We help with your help

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

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

We try wherever possible 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 resident, and the children born in Spain.

The father had not contributed 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 charities 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 possibility 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

Olaf Clayton of 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 conditions 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

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/culture. ♂

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

All the best

Jim

Hello Maureen

My husband told me he had sent you an email about me and I was truly delighted ­ 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 hopeful of some good news.

I shared your front page on my Facebook 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 administrators. 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 intimidated 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 senior citizens. We have talked to solicitors who have taken our money, listened, but done nothing.

Please ask your readers for their advice.

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 arranged 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,

Margaret Hayes

Extra payment

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 notice the Suma office took an extra payment.

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 required 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 independence 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 England, 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