Lionel Digby receives Lifetime Achievement Award. He shares his inspiring life, business, and charity advice.
The Digby family started a hotel business after moving to Torquay from London after the war. At the time, Lionel was eleven years old. In 1946, they bought the Derwent Hotel, which later grew into Torquay Leisure Hotels.
Lionel said they lacked hotel experience, but post-war was a good time for learning. Nobody had been on vacation for years. At eighteen, Lionel joined the army for three years, serving in the Lifeguards, and then returned to the hotel business.
In 1957, Lionel met a band person who needed a place to play music. Therefore, Lionel created a new music venue. He admitted he wasn’t really into music much, and is actually not musical at all. However, he knew how to organize things well.
The Tuesday Rock Club started in 1957 and became active in the Southwest. Lionel said big bands played there often, including The Who and The Rolling Stones. David Bowie, Eric Clapton, and The Clash also played, and kids came from everywhere to listen.
After 25 years, Lionel lost interest in the club. His wife ran a fancy dress shop, so Lionel joined her in that business. He saw a need for military costumes specifically and expanded the shop into a large costume company.
For 40 years, Lionel supplied costumes for films such as The King’s Speech, as well as for TV, plus Doctor Who. Despite this great career, he was surprised by the award. He also does a lot of charity work.
Lionel said it felt wonderful to win and that people finally noticed his background charity work. Everyone stood and clapped for him. He was genuinely very shocked by it, and it felt good knowing people appreciated him.
Lionel offered words of advice to others, suggesting that you should do what you believe in and stick to what you know. Always be honest with everyone and hope your honesty gets returned back to you.
Work hard, correct your errors, and listen to other people, even when dealing with comments you dislike. Set a goal, commit to it, and give back, don’t only take from life. Furthermore, keep your promises and don’t let people dowm.