Smoke signals

SMOKING on bar and restaurant terraces is sparking heated arguments in Benidorm this summer.

It was banned throughout the country in August 2020 due to the Covid restrictions and in most Spanish regions the prohibition ended in March last year.

The Valencia Region and the Balearic Islands were the only two areas where smoking was still prohibited, but the latter finally dropped the restriction last week.

But in Valencia the pro- hibition still stands, which is causing confusion among visitors that arrive from other parts of Spain where they were allowed to smoke only to find that waiters - and sometimes other customers - here are stopping them from doing so.

Spokespeople for the hospitality sector are insisting that “we are not policemen” and are requesting that the regulations are made the same throughout the country to avoid problems in the middle of the tourism high season.

ALFAZ DEL PI’S fiestas committee has organised a competition to design the official poster for the Santísimo Cristo festivities taking place from November 7 to 10.

The contest is open to all artists and designers, both individually and in groups, with the possibility of presenting up to two proposals each.

All entries must be original and previously unpublished, with posters measuring 50x70 centimetres, vertical and without margins.

They must also bear the slogan, in Valencian, ‘Festes del Jubileu i del Santíssim Crist del Bon Encert. L’Alfas del Pi. Del 7 al 10 de Novembre de 2023’.

Deadline for presentation is July 31 at 2pm. All designs can be presented by email via Alfaz Town Hall website www.ciudadano.lalfas.es or in person at the Registro de Entrada.

There will be a €300 prize for the winning entry, which will be chosen by a jury made up of representatives of the Fiesta Committee and the local council, with the winner being announced during the coronation gala of the fiesta queens at the Casa de Cultura esplanade on Saturday August 5.

CRICKET fans in the Marina Baixa welcomed a very special visitor last week.

St Peter’s Cricket ClubVatican is officially the Pope’s very own international team and is made up of priests and seminarians from Ireland, India and Pakistan who study and work in the Pontifical University.

The team was founded in 2014 and on January 26 it became part of the Athletica Vaticana, the Vatican’s official sports team and affiliated with the Italian Athletics Federation.

It travels the world every year or two to play cricket, promote intercultural and religious dialogue and raise funds for social causes.

St Peter’s Cricket Club visited Alfaz del Pi, La Nucia and Benidorm from Monday July 3 to Friday 7,