By David Gledhill, Marketing & Communications Lead

The most important item on the blank drawing board was the venue – and after casting their net wide, they have come up with an absolute corker – the Riviera Centre in Torquay.

The Riviera International Centre (RIC) is one of the bay’s finest venues, it ticks so many boxes. For a start it is huge and the rooms within are flexible Disabled access is top notch, as is the number of disabled parking spaces available (which as usual will have to be booked in advance).

The Riviera Centre, which is used to hosting big public events, also has lots of parking for everyone else and is easily accessible (no big hills!) for all whether you are coming on foot, by bus, by train or even (weather and sea conditions allowing) by boat.

So, much to the relief of the whole committee, the venue is peachy and they have set about filling the huge spaces with the very best of talent that the over 50’s in Torbay have to offer.

Once again we are marshalling everything on offer under the banner headline of Live, Love, Laugh, Learn, which gives us plenty of flexibility to host a variety of subjects from entertainment to information to education, we have it covered.

One time circuit comedian Vic Boult is coming out of retirement to oversee everything happening on the main stage which will see the best of Ageing Well has Got Talent (more on that nearer the time) as well as live bands and singers performing music from the 1950s to the 1980s.

New to the Festival this year is a pampering and wellbeing section – all geared to the older person be it herbal remedies, makeup, yoga or fashion and we have signed up a whole bunch of models who will be taking to the catwalk in fashion items from TU at Sainsburys.

The Community Safety Team have recognised that we provide the best showcase for all things that concern the over 50’s and will be coming along with advice stalls, talks and practical tips on staying safe.

And finally, once again we will be holding a photographic competition which is open to anyone over the age of 50 using the festival themes – Live, Love, Laugh, Learn – one or all of them.  For more detail please contact davidgledhIll@torbaycdt.org.uk.

It is a big place, but we will fill it, and we fill it with as much as we possibly can to ensure that there is something there for everybody, including you.

We will be updating our page dedicated to the festival with further details as they come in – you can find the page here on the Ageing Well Torbay website.

It is a subject I will return to several times as we finalise the details, but for now, all you need to do is make a note of the date and pop it into your diary in capital letters – Saturday, October 19^th from 10am until 6pm. And please tell your friends.