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5th - 11th December 2017
Santa Walk success despite miserable Town Hall The annual Santa Fun Walk had been a key charity event in Orihuela Costa for more than eight years, raising much needed funds for the Spanish anti-cancer charity the AECC. Around four years ago the walk relocated to Zenia Boulevard and has seen thousands don festive fancy dress and complete the 5k circuitous route from the shopping centre around the streets of the coast. Organised by Maria and the Pink Ladies, the event has helped to raised thousands of euros for the charity’s Early Detection Programme. However, this year despite all of the paperwork being submitted by Maria Wilson and officially stamped the miserly Town Hall, Councillor Luisa Bone and the Chief of Police decided to try and spoil all the festive fun by declining permission for the walk. The reason being they did not have an extra two police officers to spare to cover the event....bah humbug! Maria was notified by Orihuela Costa Town Hall just three days before the event that the walk could not go ahead. The event has been advertised for two months and local residents had paid 5 euros to register for the walk, as they
always do. Not only were funds due to be raised for the AECC but dry goods and tinned food stuffs were to be collected for Reach Out in order to help the homeless and toiletries collected for the young people of Elche Children´s Home. So, the thoughtless and spiteful decision by Orihuela Town Hall would have negative impacts on not one but three local charities. Maria said: “I was heartbroken when I found out. How can they do that to the charities involved, let alone all the hard work of the Pink Ladies and the money spent supporting the event by the boulevard. “I don´t suppose for one minute, that events arranged next Wednesday in the town of Orihuela will be short of the Police presence as it’s Spanish Constitution Day and big celebrations.” However, not to be deterred and in true British spirit, the expats of the coast were not going to let the bureaucrat Scrooges spoil the fun, ban the event and more importantly stop the funds being raised for the charity. Maria appealed through the web pages of the Costa
Blanca People and on Sunshine FM to encourage people to still go along on Sunday and that the event would take place with a smaller walk around the Boulevard....and it did. Not only was the event a huge success in terms of people turning out to show their support, the money raised was more
than last year at around 1,200 euros and still counting at the time of going to press. Sunshine Radio was on hand to blast out top tunes, the Spangles Choir sung Christmas carols and a few other entertainers were on hand to help entertain the crowds.
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