The Almeria Focus – June 2023

The Almería Focus

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Beaches and Boats

In our province, 32 beaches have been awarded the 2023 “Blue flag” status, the international certification scheme started in 1987 when the ‘FEE’ (Foundation for Environmental Education) was formed, becoming a European standard in 2001. Inspectors visit beaches and check water quality, the provision of life-guards, first aid, facilities for people with special needs and tourist information. Unfortunately, as regards 2022 awards, Mojácar has gone down from six to four this year with the beaches at Descargador (opposite Scotty’s El Tropico café bar) and Piedra Villazar (opposite the commercial centre) not coming up to standard. As these two beaches are adjacent, there are no blue flags beaches this year from opposite the Parador Hotel to past the Neptuno beach bar.

The P.S.O.E. political party in opposition in Mojácar has asked the mayoress to reveal why Mojácar has lost 33% of the 2022 awards as ‘FEE’ send municipalities a letter detailing why beaches have been downgraded, which has not been published. In total, in our area, there are three blue flag beaches in Carboneras, four in Mojácar and Pulpí, and one in Vera Playa and Cuevas. The “Q” (Qualitur) award is a Spanish certification scheme that has slightly less stringent requirements than ‘FEE’ and beaches are given a “Safe Tourism” status.

Two places in our province and the Diputación (Almería county council) have been awarded EU “Next generation” grants including Mojácar, that will receive 4.5 million euros. A committee selects the recipients chaired by the Minister for Industry and Tourism, with particular reference to sun and beach tourism. The money for Mojácar is to develop the beach areas into more sustainable ones, adapt them to new European regulations that are for climate neutrality, improve sustainable transport and extend digitalisation for the tourist office. Hopefully, the blue flag beaches will increase in number.

A row has broken out in Garrucha over the motorised water sports and excursions, including jet skis, that five companies operate in the port.

The docking facilities have to be removed and operating licences have been cancelled. This has come about after a report from the Maritime Captain in charge of the port and discussions with the Almería Port Authority and the Junta de Andalucía. The Maritime Captain states that legally, no water sports of this kind are allowed in an industrial port, and there have been occasions when there was a safety conflict between tourists on jet skis and cargo ships. The mayoress, María Lopéz, accepts that the Maritime Captain has the right to stop the activity, but she hopes that talks can find an acceptable compromise. She considers that the water sports are a major attraction for tourists, apart from being the livelihood of the five companies.

The ’INFOCA’ organisation carry out fire prevention work in the winter months and firefighting during the spring and summer high risk season. This year, their full resources have been made available from May 16th because of the persistent dry spell, instead of from June 1st, and the bans and regulations continue until October 15th. In our “In the News” section we comment on this and the recent fires between Turre and Mojácar and between Villaricos and San Juan de los Terreros.

There are no “red” fiesta dates in June and July when official bodies, banks and businesses shut down, but June 23rd celebrates the vigil (the night before) of San Juan (John the Baptist) supposedly born on June 24th. Bonfires are lit on beaches often with music and fireworks. Friday, June 16th - Sunday 18th are the dates this year for the Mojácar Moors and Christians event.

In the News

April Inflation and Food Prices

The figures in Spain for May are not yet available, but in April, food prices were 12.9% up on the April 2022 figures, but 3.6% less than March. Economists state that the peak has subsided and hopefully will continue to trend down. The exceptions in April compared to last year were sugar, up to 49.6% more expensive, butter 31.2%, whole milk 27.7%, skimmed milk 27.5% and sauces and condiments 26.3%. Food prices are affected by externals events that are difficult to combat such as the war in Ukraine, drought (that is a current problem in Spain and in other countries as well) and variations in the cost of oil from the OPEC countries that are reducing their production. It is claimed that 90% of imported food has gone up, and the prices from within Spain are not the major problem. Inflation in April was 4.1% more than April last year, but down overall to 6.6% that is much lower compared to many other EU countries. This is partly because electricity prices fell by 36%, natural gas by 6.9%, diesel fuel by 7%, although petrol went up 3%. There were wide swings during Holy Week before Easter with hotel and hostal prices up 17%, children’s clothing up 13.7% and international tourist package prices went up by 14%. Wages have an effect on inflation and in early May at “cordial” meetings with employers and the government, the three largest Spanish unions agreed to a 4% wage rise this year, 3% in 2024 and 3% in 2025. Economists, and the EU Commission think that the inflation target of 2% is unlikely to be reached before 2025. Good news is that the EU has upped the PIB (Gross National Product) in Spain this year to 1.9% and 2% next year, and the Governor of the Bank of Spain, Pablo Hernández de Cos, recently upped his 2023 prediction to 2%. Spain is therefore one of the few European countries where the growth forecast is very positive, as the EU average for 2023 is 1% and 1.7% next year.

50 Year Calar Alto Anniversary

The astronomy complex at Calar Alto near Gergal has now been in operation for 50 years. German scientists from the Max Planck Institution came to

the area and agreed it was an excellent location for astronomy telescopes, and they managed the complex from 1973 until 2019 when they pulled out due to cutbacks in funding. The Junta de Andalucía stepped in and current annual grants are 3 million euros. A team of 35 people operate, maintain and manage the installation and it is in use every night of the year. Their achievements in 2022 resulted in 119 publications featuring their discoveries and their captured images regularly appear on the cover of the National Geographic magazine. Their 3.5m telescope is the largest of five, and currently operates as part of the ‘Carmenes’ project looking at black holes and galaxies. In the next few months there will be a “roadshow” taken to various places in our province to highlight their activities. There are guided tours that are organised by the company ‘Azimuth, educación y turismo científico’. Information and reservations can be made via their website http:// www.azimuthspain.com/calar-alto, but they are often booked up some time in advance and there is an admission charge. As the observatory is 2,200m above sea level, warm clothing is essential, and the domes are cooled during the day to the expected temperature that night.

A Garland for Mojácar

The UK The Telegraph (the online version of The Daily Telegraph) has published a list giving special mention to 20 places in Spain that offer “Elegant harbours, quiet beaches, excellent seafood restaurants and whitewashed houses adorned with bougainvillea”, and Mojácar is one of them at number 17. Their description is, “Whitewashed houses are piled like sugar cubes on a hill above a 10-mile strip of sand in this laidback resort on the Costa de Almería, where the view spans the Tabernas desert as well as the Mediterranean. Nearby, explore the volcanic landscapes and pristine beaches of the Cabo de Gata nature reserve”. Their “Where to stay” is: “Right by the beach the Parador de Mojácar has rooms with terraces overlooking the Mediterranean and a good restaurant.” The only photograph they show is the Tabernas desert,

In the News

(not quite visible from the village!) captioned “Mojácar sits close to the Tabernas Desert.”

7M, 15M & 28M

Key dates in Spain are referred to by the date of the month and the initial letter of the month. This May, 7M was Spanish Mother’s Day, 15M was the fiesta date in Madrid celebrating San Isidro, and 28M was election day. These go into the history books and Spaniards know that 1O was the date of the illegal referendum in Catalonia on October 1st 2017, and 20D refers to the subsequent elections in Catalonia on December 20th. 11M is March 11th 2004, not May 11th, when terrorists exploded several bombs in and around the Atocha station in Madrid. 28F is February 28th 1980 when Andalucía became an autonomous community. Events such as Christmas Day are not known as being 25D, nor is New Year’s Day 1J. There could be a very key event on January 1st one year, but otherwise, 1J would refer to an event on June 1st or July 1st.

Premature Electioneering

Electioneering for the Municipal elections on May 28th could not start until May 12th. A complaint was made to the Electoral College that two large billboards were in place at the main Santa Justa train station in Seville, and two in Almería city, at the end of April. They depicted the mayor of Carboneras, who is a member of the P.S.O.E party, and the P.S.O.E Andalucía Secretary General. The “message” (in Spanish of course) on the poster was “Defend what you believe” and then “ALGARROBICO DEMOLITION” with reference to the infamous hotel at Carboneras. The billboards did not mention the actual date of the elections, but the complaint was that there was no other purpose. The mayor of Carboneras complained that he knew nothing about the billboards, and it then emerged that Greenpeace had put them up as part of their strenuous campaign to get the hotel demolished! The election authorities responsible for Vera fined the P.P. party 1,000 euros for putting up 7 posters depicting their candidate for mayor on April 3rd. Additionally, the

party was told to remove a Facebook post relating to a blue flag beach award that was banned until electioneering started, as it suggested the party had been responsible for the award.

Fat Cat Bankers

With the inflation figures in Spain and the increased costs of mortgages, many inhabitants are feeling a squeeze in the finances, in some cases a severe one. The “man in the street” is also aware that banks are pulling in record profits and hardly offering any deposit or saving accounts with any interest. A European survey has shown that Spanish banking bosses are in 1st, 2nd and 4th place in the league table of their pay. Bosses of large companies often receive a high salary, performance bonuses in money or shares for meeting targets, lavish expense accounts and major payments into their pension funds. Ana Botín is the Executive President of Banco Santander and her total “package” in 2022, the highest of any European bank executive, was 11.7 million euros, slightly down from 2021. Her second in command, José Antonio Álavarez, received 9.75 million euros slightly down on 2021 and after the boss of Deutsch Bank, Carlos Torres from the BBVA bank, received the fourth highest amount of 8.3 million euros up 5% from his earnings in 2021. His deputy, in sixth place, received 7.15 million euros, up 5% as well.

Good Tourist Scores

In the first quarter this year, 6 million tourists came to Andalucía and 400,000 came to Almería province, 26% more than the same quarter last year. Surveys give marks out 10, and the beaches were rated 8.8, and along with Cádiz these were the highest ones in Andalucía. The beaches at the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, Roquetas de Mar and the entire Levante coast, from Carboneras to San Juan de los Terreros passing through Mojácar, Garrucha, Vera and Cuevas del Almanzora were the ones picked out. Car rental companies and prices achieved a score of 9, and taxi services 8.9. As regards the relationship of prices and services, the score was 8.7 the same as Huelva, but only

In the News

Seville exceeded this with a score of 8.8. Tourists spent an average of 5.2 nights in accommodation, which was slightly less than in 2022, but the Almería Tourist Office pointed out that for this winter / spring period tourist numbers were excellent. Their spokesperson considered that it was quite possible that total numbers this year would exceed those of 2019 before the pandemic. 66,800 tourists used the Almería airport in April, which was 86% of 2019 numbers, and 38,000 came from places within Spain. As regards international tourists, 15,190 came from the UK, 5,430 from Belgium, 2,780 from Ireland, 2,590 from France, 2,590 from Holland and 1,020 from France. Tourists from Iceland made up another 900.

A Palomares Agreement?

The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, went to the White house in mid-May to have a meeting with President Biden. It “appears” that the US may have agreed to take the contaminated soil in Palomares back to the US where it can be stored. The contamination was caused in 1966 when a “cold war” bomber collided with a US tanker aircraft over Palomares that had set off from the US base at Rota. The Spanish government officially requested, once again, in March that the soil was removed and the request is under consideration by the US Energy Commission. The 2015 “non-legally binding memorandum” that John Kerry signed in 2015 promising some action has never resulted in anything. A suggestion is that Spanish technicians would remove the soil. Who would cover the cost of transport to a Spanish port is not clear, but the shipment to the US would be undertaken by US personnel. The total cost is estimated to be 600 million euros and the percentage each country would pay has not been announced. The Spanish Nuclear Agency, with experts from the US visiting Palomares, claim that 9kg of plutonium dust was released when the nose cones of two of the jettisoned nuclear missiles hit the ground and split open. A further claim is that only 270 grammes was taken away by the US navy in 1966 in 4,800 sealed barrels. Recently, the US War Veterans Association

were successful in coming to an agreement that people who had developed cancer from the 1966 clean up were entitled to compensation.

Almería Province Desalination Plants

Desalination plants are obviously a good way to convert sea water into potable water for domestic consumption and water for agriculture, although they are expensive to build and run. The largest one for our area is at Carboneras, there is one at the Campo de Galías in the Poniente area and another termed the Bajo de Almanzora one at Cuevas. When this was opened in a blaze of glory in 2011, it was hailed as providing water “for today and tomorrow”, and had cost 98 million euros. The “tomorrow” was not realised as the devastating floods in 2012 completely wiped it out. Work to put it back in operation is underway, with an initial completion date of 2024 until cracks were discovered that has pushed the date forward by five months. Previous work has been the complete remodelling of the rambla (river bed) so that no future flooding would affect it. The cost of the present work is 25 million euros with the additional cost of dealing with the cracks, and there are plans ultimately for a large photovoltaic solar installation alongside to provide a major part of the electricity needed. In mid-May the government announced a grant for Almería province in our Levante area of 200 million euros that includes 100 million for a fourth desalination plant, at a location to be decided. ‘Acuamed’, the company that own

Carboneras desalination plant

In the News

and run the desalination plants, have suggested that it will be built at Palomares, near the Cuevas one. 41 million euros is for improvements at the Carboneras plant to take their capacity of 42hm3/ per year up to 51hm3 / per year with a solar farm to provide electricity, and additional money for one at the Campo de Dalías plant. The money will come from the EU “Next Generation” funding. All four plants, when operational, will increase the present 72hm3/ per year to 111hm3 / per year, enough water for 500,000 people and agricultural needs. (1hm3,1 cubic hectometre, is 1,000 billion litres).

Agriculturalists in the Almanzora region have been drawing up plans for a private desalination plant to give them 30hm3/ per year but have now put this on hold. However, the new desalination plant, from start to finish has a timescale of 53 months.

The May 28th Municipal Elections

These elections have now taken place, and except where they resulted in a coalition of political parties, with no clear immediate decision as to who would become councillors, the results in all the other municipalities are now decided. The “traditional” political parties in Spain for a long time have been the P.P (roughly a conservative party) and the P.S.O.E. (roughly a labour party). Other parties have come into the arena, the ‘Podemos’ party, somewhat left wing (currently in coalition with the P.O.S.E. party in the Spanish Parliament), the ‘Ciudadanos’ right-wing party (that initially attracted many voters and was at one stage a potent force in the Andalucía parliament), and the very far right wing ‘Vox’ party who are opposed to immigration. They have previously gained some traction in Níjar and El Ejido in our province. In municipal elections there are always minor or fringe parties that put up candidates, but if one of these receives less than 100 votes, they are apportioned between the other parties’ total votes. There were 360 candidates for mayor or mayoress (who were top of the political party lists) for the 103 municipalities in our province. Having to choose from multiple parties is more difficult, and in Roquetas de Mar 13 parties competed for

seats, with 10 parties in Almería city. In contrast there were 36 municipalities with only the P.P and P.S.O.E. putting up candidates, and these two parties had candidates in every municipality. In Albox and Partaloa there were four parties to choose from, three in Arboleas, Bédar, Mojácar, Zurgena and Pulpí, and the two main ones in Antas, Cantoria, Cuevas and Los Gallardos. A record 4,784 candidates vied for the 1,015 council seats. The oldest candidate in our province for mayor was José Antonio Torres, age 97, who has been mayor for 28 years in Chercos and is from the P.P. party. The youngest candidate hoping to become a councillor was Rosario de Pino Sabio age 20, in Viator, and she was on the Ciudadanos party list.

Working Outside Regulations

Because of the continuing drought and no foreseeable end to high temperatures, a law was very quickly passed in the Spanish Parliament that came into force on May 13th. This bans a worker being in the open air when there is an orange alert (37-40 degrees) or a red alert (41-44 degrees) with different criteria. There is also a distinction that employers will have to take into account, as a person aged 25 can stand hot temperatures better than a person aged 60 with existing health problems. Yolando Díaz, the Minister for Labour, has stated that labour legislation for Health and Safety will be changed to accommodate this. Existing regulations for people working in the open air relates to “inclement” weather, not specific heatwaves. In past years when there have been high temperatures, workers such as people who were street cleaners and rubbish collectors have died from heatstroke. Quite often, construction workers not under cover in periods of high temperatures, such as during August, start earlier in the morning and finish earlier in the afternoon, with a reduction in the total hours worked, and the regulations will also apply to agricultural workers. Employers are required to introduce the new regulations, but there will be qualified people who will liaise with large companies to implement the system and assess the risks. There will be fines

In the News

for non-compliance, but the “small print” in the new law will have to be carefully studied as it was rushed through without any consultation period.

“Stop-Start” Cars

A Spanish motoring magazine has looked at the “Stop-Start” facility that is now available on a wide range of cars, but can be turned off. The two advantages, according to manufacturers are that the system saves fuel, and also CO2 emissions. As regards fuel saving, one claim is that in normal use it will only save 6-8 litres every 1,000km. Batteries have to be larger, and assuming the battery needs replacing every four years, the added cost may be as much as 50% of the reduced fuel cost. Starter motors have to be much more robust, and this is an added cost when they need replacing. Also, the electronics are much more complicated. At times when there is slow moving traffic, the stop-start system will be in continuous operation and some motorists turn it off when this happens. Also, the air-conditioning stops when the engine stops, and this can be another reason not to use it in hot weather. Some cars have inside and outside temperature sensors, and if the temperature inside the car goes above a predetermined level the stop-start will be bypassed so that the aircon is not switched off. The report concludes that manufacturers are not lying when they state there is a fuel saving and less emissions, but they are not telling us the whole story!

Anti-Fire Measures

Banning the burning of natural agricultural waste, holding barbecues at communal outside sites, and driving motor vehicles in forest areas are the normal anti-fire regulations each year. This year, in the exceptional circumstances, they were banned from March 31st, and the ban lasts until October 15th. The recent fire between Turre and Mojácar in April was caused by the illegal burning of agricultural waste that the wind spread over a fairly large area. Fire brigades from Turre and Huércal-Overa went to the scene and operatives from ‘INFOCA’, the firefighting organisation,

brought equipment, and set up a command post, and an aircraft monitored the situation. Fortunately, the fire was brought under control fairly rapidly. On May 12th a fire broke out on the beach side of the road between Villaricos and San Juan de los Terreros at Cala Calón. High winds resulted in the fire “jumping” the road and spreading to a higher area. Fortunately, the fire services managed to control the fire without calling on INFOCA operatives to help them. There are fines for illegal activities that cause fires, and in the case of arson the perpetrator faces a fine, a possible prison term and a compensation order that may be many thousands of euros. Because of the danger of fires, the full INFOCA response was brought forward from June 1st to May 16th with funding of 223 million euros, 27% more than last year. In our area they now have a drone that can be flown over the fire instead of an aircraft. Last year a geo-location system was put in place at 112 emergency centres that can pinpoint the exact location where an emergency message has been made. This proved to be a useful tool and is in place this year. Also, the new emergency ‘ESAlert’ messages for mobile phones will be used, in Spanish and English, when people need to be advised to stay in their homes, or evacuate.

The Affectionate Embrace Robberies

Many robberies, known as “Hugger-Muggers” are being reported to the Guardia Civil Police following persons being approached by a young woman, or women, who are a stranger. They are very affectionate and hug their victims and whist doing this they rob them of watches and valuables. The victims are usually, but not always, elderly, and there have been several reports of this type of burglary in Mojácar and the surrounding area. One example was a 71-year-old man who was robbed of a Rolex watch valued at 14,300 euros by an affectionate young woman. A police spokesperson stated that one serious robbery was not reported until the next day which made finding the culprit more difficult. Last summer, in an operation entitled ‘Septugenarian’,

In the News

Guardia Civil police based in Garrucha responded to 24 such robberies. Two women aged 34 and 43 were arrested and subsequently convicted who were members of a gang, and two other women aged 21 and 31 were arrested, questioned and cautioned. The police recovered 13 stolen items after visiting shops where gold was purchased. These have to keep records of their purchases and sales, with buyer / seller identification. The total value of the items was 12,000 euros including ten gold chains, six crosses, two medals and a ring. Advice from the police is that people should be very wary of women getting very close to them, and if a robbery occurs, they must immediately ring 062 so that police can respond promptly, and give as many details as they can remember. In one case, police were quickly on the scene, spotted two people who matched the description in a car a short distance away and arrested them. The stolen items were then discovered, photographed and returned to the victim. Recently, a woman was ambushed in her car by two people in the Iceland car park. Whilst she was distracted by one of them, the other one stole her husband’s man bag. The bag was discovered and returned, but without the cash that had been in it. There have been other reports of similar robberies in Iceland and other supermarket car parks. Walking on pavements alongside buildings, with handbags or other bags carried on the side of the wall, is recommended. Police want people to report women who come close to them and are affectionate, even if nothing has been stolen. It is a big help for police if there are photographs of expensive items of jewellery. Conversely, recently, people who have been robbed complain that in most instances the police do not appear to be able to take any action even if, in one case, the female robber was identified from mug shots. House contents insurance policies usually have cover for items such as jewellery or cash stolen outside the home and will be covered by the policy, up to a certain value. A copy of a “denuncia”, an official complaint document from the police, will be needed to start a claim. Photographs of items stolen will be useful in this case as well.

Almería Land of Lorries

Agriculture is the main very large economic contributor in our province, along with other products such as fish, stone and marble, and transport throughout Spain and Europe is big business. The turnover of the five largest companies in our province in 2022 was 439 million euros, and Antas has two of the three largest companies. ‘JCarrion’ has 1,450 tractor units and 1,700 trailers and invoiced 204 million euros. The company ‘Isabel Alonso’ has 600 tractor and trailer units, with a large number that are refrigerated or specialist ones, and invoiced 96 million euros. The third largest company ‘J Cano’ has 350 lorries and 600 workers and specialise in fruit and veg transport internationally. Their refrigerated lorries have two distinct compartments that can be at different temperatures, and they invoiced 70 million euros with a sister company in Barcelona. ‘Cabrera Logistica’ in Huércal-Overa has 150 vehicles and invoiced 31 million euros. They specialise in the transport of goods that need special authorisation from the authorities known as ‘ADR’ (the agreement on the transport of hazardous or dangerous goods) such as chemicals, biological and pharmaceutical ingredients. Most of these journeys are within mainland Spain. Many lorry drivers in our province come from Rumania and Peru and are already experienced drivers, but they have to attend a driving school before they obtain their Spanish authorisation. Transport companies have recruitment drives in Peru to attract drivers who can earn a lot more money in Spain, and are used to the time they have to spend on the road delivering goods to Europe.

In the News

There is a shortage of Spaniards who are prepared to undertake international lorry transport.

The Euribor

The ‘Euribor’ (the interbank lending rate that determines the cost of variable rate mortgages) had an average percentage during April of 3.75%. From 2016 until April 2022, when the rate was 0.013%, it had been a negative amount. Financial experts think that the percentage will go over 4%, and the Central European Bank at a meeting on May 5th put the rate up to 3.85% but could not discount future rises. At the same time, the Bank of England put their interest rate up to 4.5%. The April Euribor rate, with 1% added by the banks / lenders, meant that a 150,000 euros mortgage over 25 years had gone up by 298 euros per month. The percentage paid by people taking on a fixed rate mortgage in April was between 2.7% and 3%. As we have mentioned before, banks have agreed to a “Code of Practice” and people finding a real difficulty in paying a variable rate mortgage should go their bank to see what they can do to help. One option is changing a variable rate mortgage to a fixed rate one.

The “Iberian Exception” Extended

In June last year, the EU accepted that because of high energy costs, Spain and Portugal were a special case. The “Iberian Exception” was approved that allowed both countries to fix a limit on the wholesale cost of gas for the supply companies. Part of the reason was that the two countries were effectively an island, in that they only supplied a fraction of the electricity they produced to France. Spain and Portugal had asked for this cap to be in place for six months, but the EU authorised it until the end of May. Now, it has been extended until the end of this year. The initial limit was an average of 50 euros per MW/h, starting at 40 euros and going up to 65 euros progressively. The new limits start at 55 euros going up to 65 euros in December. On some days the wholesale cost has been below the set limits, so the adjustment was not needed. The

subsidy when the cost goes over the limit is taken from the windfall tax on energy companies. Spain was told that they had to sell electricity they supplied to France at the same rate, so this has been welcomed as a means of reducing the cost of electricity there. Some EU countries did not see that the exception was necessary or fair, but the EU is now considering extending it to other EU states. Teresa Ribera, the Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition, states that the measure has meant a saving of 5.1 billion euros for households, and the gas prices registered between June 2022 and January 31st, 2023, in the wholesale market in Spain have been an average of 70.9 euros/MWh. This compares to 116.9 euros/MWh in Germany, 132.3 euros/MWh in France and 174.7 euros/MWh in Italy. Another collateral benefit to Spain has been the cost of producing electricity from fossil fuels that dropped by 63% between August 2022 and January 2023, from 164 euros/MWh to 60 euros/MWh. The substantial amount of electricity produced in Spain from renewable energy sources such as wind farms, photovoltaic solar panels, and a small amount from hydro-electric dams at present, has also helped to keep electricity prices down.

Over 100% Renewable Energy

On Tuesday, May 16th, between 10am and 7pm, more than the total demand for electricity in mainland Spain came from renewable energy sources which are wind turbine farms, photovoltaic solar panels and hydro-electric dams. Previously, renewable energy has supplied all of the demand sometimes, but never for such a long period. This was a weekday, with the normal demand for electricity, not the reduced amount needed at weekends. Nuclear reactors consistently supply about 25% of the electricity we need but on the same day, two of the seven nuclear reactors in Spain were off-line for essential maintenance, and a third one had to be shut down to correct an electrical fault. Even if the other four had been shut down, this would not have mattered. This makes the over 100% contribution even more remarkable. By 2030, three of the nuclear

In the News

reactors will have been taken out of service. A union of an Irish and Spanish company intend to build an offshore wind farm off the coast of Adra with 55 turbines that can each supply 18MW (18 billion watts). At full capacity they will supply electricity to 670,000 homes. The total investment is 2.5 billion euros with 3,000 jobs from the manufacture and placement in the sea. To minimise the visual impact, they will be from 15 to 35 km out at sea. At full capacity they will supply electricity to 670,000 homes.

El Cable Inglés Improvements

Last month we highlighted the recent opening on April 3rd of the discharge pier in Almería port, known as ‘El Cable Inglés’. This has proved extremely popular despite visitors having to book for seven 50-minute slots. (From the port website: https://apalmeria.com/puerto-ciudad/ cable-ingles). Rosario Soto is the President of the Almería Port Authority and has announced some intended changes. During the week there are times when the number of people who have booked falls rapidly, and it may be that people who turn up without booking will be allowed to gain access with a “people counter”. Information panels, in Spanish (and some in English) are being manufactured for the entrance that will be made from bronze, iron or copper but were not available at the opening date. It was decided that the opening should not be postponed until after Easter despite them not being ready. Many visitors have been calling for a phone app that will give all the information on the history and use, and this is being considered. There has been criticism that there are no rubbish bins, but Rosario has explained that as the pier is a cultural heritage monument there are very strict rules that cannot include bins. One organisation has commented that the access for people in wheel chairs could be improved. Long term plans that will cost 4-5 million euros are for a restaurant and exhibition hall. There have been various requests from people who would like to have a civil wedding on the pier and there are proposals for concerts to take place. From September, it is intended that

there will be guided tours for groups, but there are calls for this to be put in place before the summer. A Spanish TVE television channel has announced that they will feature the pier in a programme dealing with cultural and scientific heritage.

Dreambeach 2023

The organisers of the Villaricos festival from August 9th-13th have announced another batch of more than 30 performers that takes the total up to over 100 who will perform on the three stages in the EDM/ Mainstream/Hardstyle/ Techno/ Drum and Bass and Breaks categories. New performers include Dj Nano, BOU, B-Front, The Brain Killer y Chelina Manuhutu. Other headline acts are CJ Jeff, Dub Tiger, Junior, The Yellowheads, Ángel Heredia, Amber Broos, Aggresivness, Bartdon, Guau, Jordi Slate, Killer, Man, Muriel, Juandy Power, Gout, Outzero, Pablood Anco, Paul Block, Speaker Reality, Alterminds, Dasein Music, Dhuna and Isma B. The duo Abel Ramos & Albert Neve perform their latest works and James de Torres from Madrid is another very respected performer together with ‘Underground’ performers including John Digweed. Included in the line-up are Claptone, Charles Siegling aka Technasia, Rafa Barrios, Rasco and Ed209. ‘Beakbeat’ performers include Tortu and Mahza, and ‘Hardstyle’ Aversion. Female performers this year include the Russian Nina Kraviz, Anna Tur the dj and producer, along with B Jones. Tomorrowland, Sara Landry and the Spanish performer Bárbara Lago complete this list. Ticket prices can be found in our “What’s On” section.

In the News

Mercadona Employees

The supermarket chain Mercadona have started a campaign to set on 7,000 more staff in preparation for the start off the tourist season, and this includes all their supermarkets in our area. No experience is necessary, the time period is until the end of September, and the salary starts at 1,507 euros gross per month full time. In an article we comment on the paltry sums that a doctor receives after extensive training.

The “720” Foreign Assets Form

Last month we commented on the income tax return, known as “La Renta” that has to be made by June 30th for income in the 2022 calendar tax year. In 2012 Spain introduced the liability for people tax resident in Spain to declare world-wide assets on the now infamous “Modelo 720” form, before March 31st in any tax year. This applies to a value of over 50,000 euros in the basic three categories of money in bank accounts, stocks and shares and dividends, and property. The 50,000 euros amount applies to each category. Spain started fining people extremely large amounts of money if the assets were not declared but eventually the EU ruled the excessive amounts of fines were incompatible with EU law. Once an original declaration is made it does not have to be repeated every year unless the asset worth in any of the categories has gone up by 20,000 euros. Any tax due applies to income. As an example, if you own a rental property valued over the equivalent of 50,000 euros in another country, the rent has to be declared. You can deduct expenses such as management fees, insurance, periodic services certificates, expenditure such as a new centralheating source and repairs. If the income from assets comes from the UK in pounds sterling, or in another currency, the Spanish taxman has their own conversion rate into euros for the relevant tax year. Fines for non-compliance, so not submitting the 720 information are now in line with other fines. The minimum is 300 euros, but 600 euros for assets outside the EU, so another negative effect of Brexit. The fines are reduced by 50% if

a late voluntary declaration is made. The Spanish taxman can go back four years if assets have not been declared and have been in existence for four or more years, which is the case with most Spanish tax liability. It is usually a good idea to discuss any liability with an accountant or ‘gestor’ (a provider of legal services) who will make the on-line ‘720’ declaration for you, if necessary, and pay the total of any tax due for 2022. We list people in these categories in our directory. A married couple, or two people in a registered ‘Pareja de hecho’ civil partnership, can make a joint tax declaration if this means that their tax liability is less than if they made individual returns. Tax due can be fully paid with the declaration made before June 30th (by June 27th with a bank transfer), or can be split into an initial 60% with the remaining 40% taken from your bank on November 7th. This option is selected on your tax return and there is no extra charge. In certain circumstances, if the taxman agrees to this, it may be possible to pay the amount of tax due monthly, but there is a surcharge of 3.75%.

El Algarrobico Hotel Licence

A major stumbling block in the proposed demolition of the 21 storey 420-bed El Algarrobico hotel in Carboneras has been the building licence granted to the developer ‘Azata de Sol’ by Carboneras town hall. The town hall and the developer have insisted, since 2006 when work was stopped, that the licence was legal at the time it was given. There have been a number of court cases that have put pressure on the town hall to rescind the licence but without any definitive action since 2018 when a court ruled the licence was not valid and should be revoked. Recently, in another court case it was ruled that the licence was “plainly” as valid now as when it was first granted, and whilst this was the case no demolition could go ahead. There have been repeated calls by ‘Greenpeace’ to the Andalucía High Court that they should fine the town hall for “disobedience” in not declaring the licence null and void, which has been threatened but not acted on. On April 26th an extraordinary meeting of the town hall councillors approved

In the News

a new P.G.O.U. (Town planning document) that includes a de-classification of the land where the hotel has been built as being zoned for urban development, so the building licence is no longer valid. This followed a threatened ruling by the High Court on April 17th that if there was no action within five days a fine of 700 euros every 20 days would be imposed. For the last two years, the town hall has been stating that the declassification was very complicated and needed further technical investigation, and they lacked a municipal architect who would have to be involved. Greenpeace immediately went to court claiming that the resolutions at the council meeting on April 26th were null and void, as there had only been 24 hrs notice and opposition councillors were not present. They said that it was merely a ruse to avoid the impending fine. The P.G.O.U. document in a city, town or village deals mostly with planned infrastructure and urban development and is sent to the Junta de Andalucía for approval. It is only prepared infrequently after a number of years since the preceding one. The approval may take a long time, often with modifications and a resubmission. Carboneras town hall has announced that the new P.G.O.U. deals with 97 different objectives, and they have not been dragging their feet in complying with the court rulings. The proposed demolition of the hotel will now enter a new phase that may well be another very lengthy procedure!

Second Hand Cars

Almería province has more sales of second-hand cars than almost anywhere else in Spain. The explanation, from a survey, is that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect, and also purchases by non-Spanish immigrants. 50% of families in our province are stated to be feeling the effect of the economic situation, and buying a new car is not possible. Up to the end of April, Spanish buyers were looking for a second-hand car from a dealer that had at least a 12-month warranty and was 2-10 years old. Immigrants with income less than the average were buying cars that were in good condition, but a low price and

an average age of 10-15 years. The most popular make was Ford followed by Toyota, Hyundai, Renault and Seat, but in the same period in 2022 the most popular cars were ones by Kia, Citroën, Dacia and Hyundai. Sales of diesel cars are dropping, put down to the forthcoming restrictions in city centres of older vehicles and up to the end of April were 35%, down from 48% in 2022, whilst petrol cars had gone up to 61% compared to 47% last year. Sales in the second-hand market are also rising for young drivers who have just passed their driving test. With parents often coming up with the money, used cars are the preference. Many purchasers of older vehicles accept that they are not going to able to obtain the DGT environmental stickers, needed to access central cities or areas with more than 50,000 inhabitants, that should be put in place by the end of the year. (This applies to Almería city, Roquetas de Mar and El Ejido in our province), but the cost of a second-hand car is the main criteria. For buyers who live in towns with less than 50,000 inhabitants, restrictions are not a problem in the normal area where they drive.

An Excellent Financial Appraisal

The agency Standard and Poor’s issue classifications of the financial situations for countries, companies and institutions, and this includes autonomous communities in Spain. They have upped their rating for Andalucía from ‘BBB+’ to ‘A-’ and state that their finances are very good to deal with planned and actual debt, and expenditure. The agency also notes that the time between bills for services being received and paid is very quick and averages 16 days, much shorter than the national average. Carolina España, the Junta de Andalucía Minister for the Economy, Tax and European Funding has stated that the upgraded rating was a complete vindication of the work done by the P.P. political party (roughly a Conservative party) in power since 2019, and the leadership of the President Juanma Morena. She pointed out that in 2022 the Junta received 1.2 billion euros, mostly in EU funding, that was an all-time record. Juanma Morena has criticised

In the News

the previous Andalucía government for missing out on EU grants that they could have applied for. Carolina España is having meetings with senior politicians in all the provinces, including Almería province, to underline what grants are available.

Spain Needs More Workers

A survey in EU countries has looked at the unemployment situation and the numbers of workers. Spain is the country with the biggest imbalance, closely followed by Italy and Greece. The IMF projection for growth in Spain in 2024 has been downgraded to 2%, partly because of the 12% (3 million people) who are unemployed. There are also 4.6% of people who have part-time jobs but would like full-time ones, a 3% potential workforce who are not looking for work and 2% who propose to find work but are not in a position to do so at present. The report concludes that in many cases re-training is necessary to try to

match up the skills of the unemployed with job vacancies. 70% of available EU grants for Spain from the “Next Generation” scheme until 2026 are linked to the construction industry in the public and private sector, but employers consider that there is a distinct shortage of the basic workforce and management. In IT and computer technology, along with people trained in renewable energy such as solar, there are not enough people qualified to meet the requirements. Spain has published a list of the employment categories that are “difficult to fill” and accepts that there is a need for more immigration. To do this, the bureaucracy is being reduced so that legal immigrants have an easier entry into labour markets with a streamlined visa system. Another scheme is the legalising of immigrants in Spain who are undocumented. Calculations are that there are about 500,000 immigrants in Spain that have no legal standing and if they are working, this is part of the black economy.

So Now You Know...

Judy Garland

Judy Garland was born on June 10th, 1922, christened ‘Frances Ethel Gumm’ in Grand Rapids in Minnesota. She first performed age 2, singing at a movie house belonging to her father. She shot to fame when she played Dorothy Gale in the Wizard of Oz in 1939 and went on to star in Meet me in St. Louis in 1944 and Easter Parade in 1948. During the 1950s and 1960s she became one of the most popular concert performers and regularly broke box-office records in New York and London, and was never out of work for more than six months. She was found dead from a drug overdose on June 22nd, 1969 in a very small house in London.

Princess Diana

On June 16th, 1992 Andrew Morton published “Diana: Her True Story”. It spelt out the long affair between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, and Diana revealed that she had been suicidal, including when she was pregnant with Prince William. Andrew used Princess Diana’s friend, Dr James Colthurst, as a go-between, but Diana provided tapes on the promise that they would be anonymous. Andrew Morton cited Charles Spencer her brother, and Carolyn Bartholomew, Prince Harry’s godmother as sources. After Diana’s death, Andrew Morton re-issued the book, now entitled “Diana: Her True Story - In her Own Words”.

Paul Gauguin

The French painter Paul Gauguin was born in Paris on June 7th, 1848. Surprisingly, until his middleage he worked as a successful stockbroker. He left Paris and moved to Tahiti where he became very interested in primitive art. His style of painting was Post-Impressionist and amongst his most famous paintings are Vision after the sermon (1888), When shall we be married? (1892), Holiday (1896) and Two Tahitian women (1899). His style of painting used broad brush strokes and bold colours. He inspired other artists such as Edvard Munch, Henri Matisse and the young Pablo Picasso. He also produced sculptures and prints.

National Yo-Yo Day

June 8th is National Yo-Yo Day and there is a Greek vase depicting a boy playing with a yo-yo dating back to 500 BC showing that they existed in Ancient Greece. June 8th is the birthday of Donald Duncan, founder in 1929 of the Duncan Toy Company. He made production of the yo-yo a big business, having bought the Flores Yo-Yo company from Pedro Flores, who had played with them in the Philippines. They are still the largest manufacturer of the basic wooden design and also make high-tech ones to perform tricks. A yo-yo was the first toy to be taken in space in 1985, as part of the NASA “Toys in Space” project.

Watergate

On June 17th, 1972, police went to the National Democratic Headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington D.C. Initially thought to be a seemingly routine burglary, the five men arrested were found to be agents hired by the committee for the re-election of President Richard Nixon. When they appeared in court it was soon established that this was meant to be a sophisticated burglary for political motives. A long chain of events followed with more and more people in the White House implicated and the raid was authorised at the highest level. Eventually, the scandal implicated President Nixon who resigned.

George Mallory

The British explorer George Mallory was born on June 18th, 1886, in Mobberley in Cheshire. He was a passionate climber and set his sights on climbing Mount Everest. In an interview, when he was asked why he wanted to climb the highest mountain in the world, he replied, “Because it is there”. He disappeared in heavy mists near the summit of the North face on June 8th, 1924, along with fellow climber Andrew Irvine. In 1999 climbers found his body which was perfectly preserved because of the freezing temperatures, only 600m (2,030ft) from the summit. The mystery is whether they were going up or coming down.

The Spanish Health System

TheSpanish Health System is certainly not “broken” like the NHS, but there is room for improvement in some areas. There is a central Spanish Health Ministry that deal with national healthcare, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic when restrictions applied to all of Spain. Autonomous communities, Andalucía in our case, run their own health service which is the “S.A.S.” (Servicio Andaluz de Salud). They appoint staff, manage hospitals, doctors’ surgeries and A & E departments, improve and build new premises and fund new equipment.

Recently, the S.A.S. announced a “shock plan” for the Torrecárdenas hospital in Almería city to reduce waiting times for operations. Surgical staff will work in the afternoons and all day Saturday in two operating theatres. The numbers of patients waiting for operations are fairly out of date as they relate to July 2022, but the total number then (partly because of COVID-19) was 6,800. Some 4,000 people were waiting for the 20 most common operations, with an average wait of 191 days, but for more specialised operations 1,800 people had been waiting for more than a year. Surgeons and other staff will receive extra money for the additional hours, but whether they work these extra hours is voluntary.

The three hospitals in our province, the Torrecárdenas hospital in Almería city, the Poniente hospital in El Ejido, and the Inmaculada hospital in Huércal-Overa are all recipients of new or modernised body scanners of various types. There are nine distinct installations with some of them in use already, but they will all be fully operational later this year, and the total cost is 11.9 million euros. Torrecárdenas has a new PETCT scanner that has cost 2.1 million euros and 800,000 euros to construct the underground bunker. The installation has been completed and the calibration phase has now started, along with authorisation from the medical department of the Spanish Nuclear Agency as these scanners uses photons and the bunkers have to be radiation proofed. Patients will no longer have to be sent to

Granada for specialised scanning, and the El Ejido and Huércal-Overa hospitals have new CT scanners that will speed up the diagnosis of various health problems.

In all of Andalucía, the total investment for the new and modified scanners is 143 million euros, and grants have been obtained by the Spanish Health Ministry from EU “Next Generation” funding.

The Spanish Medical Association have published a report criticising the amount of money a doctor is paid. The total time to become fully qualified after obtaining a Degree in Medicine and being employed, is six years. Currently, a fully qualified doctor who works 35 hours a week in a surgery is paid 1,282 euros gross, and 1,106 euros net, per month in their first year. This increases to 1,640 euros gross and 1,303 euros net by their fourth year. The association states that doctors have to work extra hours such as providing emergency cover or being on standby in afternoons, nights and weekends to earn more money. The minimum wage in Spain in 2023 for any worker is 7,82 euros per hour but a fully qualified doctor is only paid 8,40 euros per hour, 11,31euros in their third year and 12,28 euros in their fifth year. The association states that this clearly shows doctors are not paid enough money, despite their high level of qualifications and responsibilities.

As regards medical centres, major work is authorised to extend and modernise the Albox surgery, and work is underway in Mojácar on an entirely new centre amalgamating the village and beach surgeries.

The Present Cost of Electricity

FromJuly to December 2022 (inclusive), the cost of electricity in Spain was the fifth highest in the Eurozone, but from January to April in 2023 it fell to eighth place. The Spanish government have introduced many measures to keep the price down. IVA (VAT) was reduced from 21% to 10% and then down to 5%. The customs duty (the same tax that we pay on cigarettes and alcohol) was reduced from 5.1% to 0.5% and a generation tax of 7% that supply companies pay the government was scrapped.

Spain and Portugal negotiated “The Iberian Exception” with the EU (We explain how this works in an “In the News” item) that allowed them to put a cap on wholesale gas prices. This is not now the daily norm, as wholesale prices are often below the trigger amount. On many days recently, the price of electricity in Spain has been lower than the average in 2019. The main reason that costs have come down is the increasing contribution from “renewable” energy, wind farms, photovoltaic solar panels and some contribution from hydroelectric dams that all produce cheap electricity.

Currently, 40% of electricity clients in Spain pay according to a variable hourly rate known as the P.V.P.C. tariff. Traditionally, consumer organisations pointed out that this could be cheaper than the various plans where customers had a fixed rate all day, or in select periods. With the energy crisis the fixed price plans became cheaper, except that when a contract expires, the supply companies may put the price up.

The situation now, with various conditions, is that the P.V.P.C. tariff has become cheaper again, but many clients have changed from the P.V.P.C tariff to fixed ones to save money. Electricity companies introduced the “Three band” P.V.P.C. system that stated that from midnight to 8am, and all weekend, electricity was the cheapest. There were hours when it was more expensive, and peak hourly price periods at times of high demand. This has not worked from day one, as the cost still

varies every hour, so the cheap, medium and peak time cost periods are not factual.

The cost per hour for the next day is published by “Red España” (The Spanish National Grid organisation), and this can be seen at www. tarifaluzhora.es. This shows the price per kW/h (the cost of switching an appliance of 1,000 watts on for 1 hour), the average, cheapest and highest price, and the cost every hour in céntimos per kW/h. It may well be that the “cheap” overnight cost is in fact the medium or highest cost, and during the afternoon with sun and wind, this is the cheapest! Also, weekends may not be particularly cheap. In general, the most expensive hours are in early evening to midnight, but this is not always true either. On May 1st (a public holiday), the lowest band was from 10am-7pm, and the cheapest hour (2pm-3pm) cost only 0.3 céntimos per kW/h, so almost nothing. From midnight to 9am the cost was all in the most expensive band, as was the case from 10pm to midnight. Crazy!

Jorgé Morales de Labra is an energy expert and studies the cost of the P.V.P.C. and cheapest “plan” tariffs daily. In January, keeping his eye on the P.V.P.C hourly rate and using electricity in the cheapest hours he saved 20% on the fixed cost. In February he paid 7.6% more, but paid 25% less in March and 46% less in April. Switching from the P.V.P.C. tariff to a fixed plan, at present, is probably not sensible.

New Housing Laws

Renting a property or getting on the mortgage ladder is still very difficult or impossible for many young people, and the age at which they stay in the family home is one of the highest in Europe. Latest figures show that buying a house eats up more than 36% of an average salary and 43% for renting. In the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Madrid the cost of renting is over 50%. The recommended top percentage for buying or renting a house is only 30% of income.

The Spanish government have, and are, introducing various measures to try and combat this. There are 72 municipalities in our province with less than 3,000 inhabitants with existing discounts under the heading of ‘Almería, Youth Employment against Depopulation’ funded by the EU. All property purchasers pay a tax known as ‘AJD’ that is effectively stamp duty, and in Andalucía this is 1.5% of the purchase price. For first time buyers under the age of 35, this is reduced to 0.3% with a 15% subsidy off the purchase price for a property under 150,000 euros. Outside rural areas, the reduced AJD tax and the 15% applies to properties under 130,000. On May 7th, at a political rally in Tenerife, Pedro Sánchez, the Prime Minister, announced that the discount would go up to 20% for people under 35 earning less than 37,800 euros per annum and this would apply per person, so under 75,600 euros for a couple, with a higher amount if there are children. The aim is that with a 20% grant and an 80% mortgage the whole purchase price is covered. Banks or lenders will explain how this works for new buyers. (These discounts apply to all nationalities in the age group who are official residents).

A new housing law was passed at the end of April with 176 votes in favour and 167 against, designed to come into force after it is approved by the Senate, the Upper House. It will be in force for three years and extended every year if necessary. It is designed to increase the availability of properties where there is a situation in particular areas that is causing “tension” and “stress” for

buyers and renters. The criteria are where the mortgage or rental cost, including some basic expenses, are more than 30% over the average in the region. This will apply to individual owners as well as companies, with regulations for new rental contracts as well as existing ones. For existing private rental contracts, the rent can only be put up by 2% this year, 3% next year, and a revised percentage in 2025. Rental income is subject to income tax and there is a discount of 50%. If an owner in a “stress” area reduces the rent for an existing renter by 5%, the tax discount is 90%. If a property is rented to a person aged under 35, there is a 70% income tax relief.

Places in our part of Almería where the new regulations will come into force because of market “stress” are Albox, Arboleas, Partaloa, Mojácar, Los Gallardos, Garrucha, a large part of Vera, Villaricos, Turre, and a large part of Pulpí, with a total of 325 rented properties registered with the Land Registry.

Spain needs more affordable housing, and as we reported last month, the government are intending to buy 35,000 properties from ‘Sareb’ who took over all toxic bank debts in 2012, with another 15,000 built on land purchased from Sareb. 45,000 properties will be built with government loans and 20,000 on surplus land purchased from the Ministry of Defence.

ACCOUNTING

AIRPORT PARKING

ANTIQUES

ARCHITECTS

ART & ARTISTS

BUTCHERS

CAKES TO ORDER

CAMPSITES

CATERING / EVENTS

CLOTHING (Personalised)

COUNSELLING / HEALING

CURTAINS & SOFT FURNISHINGS

DIGGER HIRE See Excavation

DIVING See Scuba Diving

DOCTORS & CLINICS (Private)

DOG GROOMING

DOG TRAINING

DOORS See Windows & Doors

ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS

ELECTRICAL GOODS

ESTATE AGENTS

EXCAVATION

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

EXCURSIONS

FABRICS

FASHION

FINANCIAL SERVICES

FLORISTS

FLY SCREENS

FOOD SHOPS

FUNERAL COMPANIES

FROZEN FOOD SUPPLIER

FUNERAL PLANS

FURNITURE PACKAGES

FURNITURE, RUSTIC/HANDMADE

GARDENS

GLASS CURTAINS

GLAZING (Supply & Repair)

GOLD & JEWELLERY BUYING

GOLF COURSES

GOLF TUITION

GRASS, ARTIFICIAL

GUTTERING

HAIR, HEALTH & BEAUTY

HARDWARE OUTLETS

HORSE RIDING

HEALTH FOODS

HEATING

HIRE

HOUSE & PET SITTING

INTERNET CAFES see

INTERPRETING/TRANSLATIONS

LOGS FOR

MARKETING

MOBILE HOMES & CARAVANS

MOTORCYCLES & QUADS

OPTICIANS

PICTURE FRAMING

PIZZERIAS

POSTAL SERVICES

PLASTERERS

PLUMBERS

PRINTING & GRAPHIC DESIGN

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT & RENTALS

SCREENED PATIO & POOL ENCLOSURES

SOLAR

SCUBA DIVING

SECURITY & SAFES

SEWING

SEPTIC TANK SERVICE

SKIP HIRE

TILING & PATIO WORK See also Building

TIMBER SUPPLIERS

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

TRANSLATING - see Interpreters

TRANSPORT - see Removals TRAVEL

TUITION

VETS

Useful Numbers

Community News

at www.ageinspain.org. Age in Spain is now looking for more volunteers in Almeria and Andalucia to expand its service.

Walker David Tillyer says ”Please help us reach our 10,000 euros target. We are walking today so that Age in Spain is here for our tomorrow. Any one of us might need help, no matter how well we plan ahead.

Walking the Camino today so that Age in Spain is here for our tomorrow

Mojácar Freemasons Graham Adkins, John Simpson and David Tillyer set off on Monday 8 May to walk the 1,400km Camino de Mozárabe from Almería Cathedral to Santiago de Compostela to raise 10,000 euros to support the charity Age in Spain which provides vital services for older English speakers.

Keen Camino walker Graham Adkins explained “Getting older, wherever we live, brings change and challenge! Keeping active and contributing to our communities helps us to give back and ensure maximum independence in later life. But sometimes, everyone needs a helping hand - this is where we and Age in Spain step in!” Getting the fundraiser off to a good start, John Simpson, who is charity steward of the local Freemasons Lodge of Unity no 98 in Turre, presented a cheque for 500 euros on their behalf.

Chief Executive of Age in Spain, Helen Weir, said “We are overwhelmed by the Freemasons’ generosity and the chance that these vital funds will give us to make a difference for older people in Almeria, Andalucia and beyond. We urge everyone to follow their journey and add their own donation to the Age in Spain Camino fundraising page at https:// www.gofundme.com/f/age-in-spain.” Age in Spain will post regular updates on the walkers’ progress as they track the challenging route on https:// www.facebook.com/ageinspain/.

Age in Spain volunteers provide timely, caring support to over two and half thousand vulnerable people and their carers every year and many thousands more through their free online information service

Donations are already coming in to https://www. gofundme.com/f/age-in-spain. One of the first donors, Kate Allerton, read about the fundraiser on Age in Spain’s Facebook page. Her comment was simply “One day I might need help!”

Bedar Community Bolsters Asprodalba

By: Chrissie Cremore

Asprodalba (Asociacion para la Promocion de las Personas con Discapacidad Intelectual del Levante Almeriense) was created 40 years ago by a local psychologist Ignacio Martin-Baro who retired about 3 years ago. The day centre and residential homes in Vera cater for intellectually challenged people on a daily basis, with varying levels of mental and physical disabilities. The day centre attends to 80 adults who do not live on site; whereby the residents home has room to house 22 people who do not have family to look after them. Both buildings encourage arts and craft, gardening, computer lessons plus offer facilities so that they can learn how to cook and look after themselves. The residential home also has a specially built swimming pool which allows wheelchair access.

Community News

Not far away there is the former mining town, dating back to the Muslim period; a pristine white village called Bedar which nestles in an east facing valley in the foothills of the Sierra de Los Filabres. Little did Maria and Steve Crees know that when they permanently moved to their “holiday home” how their efforts would contribute to Asprodalba’s plans for their third building. Originally from London, Maria and Steve met whilst working for a housing association and 44 years later with 2 daughters and 3 grandchildren know they made the right decision when they decided to settle in Bedar. Initially, whilst exploring Spain they were drawn to Mojácar but once they discovered Bedar they knew that the “building foundations” for their house was meant to be here. It is not until you visit this village that you appreciate what it has to offer; meandering through the narrow cobbled streets with the Mediterranean glistening on the horizon.

Being sociable folk, they quickly became part of the community and enjoyed raising money with local Black Tie and Posh Frock Events for Stepping Stones Alzheimer Charity and a Defibrillator. Although COVID-19 stopped further functions; now that the “seed had been sown“, this year they decided to expand on this theme and recently organised and hosted the biggest gathering to date with 90 people dining and dancing at The Villa Cadima Restaurant. The atmosphere was enthusiastic and electric; heady and heavy with perfume and aftershave. The glamour was sparkling, smart and exotic with not a flip flop in sight! The evening was a major success, raising 1418 euros with donations and games. Steve would like to especially thank the following sponsors; Clare and Shane/Castellon de Bedar, Julie Justice/ Something Special, Ann Webber/Style by Ann Webber, Steve Brewer/ Chef Experience, Dave Shipley/Shipley Transport, Alex Nichols/Nichols Transport, Jo and Tim/Olive Properties and Villa Cadima Restaurant. The dance floor was rocking thanks to Tony Justice, Mad on Blonde and DJ Rob from Almería Radio. Also special thanks goes to those “behind the scenes”; including Ray and Ann Jacobs, Irene Mathews and Committee Treasurer Bill Foster.

Los Bandidos Blast Bédar

Sixteen Los Bandidos runners took on the third race in the Circuito de Carreras Populares Diputación de Almeria 2023 in Bédar on Saturday, 15th May. Unlike last year’s race, when the start had to be delayed due to the heat, it was a dull, grey start with rain and thunderstorms forecast. Luckily there was no thunder but there were a couple of light showers. The hilly route went through the village, out into the campo, through some puddles due to the rain earlier in the day, then climbed, steeply, back into Bédar. Some of the Los Bandidos ladies were helped back to the finish line by one of the super speedy runners who had already finished the race! Aki was the first lady overall and five Bandidos won trophies in their age groups and as a team finished 5th (4 fastest runners).

Times were generally faster this year, due to the cooler conditions, but on such a tough course, the winner still finished in an impressive 33:45, with Aki, the first lady in 44:46. 168 runners crossed the finish line. Trophies were awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in each age group as well as to the overall winners.

Los Bandidos results (position, name, time and age group prizes)

In the Sub-14 category Guillermo Moscardo Cherel ran

What’s On

Almería

The musical La Bella y La Bestia (Beauty and the Beast) comes to Teatro Cervantes, Almería city, on Saturday, June 3rd, at 5pm, intended to be a family event. Tickets are 15 euros in advance or 18 euros at the door.

Black Ice is a tribute concert to AC/DC as part of their “50th Anniversary AC / DC” tour. It comes to Teatro Cervantes, Almería city, on Saturday, June 17th, at 11pm. Tickets are 12 euros in advance or 15 euros at the door.

The musical Germinal comes to Teatro Cervantes, Almería city, on Saturday, June 3rd, at 9pm. The musical is based on the Emile Zola novel depicting France in the 1860s. There is an 80-piece symphony orchestra and 60 actors and singers. The musical and performers have won many awards. Tickets are 20 & 25 euros.

The 56th Almería Flamenco and Dance Festival takes place from June 14th to July 22nd. Young performers such as Israel Fernández and Mercedes Luján join forces with José Torres ‘Tomatito’, Sonia Miranda, Farruguito, Vincente Soto ‘Sordera’ and Belén López. The performances take place in various locations including the Maestro Padilla Auditorio, the Guitar Museum, Almería Castle and the Cathedral Cloister. Many performances are free but there is a charge for

some of them. The Farruguito concert on July 7th at 9.30 is at the auditorio and tickets are 25 & 30 euros. The Bélen López concert is on July 10th at 9.30pm at the Alcazaba castle and tickets are 15 euros.

The Clasijazz Gospel Choir with over 100 singers, come to the Maestro Padilla Auditorio, Almería city, on Saturday, June 3rd at 9pm. Tickets are 10 euros.

What’s On

Tickets for Teatro Cervantes, Almería city, from box office at Calle del Poeta Villaspesa,1. Open Mon-Fri, 11am-1pm & 4pm-7pm, Saturday from 11am-2pm, or 1hr before performances, or from www.todaslasentradas.com

Tickets for concerts in Almería (except Teatro Cervantes) available from the ticket office in the Teatro Apolo, 25 Rambla Obispo Orberá, Almería , tel: 950 230 922. Mon- Fri, 10.30am-1.30pm & 6-8pm, or Sat, 11am-1pm. Tickets can be purchased from 2hrs before performances at the venue or from www.ticketmaster. es or call Ticketmaster: 902 1500 25. Main branches of ‘CaixaBank’ have machines which issue tickets; including Vera near the church square.

Águilas

The 2023 Promusica series of concerts has a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet at the auditorio on Friday, June 23rd at 8.30pm. It is performed by the Region of Murcia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Virginia Martínez. Tickets are 20 euros.

¡Que Festín! is a musical featuring songs from all the famous musicals and comes to the auditorio on Saturday, June 24th at 8pm. Tickets are 16 euros.

Aguilas tickets from Victoria Travel 968 410 929 & www. bacantix.com, Museo Arqueológico, www. auditorio-aguilas.org or from 2hrs before performances at the box office.

Villaricos

Dreambeach 2023. In our “In the News” section we feature information regarding the Villaricos music festival on August 9th-13th. Individual day tickets cost 44 euros on August 10th, 55 euros August 11th & 12th and 93,50 euros for all three days from www.dreambeach.es.

Roquetas de Mar

The Onbeat company bring their musical El Musical de Los 80s and 90s by Spanish artists to the auditorio on Saturday, June 3rd, at 9pm, following excellent reviews in Madrid. Tickets are 15 & 20 euros.

Dos Día En La Vida is a tribute concert to Pau Donés, lead Singer of the Jarabe de Palo group, and comes to the auditorio on Saturday, June 17th, at 9pm. Seven musicians from a group based in Albacete perform the compositions. Tickets are 15, 18 & 20 euros.

Roquetas de Mar Auditorio tickets are on sale at www. teatroauditorioroquetas.org or their ticket office, open Tuesdays to Fridays from 11am-1pm & 6pm-8pm.

Vera Moors & Christians

The 10th Vera Moors and Christians event starts on Thursday, June 8th with a presentation and official opening and a chess match between the two sides with people as the chess pieces.. The main procession, the Grand Parade is on Friday, June 9th at 19:00 starting from the Bullring. This is followed by a concert in the Plaza Mayor. Saturday, June 10th also has celebrations in aid of their Patron Saint, the Blessed Virgin of Sorrows.

Mojácar Moors & Christians

The main Moors & Christians event takes place from Friday, June 16th to Sunday, June 18th. Full timetables of all events will be available beforehand from the tourist office, www.mojacar. es and Facebook pages Mojácar Informa and Moros y Cristianos. Almosaquer.

The most spectacular event is

What’s On

the grand procession of the troops interspersed with marching bands from the top of the village to the fuente starting at 6.30pm on Sunday. Many other events include the school children’s procession and opening ceremonies on Thursday morning and Friday midday. The medieval market takes place in afternoons and evenings.

Friday evening sees the opening events taking place at the fuente followed by the procession of the troops up to the Plaza Nueva for the announcement ceremony. The kabilas or camps of the various groups open at 10pm for music, drinking and dancing until 5am.

On Saturday afternoon at Playa del Lance there will be fireworks, dancing and a medieval tournament on horseback followed by a procession to the Red Cross area. At 9.30 in the evening the kabilas open again until 5am.

At midday on Sunday the fusiliers of both sides meet on Playa de las Ventanicas. Later, the grand procession in the village takes place.

Miscellaneous

Age Support Summer Funfest

Saturday, 15th July at Arboleas Community Centre.

Trips by Carlos

August 1st, trip to Alicante to see Tom Jones. Coach, 1 night in a 3* hotel and ticket 180 euros. For bookings ring Carlos: 610 681 068.

Open Mic Night every Thursday at Miraflores, Los Gallardos, kick f at 8pm. Everyone welcome.

Free Spanish Lessons at the Murgis Akra school for adults in Mojácar. June is the time to enrol for Spanish (or English) lessons at the Murgis Akra school in Mojácar. These are free, supported by the Junta de Andalucía and also available in Vera, Garrucha, Turre, Los Gallardos, Sorbas... Different levels are adapted to students needs and knowledge. Several extra activities are arranged such as language exchange with native speakers, trips, etc. Contact Ignacio on 687 98 99 54.

Age Support Almanzora, Afternoon Tea and Fashion Show

on Saturday, 10th June at the charity’s shop in Albox, 2.30pm. 10 euros tickets from the shop.

PAWS-PATAS The secondhand book sale at Scotty’s El Tropico is held on the second Tuesday of the month, 10.30am - 1pm. All proceeds to stray cat neutering.

Send details of your events to almeriafocus@gmail.com or WhatsApp 667 80 11 40

What’s On

Market Days

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Huércal-Overa, Antas, Berja

Albox, Los Gallardos, Cuevas del Almanzora

Mojácar, Bédar, Lubrin, Vélez Blanco, Palomares, Tabernas

Cuevas del Almanzora, Olula del Río, Carboneras, Sorbas

Friday: Saturday: Sunday: Rastros, Car Boot Sales, etc.

Garrucha, Turre, Zurgena

Aguilas, Vera, Arboleas, Vélez Rubio

Villaricos, Purias, San Juan de los Terreros, Fines

Saturday: Sunday:

Los Llanos, between Arboleas & Albox

Chiringuito Extreme, Hostal Rural, Turre

Plaza del Rey, Velez Rubio

Mojácar Rastro, Multiple Use Centre

Activities - Clubs - Associations

Clubs, Societies & Activities

Free Spanish and English Lessons

Available in some municipalities. Enquire at your local town hall.

Almanzora Group of Friends

Library and Information Centre, Tues - Fri, 10am-1pm, Plaza San Antonia, Barrio Alto, Albox. Extensive English Library, DVDs and talking books, monthly magazine, monthly quiz, trips. www.almanzoragof.org or Facebook: Almanzora Group of Friends. Tel: 602 495 306

Almeria Link Friendship Group

Membership is free and open to all. We meet at weekends in the Mojacar area to enjoy dining experiences and form friendships. New members are always welcome. Please contact Bob on 950472551

WOW Women on Wednesday Scotty’s, Mojácar Playa, 2pm. Get together, buy, sell, swap, meet new people.

Dames in Huércal Overa

3rd Wed. of the month, 10.30am, Tennis Club, Huércal Overa. All welcome. Tel. Jan Oliver 642 413 945.

Dames in Turre

Monthly lunches and trips. New members welcome. Chairman, Barbara Wardley, casaroojo@hotmail.co.uk. Secretary, Moira Armatage +34 711 007 192, mogsy2009@ live.com

Flamenco Forum for English Speakers on Facebook. Information and events. Tel: 687 480 694

The Royal British Legion - Zurgena & District Branch

La Parrilla, Albox, first Thursday of the month, 11a.m. Email zurgenaRBLsecretary@yahoo. co.uk. See www.britishlegion.org.uk/branches /zurgena

Indalo Hash House Harriers

Meet 2nd and 4th Sunday, 11am, various locations. www.indaloh3.com

Mojácar Bridge Club

Contact Les Brice 697 297 991 or Ron Hounsell 711 064 726. www.bridgewebs. com/mojacar/

Vera & District Lions Club

We meet regularly including social events. For more information please contact by email veralionssecretary@gmail.com or email/telephone President Zoe Rylett on zoerylett@gmail.com - 639 036 051. All items gratefully received at The Lions Charity Shop in Turre. Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10:00 - 14:00. Mobility equipment available. Donations and Standing Orders to Vera And District Lions Fundraising. ES19 3058 0186 3527 2000 7801

The Royal British Legion, Mojácar

First and third Thursday of every month (except July and August) at 11am, coffee and chat at Cokkia Restaurant (opposite Neptuno). Ex-Forces and non-Service people all welcome. We hold lunches and other events which we publicise at the coffee mornings and on local media. For welfare advice and help for the exForces community in need of support email SpainNorthCommunitySupport@rbl. community. If you wish to hold an event in aid of the Poppy Appeal or help at our collection points in October and November please email Mojacar.Committee1@rbl. community or ring 699 953 222. We are now on Facebook, click on Groups and search for Royal British Legion Mojacar Branch.

AUAN - Abusos Urbanisticos

Almanzora No

Association campaigning for the legalisation of homes in the Almanzora Valley built without proper authority. Meeings on 3rd Saturday of every other month, 11am, La Parrilla, Albox. Tel: 617 118 209 www.almanzora-au.org

Vera Photo Club

First Sunday of month, Bar La Pará, Turre (opposite the Vet), 10am - 12.30pm. Presentations by invited speakers, field trips, instruction, studio photography, monthly assignments and exhibitions. All levels welcome. Phone Sarah 670003717 or Claus 628585538.

Freemasons in the Province of Almeria

Craft & Chapter. 661 026 912 or 670 27 27 37

Freemasons – The Side Degrees

Mark, RAM, RSM, OSM & Allied. 678 574 579

Albox Computer Club

Hotel La Parrilla, Albox. Fri, 10am. All levels of experience are welcomed. www. alboxcc.com

Traditional Japanese Reiki and Gendai Reiki Ho

Classes, workshops, and Reiki shares in Mojacar. Tel: 634 347 930, website: www. gendaireikispain.com

Ancestry Club for Beginners & Intermediate Tel. 634 309 590

Psychic Development Circle

Various classes at different times. Everyone welcome. Tel: Barbara 637 469 937 barbaramoonlight@gmail.com

Mojácar Community Library

Multi-Use centre. Mon, Wed and Fri, 11am - 1pm .

Send details of your group to almeriafocus@gmail.com or WhatsApp: 667 80 11 40

Activities - Clubs - Associations

Clubs, Societies & Activities continued

Amigos de los Coches Clasicos

Local multi-national group of classic car enthusiasts. Meetings the first Thursday of the month, 3pm, Hotel Rural Miguel Rosi, junction 559 E15/A7. www.a-c-c.es, email: info@a-c-c.es, tel. David 630740502

Miraflores 1/10 Scale RC Club

Thursdays, 3pm. Tel: Richard on 666 274 861 for more details.

Model Aero Flying Club, Cortijo Grande

Sun. & Wed., 10.30am. Contact Jeff on 950 469304 or Colin on 666 982186

Aeroclub ULM Günter (Vera)

Tel: 607 316 553

Pita Escuela Agave School of Río Aguas. A multicultural, environmental and musical project, specialized on the integral usage of the agave plant and the processing of its wood.Tel 630 66 18 65 (Timbe) pitaescuela@hotmail.com

Sunseed

A hands-on practical centre for low-impact living and environmental education in Los Molinos del Rio Aguas near Sorbas. Free tours at 4pm. www.sunseed.org.uk Tel: 950 525 770

Religious Groups & Churches

Church of England (Anglican Services)

Mojácar, Sundays, 11am; Llanos Del Peral, Sundays,11am; Aljambra Chapel Albox, 2nd Thursday monthly at 11am. For directions, details and all church activities please see www.almeriaanglican.com or contact Tony Noble on 634303807. Also available Funerals, Wedding Blessings, Wedding Vow renewals and Baptisms.

Kingdom Hall, Jehovah’s Witnesses

Tues 7:30pm & Sun 10.00am. Poligono Aljoroque - C/El Cajete 6, Antas. Contact: 652 293 269

Turre Evangelical Church

Sundays at 10.30 – worship, a not too long talk from the Bible, coffee and cake. Welcoming and relaxed – all welcome. Find us on Turre’s main street, Avenida de Almeria, corner of C/Alberquillca. Email: contact@turrechurch.es Tel: (0034) 711 035 486 Web: turrechurch.es

New Life Church, Huercal-Overa

We are a Jesus centred church family learning to love one another. Sunday service at 11 am, www.newlifechurch.eu tel. 685 628 184

Living Water Church Mojacar Playa

Opposite Red Cross Centre and Salas Farmacia. Sunday Service 11am. Bible study, Tuesday 10am. Prayer, Tuesday, 12:30pm. Cafe Church, Thursday 11am to 1pm. See FaceBook or visit www. livingwaterchurchmojacar.com

Aguaviva Evangelical Church

Near the health Centre, opposite BiciBox, Albox. Tel: Rod Southwood, 687 560 544

Roman Catholic Masses

These can be found on www.misas.org for most places.

Support Groups & Charities

MACS Cancer Support Group

General Enquiries call 634 328 334 10am to 4pm. 24/7 Careline: 634 656 555. Fully Spanish registered charity. Shops in Mojácar, Turre, Albox and Huercal-Overa open Mon-Fri, 10-2pm www.macscancersu pport.com Email: macscancersupport@ live.co.uk

Stepping Stones Carers Support Group

Turre Evangelical Hall, Thurs, 11am-2pm. Tel 950 472 822 or 677 683 385 www. steppingstones.group

Age Support Almanzora

Shop and welfare office near Peugeot garage, Albox, open Mon-Fri, 10:00-13:45. Lunch club, bereavement group, equipment loan, befrienders. Helpline 642 045 210.

A.A. Alcoholics Anonymous

Mojacar Area Meetings:- Monday 6pm, Turre Evangelical Church (Avenida de Almeria, Turre). Friday, 6pm, Living Water Church, Mojacar Playa (opposite Red Cross building). Tel: 634 300 364 or email aaspain@gmail.com

Al-Anon Family Groups for people whose life is or has been affected by someone else’s drinking. Meetings Mondays, 4:45 - 5:45 at Turre Evangelical Church. Tel: 698460801 or email AlAnon. LaAlfoquia@gmail.com

Universal Wonderful Street Academy

NGO that supports street children in Accra (Ghana). Registered charity. www. universalwonderfulstreetacademy.org. Beatriz: 617 182 154

Harmony Community Support

Providing assistance to those in need. Tel. 634 339 192 Mon - Fri, 11:00 - 14:00 help@harmonycharity.com

Walk for Life Arboleas

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with cancer and need help or support contact our welfare team. Email irenewalk4life@icloud.com Tel. 643 63 81 77. To volunteer to help at any of our events and become a Friend of Walk for Life email claire.walk4life@gmail.com Tel 644602249.

Activities - Clubs - Associations

Music & Drama Groups

Open Mic Night

Every Thursday, 8pm, at Miraflores, Los Gallardos, 8pm. Everyone welcome.

Indalo Players

Well established drama group always looking for new members to act or help back stage. Contact Jennifer Jordan email jenniferjanejordan@gmail.com/ phone 34 722 860 085.

Independent Theatre Group

Always looking for new people, novices & full blown Thesbians. Call Ian Jones on 950 436 581 or 666 375 688 or e-mail independenttheatre@hotmail.com

The Luvvies

New members always welcome for acting or work behind the scenes etc. Tel. 634 346 309 or e-mail theluvvies@hotmail.com

Jacqueline Welby Productions

New members always needed to act or work back stage or with any other activities. Tel. Jacqueline Morris Welby 634 313 531

Orquesta Ciudad de Vera

A friendly group of musicians of various ages and levels. All newcomers welcome, only requirement is to play an orchestral instrument and read music. Rehearsals Vera Auditorio on Saturday mornings. See www. ocv.org.es for details.

Vera Voces

A friendly choir singing classical music, directed by pianist, singer and director, Barry Jobling. All welcome, no auditions. Rehearsals Mondays, 5-7pm, at Vera Auditorio. Facebook: Vera Voces. Contact veravoces1@gmail.com

All Aloud Community Choir meet every Tuesday at Charlotte’s Bar and Grill, formerly Chapman’s Bar, Albox, from 2.45 pm until 4.45 pm. All Welcome.

Albox Ukebox

A friendly group that meets weekly on Tuesday afternoons in Charlotte’s Bar (formerly Chapman’s) in Albox to learn and sing songs with the ukulele. All welcome. For details tel. Chris on 634 375 471.

Yoga

Sol Yoga Centre, Arboleas Tel: 686 400331

VaVa Yoga Studio, Vera. Tel: 642 314 316

Yoga Therapy with Portia Oliver. Tel: 681301474 www. portiaoliver.es

Arts & Crafts

Sewing Group, Mojacar

We meet at Scotty’s el Tropico bar for sewing, knitting, crochet etc. Weds.

10.30 to 12.30. Tel. Brenda 634 34 34 92. We are a friendly group meeting for coffee and chat.

Ladies Sewing Circle

Evangelical Church, Turre, Wednesday

10.30 – 12.30 Tel: 667 702 774

Picante Quilting Club

Scotty’s El Tropico, Mojacar. First Thurs of the month, 10am-12.30pm. Beginners welcome. For more details or to book your place, please email Jo at jogibson787@yahoo.co.uk

Cloud Zebra Craft Workshops & Clubs

In Almanzora and Oria, Tues 10-2, Thurs and Fri, 10.30 -2.30. Call 744 60 96 30. No experience needed.

Bedar Arts Centre

Ceramic classes, Mondays and Wednesdays. Painting classes Tuesday 10:301330. For info, call 664 896 555

Dance

Strictly Line Dancing

Salon de Actos, Centro de Usos

Multiples, Mojacar. Fridays, 4–7pm. Beginners welcome. Contact: Glynis 648217503 or Mary Beth 661671526 or strictlylinedancingmojacar@gmail.com

Eleanor & Gilly’s Line Dance Class

Chapman’s Bar, Albox, 2pm- 3-45pm, Mondays. All levels welcome. 950439003.

Step2It - Line Dancing

Arboleas. Weds: 6.45 p.m-7.30 p.m, First Steps/Intro. 7.30 p.m-10.30, Beginners / Improvers /Intermediate. Carrie Ann 627279584 www.carrieanngreen.com

Almeria Line Dancers

Julie - 634304625 / 950110433

Ceroc Dancing

Artisan Centre, Mojacar, Tues 8.15pm Beginners/Improvers/Advanced. All welcome. Contact Tracey 687251799

Belly Dancing

Mojácar, Garrucha & Huércal-Overa. Contact Fatima: 610 472 596

Bellydance Classes

Mojácar, Turre, Palomares. Call 639 724 521

Dance Classes with Hollie Newell Ballet, tap, contemporary, modern, jazz, lyrical, zumba and more. Based in Turre. Tel: 634 317 391

Performing Arts Centre DanZaVera

54 Verasol, Vera. Royal Academy Ballet, Imperial Society Modern, Tap and Jazz. Also Hip-Hop, Oriental Dance, Spanish Classical. Tel Anita: 670 715 787

Complete Beginners Flamenco Mojácar. No specialist shoes or equipment required, friendly hour long class. Email info@lagitanainglesa.com

VaVa Yoga Danza (Spanish)

With Barbarito. Cuban & Latin Salsa, Bachata & Merengue. Tel: 642 314 316

Send details of your group to almeriafocus@gmail.com

WhatsApp: 667 80 11 40

Activities - Clubs - Associations

Sports

Almería Lawn Bowling Club

Contact Shirley: 679 970 399

Bowling Club de Zurgena Friendly, social and competitive bowling, all levels & standards. zurgenabc@gmail. com. www.zurgenabc.com

Cabrera Lawn Bowling Club www.cabreralbc.com

Indalo Lawn Bowling Club

First class facilities with all levels of bowling catered for. Visit our website http://www. indalobowlingclub.org

Mojacar Bowls Club

Behind Marina Mar Hotel. Everybody welcome - Tues, Thurs and Sat starting with coffee at 9:30. Contact Janet 627204422, janlawspain@yahoo.co.uk

Aguilón Amigos Golf Club

Aguilon Golf Course on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays teeing off just before 9am. If you would like to play email aguilonamigos2021@gmail.com

Badgers Golf Society Mojácar

We play every Wednesday and alternate Saturdays. All are welcome. Contact Paul Cunningham on (0044)7775837453 WhatsApp or badgersmojacar@mail.com

Boxers Golf Society Albox

All welcome to join us as members or guests. Call in at the Why Not bar in Albox on Saturday mornings or email peterstooks@avired.com

Forum Golf Society

Plays friendly events at local courses twice a month. Richard Price. Telephone 850993073 or rfp53@yahoo.co.uk. www.forumgolfsociety.webs.com

Golfing Guapas Society

We are a group of ladies of all nationalities meeting one Friday in the month...golf followed by lunch and prizes. All welcome. Call Vivienne 683 558 696.

Valle del Este Golf Society.

Tuesdays, Thursdays & Sundays. Contact Alan Townsend Tel. 690 090 982

Almería Golf League

Contact Les on 950 619 273.

Marina Phoenix Golf Society

Visitors welcome Mondays and Thursdays. Tel Don Atkins 605 051 238. Email marinaphoenixgs@gmail.com

Huzzah Golf Society

Friendly group of all abilities, playing Aguilon golf course each Monday and local courses. All welcome. Call Eric & WhatsApp 643 04 96 96. Fb: Huzzah Golf Society. Email: huzzahgs@gmail.com

Albox Club de Tenis

Sun & Thurs mornings, Tues afternoons. Tel Sue: 950 064 369 Fb: Albox Club de Tenis

Cabrera Tennis Club

Contact info@ cabreratennisclub.com www.cabreratennisclub.com

Club de Tenis y Padel Indalo Vera. Tel: 950 59 28 77 - 608 250 607

Tennis Coach

Diego Rodriguez Tel: 689 688 226

Padel tennis lessons

At home. Tel: Ulises Gutiérrez, 606 902 691

PartyLevante Sailing Club

Initiation for children from 7 yrs in small groups. Email info@partylevante.com or call 680942141 www.partylevante.com

Santa Irene Sailing Club

Come and join us out on the watersailing or crewing our safety boat. Every Sunday at 10:30 in the boat park at the north end of Garrucha harbour. Email info@santaireneclubdevela.com www. santaireneclubdevela.com

Adelante Gimnasia Artìstica

Huercal-Overa.Classes for fun gymnastics, competitive levels, pre school and adults. Fully qualified coach. From 2 years. Tel 622 129 702 or info@adelanteartisitca.es www. adelanteartistica.es Facebook Adelante Gimnasia artistica.

Walking Football Club

Turre football ground, 9.30am, Monday, for training, exercise & playing. www. fclosamigos.com

Los Bandidos

Run, jog, walk a 5km route along the Paseo. Free to all. See Facebook. Contact Kevin on ironmankev08@gmail.com

Arboleas Table Tennis Club

Mon/Wed/Fri, 9.30 - 10.30 am, building with blue door next to swimming pool bar, Arboleas. Beginners welcome. Contact Chairperson - Keith tel 634 326 350.

Fitness & Martial Arts

Girasol, Albox

Pilates, children’s karate & Tai-chi. Tel 639 089 170

Aerobics or Pilates

Campo de Futbol, Turre. Contact Vicki 650 764 623 or vicki.lynch@live.co.uk

Slimming Group

Sophia Wellness Centre Arboleas, Thurs

12.30pm, Contact Vicki 650 764 623 or vicki.lynch@live.co.uk

Mojácar Taekwondo

5 years to adults. Various classes & times. Contact Serge 646844708. Facebook GTF Spain

Sophia Wellness Centre, Arboleas Various activities. Tel. 950 449 451.

Fitness with Alison, Mojácar

Full Body Workout, Pilates, AquaZumba, Zumba, Step Aerobics, Total Toning, AeroFit. Tel 666 273 168.

Hollie Newell Zumba Almeria

Turre, Los Gallardos, Arboleas and San Juan. Contact: 634 317 391

Jova Gym, Mojácar

Various activities. www.jovasport.es 671 247 035. See facebook.

Qigong

Group courses and personal training. Partaloa and Albox area. Contact Ilse +32 497451953 or +34 643489975

https://ilsevanbrabant.com/en/course/

Qigong Classes

Mojácar & Lubrín. Call 711 096 381.

Mojácar Qigong/Taijiquan

Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11.00am. Samsara Beach Club (Opposite Lua) monjchalao@gmail.com. See Facebook gusfit.es

Send details of your group to almeriafocus@gmail.com or WhatsApp: 667 80 11 40

Coffee Break

Jokes of the Month

WWI

A Job in the Circus

A husband and wife who run a circus go to an adoption agency looking to adopt a child, but the social workers there raise doubts about their suitability. The couple produce photos of their 70-foot motorhome, which is clean and well maintained and equipped with a lavish spare room. The social workers are satisfied by this but then raise concerns about the kind of education a child would receive while in the couple’s care. The husband puts their mind at ease, saying, “We’ve arranged for a full-time tutor who will teach the child all the usual subjects along with French, Mandarin, and computer skills.” Next though, the social workers express concern about a child being raised in a circus environment. This time the wife explains, “Our nanny is a certified expert in paediatric care, welfare, and diet.” The social workers are finally satisfied and ask the couple, “What age child are you hoping to adopt?” The husband says, “It doesn’t really matter, as long as the kid fits into the cannon.”

The Writer

There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire to become a great writer. When asked to define “Great” he said, “I want to write stuff that the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level, stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger!” He now works for Microsoft, writing error messages.

Little Johnny

“If you had one dollar,” quizzed the teacher, “and you asked your father for another dollar and fifty cents, how much money would you have?”

“One dollar.” answered little Johnny. “You don’t know your basic maths.” said the teacher shaking her head, disappointed. Little Johnny shook his head too, “You don’t know my daddy.”

In World War I there was trench warfare, and neither the British nor the Germans could get the upper hand. They were reaching a stalemate. One day, a British man came up with a plan that would win them the war. This private explained his plan to his trench mates, and they figured, “Why not? It’s not like we have any better ideas.” The next day, a British soldier called out, “Hans?” A German popped up and shouted back, “Ja?!” Boom, the German was shot dead. The next day the British shouted out again, “Hans?” “Ja?!” Shot dead. Over the next couple of weeks, the Germans were losing large numbers of men, and were now finally catching on. The Germans had an emergency meeting and decided that they could come back from the heavy losses using the same tactics as the British. So, a German asked, “What is a popular British name?” “George”, replied another. The next day, the Germans decided to execute their plan. A German shouted, “George?” A British private called back, “Is that you Hans?” “Ja!” And this is how the British won WWI.

The Pregnant Wives

A wife of an Indian chief gave birth to a boy. The chief was so elated that he built her a teepee made of deer hide. A few days later, another of his wives gave birth to another boy. The chief was very happy and he built her a teepee made of antelope hide. His third wife gave birth a few days later, but the chief kept the details a secret. He built this one a two-story teepee, made out of a hippopotamus hide. The chief then challenged the tribe to guess what had happened. Many tried, unsuccessfully. Finally, one young brave declared that the third wife had given birth to twin boys. “Correct,” said the chief. “How did you figure it out?” The warrior answered, “It’s elementary. The value of the squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides.”

The Astronauts

When NASA was preparing for the Apollo project, some of the training of the astronauts took place on a Navajo reservation with several buildings put up and a tall fence around it. One day, a Navajo elder and his son were herding sheep and came across the space crew. The old man, who spoke only Navajo, asked a question that his son translated. “What are these guys in the big suits doing?” A member of the crew said they were practicing for their trip to the moon. The old man got all excited and asked if he could send a message to the moon with the astronauts. Recognising a promotional opportunity, the NASA folks found a tape recorder. After the old man recorded his message, they asked his son to translate it. He refused. The NASA people took the tape to the reservation, where the rest of the tribe listened and laughed, but refused to translate the elder’s message. Finally, the NASA crew called in an official government translator. His translation of the old man’s message was: “Watch out for these guys; they are pretending that they haven’t come to steal your land.”

Entering Australia

A British man is visiting Australia. The customs agent asks him, “Do you have a criminal record?” The British man replies, “I didn’t think you needed one to get into Australia anymore.”

The Horse

A young guy called Tommy bought a horse from a farmer for 250 dollars and the farmer agreed to deliver the horse to Tommy the following day. The next day though, the farmer turned up at Tommy’s house and said, “Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the horse died.” Tommy replied, “Well then, just give me my money back.” The farmer said, “Sorry, I can’t do that. I went and spent it all last night.” Tommy then said, “Okay, then, just bring me the dead horse.” The farmer was amazed and asked Tommy, “Why? What ya gonna do with him?” Tommy replied, “I’m going to raffle him off.” The farmer laughed and said, “You can’t raffle off a dead horse! Who’d buy a ticket?”

Tommy answered, “Sure I can, just watch me. I just won’t tell anybody the horse is dead.” A month later, the farmer met up with Tommy again and asked, “What happened with that dead horse in the end. Did you raffle him off?”

Tommy said, “I sure did. I sold 500 tickets at 5 dollars each.” The farmer asked, “Didn’t anyone complain?” Tommy replied, “Just the guy who won, so I gave him his 5 dollars back.”

The Fight

Walking into the bar, Mike said to Charlie the bartender, “Pour me a stiff one – just had another fight with the little woman.”

“Oh yeah?” said Charlie “And how did this one end?”

“When it was over,” Mike replied, “she came to me on her hands and knees.”

“Really,” said Charles, “now that’s a switch! What did she say?”

“She said, ‘Come out from under the bed, you chicken.’”

The Bear

A bear walks into a bar and says, “Give me a whiskey and … cola.”

“Why the big pause?” asks the bartender. The bear shrugged. “I’m not sure; I was born with them.”

Your Stars

Mar. 21

- April 20

Take care of your own responsibilities before you help others. You could find yourself having problems with colleagues and employers. You will impress new friends and acquaintances with your intellectual wit. A lack of support and negativity have been the main problems. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Monday.

Sept. 24 - Oct. 23

Don’t let opposition from those envious of your talents daunt your progress. Do your own research and be prepared. When the work is done, they may serve you for a change. You can spend a passionate evening with someone you cherish if you make your plans early. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Wednesday.

Apr. 21 - May 21

Problems with in-laws may cause friction in your personal relationship. Don’t beat around the bush; state your case in plain and simple terms. Your outgoing nature will win hearts. Try to enlist the support of your colleagues first. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Tuesday.

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

Be prepared to take advantage of your good fortune. Be cautious not to get involved in office chatter that will cause problems for others. Someone you live with could be frustrated and upset. To avoid any minor health problems, don’t get too stressed. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Wednesday.

May 22 - June 21

If you’re already in a relationship, use this added energy passionately. You will have additional discipline that will aid you in your objectives. You can make headway in the workforce if you put your mind to it. Do not push your opinions or try to reform your emotional partner this month. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Wednesday.

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21

Unexpected visitors will be a welcome surprise. You will have to make changes in order to eliminate the tension. When the work is done, they may serve you for a change. You can make favourable changes in your home environment. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Monday.

June 22 - July 22

Trips should be your choice. You won’t be well received by superiors or by your spouse. You may find that someone you really cared for in the past has come back into your life. You’re intuitive this month; however, this attribute could get you in trouble if you tactlessly say what you think. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Monday.

You will impress new friends and acquaintances with your intellectual wit. Take whatever time you can to get to know each other all over again. Insincere gestures of friendliness may be misleading. You will be able to pick up on future trends if you keep your eyes peeled for unique ideas. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Thursday.

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

You’ve been in a rut and you need to do something that will help you break the pattern you’ve fallen into. Try to be understanding. Your ability to work with detail could help you achieve your goals. Do not blow situations out of proportion. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Sunday.

Aug. 23 - Sept. 23

Daydreaming will be your downfall. Don’t make those you live with feel unloved or unworthy. Disputes on the home front may be hard to avoid. Educational pursuits should help you develop your hobbies. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Monday.

Jan. 21

- Feb. 19

Travel will be favourable. You may find yourself in an opportune position if you are willing to take a bit of a risk. Try to be a bit more understanding or you may end up spending the evening alone. Opportunities for partnerships are present; but get every detail in writing. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Tuesday.

You may be looking through rose coloured glasses. Your partner could also use some time alone with you. You should be looking into making changes around the house. Be honest in your communication and don’t lose your cool. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Friday.

Feb. 20

- Mar. 20