The need to disrupt and then captivate

My stuff in the Herald Express 31st May 2013

 

I’m writing this with cold fingers having braved the cold north-west wind on Paignton Beach. Walking the beach on the Friday 24^th May should have been, in my opinion, a warm and sunny experience. But it wasn’t. Yet two days before I found myself sitting on a grassy bank near South Devon College’s lovely university centre on the outskirts of Paignton as warm early summer sunshine washed over the campus. Perhaps by the time you read this the heat will be hitting the ground like a hammer!

So what has happened to the weather? Is there something that the Meteorological Office in Exeter is not telling us? I remember a story about an ancient battle in which some poor soul had been taken prisoner. His captors abused him and part of that distressing scenario was a quiet voice whispering that help was on the way. Of course it wasn’t but that didn’t stop him living in hope. It seems to me that anyone connected to tourism must feel much the same. “Don’t worry next summer will be better!” Sadly the past half a dozen summers have been pathetic and that does little for ‘Brand’ Torbay and the English Riviera!

So what if the Met Office really does know something that they are not telling us? Of course if we now face years of poor summer weather then that has a huge economic impact on an area which is hugely dependent upon tourism. Anyone with a sunshine reliant business will lose hope as the promise of “It will be better next year!” suddenly becomes empty rhetoric. Hotels, restaurants and guest houses will immediately see a decrease in sun-seeking visitors. I can see why a beleaguered government would not want that news out in the community. But course it is nothing more, I am sure, than a silly conspiracy theory!

My crooked thought process did make me think about the offering generally in South Devon and in particular about the local town centres. It also made a friend of mine who has travelled widely think about our town centres and about Torquay in particular. As we sipped our hot drinks in a local independent coffee shop he spoke with passion about the Fleet Walk commenting upon the expensive re-paving of the pedestrianized area. He described a scene that was for me so reminiscent of the mayoral dreams and visions that had Fleet Street with a gently flowing stream running into the harbour. Either side of the sparkling stream were quirky little shops, cafes, restaurants connected by clever little bridges.

Whatever we do, whether the sun shines or not, we must captivate the imagination not just of the visitors but also of the local population. What makes anyone want to engage? There are two things that must happen in my humble and perhaps fractured opinion. The first is the need to disrupt and the second is to captivate. It is all too easy for the endless stream of rhetoric flowing from consultants to produce a sort of wilful community deafness. Something has to happen that produces a shared feeling that there is better stuff out there coupled with being captivated by a common objective. Sadly I don’t have an answer but what I do know is that whatever we do has have some serious joined up thinking.

My walk on the beach also had me thinking about the resources that we have at our finger tips. At the end of Paignton’s sandy beach is the lovely little harbour. It is the only harbour locally that dries at low tide leaving it clean twice a day! Yet although we spend countless thousands on tourism that beautiful little harbour seems to have a proliferation of lines and signs telling visitors what they can and cannot do! There is even a huge sign with all the byelaws printed. How scary is that? The road surface and walkways are plastered with painted lines and curious council street furniture dominates. Although I didn’t particularly like the high-rise flats that were shown in the Mayor’s Vision for Paignton Harbour I did like the colourful energy described in the general plan. I was captivated by that and doubtless others were too. What also caught my attention was the fact that what had been suggested didn’t really rely on wall to wall sunshine and that was also true of my friend’s almost mystical description of a new Fleet Walk in Torquay!

My last article here was about, amongst other things, Carl Rogers concept of genuineness in how we respond to each other. If we do want a more vibrant community then part of that has to be genuineness in the way in which we engage with each other. There has to be a feeling that the things that happen are for the greater good rather than the selfish gain of a few. Selfishness produces a feeling of a community being dirtied. Ah yes, the greater good! When we all feel that what is happening is for the good of all then we can start to move toward being both disrupted by positive change and captivated by a better future. That inevitably generates hope.

Keep the smile.