Harbour, Vice Chair of Torbay Culture
To improve the way we work, we have also recently clarified our engagement with the strategic fora in Torbay, including the Torbay Together strategic partnership, the English Riviera Destination Management Group which champions the Destination Management Plan, LocalMotion Steering Group, the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark Management Group, and Torbay What Next chapter.
As well as these groups, through their own networks, board members continue to independently advocate and communicate our work across a wide range of settings including education, young people and carers, freelance arts and creative professionals, health, wellbeing, care, and community groups.
Over the coming months we will be resuming recruitment for new members of the advisory board, and details will be shared here. The advisory board comprises a range of expertise, and you can read more about who we are here.
