7 December - 13 December 2021 by Costa Blanca People

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CostaBlancaPeople 7th - 13th December 2021

7TH - 13TH DECEMBER - EDITION 919

Tel: 607 031 113 | claire@costablancapeople.com | costablancapeople.com

Your Essential Weekly Read

Almoradí building collapses

A woman was miraculously unharmed after the building in which she was standing collapsed at the weekend. The façade of a building on Calle de la Reina, on the corner of Calle Manuel Birlanga, in Almoradí, fell unexpectedly – covering the street below with rubble and debris. Emergency services received the call just before 12.30 on Sunday afternoon. A woman, who was on the ground floor of the building at the time of the

collapse, escaped unharmed. Fire crews reported that the woman was in a good state of health. The cause of the incident, said Alfonso García, Almoradí councillor for Emergencies, may be the “age of the building.” As he explained, “the beams that supported the perimeter of the balcony” have been broken, leading to the collapse of the façade. Directly after the incident, as well as Councillor García, the Mayor María

Gómez as well as the municipal architect and representatives of the Local Police and Guardia Civil visited the scene. After ensuring that the woman was safe and not in need of further treatment at hospital, fire fighters then worked to remove a large cornice that was at risk of falling, and carried out cleaning and debris removal work on the street corner below, work which took around two hours to complete. Civil Protection crews alongside the department of and Works and Services cordoned off a perimeter directly below the building.

Photos: Bomberos Diputación de Alicante

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Zenia Boulevard walk-in vaccination Centre - TODAY A walk-in Covid-19 Vaccination Centre has opened in Zenia Boulevard today (Tuesday 7th December) and is open today only. Organised by the local health department, the centre will located outside Mango and is open from 10am to 8pm. No appointments are required and the centre is giving free vaccinations to anyone over the age of 11 years old, who is currently unvaccinated. This facility will not give booster jabs to those already protected. The walk-in centre has been created in response to the increase in Covid cases across the Valencian Community and particularly in the local area. The accumulated incidence at 14 days will soon exceed the high risk threshold and the indicators, such as hospital admissions and new isolated variants, do not point to a promising outlook in the short term. Recent figures show that

Torrevieja Health Department - which includes the expat enclaves of Orihuela Costa, Guardamar, Pilar, Quesada, La Marina, Benijofar and Los Montesinos, as well as Torrevieja – has reported that only 72 percent of those aged over 12 have been fully vaccinated. This means that around 30,800 people – 18 percent - who have been summoned for their jabs have not kept the appointment.

Added to these considerations is the introduction of the Covidpassport, which only allows those who are fully vaccinated inside bars and restaurants that have a capacity of 50 people of more. The local health authorities are calling for all those who are unvaccinated to use the walk-in centre and get vaccinated for their own protection and for the protection of others.

Crane hits N332 bridge A truck carrying a cherry picker hit a bridge over the N-332 on Saturday near to Torrevieja Hospital. As a result the road had to be closed, causing disruption

Torrevieja health workers get booster jab

The campaign to vaccinate Torrevieja’s health workers with the third dose began last week. The initiative began on December 1st when Torrevieja Hospital began vaccinating all its workers – both healthcare and non-healthcare, across all departments. Five vaccine stations have been set up in the main meeting room at the hospital while workers from health centres will receive the vaccine at their place of work. As a general rule, this booster dose can be administered to healthcare professionals who completed their primary vaccination more than six months ago. In the Torrevieja health department, more than 90% of health professionals were vaccinated by January 2021. Vicente García, Head of the Preventive Medicine Service of the Department of Health Torrevieja said, “There is no time to lose and that is why we have made an arduous effort to vaccinate the largest number of professionals as soon as possible, thanks to an efficient and safe vaccination plan. It is essential that our professionals are perfectly protected to continue providing quality health care to our population.”

to traffic. While the truck driver was not injured by the masonry that fell on his vehicle, he suffered an anxiety attack and was taken to

Controversial Christmas gift shocks Costing €10, a controversial key ring called the ‘social distance zapper’ has gone on sale around the world including Spain. The extendable device gives a 4.5 volt shock to anyone who gets too close and doesn’t abide by social distancing rules. The maker, a US gift company, proposes that it is used to make social distancing fun. The device

is on sale online and in shops across Spain, as well as elsewhere in Europe. The key ring extends to 63 centimetres and allows the holder to administer a shock to anyone who gets too close for comfort. Makers advise against using the device on children under 14 and anyone with a medical condition.

Gender violence on the rise Gender violence in the Alicante province is on the rise according to new figures released this week. Reports (denuncias) classified as gender violence are up by 14% in the last year, while crimes with women as victims are up by 24%. The latest data reflects figures up to the end of September and makes a comparison with data collected during January to September of last year. The figures, broken down by autonomous community, place the Valencian Community as the third in all of Spain with the highest incidence in cases of gender violence, with 5,656 complaints, coming in below just Andalucía and Madrid. In terms of the volume of calls for help by women suffering gender violence, the Valencian Community is also third highest in Spain with 1024 calls. Of these, 375 come from the Alicante Province. Most crimes against women are committed against victims over 30 years of age, as indicated in the report

of the Government Sub-delegation in its latest monthly bulletin from the Ministry of Equality. As for protection orders, also covered by the same report, most were requested by a court specialising in violence against women and have increased by 30.5%. Of the 1,421 requests of this type filed in the Valencian Community, the Alicante province accounts for 521 and the vast majority were accepted (455). On the other hand, the significant increase in convictions from 388 to 840 in the Community courts is striking. In the province, 94.8% of those prosecuted have been sentenced. 74% of gender violence victims are between 30 and 60 years old, with 40% between 30 and 50 years of age. This past year, between January and October 2021, health professionals at local health centres detected a total of 662 cases of gender-based violence through a screening program for early detection in which 41,808 women participated.

Record breaking nativity scene on display in Alicante

The world’s biggest nativity scene is on display once more in Alicante. The giant ‘Belén’ is located at the intersection of the Esplanade with La Rambla. The giant figures of Jesus, Mary and Joseph measure a combined total of 56.02 metres which gets Alicante’s Belén into the Guinness book of records. The previous record, held for three decades, was held by Monterrey whose nativity scene measured 28.58 metres.

the hospital. A vehicle travelling in the opposite direction was also hit by the rubble and suffered damage to the windscreen.

UPG opens in Torrevieja Last weekend saw the launch of a new postal service in Torrevieja. The new Los Balcones branch of United Postal Group opened its doors much to the delight of local residents. UPG said, “There are also many expats living in Torrevieja and the surrounding area. Here we saw a potentially high demand for shipping services all over the world. We also learned from people living in the region that there is only one post office in the area, which is probably still quite difficult to reach. Opening the store in

Torrevieja will give more people access to postal and shipping services and the store is easily accessible.” Opened just in time for Christmas posting, UPG is open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5pm and can send letters and parcels up to 31kg anywhere in the world. Shipping costs are calculated down to the gram so it is a very economical service. For Britons trying to navigate customs and shipping post Brexit, staff are on hand to help. For more information, find United Postal Group on Facebook or Instagram, or see www.unitedpostalgroup.com Call the store itself on +(34) 96 672 20 80

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CostaBlancaPeople 7th - 13th December 2021

Christmas gifts for orphanage Clients of Shape4Life and Slim4Life in San Luis demonstrated their generosity in a very special campaign for the children of San José Obrero orphanage. A Christmas gift campaign saw members buy a personalised gift for 57 children in the care of the orphanage. Owner of Shape4Life Shirley Latham explained, “We made a poster with each child’s name and age and our members signed up to buy a gift specifically for that child. That way, each child received a special gift just for them.” Shirley revealed that the activity has been very enjoyable: “Our toning studio is a really positive place anyway but this has been a wonderful talking point for our members. Everyone got behind it and it brought some really good vibes into an already happy place.” The gifts were beautifully wrapped and ready for collection by the orphanage on Friday morning. Ken Adams, fundraiser for San José Obrero, said that the children will be over the moon with the gifts. The charity has

different needs at different times of the year, said Ken. He and wife Lyn have been fundraising for the last four years and are always overwhelmed at people’s generosity. Ken revealed that quite often recently, they have

benefitted from house clearances: “When someone passes away, or moves house, the family have offered the contents of the house to us and we’ve been able to put it to excellent use.” If you would like to help Ken and Lyn

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Arrivals to the UK now need pre departure test People travelling to the UK from Spain, or any other country, will need to take pre-departure test from this week. The British government said in a statement, “In light of emerging evidence on the Omicron variant, from 4am on Tuesday 7 December anyone aged 12 and above travelling to the UK will need to show a negative pre-departure test (LFD or PCR) as close as possible to departure and not more than 48 hours before to slow the importation of the new variant,” Further restrictions were added in the wake of the emergence of Omicron. UK and Irish citizens and residents arriving into the UK from Nigeria must now isolate in a government-approved managed quarantine facility for 10 days, and receive two negative PCR tests. This is due to the fact that currently, the vast majority of cases in the UK have clear links to overseas travel from South Africa and Nigeria, and over the past week, 21 Omicron cases reported in England originate from Nigeria. Airlines will be required to check for pre-departure tests alongside a completed passenger locator form, and passengers will not be allowed to board a flight

without providing evidence of a negative test result. Given the reduced incubation period of the Omicron variant, passengers are advised to take the pre-departure test as close as possible to their scheduled departure to the UK and no earlier than 48 hours before travelling. This applies to vaccinated passengers and children aged 12 and above. Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, said “We knew this winter would be challenging but the arrival of a new variant means we must further strengthen our defences. As our world-leading scientists continue to understand more about the Omicron variant we are taking decisive action to protect public health and the progress of our COVID-19 vaccination programme. I urge

everyone to do their bit to slow the spread by following the new travel rules, wearing masks where mandatory and most importantly getting the booster jab when called. Anyone arriving from Nigeria before 4am Monday [6 December] will be advised and strongly encouraged to isolate at home, and their household should also self-isolate for 10 days starting with their arrival in England. Affected individuals will be contacted and offered free PCR tests to be taken on day 8 after their arrival.” Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, said “As we learn more about the Omicron variant, we will review these temporary measures to ensure they continue to be proportionate and necessary to protect public health.”

with their fundraising efforts in 2022, contact them on 965077014. The fundraising at Shape4Life isn’t over. Hot on the heels of the Christmas campaign for the orphanage, the studio is now raffling a generously stocked Christmas hamper with proceeds going to a local charity for homeless people. To buy a ticket, call in to Shape4Life Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm - you’ll find them in the Lakeside commercial centre San Luis, beside Reeve’s Butchers and the Christmas Shop.

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AUTOMÓVILES CRESPO THE BIGGEST AND BEST FOR PRICE CHOICE AND QUALITY Name a Guide Dog Puppy Competition 919

Costa Blanca resident Mildred du Plessis Hickey has been crowned the winner of the Specsavers Ópticas ‘Name a Guide Dog Puppy’ Competition, naming the puppy Nakoa. Specsavers Ópticas received nearly 150 fantastic entries for the competition, run in conjunction with the ONCE Foundation for Guide Dogs (FOPG) during the month of October. A judging team from FOPG picked the winning name Nakoa – loving its originality and the meaning behind the name. Mildred, 66, was thrilled to have been crowned the winner. She explains: ‘I wanted to give the puppy an extraordinary, original name so I did some research on how to say ‘protector’ or ‘brave’ in different languages and I simply loved the name Nakoa as soon as I saw it.I am so thrilled to be recognised as the winner and I really feel honoured, though all the honour is really for Nakoa.’ As well as officially naming the guide dog puppy, Mildred has won a pair of designer sunglasses, a photo of the guide dog and a certificate, as well as FOPG gifts. These include a travel bag, cool bag, umbrella and reusable water bottle. Her winning name, Nakoa, means brave in Hawaiian. Mª Jesús Varela Méndez, Managing Director of FOPG, says there were some strong entries to choose from. ‘With well over 100 excellent

entries into this competition it was very difficult to choose, however we finally chose the name Nakoa, because we love the way it sounds and how original it is, coming from the Hawaiian language. ‘It also fits our criteria of being a nice clear sound, short and easy to understand for the dog who will receive the name.

Well done to Mildred for such a perfect name, she is a very worthy winner.’ Mª Jesús adds: ‘There was such a wonderful response to this competition and so many excellent names that we will also be using others for this litter of puppies. We’re very grateful to everyone who entered and suggested some wonderful names which will be given to our guide dogs for this litter and in years to come, these include; Nango, Neón, Nanur, Nitro and

Nai. We hope even if you didn’t win the grand prize, but you suggested these names that you’ll be pleased to know that a guide dog puppy will have your name.’ Jorge Martínez de Lizarduy Araico, from Specsavers Ópticas,was also overwhelmed by the entries into the competition. ‘We’d like to thank everyone who entered our competition and has also donated to our fundraising campaign in store. All nine stores across Spain will continue to fundraise until the end of the year, so please pop into your nearest store and make a donation. The foundation has more than 400 people waiting for a guide dog, and needs donations to allow them to breed, train and provide the dogs, free of charge, for people who really need them to live independently.’ You can donate to the fundraising campaign in your local Specsavers Ópticas store. They are located in Jávea, Calpe, Benidorm, Guardamar, Torrevieja and La Zenia on the Costa Blanca, Marbella and Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol and Santa Ponça in Mallorca. Visit www.specsavers.es to find your nearest store. Donations are also welcome via the charity’s website www. perrosguia.once.es, please write SPEC in the box for your second surname so we can identify that it is part of the Specsavers’ fundraising effort.

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First case of Omicron community transmission reported in Spain The Madrid region has confirmed its third case of a Covid-19 patient infected with the recently identified variant known as omicron. Unlike the previous two, who had recently arrived from South Africa, this is the first to have no links to the country – which was the first to identify the variant – or indeed to any other nation in the south of Africa. The patient in question is a 62-yearold man who is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 with two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, according to a press release from the Madrid regional government. The man “does not have a travel history, nor has he had close contact with another person who has been in countries where this variant has been detected”, as had happened in previous cases. The public health authorities are investigating another two suspected cases of the omicron variant, “both with mild symptoms and also without a history of travel to risk countries.” Madrid confirmed the first case of the strain in Spain on last Monday, and the second on the Tuesday. Last Wednesday, the Balearic Islands confirmed a third case: a resident of Mallorca who arrived in

Spain after traveling to South Africa. There are also two suspected cases in Catalonia. The Covid-19 controls in Spanish airports have been stepped up. As well as a visual and temperature check on arrival – with testing carried out on the spot if there are any suspicions of infection – passengers arriving from risk countries must bring a negative coronavirus test with them, even if they have been fully vaccinated. This was not necessary until the alarm was raised about the potential risks of the new variant. The appearance of the omicron variant, first detected in South Africa a week ago, has health authorities across the world on alert. The scientific evidence on its potential danger is still very limited, but researchers have discovered that the strain contains more than 30 mutations. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers it a variant of concern, meaning it could be more contagious, virulent or able to escape the protection provided by Covid-19 vaccines or the antibodies produced after recovering from the virus.

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Police warn Covid-passport fines will be issued

The police are warning that failure to comply with the new Covid-passport legal requirements will result in a fine for the establishment and the individuals at fault. Fines range from 60 euros to 30,000 euros. The new rule came into force on Friday (3rd December) and requires bars, restaurants and clubs that have a capacity of 50 people or more. To enter these venues people will need to show proof of double vaccination through their official EU certificate issued by the Spanish Ministry of Health, along with an official form of photographic ID. These certificates are free and simple to download and will also be needed to enter hospitals, care homes and large events of more than 500 people. Allowing access to anyone without a Covid-passport in a mandatory venue will result in a fine in the higher bracket of 600€ to 30,000€. Whereas not putting signs up reminding people of the Covid-passport requirement, for example will result in smaller fines from 60 euros to 600 euros. These lower fines will also be issued to individuals found inside without the necessary documentation. The rules apply to staff and anyone employed by the premises that need to be inside such as entertainers, cleaners, workmen etc. The rule is irrelevant to the number of people actually inside. People must be checked prior to entry even if the venue is empty.

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CostaBlancaPeople 7th - 13th December 2021

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THE SUCCESS OF YOUR HOME SALE IS UP TO YOU Rebecca Serwotka

Rebecca Serwotka – “We sell houses! It’s what we do, it’s ALL we do!”Your favourite local property expert, of Inmobiliaria Real Estate Agents in Ciudad Quesada & published author of “Moving Forward – 25 Essential Rules For Buying & Selling Real Estate Without Going Crazy.” Request your FREE copy today! Featured on Best Buy Spain.Prestige Award Winner for “Real Estate Agency Of The Year 2021/22”

An excerpt from our book: Most homeowners feel that it’s the Real Estate professional’s job to sell their home. However, the homeowner is the single most influential person in the transaction because they must decide on the pricing, showing, and negotiation. Yes, your Real Estate Agent is a critical part of the transaction, but the real power lies in your hands. As the homeowner, you have the ability to make or break a deal. Treat your home sale as you would any important business deal - with excellence and professionalism.Don’t make your Real Estate Agent an enemy. Work to develop a strong relationship that reaps you the biggest rewards and profits. Strengthen, inspire, be easy to work with, and be as flexible as possible in order to move your home sale along efficiently. Don’t be offended by negative feedback - be open to it; after all, it’s just a house.

If you really do want to sell it, be open to ways you can improve the look and feel of the environment in the home in order to sell faster. Surprisingly you the homeowner, are more responsible for the outcome of the sale than you think! Read on! Download a complimentary copy of our book “Moving Forward - 25 Essential Rules For Buying & Selling Real Estate Without Going Crazy” - head to www.homes4u.es/request-book

See our advert in the centre pages of this newspaper! www.homes4u.es

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CostaBlancaPeople 7th - 13th December 2021

Do you know what the eighth wonder of the world is? According to Einstein it’s compounding, habits as more trouble than they’re worth. and specifically compound interest. But they are far from trouble; saving According to some recent research, small can result in a big money pot later. it turns out that most of us seriously If you save £20 a month over a period underestimate how much compound of 50 years with a 4 per cent return, you end up with over £38,000 – and, crucially, interest can grow our wealth. more than £26,000 of that would be pure This matters because it leads investors interest, with only £12,000 coming from and savers to make poor decisions. In the contributions you make. particular, there are two routine mistakes made by those who ignore the power of Mistake two: Property Time and time again people talk about compound interest. property being a ‘great investment.’ Mistake one: ‘Saving or investing just It’s easy to see why. We never stop isn’t for me’. We fail to grasp that even small amounts hearing about rising property prices, and invested early in life can grow into large stock markets are only in the news when amounts later, we think of small savings they crash.

There are many reasons to be cautious of property. Property is difficult and expensive to buy and sell – especially if you live in it. If you are looking for help with investments and savings, then the team at Seagate Wealth are here to help. Why should you choose Seagate to advise you? All our advisers were trained at Lloyds Bank in the UK. We pride ourselves on putting our clients first. Unlike other advisers on the Costas we believe in regular six monthly reviews with our clients to ensure that their pension or investment is on track. We have a fully staffed office in Benijofar with a back-up team to support all our clients with withdrawals, encashments and top ups.

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Your tech questions answered by Brian Hoile of the Costa Blanca Technology Help Group, helping over 200 members with their PCs, smartphones and more. Find the group on Facebook (Costa Blanca Technology Help Group) or attend the meetings in person or online via Zoom. If you have a question or a problem that needs my help then please send an email to Brian at cbtechnology.help@ gmail.com. If I receive the email by lunchtime on Friday it will appear in the next edition. If you want to join the Technology Help Group search Facebook for “Costa Blanca Technology Help Group”. If you do not use Facebook you can still join by sending an email with your details to cbtechnology.help@ gmail.com. When joining on Facebook please make sure that you scroll all the way through and answer all questions and give your email address. I use your email address as the primary means of communication. Tricia of Torrevieja asks “I need access to UK TV but do not want a long term contract. What are my options? I have an Android smartphone and a Laptop?” You have several options. If you have a Smart TV with “Screen Mirroring” as a Source or Input you can install a Screen Mirroring App on your phone and “Cast” to the TV the content you have on the phone. After that anything you play on your phone will be played on the TV. For UK TV there are various Android Apps

available. You can install the UK Apps for live TV e.g. BBCiPlayer but you would need a VPN to be able to watch them. Access to these is also available on your laptop by going to their website, Again a VPN is required. YouTube has lots of TV content. If you don’t have Screen Mirroring on your TV you can buy a Chromecast dongle install Google Home on your smartphone and “cast” from your phone to the TV

Alan of Catral asks “How do I know if someone has received and read a WhatsApp message?” Create a message and when complete select the arrow to the right of the message. If you have no access to the internet (either phone Data or WiFi) there will be a clock symbol displayed to the right of the time the message was created. As soon as the internet is

available this will happen:One grey tick means that the message has been sent successfully. Two grey ticks means that the message has been delivered successfully to the recipient’s phone. If the two ticks turn blue, that means that the message has been read. The two blue ticks act as a “read receipt”. David of Almoradi asks “I need to send a large file but my email system says the file is too large. How can I send this file?” If you save the file to a Cloud Storage facility of your choice, then you can share that file with anyone you choose. That way your are not sending the file but just a secure link to that file. To share the file go to your Cloud Storage folder containing the file you want to send using File Explorer (Computer) or File Manager (Phone) and select share. Using File Explorer right click on the file you want to send. Select Share. Select “Copy link”. Go to your email system and “paste” the link into the email. On a mobile device select the file using File Manager and select “Share”. You can then share to your email system or any messaging App.

Join the Group by searching Facebook for “Costa Blanca Technology Help Group” Send your questions to cbtechnology.help@gmail.com

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CostaBlancaPeople 7th - 13th December 2021

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Christmas Tours in Orihuela This is a time of year full of magic, where the festive lights of the municipality give off joy and lead us to discover the spirit of Christmas. December is all about family and friends and in the run-up to Christmas the Department of Tourism of Orihuela City Council is offering a number of tours to discover the city in all its Winter Wonderland glory. Whether or not you live in Orihuela City, this is the perfect time to visit and become a tourist for the day and explore. If you decide to do it as a family, you have the opportunity to enjoy the ‘Dramatised Christmas Tales’, which has been created with children in mind. This is scheduled for Saturday 18th December at 7pm and for Sunday 12th at the same time. An additional tour will take place on Wednesday, 29th December at 11am. Also on Saturday 11th December there is a ‘Night Route’ through the Historic

Festive fun

Centre that combines the city’s heritage with the Christmas atmosphere, lighting and a visit to the Municipal Nativity Scene. Seven days later, on Saturday the 18th December, at 12 noon, a family tour entitled the ‘Story Christmas’ will take place and be repeated on Sunday the 19th December at 7pm. These tours have all been created with Christmas characters to spread happiness and joy to all who take part. Along with these Christmas

routes, the Department of Tourism, led by Mariola Rocamora, also offers its highly demanded tours of Los Palacios, Miguel Hernández: Life and Work and the Ascent to the Castle. Discover Orihuela in December, stroll through its streets and let yourself be carried away by the Christmas spirit. The routes are totally free but places are limited places. Therefore, places must be reserved at: www.orihuelaturistica.es

Covid creeps into communities The Region of Valencia has the highest number of healthcare workers infected with Covid in Spain. From May to November 15,495 health workers contracted the virus, according to the latest statistics. In the last two weeks there have been 350

new cases among employees at hospitals and health centres. The college of Nurses for Valencia is calling on Health Minister Ana Barcelo to maximise preventative measures against Covid infections in clinical settings.

Meanwhile, a second outbreak of Coronavirus has been reported locally, this time in Dolores with eleven cases registered. As with the outbreak in Torrevieja recently, this also occurred in the educational field.

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CostaBlancaPeople 7th - 13th December 2021

Scaremongering! By Tracy Storer Senior Partner Chorus Financial

Without fail, every time there’s a new piece of legislation or an update that may affect Brits living in Spain, certain financial advisory companies will shape it into something to encourage you to send your hard-earned money to them! We saw this very obviously with the Modelo 720 in Spain, where financial advisers, left right and centre, would use our lack of familiarity with this simple form to encourage you all to move your monies into ‘compliant investments’. Now, compliant investments in themselves, for example ‘Spanish Compliant Investment Bonds’ can be very useful products for those looking to invest, but moving monies into them that you didn’t intend to invest, simply to avoid completing a simple asset declaration, may not be the best advice.

We then saw my industry having a field day with Brexit! Over the last few years there’s been a rush to try to encourage people to move their money into trusts, QROPs, all sorts of exotic (and often expensive) arrangementsbasically anything outside the UK. As if the UK would suddenly prevent those living in the EU from having a pension or some savings! There are Brits living all over the world who still have UK based pensions, bank accounts, savings etc. The idea that those of us living in the EU will suddenly lose access to ours is simply not true. The latest trend is back to good old QROPs! QROPs, which are overseas pensions recognised by HMRC, are an effective pension vehicle for certain clients. For example, if you are approaching your pensions Lifetime Allowance (currently £1,073,100) then Chorus may well recommend a QROPs because this may offer significant benefits. However, for most of you, a UK SIPP designed for Brits living overseas should likely provide you with everything you need. You can enjoy a well-regulated and flexible pension product without the need for a QROPs. Chorus clients would

generally pay around £500 per year more for a QROPs than a UK SIPP, so we must ensure this additional cost is justified.With other firms in Spain, we’ve seen clients pay over 6% in layered(andpossibly hidden) fees on their QROPs, which is why we always urge caution before moving your pensions to such arrangements. So, right on cue, I’m seeing adverts scaremongering people to move their pensions out of the UK on the basis that UK based pensions ‘may’ be exposed to Wealth Tax… one day… possibly… in our post-Brexit world! Let’s be clear here, there is a small risk of this, but would you really consider a significant financial decision based on something that is very unlikely to happen? Beyond that, do we really believe that Spain, a country that has been embracing Brits for decades, that has employed thousands of people to help Brits with their residencias etc, would introduce such damming and illogical legislation against an essential group to Spain’s economy? Come to think of it… I suspect many of you may think they would! But let me reassure you, Spain has never demonstrated any negative bias to us Brits here and I cannot imagine them being motivated to do so in the future.

Let’s be practical here, if such legislation were ever confirmed, then clearly Chorus would assess those of our clients potentially affected and take the appropriate action. If that meant moving our UK SIPP clients to QROPs, then we would work with those clients to find the best, lowest price solution, ensuring no client is left out of pocket. We would certainly not be moving them to a QROPs layered with unnecessary fees, product tie-ins, hidden commissions etc. Financial advice should always be appropriate and client focussed, not a ‘one-solution-fits-all’ approach where every client is encouraged to go into the same products, the same funds, possibly even an unnecessary trust. Our industry should focus on low cost, transparent, high quality advice and ensure each client has their individual needs considered. If you want to seek a second opinion on your savings, pensions and investments from a company who guarantee no unnecessary or hidden fees, and a 100% ethical and client-focussed approach, then contact me direct today on t.storer@ chorusfinancial.es +34 693 107 044 or visit www.chorusfinancial.es for more information.

Investment contracts are intended as medium to long term investments, and all investments have some level of risk. Figures in our articles are examples of what can be achieved and cannot be guaranteed; the value of your investments can go down as well as up. Fees and charges can vary and will be fully explained to you before any advice can take place. This article should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular product.

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CostaBlancaPeople 7th - 13th December 2021

GBP / EUR UPDATE GBP With investors’ attention focused mainly on the Federal Reserve and the Covid Omicron variant, sterling was able to maintain an uncharacteristically low profile. Political events which might in the past have raised concern about the currency were seemingly brushed off. The Bank of England brought nothing new to the table. Sterling was buffeted but unbruised, eventually losing an average of 0.2%. It is up by an average of 0.4% from the beginning of November. There were no surprises from the few UK economic data. The Bank of England’s money and credit monthly showed a sharp decline in mortgage approvals in October. The number of approvals hit a 16-month low after the “distortive effect” of the stamp duty holiday ended. Nationwide’s house price index rose 10% in the year to November. The manufacturing sector purchasing managers’ index hit a threemonth high of 58.1, as domestic orders rose and new export business fell for a third successive month. The report cited “a challenging operating environment… as severely stretched supply chains disrupted production schedules and drove up input prices to the greatest extent in the 30-year survey history”.

EURO Tuesday’s Eurozone consumer price index data should have been the most important factor for the euro. They showed inflation rising to a provisional record high of 4.9%, but the silence from the European Central Bank was deafening. A couple of days later two ECB policymakers stuck to the party line, insisting that the central bank must remain “patient”, and resist the temptation to react to what it believes is shortterm inflationary pressure. Investors evidently swallowed the story: the euro was in the leading part of the field with an average gain of 0.5%. It went up by seven eighths of a cent against sterling. It is up by an average of 1% from the beginning of November. If investors could not get excited about a record high for inflation there was no way they were going to fuss about the other Eurozone ecostats. The EC’s monthly survey of business and consumer confidence found economic sentiment easing and employment expectations rising further. Producer prices in October were 21.9% higher than the same month last year but, as with consumer prices, the ECB showed no sign of caring. Markit’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index described “broadly stable growth… as factories battle with harsh supply headwinds”.

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CostaBlancaPeople 7th - 13th December 2021

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CostaBlancaPeople 7th - 13th December 2021

CHRISTMAS CAROLS IN THE SQUARE 2021 - 6.00PM FRIDAY 10TH DECEMBER 1. Hark the herald angels sing

2. Once In Royal David’s City

1. Hark the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King Peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled” Joyful, all ye nations rise Join the triumph of the skies With the angelic host proclaim: Christ is born in Bethlehem” Hark! The herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King 2. Christ by highest heav’n adored Christ the everlasting Lord! Late in time behold Him come Offspring of a Virgin’s womb Veiled in flesh the Godhead see Hail the incarnate Deity Pleased as man with man to dwell Jesus, our Emmanuel Hark! The herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King

5. Good Kin g Wencesl

1. Good King Wenceslas looked out, On the feast of Stephen; When the snow lay round about Deep and crisp, and even; Brightly shone the moon that night, Though the frost was cruel, When a poor man came in-sight, Gath’ring winter fuel. 2. ‘Hither, page, and stand by me, If thou know’st it, telling, Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?’ ‘Sire, he lives a good league hence, Underneath the mountain; Right against the forest fence, By Saint Agnes’ fountain.’ 3. In his master’s steps he trod, Where the snow lay dinted; Heat was in the very sod Which the Saint had printed. Therefore, Christian men, be sure, Wealth or rank possessing, Ye who now will bless the poor, Shall yourselves find blessing.

1. Once in royal David’s city Stood a lowly cattle shed, Where a mother laid her baby In a manger for a bed: Mary was that Mother mild, Jesus Christ her little Child.

1. Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head. The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay, The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

2. He came down to earth from heaven Who is God and Lord of all, And his shelter was a stable, And his cradle was a stall; With the poor and mean and lowly Lived on earth our Saviour holy.

2. The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes, I love Thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky And stay by my side until morning is nigh.

3. And through all his wondrous childhood He would honour and obey, Love and watch the lowly Maiden, In whose gentle arms he lay: Christian children all must be, Mild, obedient, good as he.

3. Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings Ris’n with healing in His wings Mild He lays His glory by Born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth Born to give them second birth Hark! The herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King

3. Away In A Manger

4. Not in that poor lowly stable, With the oxen standing by, We shall see Him; but in heaven, Set at God’s right hand on high; Where like stars his children crowned All in white shall wait around.

3. Be near me, Lord Jesus: I ask Thee to stay, Close by me for ever, and love me, I pray, Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care And fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there

4. While Shepherds Watched 1. While shepherds watched their flocks by night, All seated on the ground, The angel of the Lord came down, And glory shone around. 2. ‘To you in David’s town this day Is born of David’s line A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord; And this shall be the sign:’ 3. ‘The heavenly Babe you there shall find To human view displayed, All meanly wrapped in swathing bands, And in a manger laid.’ 4. ‘All glory be to God on high, And on the earth be peace; Good-will henceforth from heaven to men Begin and never cease.

8. JINGLE BEL

6. Angels from the realms of glory 1. Angels from the realms of glory, Wing your flight o’er all the earth; Ye who sang creation’s story, Now proclaim Messiah’s birth: Come and worship, Come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King! 2. Shepherds, in the fields abiding, Watching o’er your flocks by night, God with man is now residing, Yonder shines the infant Light; Come and worship, Come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King! 3. Sages, leave your contemplations, Brighter visions beam afar; Seek the great desire of nations, Ye have seen His natal star; Come and worship, Come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King! 4. Saints before the altar bending, Watching long in hope and fear, Suddenly the Lord, descending, In His temple shall appear: Come and worship, Come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King!

7. The H olly an d the I vy 1. The holly and the ivy, When they are both full grown Of all the trees that are in the wood The holly bears the crown Chorus O the rising of the sun And the running of the deer The playing of the merry organ Sweet singing of the choir 2. The holly bears a blossom As white as any flower And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ To be our sweet Saviour Repeat Chorus 3. The holly bears a prickle As sharp as any thorn And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ on Christmas day in the morn. Repeat Chorus 4. The holly bears a bark As bitter as any gall; And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ For to redeem us all.

Cascabel, cascabel, Musica de amor. Dulces horas. Gratas horas, Juventud en flor. Cascabel, cascabel, Tan sentimental. No ceces, oh cascabel, De repiquetear. Dashing through the snow In a one horse open sleigh O’er the fields we go Laughing all the way Bells on bobtail ring Making spirits bright What fun it is to ride and sing A sleighing song tonight. Jingle bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way Oh what fun it is to ride In a one horse open sleigh O jingle bells, jingle bells Jingle all the way Oh what fun it is to ride In a one horse open sleigh. Now the ground is white Go it while you’re young Take the girls tonight And sing this sleighing song Just bet a bobtail nag Two forty as his speed Hitch him to an open sleigh and crack! You’ll take the lead. Repeat chorus above

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CostaBlancaPeople 7th - 13th December 2021

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Christmas Carnival Show Internationally recognised Carnival group ‘La Sal De Torrevieja’ are delighted to announce they will be performing again this Christmas in Torrevieja. The group consisting of 46 girls was formed over 30 years ago has performed in many countries around the world including France, Romania, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain and many more. This dazzling ‘Benidorm Palace’ style show is an array of magnificent costumes, musical theatre and spectacular dance and will be at the

Torrevieja Theatre on the 30th December. During to demand there will be two showings, a 6pm and a 9pm performance. Tickets are just €10 each and can be purchased from the office of Home España in La Zenia just off the La Zenia Roundabout between 9am and 5pm Mon - Fri. For more information call 634024010.

La Mata fire unveils crypto mine An electrical overload caused by a large amount of computer e q u i p m e n t connected to the grid is thought to be the most likely cause of a fire in a house in La Mata, Torrevieja last week. Firefighters responded to a call to Calle Nuestra Señora del Rosario 11 when neighbours reported a plume of black smoke coming out of one of the windows of the building. When fire crews entered the building, officers verified that there was no one inside the property, although they did find numerous computers and servers that had been destroyed by the fire. Firefighters believe a crypto currency mine had been installed in the property. Residents of the building pointed out to police at the scene that no one had been to the apartment for a number of days.

The quick intervention of the firefighters made it possible to extinguish the fire rapidly and it was not necessary to evacuate residents of the building. Crypto currency miners use purposebuilt computers to solve complex mathematical equations that effectively enable a crypto transaction to go through. The miners are rewarded for their efforts in digital currency, such as bitcoin. The entire process is incredibly energy intensive because of the amount of power used by the computers.

CHRISTMAS CAROLS IN THE SQUARE 2021 - 6.00PM FRIDAY 10TH DECEMBER 9. Joy to the world 1. Joy to the World, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare him room, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing. 2. Joy to the World, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

10. O Little Town of Bethlehem

1. O Little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by. Yet in the dark street shineth The everlasting light; The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight.

3. He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love, And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders, of His love.

2. O holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin, and enter in; Be born in us today! We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel!

11. Campana Sobre Campana 1. Campana sobre campana, y sobre campana una, asómate a la ventana, verás el Niño en la cuna. Chorus Belén, campanas de Belén, que los ángeles tocan qué nueva me traéis? Belén, campanas de Belén, que los ángeles tocan qué nueva me traéis? 2. Recogido tu rebano A donde vas pastorcillo? Voy a llevar la portal Requesón, manteca y vino Repeat Chorus 3. Campana sobre campana, y sobre campana dos, asómate a esa ventana, porque ha naciendo Dios. Repeat Chorus 4. Caminando a media noche, Donde caminas pastor Le llevo al nino que nace como Dios mi corazon

14. Silent Night 1. Silent night, Holy night, All is calm, all is bright; ‘Round yon virgin mother and Child, Holy infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace. 2. Noche de Dios, noche de paz, Claro sol, Brilla ya, Y los angeles cantando astan Gloria a Dios, Gloria al Rey eternal. Duerme el Nino Jesus, Duerme el Nino Jesus. 3. Noche de bien, noche de paz, Canta alegre el mortal, Nace Dios en un pobre portal, Y a Maria sonrie su faz, Duerme el Nino Jesus, Duerme el Nino Jesus.

15. Deck The Halls With Boughs of Holly 1. Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la la, la la la, la la la. Troll the ancient Yule tide carol, Fa la la la la, la la la la. 2. See the blazing Yule before us, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Strike the harp and join the chorus. Fa la la la la, la la la la. Follow me in merry measure, Fa la la la la, la la la la. While I tell of Yule tide treasure, Fa la la la la, la la la la. 3. Fast away the old year passes, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Hail the new, ye lads and lasses, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Sing we joyous, all together, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Heedless of the wind and weather, Fa la la la la, la la la la.

12. O Come All Ye Faithful

1. O Come , all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; Come and behold him, Born the King of angels: Chorus O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord. 2. See how the Shepherds, Summoned to his cradle, Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze; We too will thither Bend our joyful footsteps: Repeat Chorus 3. Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation, Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above: ‘Glory to God In the highest’: Repeat Chorus

16. Feliz Navidad Feliz Navidad Feliz Navidad Feliz Navidad Prospero Año y Felicidad. Feliz Navidad Feliz Navidad Feliz Navidad Prospero Año y Felicidad. We wanna wish you a Merry Christmas We wanna wish you a Merry Christmas We wanna wish you a Merry Christmas From the bottom of our hearts.

13. FUM, FUM, FUM 1. Veinticinco de diciembre Fum, fum, fum Veinticinco de diciembre Fum, fum, fum. Un niñito muy bonito Ha nacido en un portal Con su carita de rosa pareció una flor hermosa Fum, fum, fum. 2. Venid, venid pastorcitos Fum, fum, fum Venid, venid pastorcitos Fum, fum, fum Venid con la pandereta y castañuelas al portal Y adorad al Dios del Cielo Que ha aparecido en el suelo Fum, fum, fum. 3. Desde el cielo Estás mirando Fum, Fum, Fum. Desde el cielo Estás mirando Fum, Fum, Fum, A la Tierra rutilante que relumbra con su luz y al amor del firmamento celebrando el nacimiento de Jesús.

17. We Wish You A Merry Christmas 1. We wish you a merry Christmas We wish you a merry Christmas We wish you a merry Christmas And a happy New Year. Chorus Good tidings we bring To you and your kin, We wish you a merry Christmas, And a happy New Year. 2. Now bring us some figgy pudding Now bring us some figgy pudding Now bring us some figgy pudding And bring some out here. Chorus repeat 3. We won’t go until we’ve got some We won’t go until we’ve got some We won’t go until we’ve got some So bring some out here. Chorus repeat

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CostaBlancaPeople 7th - 13th December 2021

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High-end Spanish wines Mortgage applications at low prices go through the roof Not all top-rated wines will set you back a week’s salary if you buy them on home turf – and, in fact, six of Spain’s best are on sale in mainstream supermarkets for between €2 and €9. The ‘Guía Peñín’ is an élite guide to exclusively-Spanish wines, comes out annually, and is available in English, German and Mandarin Chinese as well as in Castilian Spanish. The guide that has been produced every year since 1990, wines are tasted at the headquarters of their region’s regulatory council, and given points between 50 and 100. Anything over 84 is a good grade to earn, and from 95 upwards, a wine is considered ‘exceptional’ and almost unbeatable. In this year’s Peñín guide, the most affordable include the Oristán Bronze from La Mancha, a cherry-coloured red said to have notes of pomegranate and be very drinkable, scoring 88, and costing €2.45 from Lidl. Cheaper still is the white Fino Donceles from the MontillaMorile district, a pale-strawcoloured sherry with gold flecks, a floral scent and slightly almondy, mildly bitter taste, dry and lightweight, scoring 88 and yet costing just €2.15, again from Lidl. Pushing the boat out a little, an organic red scoring 89 and on sale in Lidl for €5.49, the Adaras Aldea is said to be cherry-coloured with violet flecks, fruity, fresh, with notes of chalky soil and mineral-scented. The Volaverunt red, on sale for €5.99 in Lidl, its 89 points, along with its sweet, fresh flavour and its balanced, long finish. A ‘long finish’ is what

you want when something tastes delicious. Think about how your favourite chocolate bar never lasts long enough, and how you don’t want to eat or drink anything for a while afterwards as you’re still enjoying the flavour of it in your mouth. Breaking the 90-point barrier does not automatically mean the price shoots up. Tramuz, a red from the Ribera de Duero region – another described as

cherry-coloured and also ‘clean and glistening’ – retails in Lidl at €4.49, and the Peñín claims it is fruity, smooth, elegant, fresh, intense, with a complex mix of flavours and a scent of red fruits. Another 90-point wine in the guide is a little more pricey, but still incredibly cheap for a world-acclaimed tipple: Finca de la Cruz; again, a red from the Ribera de Duero, it comes in at €8.99 and is described as ‘balanced’, ‘creamy’ and ‘fruity’ in flavour and texture, with a slight woody hint from the barrels it was aged in and a fruits-of-theforest taste. This one is from Lidl, like the others, but they may be found in other supermarkets in Spain, too, and the price is unlikely to vary greatly – at most, a few cents – and could be a life-saver this festive season for those whose imagination has run dry, whose purse is dryer still, but who likes to involve plenty of consideration and personal touches in all presents they give at Christmas.

New mortgage applications soared by 57.7 percent in the last year, the highest figure in more than a decade. According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), the number of mortgages applied for and accepted in September, the last full month for which figures are available, dramatically exceeded those for the same month in 2020. With eight home purchase loans in September 2021 for every five in that month last year, the total nationwide of 42,547 is the most ever seen since March 2011, INE data show. The average mortgage was for €143,831, the highest figure since February 2020 when the pandemic was still thought to be something happening elsewhere in the world – representing a total sum loaned by Spain’s banks of just under €6.2 billion. Two in three were fixed-rate mortgages – 65.7 percent of the total – continuing a trend which, by September this year, was in its fifth month. Since the end of April, over 60 perent of home loans have been fixed-rate versions, possibly over uncertainty as to whether the historic lows in Eurozone interest will continue. Despite warnings for many

years from economists about how the ‘Euribor honeymoon’ is unlikely to last, the rate has been in negative figures since February 2016 and has tended to drop rather than rise – a deliberate strategy on the part of the European Central Bank (BCE) to try to aid recovery in the common currency zone by making finance cheaper. Initially, it was aimed at raising inflation, but even though retail price indices across the continent have soared recently due to fuel costs, transport shortages and other supplychain issues, the BCE said just weeks ago that it did not intend to raise the Euribor while countries still faced economic insecurity due to the pandemic. Spanish mortgages are linked to this Eurozone interest rate, but monthly repayments are reviewed and adjusted annually or, in some cases, every six

months, so a rate hike does not mean a sudden unforeseen increase in household bills – where the Euribor shows signs of starting to rise, homeowners still have up to a year to plan and to decide whether it is worth applying a fixed rate. As at September, the average interest rate on a mortgage for buying a home in Spain was 2.4 percent - variable-rate loans came in at typically 2.19 percent, or 2.96 percentage points above the Euribor, whilst fixed-rate loans averaged around 2.65 percent, as these are typically more expensive. The average Euribor rate for September was -0.492 percent, meaning a very sharp rise would be needed to make a real difference to monthly variablerate mortgage repayments or to bring Eurozone interest back into positive figures after nearly six years below zero.

33 under 30s employed by town hall

Torrevieja Town Hall has employed 33 young unemployed people under the Empuju programme. The total number of people employed under Empuju is 71 – 38 people over 30 and 33 under 30s – all of whom are being contracted for a year. The group of young people was greeted at a welcome meeting attended by the Mayor Eduardo Dolón as well as the Councillor for Employment, Domingo Paredes.

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Bars & Restaurants

Christmas Gift Appeal Willow International School with the support of TKOfm and the Costa Blanca People has launched a Christmas Gift Appeal in aid of San José Obrero orphanage. The orphanage caters for around 60 children from the age of 5 to 18 housed in two residence units in Orihuela and Elche. There are also 24 children in a day facility who go home in the evening time as well as a temporary foster care facility. There is also transitional accommodation for older teenagers who do not have family support in order to help them cope with the evolution to adulthood and independence. The orphanage is run by the church and most of the children both live and are educated there. In spite of this, the orphanage does not receive support from the state and is always looking for help from the public. In the spirit of Christmas and ‘children helping children’, Willow International School is asking students’ families and members of the public in general to add an extra item to their Christmas shopping lists this year. School Principal Amanda Riding said “As a community, the expats have always been so supportive of charity appeals and I think everyone will agree that making sure these children have a special gift at Christmas time is a very worthy cause indeed.”

To support the Gift Appeal, all you need to do is to buy a gift, wrap it and drop if off at one of the drop off points (listed below). If you would like to buy a specific gift for a specific age group or gender, we have also listed below a breakdown of the children currently in care at the orphanage. While younger children will be delighted with toys, older children might perhaps like some toiletries, Christmas sweets or goodies, or even a voucher in order to go shopping in the sales. Fundraiser for the orphanage Lyn Adams said, “The children are always in need of basic items, clothes and toiletries.” If your gift is for a specific age group or gender, please indicate on the outside of the parcel. AGE 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

BOYS 1 4 4 3 1 5 3 2 2

GIRLS 3 3 2 8 4 6 3

DROP OFF POINTS • Willow International School, Pueblo Bravo, Quesada 9.30am till 2.30pm Monday to Friday • Crystals Restaurant, La Fuente Thursday to Saturday from 6pm and Sundays from 1pm • Leddy Homes/Leddy Contractors, Calle San Miguel 9, Los Montesinos 10 til 2pm Monday to Friday • TKO Radio & Easy Buy Properties, Avenida De La Mancha 29b, Aguas Nuevas, Torrevieja, between 9:30am til 3:30pm • St George pub, Dog and Firkin & The Chippy, Catral 12pm – late • The Final Whistle, Consum Sqaure, La Marina 10am – late • PSI Consultants, Playa Flamenca 10am – 2pm Monday -Friday The toys can be of any size or cost - all gifts will be most gratefully received. The deadline for all gifts to be dropped off is Friday December 10th.

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San Fulgencio encourages shopping local during the Christmas season A new initiative, organised by the departments of Development and Commerce, will distribute more than 7000 euros in vouchers to be exchanged in shops in the municipality. The campaign, entitled ‘Christmas in San Fulgencio, bringing business closer to you’, will run until 19 December and aims to “boost the commercial sector of the town in the upcoming festive season. Anyone shopping in the 32

participating establishments in San Fulgencio over the next few weeks will be entered into a draw to win vouchers. The vouchers are worth 1,000, 600, 400 and 100 euros with a variety up for grabs. Winners will be announced at a draw which takes place at the Christmas Fair on December 19th. Winners then have a certain amount of days in which to spend the vouchers at local shops.

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I have just discovered that one member of our social group has not been vaccinated against Covid 19. This person made no bones about the fact that they did not believe there was a virus at all, and that it was their

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opinion that there is a conspiracy by the world leaders. They then went on to tell me that they purposely did not go for their vaccination when called. Since then, I have discussed the conversation with my partner, who says that I should

inform the group leader. I do not want to be known as a snitch, but I feel everyone in the group should be made aware. All of us wear masks throughout the weekly gathering, and we distance and sanitise. Worryingly, this person also said that they don’t always sanitise, or wear a mask unless instructed to do so when going into a store etc.

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You have a duty to say something to all, or inform the group leader. Sitting in a group with someone who has not been vaccinated puts everyone at risk. I myself have had my own experience of Corona virus recently. My 94-year-old father died from Covid three weeks ago. He was vaccinated, fit and well beforehand, and living with someone whose irresponsible and neglectful lifestyle without doubt led

to my father’s demise. We all have a duty to be ultra-cautious when it comes to protecting ourselves, and ensure the safety of people in the ‘at risk’ category against this awful virus. We mustn’t get complacent; this virus is still as deadly as it was at the outbreak. Please, everyone be sensible this Christmas and think twice about attending parties and gatherings.

WRITE TO SARA IN CONFIDENCE. A PSEUDONYM WILL BE USED IF YOU WISH. SARA READS ALL LETTERS AND CAN GIVE A PERSONAL REPLY. EMAIL YOUR QUESTION TO SARA@COSTABLANCAPEOPLE.COM OR SARA IS AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS, TELEPHONE 650 054 467.

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Proper Seat Belt Use Seat belts are designed for one purpose only, to save lives. Statistics show that by wearing a seat belt the probability of death when involved in a collision is halved, whereas according to the data from the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) and the Instituto Universitario de Tráfico y Seguridad Vial (INTRAS), the risk of death is cut by a staggering 77% in an overturned vehicle. However, for the seat belt to be effective, it must be worn correctly, in order for it to fulfil the function it is designed for fully. The correct way to wear the seat belt is for it to go across the torso diagonally, and across the waist, firmly secured in these positions. The top part must be on the hard part of the collarbone, halfway between the shoulder and the neck. The lower end sits against the hardness of the pelvis. The three-point seat belt, which is fitted as standard to most modern vehicles, has an upper (thoracic) and a lower band (pelvic). Both must be

snugly fitting against the body. For the seat belt to offer maximum protection it must be on the hard parts of the body, leaning against the collarbone, halfway between the shoulder and neck at the top, and the iliac crest of the pelvis, never on the abdomen. Accessories such as cushions or other additions should not be used. Once you have pulled the seat belt across your body and secured the strap in the locked position, make sure that the seat belt is not twisted at any point. If it is, undo the seat belt and remove the twists. Once secure, pull the seat belt so that it fits snugly against the body, with any slack being taken back at the top. If the seat belt is not worn correctly, it can cause further problems in the event of a collision. For example, if the upper band is taken off the shoulder, it can cause a head impact with the windscreen, dashboard or seat in front. It can also produce cervical lesions. If the belt is not firm around the body it can cause the vehicle to slide

under the belt, casing lower body and spinal injuries. This is often referred to as the “submarine effect”. To prevent “submarining”, the vehicle occupants must also sit in a proper position when riding in the vehicle, with the seat belt securely fastened as mentioned, and without having any additions such as pillows or cushions which may contribute to the reduction of effectiveness of the seat belt. It is also important to remember the one seat belt – one seat rule. All vehicle occupants are obliged to wear a seat belt, both in the front and the back seats. Some vehicles only have two seat belts in the back for example, and so that vehicle can only carry two passengers on that seat. There are other rules regarding children in cars. Primarily, children under 1.35 metres in height are not allowed to travel in the front seats and they most use an appropriate restraining system for their height and weight.

Snow Preparations

As winter starts to set in, even places like the Costa Blanca are often less than an hour away from mountainous regions where snow can quickly close roads shutting off towns and villages. If there is a risk that you will be driving in snow, you really need to consider purchasing snow chains for your vehicle. Carrying snow chains is not a mandatory requirement, but in some areas, where snow packs the road, it becomes compulsory to use them, and so having them ready is advisable. The Guardia Civil, police or other authorities responsible for the road can impose a restriction without warning, placing signs on the roads indicating that the use of snow chains compulsory, and if you don´t have them with you, you have just one option, to wait until the road has been cleared by a snowplough or naturally, until the restriction is lifted. Failure to adhere to the mandatory

use is not only extremely dangerous, you risk a fine. If you see the “cadenas obligatorias”, or variant thereof, you must stop driving if you don´t have snow chains on your vehicle. It might also be wise to take

additional equipment with you, such as warm blankets, emergency food and drink, and always advise somebody of your journey and route, as mobile phone signals are not always as reliable as we might hope.

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International Christian Assembly Evangelical Church. We welcome you to Sunday Service at 11am (English) Calle Urbano Arregui 23, Torrevieja, 03185 www.icatorrevieja.org Phone; 966799273 or 660127276 (SH) Join us at Salt Church. Sundays at 10.30am. We are a friendly Church, Bible centred in our teaching and informal in our worship. Calle Daya Nueva 12, Poligino Industrial Levante II, 03187 Los Montsinos. www.saltchurch.es Facebook: SaltChurchSpain

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Busters Golf Society results Although the sun was shining a cold wind took the edge off the first part of the day, but after we had played a few holes and the wind dropped we were lucky to play El Plantio in an excellent climate, the course and greens were in very good condition but the bunkers left a lot to be desired due to the previous bad weather. We returned to our sponsors bar Little Leias in Quesada which is situated close to Consum supermarket for our presentation where Helen prepared sandwiches which along the wine as part of our prizes had been supplied by Ian the owner of this very friendly and pleasant bar. Onto our results, our nearest the pins were taken by B. Grinsell on the seventh hole, our President B. Hopkinson won

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TILING

the ninth, the fourteenth was taken by K. Loughery with R. Ashman winning the eighteenth, for those that returned to the bar they were presented with bottles of red wine, in third place with thirty-two points was Chris Soane, Malcolm Evans took second place with thirty four points but our winner on the day with thirty-five points was Rob Ashman winning a bottle of Reserva brandy that Busters provided, we had one winner in our twos competition being Keith Loughery the soccer card winner was Ian a guest of Keith Loughery’s. If you are interested in joining our small friendly society (it’s free) please contact me at bustersgolfsociety@ hotmail.com stating your phone number, and handicap

Handball world cup continues The World Cup of Women’s Handball continues to take place all this week in Torrevieja and three other host towns - Castelló, Granollers and Llíria. This is the 25th IHF world championship and the first ever to feature 32 teams. Matches, still in group stage, run until December 19th. Participating teams are as follows: Hosts: Spain (ESP) Reigning world champions: Netherlands (NED) Africa: Angola (ANG), Cameroon (CMR), Congo (CGO), Tunisia (TUN) Asia: Iran (IRI), Japan (JPN), Kazakhstan (KAZ), Republic of Korea (KOR), Uzbekistan (UZB) Europe: Austria (AUT), Croatia (CRO), Czech Republic (CZE), Denmark (DEN),

France (FRA), Germany (GER), Hungary (HUN), Montenegro (MNE), Norway (NOR), Romania (ROU), RHF, Serbia (SRB), Slovenia (SLO), Sweden (SWE) North America and the Caribbean: Puerto Rico (PUR) South and Central America: Argentina (ARG), Brazil (BRA, Paraguay (PAR) Substitute nation: Poland (POL) Wild Cards: PR of China (CHN), Slovakia (SVK) Tickets can be purchased online at: https://www.marcaentradas.com/ eventos/spain-handball-tickets-2021 For news and amazing photographs of these world class athletes in action, log on to the event’s official news site: https://spainhandball2021.com/ noticias/

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TALES FROM THE TOP FLIGHT n CHRIS DARWEN chris@costablancapeople.com

Let us not let Carrick’s impressive mini-tenure distract us from the real talking point of the match, though. David de Gea and Fred are two players who certainly have endured raised eyebrows due to their performances during the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era even if DDG seems to have returned to his shot-stopping best this season. But, the goal conceded against Arsenal was pure comedy gold. Fred, seemingly incapable of cleaning out any of his opponents in the middle of the park, managed to nobble his goalkeeper as a set-piece came in. De Gea, clearly thinking an Arsenal play had trodden on his little toe, hit the deck expecting a foul to be given because, you know, keepers are a protected species and if you breathe on them it is foul. DDG was rolling around on his line with his back to goal as the ball fell to Arsenal’s Emile SmithRowe who then shinned it towards goal from outside the area. Of course, the ball went it - had De Gea been lying down facing the game, he could have stuck his arms out and saved it. The ref nearly gave a foul and avoided looking like a total idiot by not giving said foul. I would love to think that he quickly thought, “VAR’s got this if I am wrong” but we’ll never know as they don’t talk to us. Rangnick was in the stands watching the chaos - and given he is a coach that likes to mention the word ‘control’ sixteen times an interview, he would have been forgiven for thinking that the issues run deeper than expected with United. And, of course, Ronaldo - the player every armchair analyst is saying cannot play Rangnickball bailed United out once again with the brace that got all three points.

running for a top-four finish. Chelsea are having a bit of a wobble, and then you bring on a €90m+ centre forward to make an impact as a sub, you’d hope he had more of an impact than Romelu Lukaku. They were replaced at the top firstly by King Kloppo’s Liverpool. Their 1-0 win over Wolves would have been sorted out far sooner had Diogo Jota done anything other than smash it straight into Conor Coady’s, er, nuts. It took ‘legend’ Divock Origi to bail his side out with a late winner having come off the bench. That’s how you do it, Rom.

The festive period must be soon upon us as we were treated to a full midweek programme of proper Premier League football. And boy, did it serve up some things for us to point the finger-of-fun at. It would be remiss of me to start anywhere other than Old Trafford, of course. Michael Carrick remained in charge after Herr Rangnick’s work permit was delayed and United’s exmidfielder will leave his temporary gig reputation very much intact with two wins and a draw.

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back into the ground to watch the ritual humiliation are obviously fake but funny nonetheless. I said last week that what is Rafa actually meant to do given the injuries and the lack of money he had to sort out a pretty ropey squad? Well, one answer is probably “don’t go two in the middle of the park against Liverpool’. Benitez, the defensive tactical mastermind, got that slightly wrong. Liverpool cruised and Mo Salah, that finish was a little bit sexy. League leaders Chelsea were bang average against Claudio’s Watford. Sure, they won 2-1 but they needed Mason Mount to come off the bench and change the game for them. The injuries are mounting up (no pun intended) for Tuchel as Chalobah joined Kante, Chilwell and a few others on the sideline. If Mo Salah’s finish rated high on the sex-appeal-ometer, Bernardo Silva’s volley for Man City at Villa Park was off the chart. The Portuguese is this season’s Ilkay Gundogan for Pep - by which we mean a sudden flavour of the month who has become the glue holding the team together. Stevie G reckons his Villa side had City worried. The rest of us felt City probably kept a little bit in the tank given the run of games they are about to face. Leicester would do well to fix their defence in January if none of their proper defenders are due back from injury soon. Not many sides have conceded more than Brentan’s lot though they do appear to have found the old James Maddison down the back of the sofa and are using him to great effect.

to Norwich. Eddie Howe was left scratching his head at Ciaran Clark’s brainfart leading to a 9th-minute red card. Newcastle led before Pukki got Dean Smith a point. Finally, the less said about Wolves’ nil-nil with Burnley the better for all of us.

Tales from the Top Flight, take two Well, it certainly wasn’t a slow waltz but it certainly wasn’t rock’n’roll either. Ralf Ragnick’s Manchester United debut was more like a drunken dance in the club - you think it will look good, you hope it will look good but even with the best of intentions, it’s all arms and legs everywhere with little coordination. Of course, the latest German to come and save English football has only had one session to get his user-specific pattern of play into the United players’ brains - brains that need retraining, apparently. But they showed some willingness to run around - even that old bloke upfront. After his ‘moment’ against Arsenal, not many would have had money on Fred being Ralf’s match-winner - the fact it fell on his right foot probably meant he didn’t have to think too much before curling it away into the top corner. The plan to modernise Manchester United is underway and there was another United manager who started an era of success with a 1-0 win over Palace. Just saying.

What will it be with Ronaldo? Does he not press because he is not asked to or because he does not want to? I guess we will find out soon.

Neal Maupay added to the cool midweek goals list with a late leveller against West Ham at the Athletic’s Stadium. The Moysiah is on a minislump and will hope to see the early season form reappear sometime soon - unless it is a cunning plan to get their new Czech investor to put his hand in his pocket in the window.

Sunday’s match at Old Trafford was hardly enough to get the top three quaking in their boots. Chelsea had other things to be worrying about, like how on earth did Arthur Masuaka’s cross end up in the back of their net? Edouard Mendy, probably still smarting from giving away a penalty in the first half, was understandably expecting the ball to come flying across the face of his goal, not bizarrely ending up sneaking into the near post.

There were some glorious internet memes doing the rounds following Liverpool taking their local rivals to the cleaners in the Merseyside Derby. Shots of stewards forcing Everton fans

Leeds got a much-needed win at home to Palace, courtesy of a late pen from Raphinha. Newcastle are very much missing a much-needed win following their 1-1 draw at home

West Ham deserved their win, make no mistake. Moyes Boys needed a performance and they certainly put one in, knocking their city rivals off top spot and keeping themselves in the

Liverpool’s stay at the summit was expected to be short-lived as Man City only had to worry about Watford at Vicarage Road. That said, in six Premier League outings Claudio Ranieri had only been beaten by City the once. We can now officially chalk that up as twice in seven as City swept past the Hornets 3-1 without really breaking too much sweat. Once again, Bernardo Silva showed why he gets the special seat on the bus this season - scoring yet again. Tottenham beat Norwich 3-0, yet the real news from North London was that Harry Kane failed to score again. Lucas Moura, immediately benefitting from Antonio Conte’s tough love, scored a bit of a belter. We can no longer point and laugh at Newcastle having all that money but no wins. They finally got off the mark, courtesy of Nick Pope randomly dropping the ball and Callum Wilson scoring with a clever little finish. Eddie Howe is up and running at St James’ Park and you’d have to give them a little hope of staying up now. Assuming Burnley and Sean Dyche do what they always do, who else could join Norwich in leaving the Premier League this season? Of course, it might not even be Norwich. It might be Leeds, a team I tipped to finish 6th this season - shades of me suggesting Leicester being relegated the season they won the damn thing there. Brentford looked like they’d punched Bielsa in the gut once more until Patrick Bamford reappeared from injury off the bench and scored a late leveller. Rom? Rom? Are you watching? If you want a striker to consistently score late equalisers, look no further than Brighton’s Neal Maupay. He followed up his midweek heroics with the goal that earned a point against ‘local’ rivals Southampton. Is it really a derby? I don’t think so and I suspect the Southampton fans agree. Now, given that Kasper Schmeichel is quicker than Jamie Vardy chasing down a through ball when it comes to challenging a referee’s decision, does that suggest that he knew that goal should have counted? I’ll readily admit, I thought you have to have two hands on the ball ‘to be in control’ of it but the law does say one - unless, of course, it’s

straight after a save or rebound. Er, like it was at Villa Park. VAR has generally meant the right decision is stumbled upon eventually, but in this case it seems to have got it very wrong - Michael Oliver sees a still of Schmeichel pinning the ball to the ground before he sees anything else so that’s got to be his first impression. And then, we learn, his footage doesn’t show Leicester’s captain pushing the ball out in the first movement. It’s no wonder he disallowed it with that evidence. This season, Leicester are frighteningly bad in defence and managed to defend their first-half lead for less time than it took Oliver to decide that Jacob Ramsey’s goal was a no-go. Villa’s second was the 7th Brentan’s lot have conceded from corners this season. It’s fair to say Stevie G has made a bit of an impact. Rodgers, with each passing week, looks more likely to be fighting for his job than getting a call from United. Up at Goodison, all is not well. After the hammering by Liverpool, rumours started swirling that some of the board had had enough of Rafa already. It was suggested an emergency meeting took place late on Saturday night to discuss the Champions Leaguewinning gaffer’s position - yet it was Director of Football Marcel Brands who found himself unemployed on Sunday. It’s been a while since we had a bit of a giggle at the latest transfer rumours and with January approaching fast we may as well jump right in. Newcastle are obviously going to spend a bit of cash after Christmas and they are believed to be superkeen on Jesse Lingard, naturally, and Atletico’s England international rightback Kieran Trippier. It categorically won’t be long before Barcelona get in touch with the new owners offering them their pick of Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho or Clement Lenglet. Howe, however, would rather Burnley’s Ben Mee and James Tarkowski. Of course, he would. If Everton do go a bit crazy and sack Benitez, they’ve got their eye on rescuing Jose Mourinho from doing another terrible job at Roma. It would appear the main requirement Everton have when recruiting is that you have to have managed Real Madrid in the past or fancy the Barcelona job in the future. Barca have seen enough of Ferran Torres being Sergio Aguero’s replacement at City for them to want him to be Sergio Aguero’s replacement at the Camp Nou. Finally, the rumour mill went into overdrive after RB Leipzig sacked Jesse Marsch on Sunday - Ralf’s number two in the not-too-distant with the promise of being the big man next season if Rangnick chooses not to suggest himself for the full-time gig?

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SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 36

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