British man for mayor

FOR the first time ever in the history of the Balearic Islands, a British man has been elected as the mayor of a small town in Mallorca. Fifty ­ two ­ year ­ old,

Richard Thompson and his wife, settled in Mallorca nine years ago, is now the mayor of Sant Joan, according to a news source.

Sant Joan has a population of around 2,000 people and sits in the centre of Mallorca. However, it has found itself in the news recently due to its new British mayor.

Mr Thompson originally hails from West Sussex, where he worked as a teacher. Although married to a native of Sant Joan, Richard is not a Spanish citizen, but his resident status was enough for him to serve on the council and qualify to run as a mayoral candidate.

Despite his appointment being a first for the islands, he will not be the first British person to occupy mayoral status in Spain.

In 2008, the Costa Blanca saw Briton, Mark Lewis, become mayor of a small town following the arrest of a number of corrupt councillors. And in Leon, Briton, Carmen McPhee, became mayor of a farming village some 10 years ago.

WORLD TAPAS DAY arrived with a burst of flavour on Friday, June 16. The mouthwatering event, organised by Saborea España, the leading brand in Spanish gastronomic tourism aimed to honour a quintessential aspect of Spanish cuisine and society, tapas. Now in its fifth year, World Tapas Day is a favourite event among food enthusiasts and an excuse to discover more of Spain’s rich culinary scene.

To mark the date, a series of exciting initiatives took place across the country.

The National Tapas and Pintxos Competition was held in Valladolid on Friday. This year marked its 25th anniversary bringing together top culinary talents to create

JET2 have announced plans to expand its services to Spain and Europe in order to meet the increasing demand for spring vacations.

Starting early next year the holiday airline is going to add extra services from Manchester Airport to Spain and other popular destinations across Europe, according to a news source.

As of March 2024, Jet2 will offer flights

Jet2 adds more flights

to Girona, while also boosting its capacity to destinations such as Ibiza and Reus.

Jet2’s Chief Executive Officer, Steve Heapy said: “As the UK’s largest tour operator, we are continuing to react quickly to the demand we are seeing by adding on even more capacity for Summer 24 from Manchester Airport.”

He went on to explain how the company was quick to spot new trends and meet demands: “Customers and independent travel agents in the region have been flocking to book holidays for the early summer season, so we are delight­ incredible miniature dishes.