Costa Blanca South 11 – 17 May 2023 Issue 1975

WALK FOR LIFE

MARIA and the Pink Ladies and Panthers ‘Walk for Life’ is back for the first time since 2019 in pre‐Covid times.

The Pink Ladies Walk for Life first took place in June 2010 when Maria was diagnosed with breast cancer, it then be‐came a regular annual fundraising event in the Pink Ladies’ calendar until the Covid restrictions.

Thanks to the co‐operation of the Orihuela Council, espe‐cially Firmin Gonzales Ro‐driguez and the Local Police they can reintroduce the ‘Walk for Life’ and it will be held on Sunday June 4.

Previously the walk started

and finished at the Playa Fla‐menca promenade, this year the walk will start and finish at The Pink Ladies AACC regional office at Flamenca Beach Com‐mercial Centre.

The walk will still cover ap‐proximately five kilometres and everyone is encouraged to wear pink in memory of some‐one who lost their fight to this heinous disease, those still fighting it and not forgetting those who beat it and sur‐vived.

The registration fee is only €5 and sponsorship forms are available for those that wish to help raise much needed funds to help in the fight against can‐

cer. ALL monies raised on the day will be donated to the AACC, the cancer charity for the people of this area.

To register people may;

1.Call into the office, lower floor of Flamenca Beach C.C.

2. Call the office on 865 942 795

3. Call Maria on 633 4887 595

4. Contact by e mail on in fo@pink‐ladies.org

5. On the day at The Fla‐menca Beach CC (registration on the day starts at 10.30am) The walk will begin at ap‐proximately 11.45am.

The Pink Ladies will also be booking screening tests on the day for various cancers as early detection saves lives.

WALK RETURNS: Raising money for cancer research.

Credit: Maria and the Pink Ladies

Another day, another rescue

EASY HORSE CARE RESCUE CENTRE has welcomed its 188th rescue to the centre. Their newest arrival is an elderly donkey that they took into their care after they were contacted by the Sax Town Council.

She had been abandoned on a rundown finca, some concerned neighbours were feeding her. Sue and her husband Rod along with their volunteers col ‐lected the donkey and they will continue to care for her in their rescue centre in Ro‐jales.

Sue Weeding said “These rescues are only possible thanks to the kindness of our followers, either by do‐nating items to one of our three charity shops or from attending our tours.”

Sue also advised that the next step for the rescue centre is to receive the ap‐proval for a farm licence, they are just currently wait‐ing for the government vets to visit for one last round of inspections and

RESCUED DONKEY: Will now be looked after by the centre.

they will be able to cater to groups who want to visit their centre to view the an‐imals and the work they do

there. For more informa ‐tion visit their website www.easyhorsecare.net or call Sue on 652 021 980.

Church reform

THE Orihuela Town Council’s Department of Histori‐cal Heritage, directed by José Aix, has applied for a grant from the Alicante Provincial Council to reno ‐vate the church of San José de La Murada.

The work will cost €79,874 and they will request a subsidy of 50 per cent of the cost. The building dates back to 1788 making it 234 years old. The restora ‐tion work will consist of repairing damp in the ceil ‐ing and walls, preparing cracks, replacing carpentry, repairing the roof, improving the rainwater drainage system, renovating the floor, and painting both the exterior and the interior.

NIBS EXTRA

Flag frenzy

ORIHUELA seized the spot‐light in the national Blue Flag awards, collecting a to‐tal of 11 flags, more than any other town in the Va‐lencian Community which also garnered the most flags nationally. The award recognised the town’s pris‐tine beaches.

Great start

POSH AFFAIRE band had an electrifying start to the summer season with their first Sunday lunchtime gig over the weekend. The group thanked supporters who attended the event in La Florida and thanked Ori‐huela Costa Community Foodbank who ran a raffle.

Revved up

MOTOR mania took over the Fira Alacant venue over the weekend with a vehicle exhibition featuring new and used models from more than 130 top brands. Visitors enjoyed captivating displays and checking out the latest innovation in the motoring world.

Free concert

ON Monday, May 15, the Crescendo International Choir is holding a free con‐cert at the School of Music and Culture on C/Zaragoza 5, Los Montesinos. The con‐cert begins at 6.30pm. There will also be a collec‐tion for a disabled charity.

Amazing theatre

THE stunning ground‐break‐ing theatre spectacle Cruz de Navajas, the last Mecano arrives at the Teatro Munici‐pal de Torrevieja for four nights only from May 11 un‐til May 14.

Friends for life

FOUR lifelong friends from Alicante who have shared every experience from child‐hood became pregnant at the same time and will now share their experience of motherhood. Their children were born around the same time and they all had boys!

Anna Ellis ELCHE City Council has drawn up its Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PMUS) whose purpose is to guarantee clean air and a healthy city.

The councillor for Mo ‐bility, Esther Diez, con ‐firmed: “It is an impor ‐tant tool to reduce polluting emissions by up to 50 per cent and to promote much healthier, friendlier and greener neighbourhoods through a new use of public space.

“PMUS is mandatory for cities in the Valencian Community with more than 20,000 inhabitants.”

Diez also indicated that the strategic objectives are to promote mobility on foot, the use of bicy ‐

Cleaner air

cles, improve the public transport network, pro ‐mote intermodality, ra ‐tionalise the use of pri ‐vate vehicles, guarantee orderly loading and un ‐loading, educate and raise awareness towards sustainable mobility val ‐ues, promote less pollut ‐ing fuels and technologies and promote smart mo ‐bility.

“In summary, the goal is to reduce polluting emissions in Elche, 80 per cent of which come from private traffic,” confirmed the councillor.

YOUR EWN HAS

122 STORIES IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION

Torrevieja solar plant

THE company Corpo ‐ración Energética 1 SL has submitted a plan to build an 83,000‐metre square solar energy plant in Los Romeros in Torrevieja.

Top for transparency

SANTA POLA is the most transparent town hall in the province of Alicante accord‐ing to InforParticipa of the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

Santa Pola Town Council has achieved 96.15 per cent out of 100 in the trans ‐parency indicators of In ‐foParticipa, which mea ‐sures the quality of public communication in the town councils of the Valencian Community.

The councillor for Trans‐parency, Jose Pedro Mar ‐tinez, confirmed: “In four years of government we have become one of the most transparent councils

in the Valencian Communi‐ty.”

This evaluation entity has a system, a technological platform, a scientific methodology, and a consol‐idated research team, such as the Infoparticipa map.

The Infoparticipa Associa‐tion evaluates the websites of local institutions, based on 52 indicators adapted to the transparency laws in force, both at state level and in the different au ‐tonomous communities.

This provides very valu‐able information and acts as a thermometer of the transparency of the re ‐questing municipalities.

A Home victory for Hercules CF

HERCULES CF played at home last weekend at their Estadio José Rico Pérez against Atlético Saguntino.

Hercules was award ‐ed a penalty in the 27th minute and Raul Ruiz netted the goal for the home team.

Less than 10 min ‐utes later Hercules youngster Albert Ramis Luque was sent off for a second yellow card and Pedro Tores scored just before

British woman dies on beach

AN elderly British woman has col ‐lapsed and died at the water’s edge on a Costa Blanca beach.

Early afternoon on Thursday, May 4, a woman, believed to be a 76‐year‐old Briton, collapsed and died as she was walking in shallow water at Arenal Beach, Costa Blanca, said a news source.

The unnamed woman fell over whereupon her worried relatives rushed over to help.

As they pulled her away from the water’s edge, others who saw the in ‐

cident called for the emergency ser ‐vices.

At about 2pm the scene was attend‐ed by Local Police, the Red Cross and officers from the Guardia Civil.

Despite best efforts to resuscitate the woman, she was sadly pro ‐nounced dead.

Less than a week ago, a 62‐year‐old British man drowned off a beach on the Costa Brava.

And in April a 58 ‐ year ‐ old British man died from a heart attack on a beach in Tenerife.

halftime for Saguntino to make it level at the break. Hercules then scored in a dramatic fashion to win the match in the 94th minute, when mid ‐fielder Alexandro Daniel Toscano Llordal scored for Hercules to collect all three points.

Hercules are now in seventh position and will travel to Ibiza to face Ibiza Islas Pitiusas on Sunday May 14.

If the plan is autho ‐rised by the Genaralitat Valenciana it will be lo‐cated 10 metres from the protected area of the Natural Park of the salt lakes of Torrevieja and La Mata, at the CV‐905 and the CV‐945 the junction that connects Torrevieja with Rojales.

This area has also been identified as a common passage for wetland birds.

The project has al ‐ready been granted the certificate of urban de‐velopment compatibili‐ty from the town coun‐cil which states the land where the facility will be located is com‐patible with this use and they have pub ‐lished a landscape valu‐ation survey.

Image: Elche City Council

Elche’s councillor for Mobility, Esther Diez.

Defying Huntington’s

Betty Henderson

MAY is Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month, and one local charity group is standing out as a beacon of hope and support for sufferers and their families.

The Association of Movers and Shakers, a charity based in Almoradi, is making waves throughout the Costa Blanca region with their unwavering dedication to supporting peo‐ple suffering from diseases in‐cluding Huntington’s Disease.

This month, they’re putting the spotlight on Huntington’s, a hereditary neurological con‐dition. The group is sharing

stories of courage and re ‐silience despite the devasta‐tion of the disease.

One man supported by the

Shunning shingles

group is David Smith, who re‐fused to be defined by his Huntington’s diagnosis.

After moving to Orihuela, David found solace in a net‐work of family, friends, his neurologist and the Movers and Shakers.

David attends the Movers and Shakers Friday Club at O’ Briens in El Raso where suffer‐ers and those affected by the disease meet for a drink, snack and a chat.

The group is also a valuable opportunity for carers and family members to share their concerns and challenges they face.

“It’s all Greek to me.”

Anna Ellis SPAIN’S Ministry of Health is offering vaccination against Herpes Zoster in the vaccina‐tion system for people aged between 65 and 80.

Since April 1, the Commu‐nity of Valencia has been ad‐ministering the shingles vac‐cine to people born between 1943 and 1958.

For this reason, the Pinoso‐Alguena Health Centre is sending messages to people born between these years with the date and time of the vaccination, the Nursing Co‐ordinator, Antonio Mira, ex‐plained on Radio Pinoso.

The risks of contracting shingles increase with age. The most frequent complica‐tion of shingles is a pro ‐longed neuralgic pain called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

This occurs in the area of the rash and may last for months or years after the rash disappears. The pain caused by PHN can be severe and debilitating.

The Department of Health recommends vaccination for people over 18 years of age with various risky conditions including people with a histo‐ry of repeated shingles.

Pioneering project

THE Health Department of the General Hospital of Elche is participating in a pioneering project in the Valencian Com‐munity to improve the pre‐clin‐ical phase of blood samples and ensure the traceability of the size and the optimal state in its transport from the health centres to the laboratory from the hospital centre.

These are smart refrigera‐tors that make it easier to track the location of the samples in real‐time from extraction to delivery to the laboratory, re‐motely control the tempera‐

ture and even provide data on who has handled them.

This ensures the good main‐tenance of the biological sam‐ples and makes it possible to eliminate the deficiencies that can occur during cold trans‐port. It solves the logistical problems that could occur such as a change in tempera‐ture, the containers tipping over or a blow. These prob‐lems make it necessary to re‐peat the sampling, this entails time and inconvenience to the patient as well as the conse‐quent delay of the results.

THE motorhome market is constantly growing, and the trend indicates that it will continue like this for the next few years, at least on the Eu‐ropean continent.

According to esti ‐mates, the annual growth rate will be more than 7 per cent for the period between 2020 and 2025.

With this in mind, AMAFI Caravanning is in the process of opening a new motorhome rental headquarters in Alicante. There are two well‐de‐fined segments in the market, those who buy the vehicles and those who rent them and AMAFI specialises in this last sector.

One of the most strik‐ing options offered by motorhome rentals in Alicante is the Elnagh Baron 581 model. This vehicle has a rear suite with a double bed on an island, a bathroom and a separate shower, guar‐anteeing high levels of comfort during trips.

In addition, it has the capacity for five people, a rear parking camera, stereo, GPS with maps of the entire European con‐tinent and radar alert, hands‐free, Bluetooth and USB to play music and videos of different kinds.

It also has a compre‐hensive heating system, a full kitchen and free Wi‐Fi service to connect up to ten devices.

Photo credit: Association of Movers and Shakers

PROVERB OF THE WEEK

Means that something is difficult to understand due to its complexity.

This expression was coined by Shakespeare who used it literally in Julius Caesar.

1st ever novel was written in Spanish.

ELCHE is prepar‐ing for a musical extravaganza to celebrate Eurovi‐sion on Saturday, May 13 with a major community cel‐ebration to support the city’s homegrown sensation, and Spanish representative in the competition, Blanca Paloma!

Sound of Elche

pool's M&S Bank Arena.

Elche City Council said it plans to set up not one, but two gigantic screens in the heart of the city to broadcast every second of Paloma, and the other contestants’ per‐formances, live from Liver‐

The city will boast two cel‐ebration zones, Candalix and the iconic Plaza Mayor de El Altet will be both be trans‐formed into open‐air arenas, complete with food stands and DJ sets by Álvaro Fenoll and Aitor Belda in addition to the event screening.

This historical moment is a matter of immense pride for Elche, as the talented Blanca

Paloma be‐comes the first ever local artist to represent Spain in this prestigious international song contest.

To make sure Blanca Palo‐ma feels the love from her hometown, the hashtag #ConBlancaPaloma has been created to flood social media with messages of support and posters have gone up across the city.

More details about the event are available online.

Orihuela takes flight

ORIHUELA is taking flight thanks to a new collaboration between the council’s De‐partment for Tourism and the airline, Air Europa which was announced on Friday, May 5.

The partnership has resulted in an advert for the town’s distinctive Fiestas de la Re‐conquista traditional event in Air Europa’s popular magazine. The magazine, ‘Europa’, will showcase the Fiestas de la Reconquista in both Spanish and English, guaranteeing a wide reach among passengers on national and international routes.

A digital version of the campaign will also be available through a QR code on boarding

passes and it will also be displayed on the airline’s newsletter and website.

The town’s councillor for Tourism, María García unveiled the exciting initiative and explained that the department is launching the campaign to support their application for the Moros y Cristianos celebration to be declared an International Event of Tourist Interest.

García shared the goal of attracting glob‐al visitors, saying, “We want to showcase our destination and make it a must‐visit site for travellers worldwide.” García added that the advert has a potential readership of more than one million passengers.

STATISTICS have been re ‐leased for the Orihuela‐Ali‐cante area showing that the cost of communions has gone up by 15 per cent. This increase is of course related to inflation but ‘the wed ‐ding effect’ is also driving up costs.

Every year the focus is more on the social aspect of the celebration rather than the religious aspect. The Consumers’ Union of the Valencian Community (UC‐CV) has released data that shows the average cost of the communion celebration is €3,600 with some costing as much as €9,000.

The average cost for a communion suit is €400 and a communion dress €510 without adding on the cost of the accessories and jewellery like shoes, gloves, a chain, or a cross which can total an additional €300 to €600 on average.

Of course, no celebration is complete without a fami‐ly gathering and most fami‐lies now choose to host the celebration in a restaurant. The average price per adult for the meal is €60 and for children €45. Parents usual‐

Mini weddings

A Surprise encounter

DUE to the environment in the area sur ‐rounding the lagoon of La Mata and Torre‐vieja, it is not unusual to spot a fox on the hunt for one of the many rabbits that popu‐late the pine forest of the La Mata Lagoon.

Usually, the foxes keep to themselves preferring not to approach the many peo‐ple that use the trail through the natural park for a running or walking track, but re‐cently that has changed. More and more people are uploading videos and pictures of encounters with them.

ly also include entertain ‐ment for the children and the adults and of course, you can’t skip the sweet table. There is more and more pressure on parents

to keep up with the trend so their children don’t ‘miss out’ and so every year the communion celebrations get more and more extrav‐agant.

ON Thursday May 4, Carp ‐ R ‐ Us fished what is colloquially known as the Mercadona Channel but is actu‐ally named the Canal del Progres‐sion. This is the concrete irrigation channel than goes beneath the N332 just before the La Marina Mercadona roundabout.

The channel was running fast and low, no more than 75cms deep, and dropped a further 8cm during the

Experts have advised the public not to worry about the increased interaction with the foxes saying ‘they are a safe prey in the lagoon area.’ Foxes are actually omnivores, they eat everything and have been seen munching on the dates of the palmetto palm, which are actually known as fox dates also, a species of palm tree native to the Mediterranean coast. As the lagoon

area offers such rich pickings for the foxes they are unlikely to be seen searching through urban waste. The people who have experienced these surprise encounters have said the foxes seemed cautious but not frightened by their presence.

Most are excited by their presence in the natural park and advise people to give them their space and observe them from a distance so as not to disturb them.

Simply not there

morning. For most, the fish did not want to know or simply weren’t there. Everyone had a feature in their swim whether it was bamboo type reeds or a small bush. These would normally be holding areas for the fish but not on this day. Quite

likely, the regular illegal netting of this channel has decimated the fish stock.

Again, repeating fishing lore, end pegs win. And, so it proved. The two end pegs proved to be first and second. On peg 1, retired Welsh in‐

ternational Doug Hornblow showed his class to weigh in 5.60 kgs, mainly carp caught on pole and maggot. At the downstream end peg, Nick Bo‐stock weighed 2.14kgs, also using pole and maggot. Nick had next to nothing with 10 minutes to go but then caught a decent mullet and a carp so pipping Roy Dainty on peg 7 who caught six small fish for 1.36 kgs. There were three dry nets.

More fox sightings in La Mata.

The wedding effect drives up communion costs.

Jazz Legend

JAZZ legend Stanley Clarke, the winner of five Grammy Awards will kick off the Fijazz Festival in Alicante which begins on July 13 at the Audi‐torio de la Diputación de Alicante. The festival runs until July 29. Stanley Clarke with a career spanning over 50 years has earned the title of living music legend. He is a world leader in elec‐tric bass and double bass and has just entered the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Mas‐ters fellowship, the highest distinction in the United States for jazz musicians. Stanley Clarke and American jazz composer Armando Antho‐ny ‘Chick’ Corea started a fusion group called Return Forever and they played together until

the early 80s. Stanley Clarke, one of the most sought‐after bassists in the world of jazz, also worked with Eliane Elias who will also perform at the Fijazz Festival. Clarke also pursued pro‐jects outside the jazz world performing in the New Barbarians group along with Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones and Keith Richards. He also created his own band The Stanley Clarke Band whose eponymous album won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Al‐bum in 2011. Stanley Clarke is also known for composing the music for television and film such as the soundtrack to ‘Boyz in the Hood’ and ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’.

XMAS PANTO CREW WANTED

THE Rojales Pantomime Group will be per‐forming a cracker of a pantomime in December called Snow White and The Seven Christmas Elves. Auditions have been held and the major‐ity of the parts have been cast, however, there are still a few vacancies that need to be filled …

Backstage Crew……. to help ensure that all the props are in the right place on stage for the correct scenes and to assist the cast throughout the performance.

Cast vacancies…… there are just a couple of small parts still to be cast.

If you would like to be part of a fun group of amateur thespians and think you could help our Group please email us at rojalespanto@ya hoo.com so we can invite you to join us at our rehearsals in Quesada and meet the rest of our cast and crew.

Pantomime is great fun so come along and enjoy yourself, plus you will be helping to raise money for some needy local charities.

Beta test

Relegation confirmed

AFTER four seasons in the Spanish top flight, Elche will play their football in La Liga 2 following a 2‐1 defeat to UD Almeria that confirmed their fate.

Almeria forward Leo Baptistao scored first for the home team in the 22nd minute, their sec ‐ond goal came after the break when Adrian Em‐barba scored in the 52nd minute.

Elche managed a goal in the 90th minute when Argentinian forward Eze‐quiel Ponce scored for his team. Elche travel to Madrid on Sunday May 14 to face Atletico Madrid but unfortunately, even with five games left to play this season, nothing they can do will keep

them in top ‐ flight foot ‐ball.

Elche may have been relegated but they still have their wonderful fans, Elche CF welcomed the children from the lo‐cal schools to their train‐ing on Monday, May 8.

The sound of the chil‐dren chanting ‘Elche, Elche’ reverberated around the stadium. They brought banners support‐ing the team that said ‘In Good Times and Bad’ ‘We are Elche’ and ‘We’ll re‐turn to La Liga’.

The players visibly moved signed autographs and posted about how moved they were on their social media ac ‐counts. What would foot‐ball be without the fans?

ALICANTE has agreed to autho‐rise the urban bus transport concessionaire to start testing the new Transport on Demand (TAD) service with the Rural De‐partments by shared taxi.

Thirty volunteers will take part in the beta test, five for each of the six lines, to evaluate its operation in the first fort‐night of May and provide their impressions in order to adjust the service, lines and stops, be‐fore it is put into regular opera‐tion in the second fortnight of May.

The councillor for Transport, Manuel Villar, explained that “this is important for Alicante as it is the first time that the TAD system has been put into oper‐ation, a historic demand of the rural districts.

“These tests or beta tests are considered necessary because they provide specific informa‐tion on potential and real users of the TAD service. They allow us to detect errors or deficien‐cies that were not noticed dur‐ing the design and develop‐ment phase of the system, they are a great source of improve‐ment for the project.

The UK tax year started on 6 April, so how will this impact your pocket? UK tax changes can affect you even if you are living in Spain, so here we outline the key announcements in the last two UK budgets.

Lifetime Allowance and other pensions tax changes

Probably the biggest surprise of the UK’s 2023 spring budget was the abolition of the pensions Lifetime Allowance and resulting tax charges.

While the Lifetime Allowance itself remains in place for now, the tax rate for breaching the limit is 0% from 6 April 2023 onwards. It will be scrapped entirely in the 2024 Finance Bill.

First introduced in 2006, your Lifetime Allowance is the amount you can hold in combined UK pension benefits (excluding state pension) before incurring additional tax charges – 55% for lump sums or 25% for income or overseas transfers. It has been cut significantly over recent years, from £1,800,000 in 2011 down to £1,073,100 before being scrapped.

The new UK tax year

lowance and minimum Tapered

Annual Allowance from £4,000 to £10,000, and from £40,000 to £60,000 for the Annual Allowance for contributions.

UK income tax

By Jon Pemberton, Partner,

contributions and growth. A future government could, however, reverse this move and the Labour Party quickly pledged to do so. Since pension transfers can take up to six months, there may be a limited opportunity to transfer your pension out of the UK and avoid any future UK charges.

The spring budget did not include any significant changes to income tax, but the autumn statement included measures to increase taxation.

The income tax personal allowance, higher rate threshold, national insurance contributions, upper earning limit and upper profits limit were frozen at their 2021 levels for another two years, until April 2028.

Freezing allowances and thresholds is often referred to as ‘tax by stealth’ since it increases taxation without putting up tax rates.

The income threshold for the additional 45% tax rate (47% in

Corporation tax increased to 25% for businesses making over £250k in profits.

Capital gains and dividends taxation

As announced in the Autumn Statement, the Capital Gains Tax Annual Exempt amount has dropped from £12,300 to £6,000 for the 2023-2024 tax year. It will be cut in half again, to £3,000, in April 2024.

The Dividend Allowance has also been halved, from £2,000 to £1000 from April 2023, and then to £500 in 2024.

UK inheritance tax

Both the general Nil Rate Band and Residential Nil Rate Band will remain frozen at £325,000 and £175,000 respectively until April 2028. Coupled with rising house prices, this will drag more and

frozen since 2009, which has impacted many families.

Cross-border tax advice

Take personalised advice from a cross-border specialist to establish if and how the UK tax changes could impact you and your family, even as a non-resident. If you have not yet left the UK, take advice before you dispose of UK assets to ensure you do that as taxefficiently as possible.

The tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual should take personalised advice.

Keep up to date on the financial issues that may affect you on the

Blevins Franks

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Author, Derek Farmer, reveals all

DEREK began writing when he was a young maths teacher in the late 70s.

“The textbooks that we used in those days were appalling in terms of motiva‐tion, dull cramped text and utterly boring,” Derek confirmed.

“I approached Longman with ideas for a set of textbooks with refreshing and inspi‐rational content that I thought would stim‐ulate secondary kids. To my surprise, my of fer was accepted and I was awarded a contract to produce three books.”

The task was daunting as Derek had a young family with three children under the age of four, but disaster struck when two out of his three children were diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.

Derek confirmed that: “My life was changed forever. In those days treatment was basic but time‐consuming, with endless rounds of physiotherapy. My writing initially took a back seat, but I knew that I had to carry on.”

After producing hundreds of diagrams and literally thousands of exciting new questions Derek’s work was done and his series of books entitled ‘Getting on with Maths’ was published in the 80s.

Fifteen years ago Derek and his wife retired to Villamartin near Torrevieja and his love of writing was reignited when his grandchildren were born.

This resulted in the publication in 2019 of the award‐winning ‘Somewhere in Yorkshire’ (BlossomSpring Publishing) aimed at seven‐12‐year‐olds.

Following this came the challenge of writing the novel that Derek had in his mind for so long.

“It’s a political thriller set in the 1980’s Lon‐don underworld. It has a romantic element and a high body count.”

‘The Dark Side of Innocence’ was pub ‐lished by Austin Macauley in February this year.

DEREK FARMER: Written his first novel.

Image: Derek Farmer

Keep it in the family

AS a foreigner, moving to a village in rural northern Spain means you are a curiosity. Neighbours will begin circling, not unlike sharks. Peeking through your gate like you’re an animal in the local zoo.

Of course, they are curious about your strange ways. How you venture out of the confines of your home in outfits in which they wouldn’t be caught dead, as you sweep your front porch without wearing the requisite apron of all women sweeping front porches. I can hear their thoughts. ‘Has she no shame?’

After two years, we had begun to rack up an

impressive stack of social faux pas. Erecting a fence to keep our dog in might impede hunters from crossing our land toting shotguns while chasing a pack of baying dogs. There were many more. We were given a wide berth when we would walk down to the village to order a coffee or a glass of wine. They took our money and handed over the beverages, but they didn’t look happy about it. But then, it all changed.

I needed a housekeeper. I called local businesses and asked everyone I met. No one would respond. So, I cleaned my own home without wearing an

apron. Heresy. Then, one day there was a knock at the door. A small woman stood there. She spoke only Gallego but, apparently, was here to clean my house.

Her apron was my first clue. Where she had come from, I didn’t know. But I hired her on the spot. And it turns out she’s the cousin of the people who own the café in the village. Suddenly, my lack of an apron doesn’t seem to matter anymore. The hunters totally understand why we have a fence for our dog. And, while we are no longer exotic zoo animals, my house has never been cleaner.

Coronation a roaring success Royal guests

FOLLOWING the coronation ceremony, the focus then turned to Buckingham Palace where the new King and Queen appeared, to the de‐light of the multitude that had gathered there.

Saturday, May 6 was the day Britons celebrated their newly crowned King and Queen, a historic event watched by millions world‐wide.

Despite the rain, family squabbles and the threat of disruption from anti‐monar‐chists the day was a complete success.

The King and Queen took their places on the balcony to welcome the royal flypast and as they waved to crowds be‐low a huge roar went up in cel‐ebration.

However, due to the weath‐er, the Ministry of Defence had to send a slimmed‐down ver‐sion of the six‐minute flypast, trimmed to just two and a half minutes instead.

The original plan was for over 60 aircraft, which includ‐ed some vintage bombers, to

THE surrounding area of Buckingham Palace was left littered with soggy tents and other dis‐carded belongings on May 7, after heavy rains at the weekend’s coronation event.

The Buckingham Palace Mall was left a ‘right royal mess’ after revellers left the site after the coronation. With some supporters of the newly crowned king having camped there for up to a week and the weather being, well, terribly British, there will be plenty of clearing up to do.

Chris Ship, the ITV News Royal Editor, posted a video of the aftermath of the Coronation of King Charles III saying:

“A few short hours ago, there were crowds and carriages and crowns. Now the Mall re‐sembles an abandoned campsite after a wet

make an appearance, but ulti‐mately some helicopters and the Red Arrows were the only ones to take part.

The procession from West‐minster Abbey to Buckingham Palace was accompanied by 4,000 troops from the army, navy and RAF.

The first recorded monarch ever to appear before crowds on the famous balcony was Queen Victoria, when she stepped out for the opening of the Great Exhibition in 1851.

Clearing up

weekend at Glastonbury #Coronation.”

Carrie McInnis posted an image of the mess on Twitter, saying: “Buckingham Palace Mall littered with tents in coronation aftermath and News #GreenEnergy #SustainableEnergy #CleanEnergy #Energy [Video] Buckingham Palace Mall could be seen littered with rubbish including tents and flags in the aftermath of King Charles.”

No doubt the surrounding of Buckingham Palace will get back to its former glory and despite the debris, there is no doubt the Coronation of King Charles III was done on a grand scale and thoroughly enjoyed by many.

WELCOME guests at the Coronation of King Charles III were Their Majesties King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain.

The kings are distant cousins and prior to the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II, Felipe was 567th in line to the British throne.

The visit was short as His Majesty had to be back to present the Copa del Rey on the evening of Sunday May 7 but the royal couple attended a reception hosted by King Charles at Buckingham Palace on May 5.

The following day when attending the Coronation, they looked resplendent, the King in formal military uni‐form and the Queen appearing graceful and refined in a pink dress with a large pink accented hat.

KING CHARLES III: A historic event watched by millions.

DISTANT COUSINS: King Felipe VI with Queen Letizia.

Fantastic fortune

Betty Henderson

IN final figures, authorities say that this year’s Feria de Sevilla (April Fair in Sevilla) brought in a whopping €930 million.

The event, which came to an end on Friday, April 28 was a major success, breaking records in terms of atten ‐dance, spending, transport, horse‐drawn carriage rides, and hotel occupancy.

This year’s festival saw an increase in public transporta‐tion usage, with over 1.1 mil‐lion people using the public transport system. Horse ‐drawn carriages, which are a

staple of the festival, also saw a 6 per cent increase in use. Hotel occupancy reached an impressive 85‐88 per cent during the week and 92 per cent on weekends.

A New life

John Ensor

THE controversial film star, Amber Heard, has left the hustle and bustle of Ameri‐ca and relocated to Spain to dedicate more time to her family.

The festival sees the city transported back to the 19th century for a week of tradi‐tional flamenco music playing all around, couples dancing ‘Sevillanas’ dances with wom‐en in flamenca dresses and the classic Feria drink ‘Rebuji‐to’, a mixed drink of sherry and lemonade flowing. The atmosphere at the Feria de Sevilla was lively, colourful, and festive, with streets lined with ‘Caseta’ fair tents fully equipped with bars and table service. The festival’s incredi‐ble income makes it one of the biggest economic events for Spain.

After the acrimonious high‐profile case with John‐ny Depp, Amber Heard has decided to move to Spain’s capital Madrid, in a move away from her film career, in order to spend quality time with her daughter ac‐cording a news source on Friday, May 5.

Heard’s daughter, Oon‐agh, was born in 2021 via surrogate, the move from America to Spain is believed to be to take her away from the media spotlight.

In 2018, Heard published an article detailing her being the victim of domestic abuse, which led to the six‐week‐long trial. The court decision ultimately ruled in favour of Depp who won more than $10 million in defamation damages.

Last year’s court case took its toll emotionally and financially.

‘Caseta’ fair tents line the streets in Sevilla’s iconic Feria fair.

BRUSSELS wants to crack down on corruption and has proposed a new rule that would increase the penalties for embezzle ‐ment in Spain.

The European Commis ‐sion’s proposal was an ‐

nounced on Wednesday, May 3 and suggests a minimum prison sen ‐tence of at least five years, which is more than the four years currently set by Spain’s national law.

Officials are aiming to standardise penalties and sentences for all corrup ‐tion ‐ related crimes, in ‐cluding abuse of power and money laundering.

The EU’s current legis ‐lation only covers the crime of bribery, but this new proposal would ex ‐pand its scope to include a range of other offences.

The Spanish govern ‐ment said it is currently “studying the proposal” and may need to make changes to its laws to comply with the new Eu ‐ropean legislation. If the proposal is approved, it would be negotiated by the EU’s Justice Ministers and Parliament before becoming law.

It remains to be seen how this will impact Spanish politics, particu ‐larly as the previous re ‐form to corruption sen ‐tences, which benefited several Catalan politi ‐cians, is still fresh in peo ‐ple’s minds.

SPAIN continues to lead the world in beach quality thanks to a boost in the country’s number of Blue Flag awards.

The new list, announced on Thursday, May 4 re ‐vealed that the Valencian Community, Andalucia and Catalonia received the most accolades.

This year, Spain is set to boast a total of 729 Blue Flags, with 627 being awarded to beaches, 97 to marinas, and the remaining five to tourist boats.

Coast is clear

The Blue Flag is an inter‐national award given to beaches, marinas and tourist boats that meet strict environmental, edu‐cational, safety, and acces‐sibility criteria. Spain has a total of six more Blue Flags than last year.

The Community of Valen‐cia has the most Blue Flags, with 153, followed by An‐dalucia with 148, Galicia

Corruption crackdown Bucking the trend

with 125 and Catalonia with 120.

According to Rosa Ana Morillo Rodriguez, the Sec‐retary of State for Tourism, the quality of Spain’s beaches is a fundamental part of the country’s repu‐tation.

She added that €32.5 mil‐lion will be allocated to Spain’s sun and beach tourism strategy this year.

THE President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, caused a stir at the gala dinner hosted by the Spanish Royal Family on Wednesday, May 3 by refusing to wear a dress coat, ar‐guing that the garment is associated with elites and anti‐democracy.

Petro arrived at the Palacio Real in Madrid wearing a dark suit and a tie, declin‐ing to follow the strict dress code for the evening. The Colombian delegation that ac‐companied Petro also did not wear dress coats, which surprised some of the guests at the function.

Petro followed in the footsteps of his compatriot and renowned literary figure, Gabriel García Márquez, who refused to wear a dress coat at the Nobel Prize cere‐mony in 1982 and opted for a white long‐sleeved shirt, known as a ‘liquiliqui’, instead. The dinner was attended by approxi‐mately 110 guests, including the Spanish King Felipe VI, President Pedro Sánchez, and other government officials.

As part of the visit, gifts were exchanged between the Colombian delegation and the Spanish Royal Family.

Betty Henderson

SPAIN and Morocco are teaming up to develop their vocational training programmes.

The Spanish General Secretary of Vocational Training, Clara Sanz, met with her Moroccan counterpart, Mohammed Sebbaq, in Rabat to kick off the collabora­

Professional partnership

tion on Thursday, May 4. The Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational Training confirmed that both countries will work together to develop dual vocational training, which will improve bilateral economic

opportunities.

Sanz explained “The new Spanish vocational training system offers many opportunities for us to work together and promote vocational training, which will improve job opportunities

Spring surge

for everyone.”

This meeting builds on a commitment made by Spanish Minister Pilar Alegría, at a meeting held last February. Alegría pledged to increase Spain’s involvement in providing and supporting vocational training programmes in Morocco, which is an important aspect of the countries’ relationship.

Spain and Morocco will share the best ways to train young people and workers, and help them move between the countries for work. They will also recognise training qualifications obtained in both countries.

This collaboration will improve Spain and Morocco’s relationship, and create new job opportunities.

SPAIN experienced its best April for job creation in history, with 238,000 new jobs created thanks to the boost in tourism and hospitality during the Easter holiday, according to data released by the Ministry for Labour on Thursday, May 4. The country’s unemployment rate fell by 73,890 people to its lowest level since 2008, dropping below 2.8 million. The number of registered job seekers also fell by 73,890 people month­on­month.

The increase in employment was primarily driven by the service sector, as this year, the Easter holiday fell entirely in April, which fuelled a hiring spree. The hospitality industry saw an increase of 119,618 new employees in April, making it the sector with the best improvement in employment

figures. The retail, administrative, and transportation sectors also registered good figures with an increase of 18,713, 11,808, and 10,450 employees, respectively.

The excellent data means that the country’s unemployment rate is down nearly 8 per cent compared with last year. Commentators have attributed the fall in unemployment to the government’s labour reform and say this bodes well for Spain’s economic recovery from the pandemic.

International art theft

John Ensor

A MAJOR international investigation into the illegal art trade across 14 European countries has recovered over 11,00 artefacts and has so far resulted in 60 arrests.

Operation Pandora VII was led by Spain’s Guardia Civil, along with the support of Europol and INTERPOL, in a report published on Thursday, May 4, by Europol.

The Pandora operation was conducted between September 13 ­ 24, 2022, with the aim of targeting criminals who profit from the theft and distribution of items of cultural heritage. Thousands of checks were carried out at numerous airports, ports and

border crossing points, as well as in auction houses, museums and private houses.

Over 8,495 online investigations were also conducted last year in May and October, which successfully retrieved 4,017 stolen goods. Currently, around 130 investigations are still ongoing, with an international team of investigators expecting the number of arrests and seizures to rise.

Some notable results included an operation conducted by the Guardia Civil in Sevilla, where a Roman marble bust of a woman, believed to represent Salonia Matidia the niece of the emperor Traian, was recovered.

Photo credit: Ministerio de Trabajo y Economía Social April was best historically for employment in Spain.

Sunak calls Sanchez

THE Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak spent time on a call with Spanish President, Pedro Sanchez.

The call took place on Thursday 4 May. The pair wel‐comed the strong and grow‐ing economic, security and cultural ties between the UK and Spain, as well as wider co‐operation with European partners.

Mr Sunak highlighted the importance of cooperation be‐tween Spain and the UK on is‐sues such as illegal immigra‐tion and energy security.

He also acknowledged the opportunity both men will have when they address these shared challenges when the UK and Spain host future

A PHOTOGRAPHER in London was shocked to see the results in a photo clicked during King Charles’ Coronation ceremony after he noticed a mysterious object on one of them.

Simon Balson was photographing the aerial spectacle during the Red Arrows fly‐past when he noticed something he claimed to have ‘no idea’ about.

In a quote cited by a news source, Balson said, “I was shooting some photos from the 13th floor of my apartment building in Lime‐house while the red arrows did their fly ‐over.”

Due to the bad weather, Balson said that

meetings of the European Po‐litical Community.

The two leaders also spoke about Gibraltar. They both agreed that progressing with negotiations on a UK‐EU Treaty was of importance, es‐pecially in concluding an agree‐ment as soon as possible.

The war in Ukraine was also discussed. Both Sunak Rishi and Pedro Sanchez agreed on the UK and Spain’s enduring support for Ukraine’s defence against the illegal invasion by Russia and President Zelen‐sky’s plan for peace.

Royal UFO

he did not check the images at the time. He said, “When I did, though, I spotted this weird object and just thought what the hell is that.

“All I could get is that it had a little bit of a red top, but I have no idea what it could be.”

He said “There have been lots of strange ‘UFO’ sightings recently, so I thought other people might be able to guess what it was.”

The German tv crew filming in Vila Museu.

IT’S official, Ed Sheeran did not rip off Marvin Gaye, a Manhattan jury has decided.

The high­profile case held in a Manhattan federal court was concluded on Thursday, May 4, when the question of plagiarism was answered with an emphatic not­guilty verdict, according to a news source. The $100 million

Ed wins case

copyright trial centred around Sheeran’s hit song ‘Thinking Out Loud’ being stolen from Marvin Gaye's classic ‘Let’s Get It On’.

The 32 ­ year ­ old singersongwriter successfully proved to the court he did not

infringe copyright. When the verdict was announced Sheeran buried his face in his hands before standing up to hug his lawyer in relief.

The Yorkshire­born singer had vehemently denied the song had been stolen, so

much so, he vowed he would give up music if he was found guilty. Hence the verdict must come as a massive relief to his many fans around the world.

The 1973 hit ‘Let’s Get It On’, was co­written by Marvin Gaye and Ed Townsend who died in 2003. The lawsuit was brought by Townsend’s heirs.

During the trial, Sheeran said, “I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it.”

Empty-handed

AN elderly bank robber used a handwritten note to announce his intentions but it backfired when puzzled staff couldn’t decipher it.

In February, 69­year­old pensioner, Alan Slattery, went to banks and building societies in East Sussex in an attempt to rob them, only to be thwarted by his handwriting, according to a news source.

The attempted robberies occurred when Slattery went to a National Building Society in St Leonards, another in Bexhill­on­Sea, East Sussex, and at Natwest in Bexhill. The same threatening note was used each time, ‘Im not f*****g about, just pass me the 10s and 20s now and noone will get hurt.’

On each occasion, however, he walked away emptyhanded as bank staff refused to comply with his demands.

DJ out of hospital

John Ensor

AFTER a three­week stay in hospital, people’s favourite Tony Blackburn has been discharged.

The 80 ­ year ­ old radio star was released from hospital and shared a tweet on Wednesday, May 3, with his many fans on his latest health check ­ up, said a news source.

Listeners were in shock when Tony revealed in April he would not be presenting his usual radio show due to a serious chest infection, an illness that led to him being hospitalised for three weeks.

He told fans although he was out of hospital, he hadn’t received the all­clear. Mr Blackburn confided he still required daily treatment from staff at the hospital.

In a tweet he wrote: “After three weeks in hospital I have just been discharged

and am now at home to have some more treatment by having a daily injection for a few days from a hospital near me.

“Thanks to everyone at the Wellington Hospital in London for looking after me. After my treatment and a rest I look forward to getting back @BBCRadio2 and @BBCLOCALRADIO to doing what I love doing.

“Just want to thank all my friends for your lovely messages. Xx”

TONY BLACKBURN: Has had a chest infection.

36 billion cups of tea are drunk per year in the UK.

Betty Henderson

GERMAN troops began their withdrawal from Mali on Wednesday, May 3, but the mission has not been without its challenges.

The deployment of some 1,000 troops to Mali aimed to gather reconnaissance for the

Troops out

UN peacekeeping mission MI‐NUSMA, but recent disputes with the Malian government and the arrival of Russian forces led to Berlin’s decision

Missing persons

IN a major breakthrough, the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo came together to work to‐wards locating and identify‐ing hundreds of people who are still missing from the 1998‐1999 war on Wednes‐day, May 3. The conflict re‐sulted in over 13,000 deaths with the vast majority of those killed being from Koso‐vo and Albania. Despite this major loss of life, more than 1,600 people remain unac‐counted for, leaving their families without closure.

However, a new agree‐ment between Serbian Presi‐dent Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovan Prime Minister Al‐bin Kurti aims to change that.

The two leaders have promised to use cutting‐edge technology, including satellite data and laser mapping, to detect mass graves and lo‐cate the missing.

The European Union, which has been instrumental in repairing relations be‐tween Serbia and Kosovo, will chair a joint commission on missing people and assist by sharing official files.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, who me‐diated the deal, explained that families have the right to know what happened to their loved ones. It is hoped that this agreement will bring some much‐needed closure.

to wrap up the mission by May 2024.

German commander in Mali, Colonel Heiko Bohnsack, confirmed that the military has already started sending the first shipments of equip‐ment back home. The first stages of the withdrawal will involve a slow reduction of equipment while troops maintain sufficient equip‐ment to fulfil their mission.

The government in Berlin has also paved the way for a last one‐year extension of the decade‐old mission until May 2024, pending parliamentary approval.

MINUSMA was established in 2013 to support troops bat‐tling armed groups in the Sa‐hel, but the mission has been plagued with friction between the Malian military govern‐ment and foreign forces.

This, coupled with the ar‐rival of Kremlin‐linked private military company, Wagner Group, prompted France to withdraw its troops in 2022 after almost a decade in Mali.

THE Fogueres de Alicante Museum is a unique space that shows the different evolutionary stages of the most representative festival of the city of Alicante.

The festival which is celebrated in the month of June: Les Fogueres de Sant Joan, is one that has been declared of International Tourist Interest.

Fiesta Fogueres

Collections of the pardoned ninots (the figures that were saved from the fire), models of bonfires, typical costumes, etc. can be seen. The museum is completed with an audiovisual room with projections

about the fiesta.

Entry to the Museum located at Rambla de Mendez Nunez nº 29, Alicante 03003 (corner with C/ Candida Jimeno Gargallo) is free.

From September until June, the opening hours are Tuesday until Friday from 10.00am until 1.30pm then 5.00pm until 7.30pm.

Saturdays and Sundays the opening times are from

Hello Dolly

10.00am until 1.30pm.

The opening hours for July and August are Tuesday to Friday from 10.00am until 1.30pm then 6.00pm until 8.30pm and on Saturdays from 10.00am until 1.30.pm.

Access to the Museum will be restricted 15 minutes before closing time.

For more information email: fiestas@alicante.es or call (+34) 965 146 828.

May Fair magic

TORREVIEJA is putting the last touches on preparations for its iconic May Fair which is set to take place from Thursday May 11 until Sunday, May 14.

The highly anticipated traditional fair will see the Parque de la Estación transformed with dazzling decorations and an enchanting atmosphere featuring locals in traditional flamenco dress, and local

delicacies to sample.

Dance academies will grace the fair’s stage with breathtaking performances, and seven charming fair tents will open their doors to the public.

After being downsized due to pandemic challenges and ongoing construction work, organisers are determined to throw a big party this year, and all are invited!

Anna Ellis STUDIO32 Musical Theatre

Company are delighted to announce their show Hello Dolly will be on at the Cardenal Beluga Theatre in San Fulgencio, from Wednesday, May 31 until Saturday, June 3.

Any group who books 10 or more tickets for the Wednesday or Thursday night performances will get a €2 refund on each ticket on production of their ticket receipt at front of the house on the night of the performance.

The more tickets sold, the more the theatre company can give to local charities. Since its inception in 2013, the group have contributed over €40,000 to local charities.

To book tickets online for the show visit the website www.studiothirtytwo.org, email: tickets@studiothirty two.org or call Linda on (+34) 679 062 272.

Those unsure of how to use the booking system can call in at The Post Box in Dona Pepa, or Quesada Tech where someone will be on hand to assist you with booking tickets. You can also head along to one of the rehearsals at Casa Contenta in Rojales on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 7.30pm and 9.30pm where someone will be available to assist you.

Image: Studio32 Musical Theatre Company

Join in the rehearsals.

Betty Henderson TOTALENERGIES, the French oil giant, is making headlines as it takes on environmental group Greenpeace in court over a report claiming that the company massively underestimated its greenhouse gas emissions. The oil company announced its decision to sue on Wednesday, May 3. The report, which was published last November, accused TotalEnergies of emitting around 1.64 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019, compared to the 455 million tonnes that the company disclosed in public statements. However, TotalEnergies says that the report is filled with false and misleading information, and that the calculations were based on dubious methodologies. Greenpeace and FactorX, the climate consulting firm behind the report, say that the lawsuit is an attempt to muzzle the environmental group before the TotalEnergies general assembly on Friday, May 26, where activist shareholders will push for stricter climate commitments. Environmental groups are

‘Total’ misunderstanding

calling for entry to be blocked at the company’s global oil and petroleum projects in protest. Meanwhile, the court hearing on Thursday,

UKRAINIAN President

Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise appearance in the Netherlands on Wednesday, May 3. An‐nouncing his appearance, sources said he would speak at The Hague and vis‐it the International Criminal Court which is in the pro‐cess of investigating alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

In the meantime, explo‐sions were reported in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, just a day after Russia ac‐cused Ukraine of carrying out a drone attack on the Kremlin. Zaporizhzhia and Odessa in the south were also reported to have been attacked.

Russian officials claimed Ukraine attempted to as‐sassinate President

September 7 is eagerly awaited by onlookers, as the case promises to be a significant one, given the high stakes involved.

Hague help

Vladimir Putin, but Zelensky firmly denied these allega‐tions. Instead, he stated that Ukraine is “defending our villages and cities” and demanded more military support, including long‐range weapons and fighter jets from Dutch Prime Min‐ister Mark Rutte.

Some commentators have argued that the al‐leged drone strike on the Kremlin was internally con‐ducted and purposefully staged by Russia, while oth‐ers disagree, stating that it would make Russia look “weak” and vulnerable.

The situation remains tense as Russia threatens to retaliate when and where it considers necessary.

PRESS EUROPEAN

DENMARK

Going home

DENMARK will reduce its military presence in Iraq in early 2024 in order to focus on Baltic countries. “We must prepare for a long-term Danish presence in the Baltic to establish a balance between soldiers on the ground and readiness to deploy them from Denmark,” Poulsen said.

THE NETHERLANDS

Hot stuff

THE meteorological office in De Bilt, (Utrecht) in the centre of the country, registered the Netherlands’ first warm day on May 4 when the temperature rose briefly to 20 degrees for the first time this year. Weather is deemed officially warm once the temperature rises above 20 degrees.

BELGIUM

Party time

MORE than 10,000 people attended an unauthorised rave at a disused airbase in Sint-Truiden at the end of April after the organisers broke into the base. Police set up roadblocks to stem the flow of revellers but admitted they were powerless to evacuate so many people from the site.

GERMANY

Fax and figures

EIGHTY-TWO per cent of German companies still use fax machines, according to a survey of firms with at least 20 employees carried out by digital association Bitkom. A third of those taking part in the survey said they continued to use the fax machines “frequently or very frequently.”

FRANCE

Nuclear pact

FRANCE and Japan signed a nuclear cooperation agreement in Paris on May 3 which pledged to ‘deepen and accelerate ties’ in researching and developing next-generation fast reactors, while continuing to work on the safe life extension of existing reactors and the decommissioning of nuclear plants.

NORWAY

High hopes

NORWEGIAN Kristin Harila, 37, the fastest female to climb the world’s 14 highest mountains, now aims to beat a male climber’s 2019 record. She successfully scaled Mount Cho Oyu and Mount Shishapangma in China and has arrived in Kathmandu (Nepal) where she will begin climbing this month.

FINLAND

Big noise

RUSSIA complained to Finland that a group of people threw “an explosive noise device” and broke a window at their consulate in the Aland Islands in the Baltic. The case was “regrettable”, the Finnish Foreign Ministry said, and police were “clarifying and investigating” the incident.

IRELAND

Badger jabs

FIVE thousand badgers were culled in Ireland in 2022 and a further 7,000 were vaccinated for tuberculosis under a Department of Agriculture prevention programme. The department explained that it now plans to phase out the culling programme as this was not a sustainable long-term solution.

ITALY

New claim

THE abbey of San Claudio in Macerata is described as 11th century, although locals insist it is two centuries older. They also believe Macerata was the headquarters of Charlemagne, the ‘Father of Europe’, between wars and that the town, not Aachen in Germany, is also his final resting place.

PORTUGAL

Going down

PORTUGAL fell from seventh to ninth place in Reporters with Borders’ Press Freedom rankings, classing it as ‘satisfactory’ this year, compared with 2022’s verdict of ‘very good’. The NGO placed Norway at the top of its list, followed by Ireland, Denmark and Sweden in second, third and fourth places.

UKRAINE

Old tech

UKRAINE'S 28th Brigade has begun using an antiquated wind-up field telephone for vital communications. Russia’s electronic warfare systems can detect and intercept mobile phones and radios, but the men said that although the ancient field telephone’s technology was very old “it works really well.”

SWEDEN

Job losses

VOLVO will cut 1,300 office posts, approximately 6 per cent of its employees in Sweden, in an attempt to reduce costs. Volvo’s CEO Jim Rowan explained in a statement that last year’s cost-cutting measures had started to get results “but it’s clear that we need to do more.”

FINANCE

Things to come

is the amount of a government contract awarded to Hispasat to close the digital gap by providing Spain’s rural areas with a broadband internet connection until December 2027. STAT OF WEEK

€76 million

Telepizza restructuring shakeup

Linda Hall

BUSINESS EXTRA Keep right on

BRITAIN’S Foreign Secretary

James Cleverly warned that armed conflict between China and Taiwan would destroy world trade, dealing a catastrophic blow to the global economy. Discussing Britain’s relations with Beijing, Cleverly said no country could shield itself from the repercussions of a war in Taiwan.

Fair shares

SPAIN’S capital gains tax charged at a maximum of 26 per cent when selling shares is 6.45 percentage points higher than the EU’s 19.55 per cent. The Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Slovenia charge nothing at all, while Belgium charges 0.15 per cent on transactions over €1 million.

Off the menu

PREZZO, affected by soaring energy and food costs, will close 46 loss ­ making Italian restaurants in the UK and where the post­Covid recovery proved harder than the private equity­owned chain had anticipated. Approximately 810 workers were at risk of redundancy due to the overhaul, Prezzo said.

Fast lanes

SPANISH toll road company

Albertis is bidding a total of €6 billion for three contracts to manage the Attica motorway in Athens, four motorways in Puerto Rico and the 16.5­kilometre State Highway 288 in Houston. With two lanes in each direction this is one of the busiest roads in Texas.

Downsizing

JOHN LEWIS PARTNERSHIP will halve the size of its central London headquarters now that thousands of employees work from home. The offices occupy 220,000 square feet (approximately 2,044 square metres) but only half of that is being used and some floors have been completely closed off.

TELEPIZZA has survived and can live to deliver pizzas another day.

Bondholders and Santander, the fast­food company’s largest creditor signed an agreement on May 2 that has saved the Spanish multinational chain. Sources close to the operation told financial daily, Cinco Dias, that the private equity investors and the bank agreed to a write­down of around half of Telepizza’s liabilities, estimated at approximately €400 million, in exchange for 100 per cent of the company. As a result,

the bondholders headed by the Oak Hill, Blantyre, HIG, Fortress and Treo are now majority shareholders in the company, renamed Food Delivery Brands, and own 75 per cent of the capital.

Santander lent Telepizza €40 million that was guaranteed by Spain’s Official Credit Institute (ICO) during the

pandemic. A Telepizza statement had announced at the time that it needed between €95 and €115 million to cope with its problems and that the situation created by the Covid restrictions had endangered the company’s ability to meet its liquidity needs.

Santander and ICO itself,

together with other financial bodies which have yet to be named, will now share the remaining 25 per cent between them.

Shareholders including KKR, Arta, Torreal, J Safra Group and Altamar, who lose their entire stake, have come off worst in the deal.

Telepizza, was originally founded in Madrid as Pizza Phone by Leopoldo Fernandez Pujaz, a Cuban­born US businessman, in 1987.

There are now more than 1,600 Telepizza outlets worldwide, of which 694 Telepizza are located in Spain.

Dyson goes abroad again

DYSON will open a new battery factory in Singapore while investing in technology centres for Bristol and Santo Tomas (Philippines).

Although the Singapore outlay will be ‘significantly larger’, the UK and Philippines investments will involve a respective £100 million (€113.4 million) and £166 million (€118.2 million).

This latest announcement confirms billionaire Sir James Dyson’s policy of basing manufacturing operations outside Britain while retaining research and development functions in the UK. These includes research and robotics facilities in Malmesbury and Hullavington in Wiltshire.

Great news

SPAIN’S Paradores continues to benefit from the tourism boom following the pandemic years. The state­owned chain of 100 hotels announced a turnover of €310 million last year, the first time that this has risen above €300 million in its 95 years of existence.

The good results continued during the first four months of 2023, with earnings between January and April rising by 1.4 per cent to €80 million, an unprecedented amount for that time of the year.

“These figures are formidable,” said Pedro Saura, the Paradores’ president. “They are better than we expected and promise very positive prospects for all of 2023.”

James Dyson, whose company is habitually linked to vacuum cleaners, was a prominent Brexit supporter, maintaining that the UK would gain more by leaving Europe than it would lose. Inevitably, he faced strong criticism in 2019 for relocating the company’s headquarters to Singapore, where it already owned factories.

Cold

call ban

THE UK will ban all cold calls selling financial products.

The crackdown is being introduced to prevent fraudsters from selling sham insurance or cryptocurrency schemes.

A new fraud squad will be created with a staff of 500 compared to the existing 120, although Labour and the Liberal Democrat MPs described the plan as “too little, too late.”

Consumer group Which? welcomed the strategy, but also criticised the government for not acting sooner.

Fraud is now the UK’s most common crime, with one in 15 people falling victim to scams. Media regulator Ofcom revealed that 41 million people were targeted by calls and texts last summer, with an online element present in most fraud.

The ban will be introduced this summer, with the financial products to be covered decided after consultations.

UK employees are likely to be working into their 70s, according to findings that were released on International Workers’ Day, May 1.

Rest Less, an online community for the over­50s which provides advice for older workers, concluded that many people had little choice but to continue working owing to the cost­of­living crisis.

There were 446,601 over­70s still in employment last year, a 61 per cent increase compared with 277,926 in 2012, Rest Less, said. While most were male, the rise has been more marked among women as a result of the gradual equalisation of pension ages between 2010 and 2020.

New boss

The new Singapore plant will be its biggest ever investment in “advanced manufacturing,” Dyson said. The Philippines technology centre, which will engage 400 new engineers, will double the amount of factory space devoted to advanced technologies. The Bristol site will hire more software, AI and connectivity engineers, revealed Jake Dyson, the founder’s son and chief engineer.

The Singapore plant will produce batteries using proprietary new technology but Dyson preferred not to give more details, citing ‘commercial sensitivities’. Nevertheless, it appears the company believes it can make smaller, lighter and more energy­dense batteries.

Good earners

POTTERY, flags, t­shirts, Westminister Abbey­shaped biscuits and tins to put them in have been produced round the clock for the Coronation.

The UK is spending around £250 million (€284 million) on souvenirs and memorabilia, the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) said.

This could mount up to far more, as the CRR believes the final figure will top £1.6 billion (€2.8 billion) once tourist cash, plus spending on parties and going out is included.

Bridgewater Pottery, for instance, have sold more than £1 million (€1.1 million) worth of items emblazoned ‘Three Cheers for King Charles’, although normal sales were currently a struggle, owner Emma Bridgewater said.

VODAFONE appointed interim boss Margherita Della Valle as its permanent chief executive.

Bringing to an end almost five months of uncertainty, the British multinational telecommunications company said that Della ValleVodafone’s former chief financial officer ­ was hired after a “rigorous internal and external search.”

She occupied the CEO role on an interim basis after Vodafone sacked predecessor Nick Reid last December after four years, amid concerns over the company’s performance.

Della Valla will take on the job parallel to her role as Vodafone’s finance chief while a replacement is sought.

Sweet notion

LEFTIES, part of the Inditex group, will start selling sweets in their principal stores.

The affordable fashion chain, launched as a Primark competitor, has come to an agreement with the Murcia confectionary company, Golosinas Fini.

This takes Inditex a step further in its plans for Digital Stores incorporating technological advances that integrate the digital and inperson channels.

These will offer music booths, make­up services, retro­type video and basketball games, drinking fountains for pets, as well as persons and a customised clothes service creating unique items.

MULTINATIONAL: A Telepizza branch in Santiago de Chile.

DYSON HEADQUARTERS: Moved to Singapore in 2019.

Photo credit: CC/Carlosyo

Photo credit: CC/Westliche

DOW JONES

Power play

ITALY’S government, a major shareholder in Enel, recently dismissed Francesco Strarace, the power company’s longstanding CEO. Enel, the parent company of Spain’s Endesa in which it has a 70 per cent holding, is now rumoured to be seeking a substitute for the latter company’s CEO Jose Bogas, to the disquiet of the Spanish government.

Listen up

AT Unilever’s annual general meeting, 58 per cent of participating shareholders voted against the consumer goods group’s pay report for 2022. Unilever said it was disappointed by the outcome, while stressing that the vote was advisory rather than binding. “We are committed to shareholder engagement and will listen carefully to feedback,” the company added.

Tips to be protected

WITHHOLDING tips from staff will be unlawful in the UK.

More than two million workers will have their tips protected and they will also be able to view an employer’s tipping record.

An estimated £200 million (€227 million) a year will now return to staff pockets as employers are banned from withholding tips under the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023. Hospitality workers rely on tips but are often powerless if businesses fail to

Reluctant scientists

THE Spanish Space Agency recently held its first board meeting in Sevilla.

This was chaired by the Minister of Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, who announced that with its annual budget of €700 million the agency should begin drafting the National Space Plan as soon as possible.

Its staff of 75 should be operational by the next quarter, Morant added.

This could be problematic, however.

Twenty employees from the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), whose functions were assumed by the agency, have not yet made arrangements to leave Madrid.

They have been promised transfers with identical conditions but are still negotiating the move with the Ministry of Science and the Administration.

pass on customers’ service charges to staff.

The new measures are due to come into force in 2024.

This overhaul of tipping practices will benefit at least two million workers in the UK across the hospitality, leisure and services sectors, helping to ease cost of living pressures and giving them peace of mind, knowing that they will keep their hardearned money.

“As people face rising living costs, it is not right for employers to withhold tips from employees,” Business and Trade Minister Kevin Hollinrake said.

“Whether you are pulling pints or delivering a pizza, this new law will ensure that staff receive a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work and customers can be confident their money is going to those who deserve it.”

Team spirit

SPAIN’S First and Second Divisions are in profit again after their losses during the pandemic. According to the estimate announced on May 4 by LaLiga, to which the 42 clubs belong, they will have made a net profit of €27 million by the end of the season, compared with the €1.039 billion losses incurred in 2020 and 2021.

No net

ONE in four people aged between 25 and 49 save nothing and would have no safety net in an emergency, a YouGov survey for wealth manager True Potential found. Forty per cent have slashed the amount they save each month owing to the cost of living, while those who save put aside less than £50 (€57.13) a month.

HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY: Tips will go to staff by law.

Photo credit: Pixabay/Arttabel

Pay up

A VISIT to Hampton Court gardens, open to the public since Queen Victoria’s reign, was once free, but now costs up to £29 (€33). Hampton Court, owned by the royal family, blamed financial difficulties after the Covid pandemic for locking its gates for the first time in 185 years.

Different label

TONI RUIZ, Mango’s chief executive since March 2020, told a La Vanguardia interviewer that the fashion chain wished to lose its “fast fashion” label. “We have a team of 500 people designing 100 per cent of our clothes in Barcelona, working with best­quality, sustainable fabrics,” Ruiz said.

Fast work

RESTAURANT GROUP , which owns Wagamama, Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquitos, will close 23 outlets by the end of May. The group, which currently runs 410 venues, intends to speed up closures after announcing earlier that it would shut 35 of its loss­making casual dining restaurants.

Top earners

BANCO SANTANDER’s millionaire executives increased by 37.62 per cent last year from 202 to 278 employees on more than €1 million annually, according to its Prudential Relevance Report 2022. BBVA’s millionaire employees also increased, although by 5.66 per cent to just 56 executives.

Not quite

HEALTHCARE company Haleon’s profits fell slightly short of expectations in the first quarter as the consumer giant’s margins were affected by higher costs.

The GlaxoSmithKline spinoff behind brands including Sensodyne toothpaste posted revenues of about £3 billion (€3.4 billion) for this year’s first quarter.

Inflation or ‘greedflation’

Linda Hall

THE UK’S Competition and Markets Authority should investigate whether supermarkets were profiteering, Liberal Democrat Ed Davey said.

Industry statistics revealed that food price inflation shot up to a record high of 15.7 per cent in April, adding to pressure on households countrywide, Davey claimed.

According to government figures, food and drink prices rose by almost 20 per cent in the 12 months ending in March, the fastest annual rate since 1977. Lib Dem analysis also showed that a typical shop had risen by almost £12 (€13.6) a week in the last year.

Supermarkets have raked in bil ­

lions of pounds in profits, Davey maintained, and although the biggest grocers recently reported falling profits, experts said more could be done to help struggling shoppers.

Adif quandary

Union leaders also maintained that supermarket bosses were squeezing customers to benefit from ‘greedflation’ where firms exploit high inflation to create excessive profits.

Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s announced £690 million (€782.3 million) profits for the year until March, with profit margins slipping from 3.4 to 2.99 per cent, as chief executive Simon Roberts insisted that the chain was determined to fight inflation.

Tesco’s profits of £753 million (€854 million) were half those of the previous year, while chief executive Ken Murphy declared that the retailer was “robustly challenging every cost increase” with suppliers and had not passed on all of its additional costs to customers.

Look back with nostalgia

CAR sales remained buoyant as April ended.

Registrations grew by 8.2 per cent with a total of 74,749 vehicles sold, consolidating the industry’s recovery during the first four months of the year with sales of 312,314 units, an increase of 33.7 per cent.

This was due to improvements both in production and deliveries, announced car manufacturers’ association Anfac and distributors Faconauto and Ganvam.

In contrast, 2022 was catastrophic, owing to the microchip crisis and bottlenecks when transporting vehicles, they said.

Despite the increase, registrations are a long way from the pace and volume of pre ­ pandemic transactions when April 2019 saw sales of more than 100,000 vehicles, 28.4 per cent more than in April 2023.

“April’s figures make us look back with nostalgia to before the pandemic when, as summer approached, the market had no trouble in exceeding 100,000 registrations,” Raul Morales, Faconauto’s Communications director.

Sales of cars and SUVs to companies and rental firms were 8.9 per cent up

SKY is allegedly planning hundreds of job cuts as it gets to grips with a move to streaming.

According to reports in the UK media, cuts are likely to affect customer services staff and the engineers who install satellite dishes.

The broadcaster experienced an 11.5 per cent fall in revenues to £14.3 billion (€16.2 billion) in 2022, al­

on last year, with sales of 30,615 units, with rent­acar registrations improving by 30.6 per cent to 15,753 units. Sales to private individuals fell by 1.9 per cent with 28,381 registrations last month, although light commercial vehicle sales rose by 12.9 per cent compared with April 2022.

Outlook cloudy

though profits and the number of customers increased.

US media giant Comcast bought Sky for £30 billion (€34 billion) in 2018 but took a £6.8 billion (€7.7 billion) write­down on the value of the business last October, which it attributed to “challenging eco ­

ADIF, Spain’s publicly­ owned rail infrastructure company, is scrutinising bids for a €621 million tender (€513.3 excluding IVA) for its largest project in recent years.

This involves putting below ground Barcelona’s R2 track as it crosses Montcada i Reixac.

So far, Ferrovial’s €446.6 million bid (excluding IVA) is apparently the most viable, although the multinational’s decision to relocate its headquarters to the Netherlands still rankles with the Spanish government.

So much so that Adif is taking the unusual step of bringing in an external engineering consultancy to analyse all the bids competing for the contract, possibly in hopes of finding a valid reason for eliminating Ferrovial.

Pub facelift

BREWING giant Heineken is planning a £40 million (€45.5m) cash injection into UK pubs. Upgrading 570 pubs, practically a quarter of Heineken’s UK premises, will create approximately 600 jobs this year.

The company runs 2,400 pubs in the UK via Star Pubs & Bars and Lawson Mountstevens, the operation’s managing director, stressed the importance of continued investment in Heineken’s venues despite the “uncertain” consumer panorama.

nomic conditions.”

Sales of the company’s much­proclaimed Sky Glass ­ a TV that has built­in Sky and streaming apps which eliminate the need for a satellite dish ­ have not so far been impressive.

“It’s in a really tough place,” a source said.

On the scent

SPAIN exported €6.515 billion in perfumes, cosmetics and essential oils last year, 21 per cent more than in 2021.

These figures were the highest since it first began carrying out surveys in 2017, announced Spain’s National Association of Perfumes and Cosmetics (Stanpa).

Cosmetics are now one of Spain’s principal exports, ahead of wine and footwear, each of which registered international sales of approximately €3

billion in 2022. They also outstripped olive oil exports of €4.2 billion, Stanpa pointed out.

The industry now exports to more than 175 countries, compared to 150 in 2021 when Europe accounted for 82 per cent of Stanpa members’ foreign sales.

These fell to 51 per cent in 2022, with the remaining 49 per cent destined for the US, UK, Mexico, China and United Arab Emirates.

The group revealed that 100 pubs are in line for full revamps which will cost around £200,000 (€227,445) each as part of its investment programme.

Slowdown

JOB vacancies grew rapidly in the north during 2022, but 2023 is now preparing for a slowdown.

Professional vacancies in the north grew faster than in the rest of England and Wales in 2022, with over 81,500 new jobs registered, a 16 per cent year­on­year increase, according to the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), the trade association for the professional recruitment sector.

However, year­to­date vacancies in 2023 have not kept up with last year’s numbers, although forecasts show that northern vacancies could reach over 74,300 by the end of 2023.

FOOD PRICES: Shot up to a record high in April.

Photo credit: Pixabay/Volzi

CAR REGISTRATIONS: Improvement on 2022.

THE Left wing propaganda machine, which is relentlessly eating into the UK’s very subsistence, has become ab‐solutely staggering. Just how are the wokes and their fellow conspirators able to get away with it? Their political activities and media indoctrination presents a constant barrage of ani ‐mosity against any who would em ‐body alternative ideals. They firmly support the unions, who are quite happy to encourage the workforce with strikes, particularly industrial ac‐tions that spread misery and chaos among the general public.

They have managed to completely obliterate freedom of speech and frighten the white population to the core, citing accusations of racism in‐volving almost any remark or observa‐tion they may even accidently express concerning non‐white society. This at‐titude is of course totally reversed should it concern black citizen’s ac ‐tions or comments appertaining to any white member. A prime example of this was the black male who imitat‐ed a sex act on a white policewoman at the Notting Hill Carnival. He eventu‐

Propaganda

ally received no more than a slap on the wrist from the local police. Had it been a white man committing this dis‐graceful act against a black police ‐woman he would, after the protests, still be serving his time in prison.

With the advent of the Coronation, they are naturally pulling out all the stops with their fellow conspirators to decry the monarchy. This is of course an institution they are utterly commit‐ted to destroying and holds no place in the plans they have for a ‘democrat‐ic’ society run by a single authority, along the lines of those depicted by George Orwell. As far as their media indoctrination is concerned it has now passed all bounds.

They have announced two comedy shows. One entitled ‘No more Monar‐chy,’ (which seems to have somewhat oddly disappeared). The other the re‐turn of the satirical anti royal series

‘The Windsors’; a snip being shown ac‐tually depicts Camilla telling Charles they will all gather on the balcony to ‘wave at the idiots out front.’ Eighty per cent of ads now feature a veritable dominance of black actors in all man‐

THE FIRM OUR VIEW

ner of situations, including mixed mar‐riages among elderly couples; giving the impression that this particular prac‐tice has been prevalent for many years, which is of course ridiculous , but not of course to the young, which is the inex‐perienced innocent population they are actually endeavouring to influence. Popular TV series show whole neigh‐bourhoods existing as mixed cultures enjoying similar lives together, giving a wide berth to the degradation and run down areas that exist in many of the big cities.

Actually, according to some of my col‐leagues, many intelligent non‐white members of society are actually irritated and angered by the whole hypothetical and abstract representations. Racism is on the rise all over the country, which is exactly what the brainwashing instiga‐tors desire. They will then have every ex‐cuse to form a coordinated army of riot police that will ultimately control all of its citizens. Welcome to 1984 in its entire horrific eventuality.

LeapyLee’sopinionsarehisownandarenotnecessarilyrepresentativeofthoseofthepublishers,advertisersorsponsors.

AT the time of the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Eliza‐beth II she was recognised as Head of State by a selection of countries, some of which were considered Dominions and others Colonies and during her reign there was a total of 32 independent countries.

In addition, there were several small Colonies such as Bermuda, Falkland Islands and Gibraltar who became known as Overseas Territories and they alongside Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man also recognised her position.

Over the years, as Independence took place a number of new countries declared themselves Republics and whilst re‐maining as part of the Commonwealth of Nations no longer acknowledged the Monarch as Head of State.

Now 70 years later, that figure has dropped to just 15 (in‐cluding the UK) plus the Overseas Territories and already it looks as if the next to go will be Belize, followed almost cer‐tainly by Jamaica, New Zealand and possibly Australia.

There is no doubt that the British Royal Family is no longer viewed as being above reproach, with family feuds, infidelity, marriage breakdowns, paper bags full of cash and more which means there is something of a divide between the young and old over the relevance of the ‘family firm’.

What has become clear from the scenes leading up to the Coronation of King Charles III is that not just the British but many nations, both home and abroad do still have af‐fection for the pomp and circumstance of a well organised event and one can be pretty certain that the majority of even the most cynical would jump at the chance of having tea at Buckingham Palace.

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Feature FIRST TIME BUYER? THE TOP FIVE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD BE ASKING!

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Five questions you should be asking your Real Estate Professional, if you’re a first time buyer in Spain:

1. Is it part of a community? This would entail ad ‐hering to regula ‐tions and incur ‐ring annual charges to cover maintenance ex ‐

penses for shared communal areas such as gardens and swimming pools.

2. Does it have an existing mort ‐gage? It is crucial to clear all mort‐gages during the completion process to avoid taking on any existing debts.

3. Does it have a Habita ‐tion Certificate? If the prop ‐erty is not legally autho ‐rised, it will not be possible to obtain the Habitation Certificate.

4. How much is the Suma? Suma is equivalent to coun‐cil tax. It does vary greatly from area to area.

5. Would you personally pur ‐chase this proper ‐ty? This is an ideal question to pose to your agent to gauge their response!

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Ciudad Patricia, a place to thrive in your senior years

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Ciudad Patricia Senior Resort is more than just a place to live; it is a place to thrive. It is ideal for se‐niors who already live in Spain and want to continue experience the Spanish lifestyle in a retire‐ment community that caters to their needs and wishes, a place where you can make new friends and enjoy complete peace of mind.

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CIUDAD PATRICIA:

NORAJOHNSON BREAKINGVIEWS

WITH many struggling to buy food, pay electricity bills and heat homes, there’s lots of coverage in the UK press current‐ly of budget supermarkets in competi ‐tion with more traditional ones. And during a cost‐of‐living crisis, shopping at Aldi or Lidl can be one practical solution to save money.

But what about farmers’ markets? Can savings be made there too?

For some, these markets are merely a marketing scam that add a shallow ve‐neer of artisanal authenticity to other‐wise basic food items and rarely offer more than marginal improvements over cheaper brand name items. They are mere entertainment, a theme park for the upper middle class to pretend they’re country folk and being eco. Su‐permarkets (though often accused of screwing farmers) offer better value and efficiency and are one of the great successes of modern supply chains.

The reality of these markets is then, for some, a superficial facade, a delu ‐sion and a rip‐off. Yes, some of the sour‐dough breads, cheeses and sausages are

How to weather an economic ‘Perfect Storm’

ent areas of London are merrily trying to fleece customers with more money than sense wherever they can. In my ex‐perience here in Spain, though, there are many great places where overall quality of food is indeed higher than at the supermarket, you’re less likely to buy stuff you don’t need and there’s way less plastic involved. It’s just a shame not everyone has the budget or time (or inclination) to shop there.

But what gets me is ‘artisanal coffee’? How is that artisanal? It’s grown, picked, imported and roasted and bagged just like any other. There must be a word like greenwashing for all this. ‘Artisanwashing’? Artisan, my ****!

specific products and the selection is of‐ten more limited. They’re known for their long checkout queues, they gener‐ally don’t offer loyalty programmes or rewards for repeat customers and, typi‐cally, have fewer staff members, mak ‐ing it difficult to find assistance when needed.

So, to put it bluntly, shopping at Aldi or Lidl low‐price supermarkets during a cost ‐ of ‐ living crisis can be a smart way to save money, but the limited selec ‐tion, long checkout queues and lack of loyalty programmes may not work for everyone...

terrific. But in the end, it’s a lifestyle choice. It’s entertainment and the wealthy buyer is getting more of an ex‐perience than a tangible bang for their buck.

However, not all farmers’ markets are the same. Doubtless the ones in afflu ‐

And as for Aldi and Lidl, let’s look at some of the advantages and disadvan‐tages to consider before making the switch. These supermarkets offer prod‐ucts at significantly lower prices than traditional ones. And despite their low prices, they offer a wide selection of high ‐ quality products, from fresh pro ‐duce to household essentials. A simple, efficient, no ‐ frills shopping experience with sustainable options, such as organ‐ic and locally sourced products.

On the other hand, Aldi and Lidl are often smaller, making it difficult to find

Or for one of my neighbours. “The problem with Aldi,” he moans, “is that you go in for some carrots and come out with a chainsaw. Or in for a tin of tomato soup and out with a mini gener‐ator.”

Couldn’t have put it better it myself. And, you may have noticed, I didn’t!

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Hard lines are tough

SPAIN’S hard­surfaced tiled floors can be tough on the feet after years of walking on carpets in the UK.

Consultant podiatrist Helen Branthwaite explained that hard floors will focus the load onto certain parts of the foot.

People who are born and grow up here are used to the unforgiving floors and develop stronger muscles in their arches, she said. “But a hard floor focuses the load onto certain parts of the foot and the increased impact going through the foot makes the muscles work harder which leads to a repetitive strain effect,” she said.

Kale for Vitamin K Turn to meditation

KATIE KRIMITSOS helps to ease women’s anxiety. Her own life is loud. Her parakeets are loud. Her daughters of four and seven, do what children do and her husband has a very loud personality, she admits.

To deal with this kind of daily stress Katie turned to meditation.

“Meditation has always been a way for me to get the quiet I need and to sift through whatever I have going on,” she said.

It worked so well for Katie that she wanted to share her technique via a podcast that helps women to meditate.

The daily podcasts, under the umbrella of the Women’s Meditation Network, are available through Apple, Spotify and most other podcast services.

Katie’s World Meditation Network has now

KATIE KRIMITSOS: Helps women find a little calm in their lives.

reached 100 million downloads.

“We could all use a little calm in our lives,” she

said. “Being a woman, a mother, whatever job you might have, it’s never easy.”

PERHAPS blaming a slow metabolism for putting on extra pounds isn’t merely a face­saving myth.

Researchers from Aberdeen University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing found that the average metabolic rate in the UK, the US and Europe really has slowed down over the last 40 years.

They calculated that men burn approximately 220 calories fewer a day and women 122 calories, compared

BLEEDING profusely after a small cut could be your body’s way of saying that you aren’t eating enough kale.

Kale is brimming with Vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting. Every 100 grammes contains approximately 40 microgrammes, providing half of a woman’s recommended daily intake and a third of a man’s.

And if, like many of us, kale is not your favourite vegetable, remember broccoli is just as good.

Slow burners

with the 1980s.

The huge change in our diet could be to blame.

Urged to eat less meat and dairyhigh in saturated fats that speed up the metabolism ­ we eat more ultraprocessed foods high in carbohydrates that slow it down, experts suggested.

Photo credit: Katie Krimitsos

In praise of carrots

CARROTS can, after all, help you to see in the dark.

They are rich in Vitamin A, which is important for healthy vision because it helps form a pigment in the retina called rhodopsin,” said Dr Ayan Panja, a GP who is also author of Health Fix: Transform Your Health in Eight Weeks.

“This is necessary for low ­ light vision, and Vitamin A deficiency could lead to difficulties see ­

NIGHT VISION: Vitamin-rich carrots help you to see in dim light.

ing in low light,” he explained.

“Getting enough of the vitamin from foods such

as carrots, leafy greens and sweet potatoes will help night vision,” Dr Panja said.

Tame those hot flushes

POST ­ MENOPAUSAL women often lack lactobacilli, the beneficial bacteria present in our bodies and also found in fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and yoghurt.

Many have found that they benefited from adding a daily portion to a diverse plant ­ rich diet that included oily fish.

These could also help in reducing hot flushes, as US researchers discovered after analysing the diets of 17,000 women. Those who increased fruit and vegetables to five portions a day and wholegrains to six were less likely to experience them, they found.

Dear Leapy LETTERS

I love your articles and eagerly look forward to reading your columns.

If only more people were like you and I and had the balls to speak their mind!

I’m definitely not PC and don’t intend to start at age 67. I’m constantly in trouble with my wife and my three daughters and just about everyone who listens to me banging on about why we are expected to pander to our foreign friends when in our own country/cul ‐ture. ♂

Keep up your great work Leapy, we must not let the b******s grind us down.

Hello Maureen

My husband told me he had sent you an email about me and I was truly de ‐lighted ‐ and surprised ‐ to see my face on your front page (edition 1969)!

I’m sorry it has taken me a while to reply and say thank you but Tony, my husband, hasn’t been too well lately (another heart attack) so I’ve rather had my hands full. He even turned out to be allergic to Heparin! We see the cardiologist on Wednesday so I’m hope‐ful of some good news.

I shared your front page on my Face ‐book page and received many lovely comments that have helped me tremendously during this difficult time.

Thank you again and kind regards.

Tricia Gabbitas.

Dear Sirs

Can you please ask your readers if any of them suffer from awful adminis ‐trators. For nearly 30 years I let mine use my bank account, until I realised that there were irregular transactions. When he was confronted, all I got was the Spanish shrug. Needless to say I put a stop to it.

The problem now is he keeps coming up with all sorts of jobs that need more and more money. He is well paid from all the owners. In fact he put his fee up again three months ago. We are intimi ‐dated by him.

He is very arrogant. He never explains who these people are that he has to pay extra money to. Most of us are se ‐nior citizens. We have talked to solici ‐tors who have taken our money, lis ‐tened, but done nothing.

Please ask your readers for their ad ‐vice.

Best regards Margaret,

Benalmadena

Same problem

Hi,

We too had Gwendolyn Ottley’s Travel Insurance problem but we have found an Insurance Brokers called Mena Cotos Y Tejada in San Pedro Alcantara who ar ‐ranged Travel Insurance for us with ARAG and NO age limit !

It is not cheap, but our minds were/are at ease ……

We are in our 80s and travelling again fully Insured !

Good luck,

Extra payment

Margaret Hayes

We live in Orihuela Costa and like many others we pay our SUMA in May each year. Approx four/six weeks before the payment date we receive from the SUMA office an email detailing the amount that we owe. We always pay by Direct Debit. This year without any no ‐tice the Suma office took an extra pay ‐ment.

We were told this was to cover street cleaning and bin emptying. We never set up a direct debit with our bank for the new amount and have been told that as the Suma office is responsible for tax collection they can set up the payment without our prior agreement.!!!!

We have tried to phone and visit the office but they don’t answer the phone and at our last visit there was over 25 people waiting for an appointment!!

We are more than happy to pay our taxes but really wonder why the Suma office bother to send us details of the re‐quired payment if they then add to it.

The extra payment is supposed to cover the street cleaning etc. We just hope that it will be spent for that purpose as the streets and bins of OC are in a disgusting state and have been for years. and no doubt will stay like that until OC has its in‐dependence from Orihuela town.

Terry and Shirley

Still trying

Hi all,

Thank you for your reply to my letter re travel insurance.

I rang Stay Sure travel and was told their age limit was 85 years, so no help there as I am 86 years old.

I tried to get travel insurance from Eng‐land, but they will not do it as I am a Spanish resident.

I am now at a loss as to what to do.

Kind regards

Gwendoline Ottley

Of cabbages and kings LINDA

HALL

I THOUGHT I was going to see a coro ‐nation on November 22, 1975, when I went to the hotel over the road from where we lived in Benidorm.

We didn’t have a television ‐ that’s a story for another day ‐ and my daughter and I were lucky to get a seat in the already ‐ crowded televi ‐sion lounge.

It was winter and the low season, but a party of high‐ranking Army offi‐cers was staying there, although I never did find out if they were on a jolly or business.

Franco had died two days earlier and the man whom he had named as his successor, Juan Carlos, Prince of Asturias, was proclaimed King in the Palacio de Las Cortes, Spain’s parlia ‐ment building.

Spain was still shellshocked, al ‐though Franco’s long ‐ drawn ‐ out death came as no surprise. And yes, I did see people toasting his death on November 20.

In those days I did my shopping at a

small indoor market in the centre of the town and when I went in as usual, one of the stallholders, a greengrocer whom everyone knew was a commu ‐nist, was drinking cava, although we called it Champagne in the days be ‐fore the French lay permanent claim to the name.

There were more people knocking it back on the corner of the street too.

Two days later, I was disappointed to see that the crown and a sceptre, accompanied by a crucifix, remained throughout on a footstool covered in red and gold brocade.

Instead Juan Carlos, still handsome and with his copybook still unblotted, was not crowned but sworn in as King in a proclamation that ended with the words ¡Viva el Rey!

At which, all the Army officers pre ‐sent leapt to their feet and bellowed in unison, “¡Viva el Rey!”

Some people joined in, some didn’t but we all stood as the Spain’s nation‐al anthem was played, aware ‐ in one of those moments that nobody ever forgets ‐ that this was the start of something new.

Aragon, the city that gives you everything

THE region of Aragon, although quite small, played a major part in the drive to restore Iberia to Christian control. The earliest battle to displace the Muslim invaders was won by the Visigoth king Pelagius (more commonly known in Spain as Pelayus) at the battle of Covadonga. A battle which was fought amongst the stunningly beautiful mountains of the Picos de Europa.

Successive victories for Pelayo meant that, somewhat uniquely in Spain, Aragon were never again to suffer the Moorish domination that persisted in much of Spain for up to an‐other 700 years. It is fitting therefore that by the 15th century, it was King Alfonso II from Aragon who joined forces with Isobel the catholic of Castilla following their dynastic marriage in 1469 to finally end Moorish rule in Spain at Granada in the year1492.

The city Zaragoza, has grown to become the thriving capital city of Aragon. Situated halfway between Madrid and Barcelona, the city has developed a buzzing economy. Popu‐lar as an attractive tourist destination, with a lively and vibrant street culture and enjoying all the facilities that you would expect in a

major city, they also have the added bonus of being associated with the internationally fa‐mous Rioja wine producing industry with many different types of grapes grown in the surrounding fields.

On the banks of the river Ebro which flows through the city from Cantabria on its journey to meet the sea at Tarragona, you find many of the magnificent centuries old buildings that make this city such a pleasure to visit. Mini cruises, canoes, and rowing boats full of hap‐py visitors float effortlessly across the calm

waters of the river. Tall ornate buildings line the banks of the river, throwing mirror im‐ages across the water. Buildings like the stun‐ningly eye‐catching Basilica de nuestra Senora de Pilar. A building with an equally ornate in‐terior. Nearby are the wonderfully sturdy walls of the Aljaferia Palace. A magnificent tribute to the skill and ingenuity and skill of 11th century inhabitants of this imaginative city. A fabulous building with lots of interest‐ing stories attached to it. If you like diversity, how about the Catedral de San Salvador which offers Moorish, Romanesque and Neo‐classical architecture. This is a city that gives you everything. Wide open cafe filled squares. Ideal for people watching. Beautiful‐ly constructed buildings with lovely exterior and interior finishes. Attractive gardens. Good shopping, if that is your thing. Or you can do it the lazy way by taking to the water. Or use a hop on hop off city tourist bus.

We are not finished yet though. Just over an hour’s drive away from Zaragoza is the most delightful 800‐year‐old Monastery de Piedra. An awe inspiring monastery, situated in an oasis of quite magical gardens. A won‐

derful selection of green broad leaved trees, tropical plants, racing silver streams, cascad‐ing waterfalls. You can even go behind one of these to view the world from the other side. In this beautiful place it would be hard not to feel a sense of peace and contentment rush‐ing over you. But just in case that doesn’t work we will also on this day out take you for lunch at the monastery restaurant.

Finally Belchite. A reminder of some of Spain’s darkest days. Belchite is a timely re‐minder of the futility of war. Hosting as it did, a battle during the civil war which led to the destruction of the town and 5,000 deaths. A sobering but interesting visit. For this one a lo‐cal guide will be on hand to help us under‐stand the enormity of what happened there.

This is a varied and extremely interesting visit to one of the less visited regions of Spain which is offered by David’s Coachtrips.

Based in a centrally located city centre hotel. €249 pp Regime (B&B). 4* Excursions included.

Dates four days: May 29 ‐ June 1 and Oct 2 ‐ 5.

We help with your help

THE British Benevolent Fund was founded over a century ago to provide fi ‐nancial relief for those Britons in Spain who were in extreme difficulties and with no other recourse.

As a charity of last re ‐sort, the BBF has helped countless thousands of Britons over the years overcome the worst of life’s challenges.

We try wherever possi ‐ble to find solutions to problems, a hand up not a handout but sometime a difficult situation can turn into a blessing with a bit of focus and of course ‐ luck.

Sarah is a single mother of two teenage children. She worked full time with a modest income which paid the bills and supported her family.

She was officially resi ‐dent, and the children born in Spain.

The father had not con‐tributed to any payments, and sometimes it was a

struggle to get to the end of the month. She had no savings.

Shortly before Easter she was referred to us by one of our partner chari ‐ties at www.supportin spain.info

She had got in touch with them because her employer had run into difficulties, and she had not been paid that month and there was a possibili‐ty of the company going under.

She had applied for state benefits and would be entitled to some help for unemployment, but it would take a while to come through.

She needed immediate help for basic food and household items for the

children which the BBF was able to provide ‐ in fact it took two months for the state support to arrive, but we were able to agree a grant to cover her that took a big worry away while she looked for other work.

She was able to find a new job which was better paid and with better con‐ditions and she was even able to retrieve her back pay owed to her.

The BBF is only able to help people like Sarah with your help. If you would like to support our work with a donation, please visit www.british benevolentfund.org.

Thank you on behalf of all.

Olaf Clayton, Chair BBF

Olaf Clayton of BBF.

The stunningly eye-catching Basilica de nuestra Senora de Pilar.

PETS

New UK legislation

NEW legislation in the UK will affect dog owners which will end a practice many call ‘cruel and unnecessary.’

From February 2024 the UK will bring into force a ban on electric shock dog collars, according to a news source on Saturday, April 29.

The move has been praised by the charity, Dogs Trust. Dr Rachel Casey commented, “we welcome this announcement from Defra that hand ‐ held electric shock collars are to be banned in England. It is both unnecessary and cruel to use these collars on dogs.

“Research has shown that elec ‐tric shock collars negatively impact dog welfare and instead of improv ‐ing behaviour, risk causing further be ‐haviour problems. Worse still, they can be a mecha ‐nism for abuse if used in anger.”

The collars are activated by a ra ‐dio ‐ controlled de ‐vice which can be used from a dis ‐tance of about two miles, which are capable of giv ‐ing painful electri ‐cal shocks for up to 11 seconds at a time

Figures indicate that one in 20 British dog owners have used the con ‐troversial collars on their dogs, which are cited as a training device.

Mark Beazley

Dog-sitting is very affordable

A DOG-SITTER is a companion as well as a pet minder to your pets. It is good to find someone who will play with your pets, as well as look af‐ter them. Housesitmatch can help you find such a dog‐sitter and companion for multiple pets at very little cost. Join our club, it pays offer after only one or two nights away from home.

If you’re planning a trip register now to find pet‐sitters in time. Whether your trip is short or long, you’ll know that sometimes you must leave pets at home. Young and senior pets in particular benefit from staying at home, so they can follow their routines undisturbed. Join our pet and house‐sitting network, and the sitters come for free!

Choose Housesitmatch.com for affordable travel, home and petcare. These are the steps to take:

1. Register as a homeowner on HouseSit Match.com

2. Choose a Standard account (£69 per year) to ensure you can help online when needed

3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house

4. Post an advert for the dates when you want to go away. Sitters apply and you choose. How does it work?

A dog-sitter is a companion to your pets.

HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sit‐ters. Join our network for a small annual fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your ad‐vert saying when you are going on holiday. House‐sitters see your advert, they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets. Trustpilot Testimonials ‐ 4.9 / 5 Excellent 10 out of 10 for housesitmatch.com

I have had nothing but good and helpful ser‐vice from the people who run this site, and my experience has been excellent.

Tristram Cosgrave ‐ Dog and cat owner, Malaga How do you join?

Please register online via our website www.Housesitmatch.com.

Need a pet or house-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either house-sitter or homeowner with a 20% discount using coupon code 20EWN - Reader exclusive offer. To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com.

UK dog food may harm pets

Advertising Feature

Dogs with phobias of intense noises: Fireworks, storms, firecrackers...

IT should be remembered that some dogs show fear of loud noises, such as firecrackers, fireworks, storms or shotgun shots. Fear is a normal adaptive mechanism that helps the animal cope with stimuli that could end its life.

But if this fear is disproportionate, that is, an exagger‐ated level of reaction with respect to the stimulus, we are talking about a phobia. If your dog suffers from an intense noise phobia behaviour, it is advisable to consult your veterinary specialist in clinical ethology who will re‐sort to behaviour modification techniques to eliminate fears and phobias.

Tips for Loud Noise Phobia:

‐ Provide the dog with a safe environment, do not re‐inforce fear, use pheromones and anxiolytic drugs if nec‐essary (ask your vet): A safe place is one previously posi‐tive, that is, through the use of food and play. Do not put your dog in a crate to avoid destructive behaviour during a storm. The dog is still going to be scared when in the crate and it is likely that he could injure himself trying to get out of the crate.

‐ When your dog is beginning to have anxiety, before he shows his fearful behaviour, encourage him to partic‐ipate in an activity that captures his attention and dis‐tracts him from his fear.

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

DOG food sold in the UK may harm your pet after some have been found to contain high levels of toxic lead ac‐cording to campaigners at Wild Justice.

harm their health.

Chris Packham said “That people might be unwittingly poisoning their beloved com‐panion animals is outra ‐geous.

the journal Ambio stated that tests were undertaken on samples from raw, air‐dried and wet dog food products purchased in the UK that con‐tained pheasant meat.

CEO

of

Charity The Club Kennel said, “There is simply no excuse for us ‐ing these devices.”

According to the organisa‐tion, more than three quar‐ters of samples from three raw pheasant ‐ based dog foods tested for lead exceed‐ed the maximum level rec‐ommended for animal feed.

They contend therefore that the use of lead shot in shooting means pet owners are unwittingly feeding their dogs levels of lead that may

“It’s clearly a failure of our regulatory systems when products like raw pheasant‐based dog foods can be sold containing such high lead lev‐els.

“No animals should be ex‐posed to these levels of lead in their food. Wild Justice is taking legal advice on these shocking findings.”

New research published in

They found that about three quarters of samples from raw pheasant‐ based dog food packs exceeded the EU maximum lead levels per‐mitted in animal feed.

Wild Justice believe that raw meat diets for pets are on the increase in the UK, and products containing raw pheasant are widely available online.

The three founders of Wild Justice.

Credit: Wild Justice Twitter

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J & J PAINTERS. Insideoutside - clean - fast - low cost. Torrevieja - Orihuela Costa and surrounding areas. Tel: 650 363 159 (1296232)

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IS ALCOHOL COSTING YOU MORE THAN MONEY? Drinking to excess not only affects your health it can spill over into every other aspect of your life - damaging everything that is important to you. English-speaking AA meetings are held throughout the Costa Blanca from Valencia City to Murcia. Anyone wishing to attend a meeting or discuss a possible drinking problem contact Costa Blanca North: 648 169 045 or Costa Blanca South: 625 912 078 or Costa Calida 679 385 105 All calls are treated in the strictest confidence.

BUY & SELL

PRIVATE collector will buy your Gold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel - 678 716 693 (288662)

KENWOOD CentriFugal

Juicer Excel IE850 €99ono. 628 860 606 (303013)

CARAVANS

MOBILE homes & static caravans bought, sold and transported. +34 630 055 418 or elsyd7@hotmail.com (294686)

CARS FOR SALE

AA in German: 645 456 075; Spanish: 679 212 535; Flemish: 635 047 053; and Scandinavian: 659 779 222. www. aa-costablanca.org (93323)

CAMPELLO CONTRA CANCER

in conjunction with AECC Association Español Contra Cancer. Please support your local Cancer charity and if you wish to obtain literature or simply talk to someone. Please contact Mina or Trisha. Tel 650 071 278 or 610 921 413 e-mail aecc_campe llo@hotmail.com (95475)

CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA/MAR MENOR

Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 (95462)

CHURCH SERVICE IN ENGLISH

Tel: 950 617 549 www.giving light.com.(10006)

FREEMASONRY . Are you aware that Freemasonry is thriving on the Costa Blanca? There are various Lodges meeting up throughout the Valencia region. If you already are a Mason or simply wish to know more about Freemasonry in Spain please contact sec@glpvalen cia.com Tel 600 841 064 (95477)

HELP VEGA BAJA. We are a non-profit making organisation that helps and supports anyone,

without prejudice, in times of need or crisis within the Vega Baja area. Our offices are based in San Miguel at Calle Lope de Vega 46 (Tel 966 723 733), Torrevieja at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 4 (Tel 965 704 282). We are online at www.helpvegaba ja.com and also on Facebook. You can email the San Miguel Centre at office@helpvegabaja. com. We also have a 24-hour Emergency helpline which is available to both members and non-members on 966 723 733 (95456)

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY, TORREVIEJA Calle Beniajan 16, Torrevieja 03185, Alicante Evangelical non-denominational church. Sunday morning Services at 11.00am. All nationalities welcome - Contact 966 752 543 / 966 799 273. For other church matters phone: 966 799 273 / /617 215 463 www.icatorrevieja.org (95476)

LA SIESTA EVANGELICAL CHURCH on Urbanisation La Siesta, Torrevieja is a friendly, English-speaking church. For more information, including details of our services, see our website www.lasiestaevangeli calchurch.org (10005)

PHILIP SCOTT LODGE No 10671 of the RAOB. Please call the secretary, Colin Bird on 693 287 614 for further information. (95459)

PILAR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information, www.pi larchurch.org Reg No: 2009SG/A (95463)

ROYAL Air Force Association

Costa Blanca Registered Members Group: The RAFA Costa Blanca RMG replaces the RAFA Costa Blanca Branch 1359 which is now closed. The RMG is a social group of caring people and remains affiliated to the parent Association. Contact with the Royal Air Force Association and the RMG can be made via the RAFA website rafa.org. uk Tel:0044 800 018 2361. (238593)

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION - Why not make this year the year you volunteer? See how you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info

tbuddyhhvisits@gmail.com. If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, http://branches.britishlegion.org .uk/branches/orihuela-costacovering from Punta Prima to San Javier. More info can be found on branch website www.orihuelacostarbl.co.uk. (95457)

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Gran Alacant & La Marina Branch. For info, contact the branch Secretary at granalacant.secretary@ rbl.community

ROYAL MARINES ASSOCIATION (Costa Blanca) The aim of the Association is to bring together not just ex Royal Marines, but ex Service personnel with an affinity to the Royal Marines. For further details contact Hon Sec P S Wilkins Tel: 966 194 158 email: inkin spain@yahoo.co.uk (10004)

ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION

For information please contact Chairman Anthony Jenkins +34 693 866 709, Vice Chairman Dusty Miller +34 711 006 670, Secretary Mike Cockman +34 670 224 822, Treasurer Carl Louden +34 678 518 202, email rnatorrevieja@aol.com (95455)

STROKE ASSOCIATION Spain

(formally known as Torrevieja stroke support) Our aim is to help and support stroke survivors and their carers, with rehabilitation, speech therapy, OC therapy and a very active social group. For info please contact 653 588 475 English and 620 907 474 Spanish or email strokesupportgroup@ hotmail.com, website: torrevie jastrokesupport.org. We are always looking for volunteers who have the skills and knowledge to support. (95473)

THE AIRCREW ASSOCIATION

COSTA BLANCA BRANCH. Former & serving aircrews of the UK or Allied Armed Forces are welcome to join this convivial & friendly organisation, now in its 21st year. www.acacostablan ca.org or call the Secretary on: 966 495 042 (95465)

THE ANGLICAN CHURCH, La Fustera. For more info: contact Frank Bentley on 966 495 188. (95461)

Foundation spiritual centre. Or contact Linda Schug Tel. 606 990 665 for more details

THE PATIENCE LODGE No 2177 of the R.A.O.B Please call Secretary Dave Tonge on 688 704 091 for further information.

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THE SPIRITUALIST CENTRE, Benijofar meets at Hamilton’s Bake House, 62 Calle Vicente, Blasco Ibañez, Benijofar 03178. We hold a Sunday Sevrice at 11.30am. For further information: www.spiritualist centre-benijofar.com

Telephone 711 060 171. Email martindroute66@hot mail.com. Fiscal G54713789

MOVERS AND SHAKERS We are a non-profit organisation that supports people and their families with neurological diseases such as; HUNTINGTON’S, ATAXIA, MOTOR NEURONE, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS and PARKINSON’S. Our MOVERS AND SHAKERS CLUB held every Friday @ 1pm – 3pm, is a chance for members to meet up socially, for a drink and a chat on a full range of topics and to exchange ideas and information. The club is held at O’Briens Bar in El Raso, Guardamar del Segura (except July and August). For more details, contact Marion Smith on 711 008 250, or email: marion.smith@amscb.org.es, or you can find us on Facebook : fb@movers and shakers www.amscb.org.es (295976)

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NEED HELP WITH SPANISH? British expat with 39 years’ experience offers translation/interpreter/teaching services. Tel: Gary 676 893 572 (302830)

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MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434 (291667)

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SPAMA GANDIA SHELTER. Dog and cat rescue registered charity, La Safor area. 500 animals awaiting rehoming. Phone Gail 962 896 118. Visit our website for directions. www.spama.org and view our new blog at www.spama-safor.blog.com.es PLEASE HELP US TO HELP THEM (95707)

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P.E.P.A. VOLUNTEERS & FOSTER HOMES URGENTLY NEEDED. By fostering an abandoned dog or spending a few hours each week on our telephone helpline, you could help save the lives of many animals. Please call: 650 304 746. For more information browse our website: www.pepaspain.com (95708)

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Audi e-tron GT quattro - simply stunning!

ROAD TEST

byMarkSlack

IT seems that manufactur‐ers think EVs need to look quirky and left field, you expect combustion en ‐gine cars redesigned for all electric power to look essentially the same but all new EVs seem to be distinctly avantgarde. However some have taken a different route with their EVs. Take a bow Audi!

The e ‐ tron GT is a stun ‐ning head turner that at ‐tracted nothing but posi ‐tive comments and admiration from all who saw my car. It’s not surpris‐ing given the swooping lines, purposefully wide stance and sleek profile. Al‐though styling is very sub ‐jective I think few would disagree that it’s a darned good looking car from ev ‐ery angle.

There are just two mod ‐els, the GT quattro and RS

GT with five trim levels and prices starting from a not inconsiderable €97,649/ £85,185, with the higher

performance RS version from €133,185/£116,185.

As with any EV it’s all about range and the GT has an of‐

Facts at a Glance

• Model: Audi e-tron GT quattro

• Engine: 93 kwh battery – 530 PS – 11kw on-board charger

• Gears: 2-speed automatic

• Price: €97,649/£85,185

ficial maximum of 487km/ 303 miles on a single charge with a 50kw charger taking one hour 30 minutes

• Performance: 0-100 kph (62 mph) 4.1 seconds/Maximum Speed 245 kph (152 mph).

• Range: 303 miles on single charge

• Charging: 50kw DC charger from 10% to 80% = 1 hour 30 minutes/150kw DC charger from 10 to 80% = 23 minutes/Home wallbox 7kw AC charger from 10% to 80% = 14 hours

• Emissions: 0 g/km Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets

from 10 to 80 per cent or just 23 minutes if you can locate a 150kw charger.

In reality, depending upon your driving style and how much of the considerable performance you use, the real world range is somewhere in the order of 270 miles. Ranges have im ‐proved, and will doubtless continue to improve, but then they need to get bet‐ter with the lamentable public charging network. One can’t help sympathis ‐ing with car makers!

As with all Audis there’s a feeling of solidity and quali‐ty with an interior is pleas‐ingly free from much of the touchscreen mania that seems to afflict many inte‐riors these days. There’s an enviable standard equip ‐ment list too, but the op ‐tional extras can raise the

list price to lofty heights. It also feels special from its sweeping curves to its Alcantara clad interior. However those sweeping lines do have the effect of making the interior feel somewhat compact given the e ‐ tron’s exterior di ‐mensions. You do slide rather than climb into the car.

On the road the e ‐ tron doesn’t disappoint with blistering acceleration and handling to match. There’s synthesised sound that of‐fers a suitably aural back ‐ground for such sporting looks and despite its con ‐siderable size the GT is re ‐markably nimble and en ‐joyable on cross country drives. It’s also a distin ‐guished cruiser on A roads and motorways.

If you’re looking for style and class in EV form, and you have the financial wherewithal, then the e ‐tron GT is definitely your kind of car.

A car full of style and class.

Tighter checks

NEW measures will safe ‐guard passengers and crack down on unfit taxi and Pri‐vate Hire Vehicle (PHV) drivers, with tighter checks introduced across UK local authorities.

Building on existing legis‐lation, councils in England will now be mandated to use a national database to record instances where taxi and PHV drivers have their licences removed for mis ‐conduct. This new law will prevent them from simply reapplying for a licence in other areas by alerting the system to concerns about their prior be haviour.

This will ensure passen‐gers can use taxis and PHVs with greater confidence that these modes of trans‐port are safe, helping to strengthen communities and restore pride in towns and high streets across the country.

While the vast majority of taxi and private hire trips are safe and efficient, there have been a small number of reports linking a minori‐ty of drivers to

incidents of sexual harass‐ment, abuse and poor driv‐ing.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said: “The safety of passengers, espe‐cially women and girls, is paramount. That’s why I’m bringing in tough new mea‐sures to ensure that when you catch a cab, you can be confident your driver will take you from A to B safely and without incident.”

ALFA ROMEO F1 Team

Stake endured a difficult weekend in the streets of Baku, with no points at the end of a challenging Sprint event.

In the main Sunday race on April 30, Valtteri Bottas fin‐ished 18th, while team‐mate Zhou Guanyu’s race ended prematurely with technical issues that are currently be‐ing investigated by the team.

A tough event for Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake: the team will need to regroup and make a decisive step for‐ward to regain the competi‐tiveness with which it had started the season. As Azer‐baijan goes into the history books, Formula One moves to Miami for the final leg of this back‐to‐back, next week.

Alessandro Alunni Bravi,

Difficult weekend

Team Representative: “This was a disappointing race and it showed that, right now, our package is not competi‐tive enough to score points.

“The priority for everyone of us in the team ‐ here at the track and back at base is

to work hard and make the improvements necessary to get back where we expect to be.

“The field remains tight, and we can get back into this battle: but we must deliver a step forward to do so.”

8.8 Average age of a licensed car in the UK.

Safeguarding passengers.

Copa del Rey winners

REAL MADRID beat Os ‐asuna on the evening of Saturday May 6 to win the Copa del Rey.

Although the team have won the Copa del Rey 20 times, it’s been nine years since they last lifted this trophy.

Osasuna has never won the cup, but they fought well against the reigning Spanish and Eu‐ropean champions.

Real Madrid went ahead after only two minutes of the game when Rodrygo fired the ball into the net after a run down the left from Vinicius.

But Lucas Torro gave Osasuna hope for better things when he scored in the 58th minute.

Then Brazilian winger, Vinicius scored again for Madrid.

Ancelotti the Real Madrid coach said after

the game “They made the difference; Vini un ‐balanced them and Rodrygo scored two goals.” He also said it was time to celebrate, but not too much. “The Copa arrived at an important

No contract for Messi

LIONEL MESSI’s contract has not been renewed by Paris San Germain (PSG) football club.

It comes soon after Messi took a day off without autho‐risation from the club to visit Saudi Arabia for a publicity commitment. The club sanc‐tioned him with two weeks away from playing and train‐ing without pay.

Messi missed the match against Troyes on Sunday May 7 and will miss the game against Ajac cio on May 13. His wage loss will be around €1.7 mil‐lion.

Re ‐ports say how‐ever that the ten sion between Messi and PSG had in creased over the last few weeks and when his father and manager,

record smashed

A PREMIERSHIP goal‐scor‐ing record has just been smashed in an impressive display and with five games still in hand.

Man City striker, Erling Haa‐land, 22, is in the record books after setting a new record for being the all‐time Premier League’s top goal scorer in a single season, ac‐cording to a news source on Wednesday, May 3.

The 28‐year‐old record of 34 goals in a season was joint‐ly held by sporting legends Alan Shearer and Andy Cole, but City’s win over West Ham puts Haaland at 35 goals, and there’s still time to set the bar even higher with five more games to play.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Haaland said, “[It’s a] special night and a special moment. I’m really happy and proud.”

Following the game, his teammates formed a guard of honour, although Haaland ad‐mitted, “it was really painful this guard of honour, every‐one hit me in the back, but it was really nice. I’m really hap‐py.”

Manager, Pep Guardiola enthused, “He’s unbelievable, a unique person, he deserves the guard of honour because it’s an incredible milestone.”

Jorge Messi visited the club to learn about their new pro‐ject he found the relationship between his son and the club had cooled.

However, it is thought that Messi could be moving to Saudi Arabia this summer af‐ter he agreed to a deal.

According to AFP, cited in a news source on Tuesday, May 9, Messi has been of‐fered a “huge contract”.

It was reported that he could be offered an astonish‐

moment, we came through some tricky ties, it’s a deserved prize against strong oppo ‐nents.

“This night we will cel‐ebrate, a little bit, not too much, and then we

will get back to work for Tuesday.

Real Madrid has now won all six of the tro ‐phies they have played for during Ancelotti’s sec‐ond time at the club, af‐ter he returned in 2021.

The incredible Manchester City goal‐scoring machine has so far scored 35 goals in 31 games.

Back in the day when Shearer and Cole claimed their tally, the football season comprised 42 matches, nowadays it’s down to 38 games, as if to further rein‐force Haaland’s remarkable feat.

Former Manchester City player, Micah Richards, was full of praise for the young star “Honestly, Erling Haaland is absolutely incredible. Aston‐ishing scenes from a top, top individual.

“This is his debut season, to do what he has done is abso‐lutely breathtaking.”

I thought he would score goals but I didn't envisage this many. I thought debut sea‐son, 25 goals. But to beat the record in 31 appearances, it's astonishing.’

Unexpected bull run for Rugby League fans

RUGBY league fans were treated to an unusual pre‐match spectacle on Friday May 5 normally reserved for visitors to Pamplona.

Catalan Dragons played host to St Helens on Friday, and in pre‐match proceed‐ings, a bull ran amok on the pitch sending players flying in all directions, according to a news source.

Bernard Guasch, the own‐er of French Rugby league team Catalan Dragons, and also head of the local Cattle Breeders’ Association, decid‐ed to promote the quality of local beef by parading three bulls in front of fans while players warmed up be‐fore the game.

The crowd were antic‐ipating an exciting game, but they got a little more than they bargained for when one of the huge beasts decided to make a run for it.

Sky Sports covered the game and video footage shows a handler calmly walk‐ing with the animal before the prize‐winning bull breaks away, the handler bravely hangs on as he is dragged

along the pitch before he has no option but to let go.

The players who were on the field warming up, scat‐tered in all directions with some jumping over barriers and billboards to escape.

Thankfully the frisky bull didn’t harm anyone and was eventually recaptured as he charged towards his bovine teammates.

Prior to the display it was announced, ‘three prize‐win‐ning bulls, as well as two cows from the same Gascon breed, will perform a lap of honour during the warm‐up.’

Some fans responded with online tweets, ‘didn’t know they played Rugby in Pam‐plona!’ Another said ‘bit rough for the team in red.’

While one simply said, ‘Bloody hell!!!’

The match took place at the Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan with Saints taking an early 12‐point lead, but it seems the pre ‐ match shenanigans worked in Cata‐lan’s favour who came back in the second half to win.

Final score Catalan Dragons 24‐12 St Helens.

RUNNING AMOK: The Catalan Dragons played St Helens.

REAL MADRID: Champions on the night.

Messi may be off to Saudi Arabia.

Klopp in hot water with FA

FOLLOWING his com ‐ments about the referee, Liverpool coach, Jurgen Klopp found himself in hot water with the Foot‐ball Association (FA).

The FA has charged Klopp with alleged im ‐proper conduct after his remarks about referee Paul Tierney following their match against Tot‐tenham on Sunday April 30, said a news source.

In a post ‐ match rant Klopp criticised referee Tierney, for having an agenda against the Reds.

The FA deadline was Friday for Klopp to an ‐swer the charge against him, namely that his com‐ments, ‘imply bias, and/or question the in‐tegrity of the referee, and/or are personal/of‐fensive, and/or bring the game into disrepute.’

The German had said in his post‐match interviews following the 4‐3 thriller against Spurs that Tierney seemed to have some ‐

thing “against” Liverpool following previous run‐ins, with Klopp having been booked for cele ‐brating Diogo Jota’s last‐gasp winner at Anfield in front of the fourth official.

A statement issued by the FA, said “Liverpool FC’s Jürgen Klopp has been charged following their Premier League fix‐ture against Tottenham Hotspur FC on Sunday 30 April.

“It is alleged that the manager’s comments re‐garding the match official during post‐match media interviews constitutes im‐proper conduct in that they imply bias, and/or question the integrity of the referee, and/or are personal/offensive, and/or bring the game in‐to disrepute.

In a press conference, Klopp said he regretted his comments. The Liver‐pool boss could face a hefty fine and a touchline ban.

Legendary ex-boss of Real and Deportivo passes away

IT was a sad day for football as Arse nio Iglesias, the former coach of De portivo and Real Madrid has passed away.

On Friday, May 5, legendary football coach Arsenio Igle ‐sias died at the age of 92 in A Coruña, as reported by a lo‐cal news source.

Hailed as one of Spain’s greatest coaches, who made history and shaped Superdépor, one of those teams that will always be remembered, marking a special era in Spanish foot ‐ball.

Speaking to Radio MARCA, former player Djukic said, “It is very sad news for all Deportivistas and for the whole world of football. He was one of the key pieces of Su ‐perdépor.”

Arsenio Iglesias was born on De ‐cember 24, 1930 in Arteixo, he was a footballer, coach and was known as the Bruxo de Arteixo. His coaching career began in 1970, when he took

Deportivo to the First Division. He then also coached Hércules for four seasons, as well as Zaragoza, before

returning to Dépor for his most bril‐liant period.

His success at the Galician club led him to coach Real Madrid in 1996, when he replaced Jorge Valdano. He stayed at Real Madrid for 19 games.

In previous periods he coached Burgos, Elche, Almeria and the Galician national team.

As a footballer, he wore the shirts of Deportivo, where he played in the First Division between 1952 and 1957, he played for Sevilla in the 1957/58 season, Granada between 1958 and 1964 and Oviedo between 1963 and 1965. He played a total of 238 games in the top‐flight and another 63 in the second division and pro ‐motion.

Iglesias is the most prolific coach in charge of Dépor with 568 matches and is credited as the most influen‐tial person on the pitch in the 116 years of Deportivo’s history.

DEPORTIVO: Iglesias was their most prolific coach.