Out of the Shadows was born in December 2005 when a survey was carried out by the Torbay Seniors' Forum through Torquay's "Herald Express" evening newspaper, seeking the views of older people in the area. Publshed over a number of weeks, on a regular basis, it received over 750 responses. Many were from couples and represented over a thousand voices.

The responses were analysed and published in early April 2006.