The Almeria Focus – October 2022

Introduction & Contents

Queen Elizabeth II

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hen the death of the Queen was announced, people paused for a moment in many parts of the world. Television channels started wall-towall coverage that after the first week turned to finding anyone who had met her or wanted to. Politics took a back seat and Liz Truss became yesterday’s news. Comprehensive plans in place for several years were rehearsed, during the night in many cases, including bands playing as they timed their marches and marines practised pulling the gun carriage. It didn’t escape people’s notice that 25 years ago on September 6th, it was Princess Diana’s funeral. The hundreds of Paddington bears left at Buckingham palace (often with jars of marmalade or marmalade sandwiches) were collected and stored whilst a decision is made as to what to do with them!

In an article we comment on the blood ties that bind the Spanish Honorary King Juan Carlos, his wife Sofia and the present King Felipe VI to Queen Elizabeth and the royal family. Along with Queen Letizia, they all went to the Queen’s funeral.

There were some knee-jerk reactions and ‘Center Parcs’ announced that they would be shut on the day of the funeral and guests had to leave for 24 hours from 10am. After furious complaints they decided that guests could stay, but they were confined to their lodges. The final amendment was that guests could walk around the resort, but no facilities would be open!

The cost of electricity for the 10.5 million people who have the ‘PVPC’ tariff and pay a different price each hour, has experienced some wide swings. Teresa Ribera, the Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition, has pointed out that without the special gas cap agreed by the EU, the cost would be even higher. Customers who have the “plans” contracts and have taken out new contracts, amended or renewed them, are finding there are punitive gas surcharges. The energy company ‘Iberdrola’ has been particularly criticised. Spain has imposed an energy company windfall tax on the excess profits, known as having “fallen from the sky”. The EU is

putting forward far more stringent windfall taxes for all member states, and we comment on this in our “In the News” section. In an article we explain how the EU, Germany and Italy are hoping that Spain can be a major exporter of gas.

COVID-19 numbers continue to decline, and the initial 800,000 second booster doses for Andalucía started to be dispensed at the end of September. The aim is that specially vulnerable people, and everyone over the age of 80 to start with, have the booster shot. Masks still have to be worn in health centres, hospitals, farmacias and public transport.

Wednesday, October 12th is a national fiesta in Spain, formerly called “Christopher Columbus Day”, celebrating the discovery of America in 1492, but was renamed “Día de la Hispanidad” (Hispanic Day) in 1958. It is also the day of “Our Lady of the Pillar”, the patron saint of the Guardia Civil. There are military processions in Madrid in front of the King. Halloween is on Monday, October 31st originally celebrated by the Celts, who believed that ghosts had the ability to return to the earth. Wearing spooky costumes is the modern way of celebrating it. November 1st, ‘All Saints Day’, is a national fiesta to remember those who have died. Many people go to cemeteries with floral displays and candles. October 7th is a fiesta day in Mojácar in honour of the female saint ‘Virgen de Rosario’, and Turre have a fiesta throughout the first weekend of October in honour of their patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi. Clocks go back at 3am on Sunday, October 30th.

In the News

Less Taxes In Andalucía

Almería province is part of the autonomous community of Andalucía which is responsible for Education and Health within the community and receives 50% of income tax. Usually, the rate of tax from central government and autonomous communities is the same, but it can be varied. Juanma Moreno, the President of the Junta de Andalucía, has announced that the threshold for paying tax will be reduced by 4.3%. Additionally, wealth tax, which is charged on assets worth more than 700,000 euros, will be scrapped. About 17,000 people in Andalucía paid this tax in 2020. Finally, the “canon” on water bills will be scrapped. This is a tax to fund projects such as hydro-electric dams and infrastructure, but Juanma Moreno claims that there are million of euros that have been collected in, but not spent. On average, the tax is about 5% of water bills. 4 billion euros from autonomous community fees, with the help of EU grants, will be used to fund hydro-electric dams instead. The total savings in tax from all three proposals is about 360 million euros. Juanma Moremo has stated that these tax cuts will make the overall tax paid in Andalucía the cheapest in all autonomous communities except for Madrid.

Vera Private School Sold

The Valdeserra private, bilingual school in Vera opened in 2008 and was owned by Ambrosio Cuevas from El Ejido and associates, including Carmelo Torres, a native of Mojácar. It has now been sold to an investment company in Alicante, part-owned by Pedro Alcaraz who is a co-founder of the ‘Goldcar’ car rental company, and the investment company ‘Noesis’ is also a part owner. The school will be managed by the company ‘Educa Schools Management’. The school has about 700 pupils and occupies 8,000m2 on a site of 15,000m2. Since it opened there have been residential developments built nearby, there is now a better access from the dual carriageway from Las Buganvillas to Vera, and it is near the siting of the new station on the ‘AVE’ (High speed train) route. Ambrosio Cuevas is one of the 44

people allegedly involved in the El Ejido town hall scandal in 2009, which was uncovered in the police investigation “Operación Poniente”. The accusation is that 71 million euros was syphoned off between 2002 and 2009 for work that in the majority of cases was not carried out, or billed at a very exorbitant price. The sentencing of those people caught up in the scandal will take place at the end of October, following a postponement owing to COVId-19 in July 2021.

100 Euros for School Children

The Junta de Andalucía is the elected members of parliament who run the autonomous community, including Almería province. Autonomous communities are responsible for the health and education departments and receive some central government funding, apart from 50% of the income tax paid by residents and businesses. (In another news item we explain how this is being reduced). The President of Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, has announced that there will be a grant of 100 euros for all pupils in Primary, Secondary, FP Basic and Special Education if the annual income of the family unit is not more than 15,000 euros. The number of pupils eligible is put at 200,000 and the method of claiming these grants will be made public in October. This is in addition to grants of up to 200 euros available for parents buying school books. Juanma Moreno also announced that for the start of the 20222023 school year there had been 570 building projects to the value of 150 million euros, and investment in education was a government priority.

Rosa María Cano, Mayoress of Mojácar

Municipal elections take place in 2023 in all of Spain, for the next four-year period. Rosa María Cano, mayoress of Mojácar, has announced that if her ‘PP’ party obtain a majority she will not stand as “number one”, so mayoress, but will become deputy mayoress instead. Aged 59, she has been a councillor in Mojácar for 21 years and mayoress for 15 years, a total of four four-year periods by 2023. Owing to a reciprocal arrangement with

In the News

Spain, UK residents can vote as normal in the 2023 elections, and put themselves forward as councillors for their political parties.

Number Plate 0000 MBB

It is 22 years since the number plates with four digits and three letters in black on a white background came into use in all of Spain. These have the royal coat of arms like a watermark, and “E” inside the EU symbol. In early September, the number plate 9999 LZZ was issued meaning all the plates having the three letters starting in “L”were in use. It has taken three years, since September 2019 for the 0000 LBB to 9999 LZZ plates to be used up. During September, vehicles registered had number plates starting from 0000 MBB. Spanish number plates do not have letters that are vowels that can make up English words such as “COW”, “CAT”, “DOG” “FBI”, and Spanish words including “AJO”, “PAN”, “PCE” (the Spanish Communist party), “ORO”, “VOX” and “VOZ”, or names such as “ANA”, “EVA”, “LEO” or “ZOE”. Some consonants are not used that can be misunderstood, so there is no “Q” that could be confused with “O”, or the Spanish letter “Ñ” that could be confused with “N”. The Spanish double letters “CH” or “LL” are not used either, as they don’t comply with the normal progression. The letters “PGC” are reserved for Guardia Civil police vehicles along with “CNP” for the National Police. The only vehicles without a number plate belong to King Felipe VI, and vehicles used by him have a red number plate with a crown. From 2018, taxis and commercial passenger vehicles have a blue rear number plate to signify that they are officially registered, and not “Uber” type vehicles. There are no personalised number plates in Spain, and a driver cannot reserve a particular combination. The present four numbers and three letters have 80 million permutations that will probably last until 2040 when the last number plate will be 9999 ZZZ. Prior to September 2000, and there are still thousands of these cars on the roads, all provinces had their own single or two-letter prefix before the number, and a two-letter suffix, so

vehicles in Alicante had the prefix “A”, Madrid was “M” and Almería was “AL”. Vowels were used as there was only a maximum of two letters.

The “Iberian Exception”

Earlier this year, faced with the dramatic rise in the cost of gas used to generate electricity, Spain and Portugal asked the EU for special authorisation to introduce a mechanism to reduce electricity bills. Initially, the EU said “no”, but then changed their minds. They accepted that Spain and Portugal were a special case and effectively an “island”, as the interconnection with Europe (France) accounts to only 2.8% of the energy produced. Also, Spain has renewable energy sources that potentially contribute 46%, and the import of Russian gas is less than 10%. The acceptance of the plans to reduce the cost of electricity was termed the “Iberian Exception”, in force until May 30th next year. Spain and Portugal were allowed to cap the wholesale price of gas, so that the energy companies obtained less profit and the cost to consumers came down. Initial claims were that there would be a saving of 30%, but this was then downgraded to 20%, and then 15-20%. 10.5 million customers in Spain pay for their electricity on the ‘PVPC’ tariff where the price changes each hour of every day, and the saving was particularly aimed at reducing these bills. From June 15th, when the new system was put in place, there did appear to be a reduction in cost, but continual rises in the cost of gas started to level out the benefits, and PVPC customers were paying more money at the end of August following a heatwave and hardly any water in hydroelectric dams. Energy experts and Teresa Ribera, the Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transmission, stated that higher bills could not be avoided, but without the “Iberian Exception”, the cost would be much higher! It was pointed out that on August 30th, the cost of one MWh (The electricity needed for 1,000 water heaters with a 1,000-watt element switched on for one hour) was 459 euros, but the cost would have been 542 euros without the discount, so 18% more expensive. Teresa Ribera has announced that

In the News

in 2023, if not before, the whole PVPC tariff will be substantially modified. Customers who have signed up for “plans” are finding that if they change or renew their contract, they are being surcharged owing to “the adjustment mechanism of RDL 10/22 gas cap”, on every kilowatt used. This is unfair because some energy comes from renewable sources such as wind power, solar, hydro-electric or nuclear power, which are not affected by the gas cap. In some cases, the surcharge is more than the cost of the electricity they have used. One person took advantage of the ability to change his “potencia” (the contracted amount of power) which can be lowered for 24hrs or for a different amount during the day and night, without any charge. His energy company ‘Iberdrola’ applied the surcharge stating it was a change of contract. He complained to the ‘OCU” Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios (a consumer protection organisation), who upheld his complaint and ruled that this was not a contract change. He received a refund of 245 euros from two bills. The OCU website for claims is https://www.ocu.org/reclamaror there is a phone number 900 907 475 from Mondays to Fridays, 9am-9pm.

Prosecution of “Boat People” Organisers

When would-be immigrants arrive in Almería, rescued from inadequate and overloaded semirigid boats, the authorities always mount a comprehensive investigation. They attempt to determine who are the organisers, as sometimes they travel with the passengers. A criminal court case has started in Almería where two men are accused of multiple offences and each of the 14 passengers paid the equivalent of 2,900 euros for the journey. The boat from Algeria was intercepted 48 nautical miles from San Jose having travelled 80 nautical miles. The ‘Fiscalía’ (Spanish Crown Prosecution Service) state that the 5m boat was only suitable to carry 6-7 people, and apart from having 14 passengers on board there were 9 petrol containers. One of the accused is stated to be the navigator, whilst the other person

refuelled the outboard motor from a hose. The boat had no navigation aids, no lifejackets, lights, communication equipment or food. A further allegation is that neither of the two men had any experience of navigation on the high seas, and during the journey there were 31 merchant ships in the area where they were sailing. The prosecutors are asking the court for a prison sentence of 7 years for each of the organisers.

Help For Spanish Industry

On the first day that Liz Truss formed a government in the UK, the energy crisis and help with bills was the main problem, with businesses and industry suffering badly from price rises, apart from households. The same day, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced his plans for industries that rely heavily on gas. He has extended the “Iberian exception” that we refer to above, to manufacturers of ceramics, bricks, chemicals, textiles, agri-foods and fertilisers. These sectors of industry will now benefit from the cap on gas prices and they make up 20% of the Spanish Gross National Product, with a large number of companies in Andalucía. This and other financial help are a package totalling 850 million euros. Heads of industry welcomed the news and stated that it would stop companies having to cut down on output, and stop employees having to work part time in some cases, or be temporarily laid off.

IVA on Gas Reduced from October 1st IVA (VAT) in Spain is 21%, 10%, or 5% depending on the category of product or service, and 0% on items such as insurance, postage stamps, education, medical and health care. With the energy crisis, the 21% IVA on electricity was reduced to 10% and then 5% last June. IVA on the purchase of gas is being reduced from 21% down to 5% from the start of this month until December 31st, or in 2023 if necessary, to bring the two main sources of energy in line. However, the reduction in IVA does not apply to butane or propane gas bottle prices. The EU have a general

In the News

target that stored gas should reach 80% by November 1st to ensure there is enough gas for winter. In Germany, although Russia has cut off the supply, the target is 95% by November 1st, but in Spain at the end of August the stored amount was 84%. Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s Prime Minister, has announced that there should be no need to ration gas in Spain during the coming winter, but to help achieve this, street lights have to be fitted with LED bulbs, which save about 90% of the electricity used by ordinary bulbs. (This has already been done in many municipalities in our province as part of a comprehensive plan, using EU “Feder” grants). In other EU countries there are restrictions or the possibility of rationing. Germany has banned the heating of swimming pools by gas or electricity, heated showers in places such as gymnasiums, and only cold water in washbasins in public buildings, hospitals and care centres, and are asking people not to shower for more than five minutes. Occupied rooms in public buildings cannot have a winter temperature above 19 degrees, and corridors and other areas such as staircases, should have no heating at all, if possible.

The “Fallen from the Sky” Tax

Unexpected and very substantial profits are being made by energy companies in the current energy crisis, in Spain called “Fallen from the Sky” profits. A “windfall” tax is a way of curbing the excess profits that has already been started in Spain, but the EU are proposing a different tax method for all member states. In the UK, Liz Truss is very opposed to a windfall tax but is becoming increasingly isolated and totally out of step with the proposals by Rishi Sunak, and the labour party. Spain has already imposed a tax of 1.2% on the total income that energy companies have, for 2022 and 2023, paid in January 2023 and 2024, totalling 4 billion euros. Ursula von Leyden, the EU Commissioner, has put forward a different windfall tax calculation because of the “extraordinary” and “entirely unjustified” excess profits made by energy companies that consumers have to pay.

Her proposal is that the average profit will be calculated for the last three years, and then an allowable 20% increase. Above this, “excess” profits will be taxed at 33% for 2022 paid in January 2023, an estimated total of 140 billion euros. During September there were lengthy discussion between member states, but the proposals only needed a majority vote in the EU Parliament, not an agreement by all member states. The Spanish Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero,has stated that Spain will fully support the EU recommendations, and will modify the present Spanish windfall tax when the EU proposals are passed.

A Cap on Russian Crude Oil Prices

The G7 countries that include the US, UK and Canada, along with most countries in the EU have announced that there needs to be an “urgent” cap on the price they pay for Russian crude oil. The aim is to limit the amount of money that Russia can earmark for the war in Ukraine, and force down crude oil costs to give cheaper energy. Refiners, traders, and financiers will not handle Russian crude oil unless it is traded below the agreed set price.Russia heavily relies on exporting oil and in 2021 EU member states and the UK bought oil to the value of 88 billion euros. Russian sales previously have been about the same as the US and Saudi Arabia, who have both agreed to step up their exports. Canada and the UK have already stopped importing Russian crude oil and France, Germany, Italy and most EU states intend to do this by the end of the year, and stop purchasing petroleum products by the end of February 2023.A Russian official stated that if there was a crude oil price cap, they would stop supplying those countries, but this is considered to be unlikely by Western analysts. If they did however, this would force the price of crude oil to go up, potentially a considerable increase. A further proposal is that the EU and London, who handle most of the insurance for Russian ships, will cease to offer insurance cover for Russian ships that carry crude oil.

In the News

Mojácar Bypass to Go Ahead

In 1994, a bypass was proposed in Mojácar to stop the bottlenecks in summer, particularly coming down from the petrol station roundabout to the Commercial Centre roundabout. Traffic this August showed that this was still a big problem. The initial plan was that a bypass went from the petrol station roundabout to the Carboneras road past the hotels, but this had to be abandoned for ecological reasons. The amended project has a bypass that starts at the petrol station again, and goes to the roundabout on the Paráta road. There will be connections to urban development that will help access them instead of the beach road. The company ‘Servicios Téchnicos Napal S.L.’ has been awarded the contract with an accepted bid of 5.3 million euros, a start date this month, and a finish date during late 2024.

Central Banks Raise Interest Rates

The European Central Bank (ECB), the Bank of England and the US Federal Reserve are all raising their interest rates to combat inflation. Central banks act as a thermometer and determine what happens in their country, and in the case of the ECB, in all member states. Central banks lend money to commercial banks that then lend it to the general public and businesses. When central banks put up their interest rates, commercial banks pass this on, so personal debt, car loans, credit cards, and mortgages are more expensive. By doing this the aim is that a reduced number of people take out loans or purchases, and there is a fall in consumer spending. The theory is that if consumer spending falls off, prices will come down and so will inflation along with the cost of living, and sectors of the working population stop asking for a high cost of living pay rise. This is a delicate balance designed to curb inflation but stop a recession when central bank interest rates come down. Faced with an average inflation rate of more than 9% in member states and 10% in Spain, the ECB (whose interest rates have been 0% for 11 years), announced that the rate would

go up to 0.25% in July and the same amount in October. However, the July increase went straight up to 0.5%, and on September 8th another .75% hike, with the interest rate being reviewed every 3 months. There is no immediate effect when central bank interest rates go up as there is a time period whilst people adjust their spending. People who have savings accounts with Spanish banks should receive some interest as a result.

Mojácar Police Have Defibrillators

Mojácar’s Security Councillor, María Luisa Pérez, has announced that the Local Police now have two patrol vehicles carrying defibrillators, and officers have been trained in Basic Life Support and the use of Automated External Defibrillation. María Luisa Pérez states that Mojácar Local Police is one of the first of the province’s police forces to carry these life-saving devices, which provide the municipality with greater safety, during their patrol services. Officers received the relevant training given by Advanced Life Support instructors from the company ‘Sanur Emergencias’ with extensive experience in training and assistance in health emergencies. The concepts which they explained during the day are based on the recommendations of the European Resuscitation Council (ERC), which are those accepted by the National Plan for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (RCP).

Find My Heritage

In Spain as in many other countries, there are

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companies who will process cotton buds that have been wiped inside a cheek, and from the DNA extracted will give likely relatives and possible health concerns. These can be vital for a person who is seeking relatives that are completely unknown when a person has been adopted. On some occasions the results are not good news if an unknown half-sibling is revealed, that may indicate that the person was the product of a sperm bank, a parent who had an affair, or a previous marriage that was never disclosed. ‘MyHeritage’ has 104 million clients and compares their DNA with data from over 2,000 regions. Another company has comprehensive information from people in the Basque country and the rest of Spain, and can determine which part of Spain is the likely origin. An American man was very surprised at his test results that were quite completely different to what he was expecting. After extensive genealogical research, he learned that his father was not his grandparent’s biological son but he had been given to the wrong family following his birth in a hospital. Medical experts have some concerns when a person is told that they may be in a group that has inherited sickle cell anaemia, cystic fibrosis, an increased risk of heart disease, or certain cancers. They state that these indications may well be inaccurate and other risk factors may not be specified. Health professionals recommend seeking medical advice and tests if a person has concerns following a DNA test. There are cases where a whole data bank of results has been sold to pharmaceutical companies for research purposes, or to law enforcement. The company ‘23andMe’ sold their data bank in 2018 to ‘GlaxoSmithKline’ for 300 million dollars. In 2019, the US company ‘FamilyTreeDNA’ gave their data bank to the FBI and a prolific serial killer, a former police officer, was identified.

The New Energy Saving Regulations

From August 10th until November 1st next year, new energy saving restrictions came into force.

A survey was carried out just before the regulations had been in place for one month, and people were asked for their views on three of the regulations. The first one was the obligation of premises such as shops, supermarkets, bars and restaurants to shut their doors when air-con was in use, and then in winter when heating was being used. 8% thought this was a very bad idea, 11% thought it was a bad idea, 41% thought it was a good idea and 30% thought it was a very good idea, so overall 73% were in favour. As regards shops (if they are closed) and public buildings having to switch their lights off at 10pm, 10% thought it was a very bad idea, 16% thought it was a bad idea, 36% thought it was a good idea and 30% thought it was a very good idea, so overall 66% were in favour. The third question was whether shops, supermarkets, bars and restaurants, cinemas, work places and public transport should have a summer and winter temperature limit. 12% thought this was a very bad idea, 21% thought it was a bad idea, 38% thought it was a good idea and 21% thought it was a very good idea, so overall 59% were in favour. This question was slightly misleading as the winter temperature of no more than 19 degrees doesn’t apply to work places such as offices (that are being asked to keep the temperature as low as possible), or on trains, aircraft, long distance coaches, or ferry cabins. 91% of the people surveyed were concerned about energy prices and problems as a consequence of the war in Ukraine, but 95% thought that inflation and the cost of living was the most worrying. 85% were very concerned about climate change, especially following the 42 days of heat wave in Spain in July and August, and the very large number of serious fires. 7.5% of people stated they were still able to save a reasonable amount of money, 37% were saving less money, 39% were level pegging each month as regards income and expenditure, 10% were eating into their savings and 7% were running up debts. Unemployment worries, in any survey, are normally in first or second place, but energy

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problems and inflation have put unemployment worries into third place.

Electric Scooter Accidents

There has been an explosion in personal mobility devices (almost exclusively electric scooters) that are becoming extremely common on our streets. They offer a relatively inexpensive way of getting from point A to B, but there can be serious accidents. Each municipality has its own restrictions, but in places such as Mojácar they should be used on cycleways where these exist, on roads where there is no alternative, and not on pavements or in the commercial centre. In Almería city, from September 2021 to September 2022, there were 120 accidents where police went to the scene with 50 injuries and 80 collisions. At present insurance is not obligatory, but the ‘DGT’ (The Spanish Traffic Authority) strongly recommend that cover exists. Sometimes, a multihome policy will cover electric scooters, but if a minor causes injury or damage without any insurance the parents are responsible for any claims. The ‘Policía Local’ (municipal police) enforce the regulations in their municipality, and the ‘Guardia Civil’ traffic police will only be involved if there is a serious accident. A very important regulation is that an approved helmet has to be used, as head injuries in an accident can of course be fatal. There is a fine of 200 euros if no helmet is being used. The next most common injuries are chest injuries from the handlebars, if there is a frontal collision. In August 2018 the first pedestrian death from an electric scooter accident occurred in a town near Barcelona. Two young men on the scooter (this is now illegal), hit a 92year-old woman who was walking in a pedestrian area (not now permitted areas for scooters), and she subsequently died from serious head injuries a few days later. The young man age 19, at the front of the scooter was looking at ‘Google’ maps on his mobile phone when the old lady was hit, but it was accepted that he was only travelling at 10km/h. There was a debate as to whether the “driver” should, or could have been,

prosecuted for reckless driving as he was looking at his mobile phone, but legal opinion was that as an electric scooter was not defined as a motor vehicle under existing traffic laws, a criminal prosecution could not go ahead. (The current regulations apply to a case like this and using a mobile phone or headphones is banned, with fines if they are used). Relatives of the elderly lady started a private civil claim for damages.

The End of Low Cost Flights?

Following the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions there has been an explosion in people booking flights, and this has led to a large increase in ticket prices that average 30%. Scandinavian Airline prices have gone up by 81%, Air France 64%, Iberia 58%, Air Europa 57%, Iberia Express 19% and KLM 22%. Ryanair have stated that their ticket price will go up by an average of 50%, and EasyJet by 28%. Michael O’Leary, the CEO of Ryanair, states that higher prices are not just a reaction to higher demand. The cost of aviation fuel is affecting all airlines, and there is a loss of income from strikes. However, he considers that the very cheap “promotional offers” will not return for several years, and he anticipates an average rise in ticket prices from 40 euros to 50 euros by 2027. He is of the opinion that low-cost airlines will still have large numbers of passengers, who find that prices on other airlines are too expensive.

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32,000 Swans, Whales, Dolphins and Sturgeon

King Charles III inherits various things now that Queen Elizabeth has died that include the management of approximately 32,000 swans and an unknown number of whales, dolphins and sturgeon fish. For more than 800 years, swans have been considered to belong to the English crown. In the 12th century they were considered a culinary delicacy with rampant poaching that was severely affecting their numbers, and because of this they were given royal protection. This was later expanded to cover marine species and sturgeon fish.

The Mystery Plane Crash in Latvia

A German man, aged 72, was a very regular traveller to the Spanish resort of Tarifa in Cádiz, along with his family, where he had a large villa. Karl-Peter Griesemann owned a private aircraft and air-ambulance company in Germany, and he used a Cessna 551 jet plane to frequently fly in and out of the Spanish airport Jerez de la Frontera. On Sunday, September 4th at 1pm he flew out of the airport to return to Cologne with his wife, daughter and her boyfriend. Shortly after take-off he reported a cabin pressure problem but after a few minutes the Spanish air traffic controllers lost contact with him. Two Spanish fighter planes were scrambled and flew alongside the jet, but could not see anyone in the cockpit, or make contact on emergency radio channels. French fighter planes made the same observations when the jet was in French airspace. It made a routine change of course over Paris, but over Cologne it continued on the same heading passing over the Swedish island of Gotland and then over the Baltic Sea off Lithuania. Swedish fighter planes were scrambled but they couldn’t make contact either, and it is almost certain that the plane ran out of fuel at about 5.30pm when it disappeared from a flight radar website and crashed into the sea. The Lithuanian Air Force sent a helicopter to the crash site hoping to find survivors, the navy sent two ships,

and a Stena-line Ferry on its way to Sweden was diverted. It was later reported that oil and debris had been spotted by one of the coastguard ships. A spokesperson from the pilot’s German company stated it was a complete mystery and if there was a pressurisation problem, the pilot should have put on an oxygen mask along with the passengers, unless he was knocked unconscious, and he was an extremely competent pilot. One explanation for the plane heading over the Baltic Sea is that it was still on auto-pilot.

No Paddington Bears or Marmalade Sandwiches

The Royal Park authorities manage Green Park in London next to Buckingham Palace, where flowers were laid out in honour of Queen Elizabeth II. They advised people coming to Buckingham Palace that they could only leave flowers without any wrapping paper, along with a message. People had been leaving soft toys, balloons, candles, miniature royal guards, statues of Big Ben, Paddington bears, jars of marmalade and marmalade sandwiches that featured in the Jubilee video with the Queen. Very shortly after the Queen died, the Twitter account Paddington (@paddingtonbear) tweeted “Thank you Ma’am, for everything.” A Buckingham Palace spokesperson stated that the very large numbers of Paddington bears would be collected and stored until it was decided what should be done with them. It was also stressed that lighted candles should not be left, and when the flowers were moved, they would be extinguished and along with other items that were not accepted they would not be taken to Green Park

Brainwashing Russian Children

Russian schoolchildren went back to school on September 1st and a new regulation is that the week starts with the raising of a Russian flag on a flagpole. This is followed by “important conversations” for children aged 11-16, part of “Our country is Russia” lessons. One question by the teacher is, “What Russian sayings show that

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working for a more prosperous and beautiful motherland is an expression of love?” The preferred answers are read out including, “Do not spare your strength nor your life for the motherland”, “The motherland’s happiness is worth more than life itself” and “There is nothing to fear in dying for the motherland”. As regards the war with Ukraine the children are told, “Firm and immediate measures were needed to protect the people in the Donbas region from harassment by the Kyiv regime, disarming Ukraine and preventing the deployment of NATO military bases.” The teachers are then required to read out stories of bravery and heroic acts by Russian soldiers in “The special military operation”.Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov recently announced that every school will be assigned an “advisor” from his department, on special subject matters for children.

CO2 Emission Rights

One of the causes for high energy prices is the cost of purchasing CO2 emission rights. These apply if an energy or industrial company exceeds an allowed amount of CO2 emissions, and they then have to pay for the excess amount. EU purchase costs have been steadily increasing to try to make energy and industry put in place measures to reduce their emissions, with a target of going down to 0% by 2050. The cost of purchasing EU emission rights was 8 euros per tonne in 2018 but 90 euros per tonne at the end of August. The cost is being reduced and capped at 25 euros per tonne “for as long as is necessary”. The reduction will give an energy cost saving that should result in slightly reduced prices for consumers.

The “Bono Social”

There are 10.5 million customers in Spain who are on the variable ‘PVPC’ electricity tariff where the cost varies every hour. For these people, there are discounts in special circumstances if they are considered to be vulnerable. Spain has an annual income amount termed “IPREM” that

in 2022 is 8,106 euros, and if the special circumstances apply (the income calculations relate to the month preceding the bono social application), there is a discount of 60% and 70% for people who are severely vulnerable until December 31st or for the time period it is still in force in 2023. (Normally, the discount is 25% or 40% but the higher discount is a “post covid” amount). The circumstances are complicated but apply if a person is not part of a household (with no dependent children) and has an income of less, or equal, to 1.5 times IPREM. For each additional adult family member, the income allowance goes up by 0.3 times IPREM. If there is one or two children the income allowance goes up by 0.5 times IPREM for each child. A pensioner, or a family of pensioners receiving the minimum Spanish state retirement or disability pension, is eligible with an income no more than 1.5 times IPREM, but any additional income from another source cannot be more than 500 euros. If a person or family has an income that is less than 50% of IPREM they are classed as being severely vulnerable. There are also limits on the amount of electricity used over 12 months, which is 1,380KW for a consumer without dependent children, 1,932KW where there is one child, 2.346KW with two children, 4,140KW for a large registered family unit (known as ‘familias numerosas’) and 1,932MW for one or more pensioners. As always, the information we give above is considered to be correct but there are other conditions on income and the situation of family members, such as a person or persons being unemployed, or on the ‘ERTE’ (the temporarily unemployed scheme), or a single parent with at least one child. Any person who thinks that they or their family may qualify, should look on the back of their electricity bills. For ‘Endesa’ customers there is a contact phone number and a web address and a pdf application document that can be downloaded, or clients of ‘Endesa’ can go to their office in Vera at Carretera Ronda 58, open Mondays to Fridays 9am-3pm.

So Now You Know...

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11th in 1884 in New York City, and became the wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd US President from 1933-1945. As First Lady, she had an unprecedented independent lifestyle, and became the first wife of a US President to give her own news conferences in the White House. She travelled extensively on her own, becoming affectionately known as “First Lady of the World”. She accepted the post of US delegate to the United Nations that she held for many years, and from 1945 she helped write “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights”. She died on November 7th, 1962.

Sir Christopher Wren

Perhaps the most famous British architect of all time, Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723), was born on October 20th, in East Noyle, Wiltshire. His crowning glory is St Paul’s Cathedral at Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the city of London. He also rebuilt 53 churches throughout the city that had been damaged in the Great Fire in London in 1666. Apart from being an architect he was an astronomer, geometrician and a mathematicianphysicist and had gone to Oxford University. He was a founder of the Royal Society (President 1680–82), and his scientific work was highly regarded by Sir Isaac Newton and Blaise Pascal.

Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma (“Great Soul”) Gandhi, 1869-1948, was born in Porbandar on October 2nd. He trained as a lawyer and became an anti-colonial nationalist, and as a young man, in 1888, he visited England which he considered to be “a land of philosophers and poets, the very centre of civilisation.” By the autumn of 1920, Gandhi was the dominant figure on the political stage in India, commanding an influence never before attained by any political leader before, with a devout lifestyle and non-violent resistance to the British rule. In the summer of 1942, he demanded an immediate British withdrawal from India. He was assassinated by a religious fanatic in 1948.

John Lennon

John Lennon (1940-1980) was born in Liverpool on October 9th. As a child he was a choirboy in St Peter’s Church in Liverpool. Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock and Roll” inspired him to form the skiffle band called ‘Quarrymen.’ He met Paul McCartney at a church fete and invited him to join his band. McCartney introduced George Harrison to Lennon the following year, and art college buddy Stuart Sutcliffe. The Beatles were then formed with Pete Best as their drummer. Their first recording was Buddy Holly’s “That’ll be the Day” in 1958. Lennon and McCartney wrote 200 songs between them. He was murdered in 1980 in New York.

Henry Ford’s Model T

On October 1st, 1908, Henry Ford’s Model T, a “Universal car”, designed for the common man, went on sale. From 1908 t0 1927 it was the only car made by Ford in the US which any marketing expert would consider extremely risky. But to Henry Ford in his most puritan mode, the T was perfect, the only car people would ever need, and, for a surprisingly long time, he was right. As the hand-made production increased, he kept reducing the price, from an initial 825 dollars, down to 360, and then to 260. This was also seen as being completely mad by the marketing experts, but people flocked to buy the car, and Henry made more money as a result.

Sputnik 1

On October 4th, 1957, the space age began when the Russians launched the first satellite into orbit, called Sputnik 1. It only weighed 184lbs, but transmitted a bleeping radio signal for 21 days, that amateur radio enthusiasts detected. The launch of Sputnik 1 sent shock waves through the US political leadership and space experts, as they had wanted to achieve this first. Two further Russian satellites were launched with one of them containing the dog ‘Laika’. On January 31, 1958, the United States succeeded in launching its first ‘Explorer’ satellite, deeper into space. The space race had a major influence on the “Cold War” situation.

R.I.P. Queen Elizabeth II

Ex-pat UK residents of Spain held spontaneous gatherings when the death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced including at Albox and Arboleas in our area. The Church of England held a remembrance service at the open-air church on Mojácar Playa.

When it became known on Thursday, September 8th that doctors at the Balmoral estate were “concerned” for Queen Elizabeth’s health, it didn’t seem to be anything too major. After all, just two days before she had met with Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, and while she looked a bit frail, she was chatting away quite happily. When it was announced that members of her family were on the way to Balmoral it seemed to be more serious, but her death later that afternoon was a bombshell. Despite her advanced age it all happened very quickly, and people suddenly had to come to terms with the terrible news. It was the same when Princess Diana died and John F Kennedy, as it was very sudden and unexpected.

When the news broke, the Spanish King Felipe VI made a televised statement praising the figure of the monarch, whom he defined as "One of the best queens of all time for her dignity, sense of duty, courage and dedication to her people. "Both royal houses are closely bound by blood ties. King Felipe VI's parents, the Honorary King Juan Carlos and the Honorary Queen Sofía, are great-greatgrandchildren of Queen Victoria, and Queen Sofia and Queen Elizabeth were third cousins. Felipe maintained a close relationship with Queen Elizabeth, whom he affectionately called "Aunt Lilibet". The King and Queen, and Honorary King and Queen went to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.

Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh made their only visit to Spain in October 1988 with a seven-day hectic schedule. Following a gala dinner at the Spanish palace Queen Elizabeth hosted a reception for 150 guests the next evening and then visited Seville, Barcelona and El Escorial. After a reception on the Royal Yacht Britannia, it sailed

to Palma in Mallorca where the queen had a private meeting with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. Unfortunately, the car they were travelling in didn’t take the route that had been announced and several hundred people who had queued for hours were very disappointed. The visit was overshadowed by the continuing dispute over Gibraltar. In 1981 it had not gone down at all well in Spain when Prince Charles and Princess Diana went there at the start of their honeymoon.

So now the UK has a new monarch, King Charles III, and it will be crucial that he adapts to the role. Aged 73, he is much older than King George VI, Queen Elizabeth’s father, who died at the age of 56, and for 90% of people world-wide there has only been Queen Elizabeth on the throne since the day they were born. In 2014, King Juan Carlos abdicated in favour of his son Felipe and told the Spanish newspaper ‘El Mundo’, “I do not want my son to wither away waiting, like Prince Charles”. A recent ‘YouGov’ poll put his popularity at only 42%, compared to 73% for the Queen, and 66% for Prince William. On August 31st it was the 25th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana and her funeral on September 6th. Prince William described walking behind the gun carriage bearing Queen Elizabeth as being “very difficult” with “heart breaking memories” from 1997 when he was aged 15, and Harry was 12 years old.

Spain, the Gas Hub of Europe

With the total shutdown of gas “until sanctions are lifted” from Russia to Germany through the Nord Stream pipeline, which affects Italy as well, the EU Commission are looking to Spain for help, and to a lesser extent Portugal.

Spain has six re-gasification plants that convert LNG (liquid natural gas) to normal natural gas, and there is one in Portugal. There are only twenty in Europe so Spain has 35%. With ample renewable energy sources, and natural gas from pipelines such as the one from Algeria to Almería, Spain is using less than 50% capacity.

There are many places in the world that produce natural gas, but transport is needed to sell the gas to places that are hundreds or thousands of miles away. This is where LNG comes into play, as 1m3 of frozen liquid gas is equivalent in volume to 600m3 of normal gas. Natural gas is piped to a special facility where it has to be cleaned to take away hydrocarbon liquids and dirt, and to remove trace amounts of two common natural gas contaminants; hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide. It is then frozen to minus 160 degrees centigrade and pumped onto refrigerated ships that take it to a re-gasification plant where it is converted back to normal natural gas, or a percentage can be stored as LNG.

A typical LNG tanker has a capacity of 170,000190,000m3, but large tankers can carry 250,000m3. 150,000m3 of gas converted to generate electricity is enough for 250,000 homes for one year, and Spain has the capacity to store 3.3 million m3.

At present, Spain supplies some gas to France in two small pipelines. Large quantities of gas are expressed as being “bcm”, one billion m3. At present France receives 4.5bcm but with an additional compressor this can be increased to 7-8bcm.

Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, is in urgent talks with Spain and the EU to resurrect a proposal to build another pipeline into France, which was abandoned in 2019. This ‘MedCat’ pipeline, starting

near Barcelona, could supply another 7-8bcm and the cost to arrive at the French border is given as 450 million euros. It would then continue through the Pyrenees for connection into French pipelines and then to Germany. Teresa Ribera, the Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition, fully backs the proposal. Initially, President Macron poured cold water on the idea saying it was only a “sticking plaster” solution, and the total cost should be spent on renewable energy. Teresa Ribera claims that the pipeline in Spain could be completed in 8-9 months, so well before winter 2023, but President Macron considers that the realistic total build time is much longer. After further talks with Germany and Spain he agreed to carry out a feasibility study, but the outcome is not looking good.

LNG tanks, Barcelona

Italy and the EU Commission are in talks with Spain to build an 800km undersea pipeline from Barcelona to Livorno to supply 15bcm, at a cost of 3 billion euros, with a probable completion date of 2027. Portugal is suggesting another smaller pipeline in the meantime that would be quicker. “Plan B” is for very large tankers to take LNG to Barcelona (the biggest LNG plant in Europe) where it would be put in refrigerated storage tanks. It would then be transferred to smaller LNG tankers for transport to Italy, as the four re-gasification plants there can only handle small ships.

The proposed pipelines can carry hydrogen gas eventually, and Spain intends to become a major exporter.

Alcohol Limits

The ‘DGT’, the Spanish Traffic Authority, recently embarked on a campaign to remind drivers that there are various penalties, including a prison term, for exceeding alcohol limits in Spain that are less than the limit in other countries. They started off by stating that the only safe alcohol limit for all drivers is zero, so no driver should drink and drive.

The “normal” limit is no more than 0.25 mg per litre from a breathalyser (or 0.5 grammes per litre in blood). However, novice or professional drivers have a limit of 0.15 mg per litre from a breathalyser (or 0.3 grammes per litre in blood) and the lower limit for novice drivers is in force for two years after they obtain a driving licence. Professional drivers are those whose maximum authorised load is greater than 3,500kg, vehicles used for the transport of passengers with more than nine seats, public service vehicles, school transport vehicles, drivers carrying dangerous loads or goods and the emergency services.

In all cases there is a fine of 500 euros and a loss of 4-6 points from 0.25 mg per litre to 0.5 mg per litre and a fine of 1,000 euros and a loss of 4-6 points over 0.5 mg per litre up to 0.6 mg per litre, with the corresponding lower amounts for novice and professional drivers. Anyone who exceeds the permitted limits, starting from 0.6 mg per litre from a breathalyser (or 1.2 grammes per litre in blood) are committing a crime and they will be arrested, with a court appearance that can lead to a prison term of 3-6 months, or community service from 31-90 days, a daily fine over 6-12 months, and the loss of their licence from 1-4 years. (A blood test is available if a driver disputes the positive result of a breathalyser, but there is a fee if the result is still positive).

A prison term of 6-12 months is almost always ordered when a driver refuses to take a test, which is a criminal offence, with a fine of 1,000 euros and a loss of 6 points, and there is a fine of 1,000 euros when there is a second offence

in the last year. When there is a potential prison term from 1-4 years, a judge can decide not to order a prison term of less than two years, but this is entirely up to them.

Traffic police will not allow a driver to continue if they are over the limit, and their vehicle will normally be taken to a pound, with a charge to get it released. A passenger can drive the vehicle if they are not over the limit! In one case in Spain, a person went to retrieve a vehicle shortly after the driver had been found to be over the limit. Police suspected this person was over the limit as well, and a breath test proved that this was the case after he sat in the driver’s seat.

The same regulations apply to cyclists, but as they don’t need a licence, they don’t lose any points. Motorists who are involved in accidents or who infringe other serious traffic regulations are routinely given alcohol and drug tests, along with any cyclists, motor cyclists and occasionally pedestrians, in an accident. For people using personal mobility devices such as electric scooters there is a zero alcohol limit, with a fine of up to 1,000 euros for a positive test.

If you have an accident whilst over the limit, your car and any private health insurance could be nullified, which could be extremely costly.

Useful

AIRPORTS

BRITISH EMBASSY

CONSULATE

EMERGENCY UK PASSPORTS

CREDIT CARDS 24hr EMERGENCIES

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entries!

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137106

528565

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638 063196

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p.11)

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393329

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Place

ENTERTAINERS

Abbie Lou (Female vocalist)

All Skas

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Owen

Ashley Cathcart

Melodee

Melodeemusic

Menta & Canela Duo

Clemente

and The Invisibles

Hill

Roadrunner

Robin Lamble

Rocio Starry (Vocalist)

Seldom Sober

Sharna Knight (Vocalist

Tracks

664 111990

Recording Studio).....610 855 964

886919

752178

045120

243461

330431

469425

886919

750176

Entertainer)

Sharon-Elizabeth Regan

Shirin (bellydancer)

Smartie

Solo Simon

the Clown

Entertainment (Karaoke, disco

Starry Jazz trio/quintet

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Moretta

Sultans

Sunset Beach Rock Band

The Fat Lizard Band .....(English)

The Buddhas

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The Sonny Boy Blues

The Trippers

Lee

Tony Matthews (Quiz organiser)

Tony Justice

Triple Trouble Blues Band

Not?

Duo

459637

638513

666 673055

805367

815221

989270

311652

886919

462859

543027

787124

004575

045120 (Esp) 617 464728

033106

659109

311165

163857

754851

391414

637 159249

754851

752178

ESTATE AGENTS

Alhambra Holdings

Property Finder (Albox)

(Las Buganvillas).950

Property (Palomares)

673450

845741

930 259

431624

666 260792

618054

Martinez de la Casa (Energy certs)..............950 092094

Arboleas Property Shop

Huerta

Sea Villas

003391

Andinas

Almería

Almería

EXCURSIONS

FABRICS

FASHION

(Children's)

FINANCIAL SERVICES

253155

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

FIREPLACES

FISH & CHIPS

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FITNESS & DANCE

FLORISTS

FOOD

FUNERAL COMPANIES

FUNERAL PLANS

493082

FURNITURE PACKAGES

FURNITURE, RUSTIC/HANDMADE

Buena

(Mojácar)

475508

244366

FURNITURE & FURNISHINGS

Abodes (Mojácar Playa) (See p.5)...............................697 778355

Descanso (Antas)

Rincón de Mueble

Homestyle

459011 (Albox)

460867 (Antas)

Bestiales (Antas El Real)

Plus (Puerto de Mazarrón)....968 153907

633288

459071

514999

105711

678 083491

Homecentre

Mueble

p.5)...........868

Simona

GAS TANK

The Almería

GOLD & JEWELLERY BUYING

GOLF COURSES

Carlos Barber Shop (Mojácar

Centro Estética (Mojácar Playa)

& Inma (Mojácar Playa)

Edge (Hair & Beauty) (Albox)

Dave Eccles (Mobile Hairdresser)

Donna's (Albox)..................................950

El Rincon de Mary (Mojácar)

El Rincon de Mary (Mojácar)

GOLF TUITION

Lifestyle

GRASS, ARTIFICIAL

GUTTERING

HAIR, HEALTH & BEAUTY

575911

472680

147630

633086

687 033106

669456

505210

646257

Mobile Hairdresser (Coast & Inland).................634 379424

Elegance (Turre)

Etticut (Turre)

Farrow's Hair Design (Arboleas)

Chic (Palomares)

Heaven Scent (Huércal-Overa)

Holistic Treatments (Ali)

Isabel Castaño (Hairdresser, Bédar)

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Nails

Julian Hair Design

Rodriguez

Kim White (Beauty)(Vera & Mobile)

Lavender and Lemons

LU & NA (Valle del Este)

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Naturalmente Mediterraneo (Skin care) (Garrucha)

Andreano (Las Buganvillas)

Cosmetics

308877

971960

634346

634193

923733

308906

950 469462

829269

615094

447858

357906

251432

354507

338017

149659

790511

461113

421672

867757

299494

622216

Peluqueria

Wellness

Sunlight

Barber

Terapia

&

(Herbal

HARDWARE OUTLETS

Enrique Aguirre

(Garrucha)

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HEALTH FOODS

HEATING

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HOTELS & HOSTALS

Casona Granado (Nr Lubrin)

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Hotel Al Sur (Calabardina)

Hotel Carlos 111 (Aguilas)

Hotel Carmona (Vera)

472022

467075

069077

467105

672 019767

050290

609 386282

419466

411650

390760

HOME CARERS see also Nursing

Hotel - Casa Rural, Cortijo de la Media Luna (Mojácar)

Hotel El Paso (Aguilas)

Hotel Family (Agua Amarga)

Hotel Madrid (Aguilas)

Hotel Mamabel's (Mojacar Pueblo)

Hotel Mayari (Calabardina)

Hotel Overa

Hotel Playa (Mojácar)

Hotel Puntazo (Mojácar)

472448

478813

447125

138014

411109

663 700542

968 409338

470879

350382

478265

950 478 229

Hotel Rural Azabache (Arboleas)..................................690 258813

Hotel Mexico (Puerto Rey)

Hotel Salinas (Cabo de Gata)

Hotel & Spa Don Juan (Aguilas)

Hotel Tikar (Garrucha)

Hotel Valhalla (Carboneras)

Hotel Valle del Este

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La Esperanza (Mojácar Playa)

132061

370103

493493

617131

130444

398743

472222

606 916055

HORSE RIDING

Las Colinas Suitotel (San Juan de Los Terreros)

HOUSE & PET SITTING

478250

466353 Parador de Mojácar

HYGIENE & FOOD HANDLING

INTERIOR DESIGN

INTERNET CAFES see Cybercafes

INTERNET TV

INTERNET

IRONING

JEWELLERY

KENNELS, CATTERIES & PET

Animal Hotel

Boarding

SITTING

Llanos

Kennel

Sitter

Bone Hotel (Turre)

(Albox)

Cat Luxury Cat Suites

Palomino Kennels & Cattery

Paws*A*While

Gallardos)

113217

093087

Albox)

Sitting in Your Home

Presley

Sleepy Hollow (Huércal-Overa)

Hilton Cattery

163489

562662

061482

069200

313587

664565479

Boarding Kennels/Cattery (Arboleas)….950 930585

KEY CUTTING

Anteva (Mojácar Playa)

24hr Casaserve

Artizan (Vera) (See p.2)

Fyre

KITCHENS

984888

466438

390635

605 179179

676 306269

661 985310

833444

Cocinas El Real (Los Gallardos)

Puntocom (Huércal-Overa)

036051

921975

622 232186

722 136950

LANDSCAPING

LAUNDERETTES

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Cervantes Alarcon Consulting (Garrucha)

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Salvador (Mojácar Playa)

Clark

Soria Bonilla (Mojácar)

Benefit

Consulting

Pérez Gestión

Legal

Paris (Antas)

LEGAL SERVICES

See also Solicitors

LEISURE

106490

475949

647 863787

638 264621

473192

478420

297568

615185

322827

MEALS DELIVERED

METAL WORK

MOBILE

MOTORCYCLES

NEWSAGENTS

NURSING see also Home Carers

NUTRITION

OPTICIANS

PATIO & POOL ENCLOSURES

PERFUMES & COSMETICS

PEST CONTROL

C.A.T.

PHOTOCOPIES & SCANS

Alfoquía)

(Vera)

p.31).950 634388

390424

627 635514

622 262100

Pronto Printing (La Buganvillas) (See cover).............950 133492

2020 (Mojácar Playa)

Entertainment (Albox)

Entertainment (Arboleas)

PHYSIOTHERAPY

Caroline De Maeght (Villaricos)

Centro Physis (Olula del Rio)

Fisioalbox (Albox)

Clinica MOS Fisioterapia (Mojácar Playa)

399726

121318

134805

355381

402852

394335

PET SHOPS & TRANSPORT

PHOTOGRAPHIC

Fisiomar Physiotherapy Centre (Albox)

Gabi Triebel (Mojácar Playa)

Physiotherapy Centre (Albox)

479379 / 950 132765

425197 Fisioterapia Vera-Salud (Vera Playa)

011442 / 950 472263

431463 / 657 516247

Remedio clinic (Mojacar)

390655 / 663 024255

472980 / 617 741564 Vitea Fisioterapia (Vera)

PICTURE FRAMING

Casa de Cabra (Albox)

288750

PIZZERIAS

Antonella (Mojácar Playa)

Bocapizza (Albox)

Cafetería Levante (Mojácar)

681 095096

633 364329 Pink House (La Concepción)

450215

120506

615224

Centro Plaza (Palomares)

D'Angelo (Mojácar Playa)

Gaucho (Mojácar

Playa)

(Garrucha)

(La Alfoquía)

Meson Felipe San Bernabé (Mojácar Playa)

Ilario Imperial (Mojácar Playa)

(Vera Playa)

Muralla (Mojácar Pueblo)

Gurullos Pizzeria (Mojácar)

Pizzeria (Villaricos)

(Vera Playa)

Napoli (Mojácar Pueblo)

(Mojácar Playa)

468425

618614 Chili (Turre)

478517

304531

514738

133928

136117

475966

478098

467023

804676

102472

615100

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT & RENTALS

Alhambra Holdings (Mojácar)

Almeria Accommodation (Turre)..+44

Almería Holiday Rentals

Almería Property Agency (Arboleas)

Almeria Rentals

Apartamentos Torrelaguna (Las Buganvillas)

APT Lets (Valle del Este)

Blaumar (Huercal Overa)

Blue Sea Villas (Mojácar) (See front

Casa Benedict Rentals (Turre)

Casa Paz Holiday Lettings (Huercal-Overa)

Services (La Alfoquía)

Citrus Homes

Clean Team Property Care

Properties (Mojácar)

Holiday Care

D Property Care & Rentals

Almería

Holiday Villas

Home Europe

764623

619227

135512

281865

523073

132580

626 578164

670 869533

478643

189002

935118

634388

627 635514

849254

Rentals

PSYCHOLOGIST

RADIO STATIONS

REFRIGERATION

REMOVALS & STORAGE

Hostal

RESTAURANTS & BARS

Amarga

Bédar

Cortijo

Cabrera

Cerro Gordo

Cortijo Grande

Cucador

Desert Springs Resort

El Campico (Bédar-Lubrin)

El Pilar de Lubrin

El Pinar

El Pinar

Garrucha

Hereford

Adriana

Peking (Chinese)

Huércal-Overa

La Alfoquía

Las Herrerias

460588

533350

133154

132948

Valentino’s

Mojácar Pueblo

Candela

Taberna

Napoli

Pulcinella

Embrujo

Zahorí

Palomares

Tapas

Asagía

Partaloa

Amarilla, Partaloa

Pueblo Laguna

Bistro

Laguna

San Juan de Los Terreros

Tranquila

Geoda

Turre

Villaricos

Bar

Galeon

Gato

Gastrobar

Valle del Este Golf

Vera

Muralla

Vera Playa

Armony Beach

Mohana

Alcazaba

Puerto

Beach

Bar/Chiringuito

(Thai

Vera Playa (Las Buganvillas

Pueblo

Vera Playa (Naturista)

467105

351764

588790

628 169659

010705

767122

RETRACTABLE ROOF SYSTEMS

S.L.

p.

ROOFING

459060

RUGS & CARPETS

Homecentre (Albox) (See p.5)..........868 931872

R Rugs (Los Llanos de Aroleas)

House (La Concepción)

RURAL TOURISM

Cortijo Pocico de la Nava (Mojácar)

Finca Arboleda (Vera)

Abuela Maria (Mojácar)

SATELLITE TV

ABC (A Better Climate)

638 063196

379173

671 715294

258680

681 095096

777752

027656

198424

247494 / 950 092604

DCM Digitek Comms (Mojácar) (See p.19) .950 472947 / 670 084438

Digital

GBTV (Albox and Mojácar)

GSF Communications (Mojácar)

Satellite & Air-Con. (See p.43)

Tweaks (Albox)

133233 / 678 332815

888058

473102

398146 / 699 909737

040331

SCREENED PATIO & POOL ENCLOSURES

SCUBA DIVING

SECOND HAND

SECURITY & SAFES See Alarms

SEWING

SEPTIC TANK SERVICE

SHOE REPAIRS

SIGNS (Shop &

SKIP HIRE

SNOOKER HALLS

SOLAR ENERGY

SOLICITORS

TATTOO ARTISTS

TAXIS (Legal)

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

TILING & PATIO WORK

See also Building Services

024884

092632

803030

Helm

Homes S.L.

394815

687 629777

TIMBER SUPPLIERS

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

TUITION

TV & AUDIO

Curtains

UPHOLSTERY

UNIFORMS

VAN & MAN HIRE

See also Removals & Storage

Amanda’s (Lubrin)

(Trailer hire/drive) (Mojácar)

House (La Concepción)

Solutions (Arboleas)

Go (UK/Spain)

069682

193256

634 310512

225929

336468

681 095096

930316

965 794682

VEHICLE IMPORTATION

Great Cost Matriculation

Hispavan vehicle importation

Talleres Daydo (Antas Real)

459116

VEHICLE REPAIRS

Auto Corner (Turre/Los Gallardos)

Shine Body Repairs

Fran’s Garage

Car (Arboleas)

Gómez Motor (Huércal-Overa)

Mojácar Motor (Mojácar Playa)

Transmatix (Antas El Real)

324623

634 318369

845730

607 373298

439671

607 324624

459209

950 164912

431861

471250

478335

631 556955

Ford

House

Centro

VETS

ABC

Alfoqúia)

Centro Garras (Huércal-Overa)

Clinica Nexo (Albox)

Nexo (Olula del Rio)

Huellas (Aguilas)

(Turre)

Indalo (Mojácar)

616820

430856

124828

391400

449064

617 456548

430814 Emergencies: 617 305784

441819 Emergencies: 617 305784

447877

629 445327

069780

475213

626 171999

605 495017

Centro Vetinario (Vélez Rubio)

411208

Emergencies: 629 099921

608 438683 Europa (Mojácar)

WATER

Ortega

152911

WINDOW

Bodega

WINES

(Palomares)

Gourmet (Mojácar)

Delicatessen (Garrucha)

WOOD & PELLET STOVES

Chimeneas Acar (Albox)

Mojácar S.L. (Mojácar

Aguirre

WINDOWS

(Garrucha)

ZOO & PARK

925655

617131

265092

472108

393873

120077

472135

460028

Community News

A Trio of Trophies in Rioja

Nine Los Bandidos runners participated in the 12th race in the Circuito de Carreras Populares Diputación de Almería 2022 on Saturday, 17th September. A three-lap 8k race in the small, but perfectly formed, town of Rioja. The course started and finished at the sports area and weaved through the streets of Rioja. A few slopes and inclines went through the backstreets, then dropping down onto the main road which was mostly flat for rest of the race.

The winner finished in a speedy 25:39, with the first lady in 29.07. 140 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.

The Solheim Cup Visits Mojácar

The Solheim Cup, the trophy for the most important biennial women’s golf tournament in the world, has recently been to Mojácar accompanied by its ambassadors in Andalucía, Ana Moreno, ambassador of Alboran Golf and Lis Meins, ambassador of Aguilón Golf, and Mojácar Sports Councillor, Francisco García Cerdá.

The Mayor received the delegation at the Town Hall, thanking them for the presence in the locality of such a coveted prize, that every two years pits Europe’s best golf players against the best US players. The competition this year will be in Spain at Finca Cortesín in Casares, Málaga, as in the last edition the European golfers were the winners.

The Solheim Cup competitian is played in the same format as the men’s Ryder Cup as it is the equivalent in the women’s game. The initiative for this competition came from , founder of the American brand PING, which makes golf equipment. The first tournament was held in 1990 and it was then played in various locations in even-numbered years until 2002. After the Ryder Cup calendar was changed, it has been held in odd-numbered years since 2003 to avoid a conflict of dates.

Of the 17 tournaments played until now, the US has achieved victory on 10 occasions against Europe, which has won the trophy seven times.

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

78 Mark Ratcliffe 37:43

114 Kirsty Ratcliffe 44:41 (3rd D-F )

119 Corinne Chérel 46:19

126 Clare Saunders 47:14 (1st F-F)

131 Patricia Mulcahy 48:09

133 Sarah Briggs 48:23

134 Sharon Howlett 49:11

140 Lesley Davidge 1:10:20 (1st G-F)

Los Bandidos is a local group, set up by Kevin Rowe in June 2018. All ages, nationalities and speeds are welcome! We also have a road cycling group, a triathlon group and a group of sea swimmers.

If you would like more information please contact Kevin on ironmankev08@gmail.com and follow us on Facebook.

Photo by Aaron Baglietto

What’s On

The Antonio Rey Gira Flamenco tour comes to Teatro Cervantes, Almería city, on Friday, October 14th at 9.30pm. Tickets are 32,50 euros.

Generación Sésamo is a concert of music from the 1980s and 1990s at Teatro Cervantes, Almería city, on Sunday, October 16th at 6pm. Tickets are 10 euros.

Almería

Get Back, a Beatles tribute concert comes to Teatro Cervantes, Almería city, on Sunday, October 9th at 5pm. Tickets are 15 euros in advance and 18 euros at the door.

La Canción del Olvido (The Song of Oblivion) is a comic opera that comes to Teatro Cervantes, Almería city, on Sunday, October 23rd at 7pm. Tickets are 18 euros in advance and 20 euros at the door.

Iberia Sumergida is a tribute concert to the Héroes del Silencio band that comes to Teatro Cervantes, Almería city, on Friday, November 4th, 10pm. Tickets are 12 euros.

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.ticket master.es or call Ticketmaster: 902 1500 25. Main branches of ‘CaixaBank’ have machines which issue tickets; including Vera near the church square.

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

DriloandTheKidsBand is a show for children that comes to the Municipal Auditorio, Maestro Padilla, Almería city at 7pm on Saturday, October 8th. It has music, dance, video images and theatre. Tickets are 10 & 12 euros.

Tickets for concerts in Almería (except Teatro Cervantes) available from the ticket office in the Teatro Apolo, 25 Rambla Obispo Orberá,

Loquillo

What’s On

Águilas

Puccini’s opera La Boheme, performed by the Compañia Lírica Opera 2001 Choir, Soloists and Orchestra, comes to the Águilas Auditorio on Sunday, October 9th at 7pm. Tickets prices not shown at time of going to press.

El Musico: Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), performed by the company Producciónes Ibérica, comes to Águilas auditorio on Sunday, October 16th at 12.30 pm. Tickets are 15 euros.

The musical ‘Encanto’ comes to Águilas auditorio on Sunday, October 30th at 12.30 pm. Tickets are 16 euros in advance or 18 euros at the door.

Gira 2022: El Rey, is a performance by the famous Spanish rock legend José María Beltrán, better known as ‘Loquillo’. He embarked on a solo career in 1997. He performs at the auditorio on Saturday, November 5th at 9pm. Tickets are 35, 38 & 42 euros.

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

Roquetas de Mar

Una Noche de Sabina is a tribute concert that comes to the Roquetas de Mar Auditorio on Saturday, October 8th at 9pm. Tickets are 24, 27 & 30 euros.

SuperThings Live is a show intended for children aged 4-9 and is based on the YouTube performances of Magic Box Live. It can be seen on Sunday, October 16th at 12 noon and 5pm and tickets are 18, 20 & 24 euros.

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

What’s On

Exhibitions

Marijose González Iglesias has an exhibition of her paintings at La Fuente art gallery (below Mojácar village) until October 9th. Opening hours are from 10am-1pm, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and 10am-2pm Saturday and Sunday.

Miscellaneous

The Poppy Appeal Dinner

Dance

Saturday, 15th October: 7.30 for 8pm. 3 Course Dinner, including 1/2 bottle of wine per person, in the upstairs restaurant of The Hostal Rural, Turre. Live entertainment by Dominic Doolittle. Dress code: Smart casual or DJ/evening dress. Tickets: 30 Euros per person with all proceeds to the Poppy Appeal. Accommodation is also available on request to the hotel, ring 950478806. Please ring 634372294 or email Mojacar.Secretary@rbl.community for your tickets and menu choices before 8th October. Tickets will also be available at Cokkia Restaurant (opposite Neptuno Restaurant) at our British Legion Coffee morning at 11am on Thursday, 6th October. You don't have to be a Royal British Legion member, or ex-services. We welcome all those who would like to support the Poppy Appeal.

Flamenco Performance

Vera Excavation Guided Tours

On the 2nd Saturday of each month until December 10th, there are free guided tours of Vera town that takes two hours. The meeting point is at the bullring at 10am. Persons interested should wear comfortable shoes and bring a bottle of water.

The second hand 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.

PAWS-PATAS

Entire flamenco family from Granada, featuring 7 year old dancer Currillo with his mother, aunts and uncles. Non stop flamenco dance fiesta from the famous Heredia family. Zurgena Municipal Theatre 8pm. Entrance price 20 euros: available from C.A.T Services, La Alfoquía, 950634388. Info and reservation also by WhatsApp 0034 687 480 694.

What’s On Market Days

Monday: Huércal-Overa, Antas, Berja Tuesday: Albox, Los Gallardos, Cuevas del Almanzora Wednesday: Mojácar, Bédar, Lubrin, Vélez Blanco, Palomares, Tabernas Thursday: Cuevas del Almanzora, Olula del Río, Carboneras, Sorbas

Friday: Garrucha, Turre, Zurgena Saturday: Aguilas, Vera, Arboleas, Vélez Rubio Sunday: Villaricos, Purias, San Juan de los Terreros, Fines

Rastros, Car Boot Sales, etc.

Saturday: Los Llanos, between Arboleas & Albox Sunday: Chiringuito Extreme, Hostal Rural, Turre Plaza del Rey, Velez Rubio

Activities - Clubs - Associations

Clubs, Societies & Activities

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

Living Alone in Spain?

We are a 60+ group of friends who meet for lunch every Wednesday in the Mojácar area. Tel. Cynthia 693 789 742

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, Hostal Rural, Los Sabores de Miguel. All welcome. Tel. Carolyn 637 798 494

Dames in Turre

12pm, last Tuesday in the month, Hostal Rural, Turre. Talks, trips, support for local charities. New members & guests welcome. Chairman, Barbara Wardley, 950 529 168. Secretary, Moira Armatage +34 711 007 192, mogsy2009@live.com

Mojácar Community Library

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

Flamenco Forum for English Speakers

on Facebook. Information and events. Tel: 687 480 694

Vera & District Lions Club

We meet regularly including social events. For more information please contact by email veralionssecretary@gmail.com.

The Royal British Legion, Mojácar

First and Third Thursday of every month (except July and August) at 11am Coffee and Chat at the Cokkia Restaurant (opposite Neptuno) on the Playa. ExForces and non-Service people are all welcome to our social get-togethers. We often hold lunches and other events which we publicise at the coffee mornings and on local media. For any enquiries ring the Secretary on 634372294 or email mojacar.secretary @rbl.community. For welfare advice and help for the ex-Forces community in need of support email SpainNorth CommunitySupport@rbl.community. Our main effort is to collect money for the Poppy Appeal, if you wish to hold an event in aid of the Poppy Appeal or help the Branch at our collection points in October and November please email Mojacar.Committee1@rbl.community or ring 699953222.

The Royal British Legion - Zurgena & District Branch

Bar Trinidad, La Alfoquia, first Thursday of the month, 11a.m. Email zurgenaRBL secretary@yahoo.co.uk. See www.british legion.org.uk/branches/zurgena

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

Indalo Hash House Harriers

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

Mojácar Bridge Club

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

Psychic Development Circle

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

Mojacar Photo Group

meet 2nd Sunday each month at Dee’s Dollar Bar, Pueblo Laguna with monthly presentations, themes and challenges. Open to all levels, training available for beginners. Contact Andy: 650406167 or mpg@funnell.eu

Send details of your club, society or activity to almeriafocus@gmail.com

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 lowimpact 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.almeria-anglican.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, Wednesday 5pm. 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

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

Roman Catholic Masses

These canbe 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.macscancersupport.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.steppingstonescarerssupport.com

Age Support Almanzora Shop and welfare office near Peugeot garage, Albox. 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.universalwonderfulstreetacadem y.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 have been diagnosed with cancer or have a loved one who has, and need help or support contact our welfare team. Email irenewalk4life@icloud.com Tel. 643 63 81 77. If you want 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

Indalo Players

Well established drama group always looking for new members to act or help back stage. Tel. Bill White on 671 81 08 19 or email williamwhite9552@aol.com

Independent Theatre Group

Always looking for new people, novices & full blown Thesbians. Call Ian Jones on 950 436 581 or 666 375 688 or email 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

Yoga with Ashlí Turre, Vera & private. 643102335 Yoga Therapy with Portia Oliver. Tel: 681301474 www.portiaoliver.es

Dance

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

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 or Sylvia 628 006 197. 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.

Send details of your group to

667 80 11 40

Bedar Arts Centre

Ceramic classes, Mondays and Wednesdays. Painting classes Tuesday 10:30-1330. For info, call 664 896 555

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

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

Ladies golf society. New members welcome. Contact Vivien Parker, 683 558 696

Valle del Este Golf Society. Tuesdays, Thursdays & Sundays. Contact Alan Townsend Tel. 690 090 982

Marina Phoenix Golf Society

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

Almería Golf League

Contact Les on 950 619 273 Mojacar Golf Society

Visitors always welcome to come and join in the fun on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Tel Lynn Sefton on 667 349 908 or email raylynnsefton@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 634326350

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 Groups

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 950 473 137. See facebook.

Send details of your group to

WhatsApp: 667 80 11 40

Coffee Break

Jokes of the Month

The Exam

A professor is working in his office during his open hours. It's only a week away from the final exam, so he thinks nothing when one his students comes in. That is, until he sees she's in a short skirt, a low cut top, and closes the door behind her. She quickly takes a seat and leans over the desk, saying, "Professor, I really need to pass this class. If I pass this exam, I'll pass the class, so I really need your help. It's very important to me. I mean, I would do anything to pass this exam."

She reaches out and touches the professor's hand lightly. The professor raises an eyebrow and glances at the closed door. He clears his throat and leans in."Anything?" he asks. "Anything," she nods. He takes in a deep breath and then asks, "Would you . . . study?"

Tom Jones

A man went to his doctor and complained, “I can’t stop singing the ‘Green, Green, Grass of Home”. The doctor said, “That sounds like the Tom Jones syndrome”. The man asked, “Is it common?” The doctor replied, “It’s not unusual”.

The Interview

A guy was doing well in his interview when the employer said, "Well you look great but I see here there was a 7 year gap since your last job. What happened there?".

The guy says, "Oh, I went to yale".

The employer: "Oh great!! Well you're hired, you start Monday"

Guy: "Yay! I got a yob!"

The Blonde and the Gun

A young blonde woman is convinced her husband is having an affair. She goes to the gun shop and buys a handgun. The next day she comes home early and finds her husband in bed with a redhead. She gets out the gun and holds it against her head. The husband jumps out of bed, begs her not to shoot herself, and promises he will never see the redhead again. The blonde responds, “Shut up………you’re next!”

Getting Ahead

Dad: Son, I want you to marry a girl of my choice. Son: No.

Dad: The girl is Bill Gates' daughter. Son: Okay then! Dad goes to Bill Gates. Dad: I want your daughter to marry my son. Bill Gates: No. Dad: My son is the CEO of the world's greatest bank.

Bill Gates: Okay then! Dad goes to the chairman of the world's greatest bank.

Dad: Make my son the CEO. CEO: No.

Dad: My son is the son-in-law of Bill Gates. CEO: Okay then! That’s how to do business...

The Drunk

A completely inebriated man was stumbling down the street with one foot on the curb and one foot in the gutter. A cop pulled up and said, "I've got to take you in pal. You're obviously drunk." The drunk asked, "Officer, are ya absolutely sure I'm drunk?" "Yeah buddy, I'm sure," said the cop, "You’re staggering along with one foot on the pavement, and one foot in the gutter! Let's go." Breathing a sigh of relief, the drunk said, "That’s great. Thank goodness. I thought I was crippled."

...and next...

Mondays

On a Monday morning, a mother went in to wake up her son.

"Wake up. It's time to go to school!"

"But mom, I don't want to go."

"Give me two reasons why."

"Well, the kids hate me, and the teachers hate me too!"

"That's no reason. Come now get ready." "Give me two reasons why I should go?" "Well, for one you are 52 years old. And for another, you're the principal!"

Occupants of Heaven

On their way to get married, a young Catholic couple are involved in a fatal car crash. The couple found themselves sitting outside the Pearly Gates waiting for St. Peter to let them in. While waiting, they began to wonder: Could they possibly get married in Heaven? When St. Peter showed up, they asked him. St. Peter said, "I don't know. This is the first time anyone has asked. Let me go find out,” and he left. The couple sat and waited, and waited. Two months passed and the couple were still waiting. While waiting, they began to wonder what would happen if it didn't work out; could you get a divorce in heaven? St. Peter finally returned and said, “Yes, you can get married in Heaven." "Great!" said the couple, "But we were just wondering, what if things don't work out? Could we also get a divorce in Heaven?" St. Peter’s face turned red with anger. "What's wrong?" asked the frightened couple. "OH, COME ON!" St. Peter shouted, "It took me two months to find a priest! Do you have any idea how long it'll take me to find a lawyer?"

Lines

A boy asks his girlfriend to the prom. When she says yes he says, "Since you do so much for me I will take care of everything." He goes to buy the tickets but it is very busy, so he waits in line, waits in line, waits in line. He finally is able to get the tickets. He then goes to get a restaurant reservation next, but his phone is dead so he walks into one hoping to make one that day. The restaurant is packed so he waits in line, waits in line, waits in line. Finally he has a reservation. The next day he goes to rent his tux, but it is busy, so he waits in line, waits in line, waits in line and he finally has his tux. Fast forward to the prom, his girlfriend asked for him to get her some punch. He goes up to the punch... and... there is no punch line.

Professor of Linguistics

Fuel Costs

Feeling sick over increasing fuel prices at the pump... You could call it the car-owner-virus.

A professor of linguistics was giving a lecture about double negatives he said, "In some languages double negative means positive but in others double negative still means negative, but there is no such thing as double positive meaning negative."

A student from the back was heard shouting "Yeah right".

Your Stars

Your emotions have been pulled out of shape and you need to do a little backtracking. Communication will be your strong point and you should be able to persuade others to see things your way. Deception may cause disputes you can do without. Make arrangements to meet friends at your local dance club. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Thursday.

Apr. 21 - May 21

Relatives will want to get together. Your positive attitude andintellectualoutlookwilldrawotherstoyou.Gettogether with friends who like to participate in indoor sports. Try not to take others for granted. Tempers could get out of hand this month. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Thursday.

Sept. 24 - Oct. 23

Don't count your chickens before they hatch. Deception is evident around you. Be confident in your endeavours and others will believe in your efforts.Avoid lending money or belongings to friends. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Friday.

You could be blind to the defects of those you love. Tell it like it is. Responsibilities with respect to older relatives may be a burden. Do not yield to children or relatives when they really don't deserve it. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Thursday.

May 22 - June 21 June 22 - July 22

You will find that friends or relatives may not understand your needs. Compromise if you wish to have any fun at all. Uncertainty about your relationship is prevalent. You will have to be sure not to burn the candle at both ends. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Sunday.

Travel opportunities should be your first choice. Do not allow colleagues to hinder your ambitions. Stay away from social unpleasantness. Take a close look at contracts and agreements that have been offered to you. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Thursday.

Stress coupled with diet will add to stomach problems. Your creative ideas will be put to good use if you dig in and do things around the house that will make your family happy.You might not be as reserved on an emotional level as you'd like. Travel will be fun and entertaining. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Saturday.

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21

Be sure to think twice before you say something that might hurt your partner's feelings. Visit friends or relatives you rarely see. Debates will stifle passion and result in estrangement. You need to make your lover feel wanted, not like a piece of the furniture. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Saturday.

Aug. 23 - Sept. 23

Newpartnershipswilldevelopifyoujoininvestmentgroups. You are best to do your research before taking on such a venture. You may find that someone you live with may be irritable; you're best to leave them alone. Others may want to steal your thunder when they realize your ideas are pretty solid. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Tuesday.

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

Your creative imagination will help you in coming up with unique ideas. Leave things as they are for the moment and focus on reaching your highest potential at work. You are ahead of your time, and trying to stay in one spot could be asking too much. Travel will be fun, but expect it to cost you. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Friday.

Jan. 21 - Feb. 19

Mar. 21 - April 20 Oct. 24 - Nov. 22 July 23 - Aug.

Be sure to keep communication open with those you live with. You could pick up valuable knowledge through conversations with experienced individuals. Erratic behaviourathomemaybehardtohandle.Don'toverspend on luxury items. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Tuesday.

Feb. 20 - Mar. 20

Children may pose a problem if they don't like suggestions. Some of your new friends may not be that trustworthy. Try to be patient and understanding. You are best to do your research before taking on such a venture. Your luckiest events this month will occur on a Thursday.