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OC T O B E R ISSUE 66
Contents
24
35
Community Insight 8
WORLD HEART DAY
9
NEW LIFE FOR AN OLD LIME KILN
Business Insight 11
DELOITTE STAFF SHUFFLE
Football Insight 30 LYNX FC: FREEBYSPORT TV
Forces Insight 22
STANWORTH MEMORIAL
Sports Insight 31
ICC WORLD TWENTY20 2021
Police Insight 16
RGP & GFRS RUGBY COACHING COURSE
Gibraltar Property Insight WITH TRUSTED NOVUS BANK 39
TRUSTED NOVUS BANK: BUY-TO-LET
40 SHORT-LETS: DUSTIN E JOYCE, ATTIAS & LEVY
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51
WIN WITH SO/ SOTOGRANDE
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PROPERTY MARKET UPDATE: LOUIS MONTEGRIFFO, BMI GROUP 44 THE SOFT TOUCH 46 WILLS & LASTING POWERS OF ATTORNEY: NATASHA PIZZARELLO, HASSANS
Features 13 24 26 34 35 49 51 54 56 57 67
CYBERATTACK THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SIMON PARKES KING CALAWAY EUROPEAN SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIPS JACK PRIOR GIBRALTAR AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY COMPETITION: SO/ SOTOGRANDE UPSCALE RESORT WEAPONS AGAINST BREAST CANCER: HC CANCER CENTER WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY HYPNOTHERAPY COMMITMENT
Regular Features 20 29 32 50 52 60 61 62 64 65 66 70
HISTORY: TRIBUTE TO LORD NELSON, PART ONE GIBRALTAR’S WALKING FOOTBALLERS THE GROWTH OF WOMEN’S RUGBY JUST MARRIED ON THE ROCK HEALTH: MENOPAUSE GIANA SPITERI: 10 PIECES OF UNI ADVICE PACS: BACK TO SCHOOL MOTORING INSIGHT: CUPRA FORMENTOR ADOPT DON’T SHOP A VET’S INSIGHT: CAN BAD TEETH CAUSE HEART DISEASE? HOROSCOPES LIGHT & POWER CROSSWORD
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Gibraltar Insight Deputy Editor: Jean King
Gibraltar Insight - the Rock’s longest running magazine.
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COMMUNITY INSIGHT
World Heart Day is a global campaign where individuals, families, communities and Governments around the world participate in activities to take charge of their heart health and that of others. Created by the World Heart Federation, World Heart Day informs people around the world that cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart disease and stroke is the world’s leading cause of death claiming 18.6 million lives each year, and highlights the actions that individuals can take to prevent and control CVD. In order to mark this very important day, the GHA hosted an awareness stand outside St Bernard’s Hospital. The GHA invited the community to visit the awareness stall where Healthcare professionals shared their knowledge and provided Gibraltarians with the tools they need to live longer and healthier lives. The stall contained information leaflets prepared by the GHA’s Cardiac Rehab team and nurses also provided basic life support demonstrations. Clinical Nurse Specialist, Mr Gerry Fortuna, who leads Cardiac Rehabilitation Services said, “World Heart Day is only one day a year to reflect upon heart health. How we think, and the choices we make, the remaining 364 days of the year, is equally as important towards cardiac health and overall wellbeing. Our healthcare specialist team at the Lionel Perez Cardiac Rehab Centre, remain total-
ly committed to offering cardiac clients and their families, effective evidence- based, cardiac prevention and rehabilitation strategies; structured programmes and a platform of patient support. The team’s main objective on this day is to create maximum cardiac awareness, which will assist us to keep cardiac incidence in Gibraltar to a bare minimum”. The Minister for Health and Care, The Hon Samantha Sacramento, opened the awareness stand this morning and added, “As the world struggles to fight the Pandemic, we’ve never been more aware of the importance of our and our loved one’s health. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death globally and it has many causes; from smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. Taking care of our hearts right now is more important than ever. The GHA, as the Government’s healthcare provider, remains committed to implement policies and initiatives that will lead to positive changes and encourage individuals to lead a healthier lifestyle. I therefore thank the community who attended our awareness stall”.
doe recruitment THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S INTERNATIONAL AWARD IS LOOKING TO RECRUIT NEW PARTICIPANTS IN GIBRALTAR. If you are aged 14 to 24 years then you can take part in your own time, and at your pace. The Award comprises three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold; with each level having four sections: Voluntary Service, Physical Recreation, Skills and Adventurous Journey. There is an additional section, Gold Residential Project, for those at that level. If you're a pupil at Bayside, Westside Schools or Prior Park School keep an ear out for announcements in the coming weeks. Or, if you belong to the Air Training Corps or Scouts Gibraltar, ask your Leaders about undertaking the Award. Even iff you are no longer in school, or not a member of the above, but want to find out more, including how to enrol, get in touch - info@thedukes.gi
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COMMUNITY INSIGHT
New Life For An Old Lime Kiln The on-going programme of heritage restoration has completed restoration works on the Old Lime Kiln located at Willis’ Road on the Upper Rock.
The Lime Kiln was constructed in the late 19th Century or very early 20th Century and is one of two such kilns located on either side of Gibraltar’s western and eastern slopes, which produced quicklime for use in the construction of Gibraltar’s water catchments and underground reservoirs. This a practice that can be traced back to the 14th Century, when quicklime was employed to paint houses and patios.
For more info
Minister for Heritage John Cortes commented, “The restoration of another heritage asset continues our policy of investing in small scale but highly valuable projects that enhance and develop what we have on offer. Yet again, we have found a way to beautify a site that had been neglected for decades”.
THE ROTARY CLUB OF GIBRALTAR YOUTH GRANT FUNDED BY THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH GOLF CHARITY FUND IS NOW OPEN TO APPLICANTS. The Duke of Edinburgh Golf Charity was launched by Deputy Governor Nick Pyle and his wife Ros Day. A cheque for £10,000 was also presented by the Deputy Governor to Rotary President, Jane Hart Simmons, during a formal handover ceremony at the start of August in the Convent Garden. During the presentation Nick Pyle commented that he was delighted to partner with Rotary in helping those young people in the community in need.
will improve their physical and mental well-being. The grants awarded range from £200-£500 and applicants can find the application form at rotaryclubgibraltar.org Completed applications should be sent to info@rotaryclubgibraltar.org
The Rotary club of Gibraltar will be distributing grants totaling £10,000 in the forthcoming year. These grants are available to youth groups and individuals within Gibraltar. The Rotary Club expects a wide ranging selection of projects from short educational and vocational courses, to sports or endurance attainment. Applicants should be aged between 14 and 19 years old and will need to show that a specific project for which funding is sought
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(Photos) 1st photo from left is Ros Day,Deputy Governor Nick Pyle.Rotary President, Jane Hart Simmons, Rotary Treasurer Paul Church, Rotary Secretary Lynda Church 2nd photo from left Rotary Club of Gibraltar President Elect MJ Feeke, first grant recipient Lucy Rees and BIO youth club representative Bridget Osborne
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BUSINESS INSIGHT IN ASSOCIATION WITH SOVEREIGN GROUP
DELOITTE STAFF SHUFFLE Deloitte has announced seven senior promotions in the Gibraltar office.
tory and advisory work. Alexander will also continue leading Deloitte’s insurance proposition in Gibraltar.
Vickram Khatwani and Alexander Miller have been promoted to Director and Colin Bensadon becomes an Associate Director. The strengthening of the leadership team follows Reshma Bhambhwani’s recent promotion to Managing Partner of Deloitte in Gibraltar.
Colin is responsible for delivering external audit engagements to financial services and other local companies. He has led Deloitte Gibraltar’s audit quality programme for some time now, and his new role will include assisting with leading the audit team alongside Gibraltar Managing Partner Reshma Bhambhwani.
Further promotions include Cassandra Felices and Gerard Fitzgerald to Senior Managers and Karl Pardo and Jonathan Caruana will become Managers, all effective from 1 September. Vickram’s role as Director and country tax lead gives him responsibility for leading a team providing compliance, advisory, global employment, and cross-border tax services to a diverse range of clients. Most recently, Vickram supported the launch of Deloitte’s Immigration service line to assist clients with international presence. Vickram also continues to be an active member of the Tax Faculty of the Gibraltar Society of Accountants. Alexander is responsible for leading the Gibraltar side of Deloitte’s Islands & Gibraltar Advisory and Assurance Group as well as financial assurance across the jurisdictions. He has a dedicated, growing team who provide local financial assurance, internal audit, regula-
Reshma said, "We are really pleased to celebrate these individuals’ well-deserved promotions. 2021 has already seen our team move into larger premises and our Gibraltar office recently joined forces with the Channel Islands and Isle of Man which, like these promotions, further strengthens our capabilities. "At Deloitte, we believe in nurturing our people and supporting them to achieve their best potential. Many congratulations to all." Picture: L-R - Director, Alexander Miller; Managing Partner of Deloitte in Gibraltar, Reshma Bhambhwani; Associate Director, Colin Bensadon; Director, Vickram Khatwani
MANAGEMENT CHANGES AT ADVANTAGE INSURANCE Advantage is an established Gibraltar-based insurer, authorised to underwrite private motor and home insurance in the United Kingdom. With over 3m customers, it's one of the largest insurers in Gibraltar and part of the overall Hastings Insurance Group. Having recently announced his retirement, the Advantage MD Steve Hazzard will step down from the Board of Directors at the start of October. Steve’s retirement together with the continued growth and success of Advantage Insurance Company, as one of Gibraltar’s leading Insurers, has meant a number of new senior appointments in the firm.
Steve Mumford has been promoted to Managing Director and the company also welcomes two new Executive Directors to the Board, Craig Wilson & Kevin Borrett. Craig has been with Advantage for 4 years - latterly as Head of Management Reporting & Planning - and Kevin for 5 years heading up the Risk Management & Compliance functions. These changes come into effect from 1st October. Commenting on the changes, outgoing MD Steve Hazzard said "The new appointments are a good examples of career progression and the calibre of talent we have in our business".
into one of the biggest Financial Services firms on the Rock with an enviable reputation for its professionalism and standards. The company is tremendously proud not just with our links to other businesses, but also our engagement with local charities and other organisations".
He went on to say, "since being established in Gibraltar in 2002, Advantage has grown
EUROPA STORMERS SPONSOR
Local rugby outfit Europa Stormers has announced a new sponsor to the club, to help further the game on the Rock. Pressto Gibraltar joins the roster of rugby-supporting businesses both as an official sponsor and official dry cleaning partner.
Pressto will look after the teams' kits for the upcoming season, and will also see Pressto's logo appear on match day shorts & training kit. Julian Cabedo, marketing & business development manager at Pressto said, “Pressto’s Laundry and Dry Cleaning are very happy to be sponsoring Europa Stormers for their 2021 season – it was an excellent fit between our two brands, one of Gibraltar’s top amateur rugby teams with a tremendous following and our top quality express laundry services, keeping their kits clean, which we all know, in rugby, is no mean feat!”
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PARASOL_ADVERTS_26.11.2020_.pdf
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WEALTH MANAGEMENT | VENTURE CAPITAL | PHILANTHROPY ESTABLISHED 2004
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FEATURE
COU LD YOU R B US I N E SS AF F O R D I T ? For most, cyber security is dull. It’s also technical and unless you “understando / speako de lingo” it can be intimidating and perceived as too hard. Conversely, cyber security is now an essential life skill, whether that be in business or in one’s personal life. We live amidst an unseen cyber war that is here to stay and unlikely to end. The advent of greater data transfer speeds; the ever-decreasing size of microchips and sensors; the associated explosion of smart devices as part of the Internet of Things (IoT) revolution; and the incorporation of all these technological advances into our businesses and homes; the prospect and opportunity for cyber-attack is exponentially increasing.
Why should I do something about cyber security? Asides from the shock, inconvenience, distraction, embarrassment, and distress of being hacked, what you may not have considered are the other indirect losses and costs that could occur should you fall foul of a cyber-attack. Bottom line up front (BLUF): prevention is always better than cure.
Privacy regulation has teeth. Internationally, there are an increasing number of compliance regulations whereby it is a requirement to protect against cyber-attack. Widely known and leading the pack is the EU / UK General Data Protection Regulation. This regulation requires that appropriate “organisational and technical” controls are implemented to protect personal data – by this, in the main, they mean cyber security. EU / UK GDPR are both extra-territorial, meaning regardless of the actual registration of your business, if you hold and/or processes the data of an EU or UK citizens, you must cyber-protect the data. Failure to do so could result in enforcement fines up to £17.5M / 20M or 4% or global turnover – whichever is greater. A great number of other nations are updating their privacy laws and using GDPR as a benchmark. While small to medium businesses are unlikely to receive a top end fine, proportionately any fine is likely to have major impact.
Management distraction. When cyber-attacks occur, they are all consuming, particularly if it is a ransomware attack and you have lost all digital access – no computer/device access, no website access, no management systems access. Nothing. All those tasks you were already juggling in your busy work life have just got interrupted, cancelled, or postponed while you concentrate on responding to the incident; communicating with shareholders, regulators, and insurers; and possibly having to inform and apologise to clients and suppliers. What would the cost of this be to you? Furthermore, if you are subject to UK / EU GDPR, and a cyber breach meets the threshold for reporting to a regulator, investigation is highly likely to follow. This can be all consuming and comprises very detailed questions regarding what happened, how it happened and why it was able to happen.
Reputation damage and loss of trust. When your clients provide their personal data to you there is an unwritten trust contract. They trust you to respect and preserve their privacy. Businesses spend huge amounts to recruit customers, but market analysis shows that an equitable amount is not invested in then protecting these clients. What would the impact be on your client’s trust and your business reputation if you had to contact your clients to inform them that you had lost their personal data? Would you lose that client? How would that affect your cashflow forecasts and plans?
Damages claims. Cyber criminals are clever and cunning, an attack on your business may simply be a tactic to attack one of your clients or suppliers, or depending on the type of attack, may intentionally or inadvertently impact them through onward transmission. If af-
ter analysis your business is found to have transmitted a cyber-attack to a client or supplier due to insufficient or inadequate organisational or technological controls, and it has had a profound impact on strategic reputation, operational delivery, loss of intellectual property and/or personal data, you could probably expect to be sued for damages and the associated legal costs of defending your business. How would that affect your business? Most personal data stolen during a cyber-attack ends up for sale on the dark web for other cyber criminals to purchase and further target individuals. A single hack on your business, could lead to an individual being targeted multiple times over. How would you feel if it was your data? Would you want your business to be responsible? There are a growing number of law firms offering group litigation action for damages to individuals who have had their data breached. Damages precedent is still being established, but currently are averaging at ~£2000 per individual. If you lost 10,000 data records that could amount to £20m. So, in summary, while cyber security can feel like another compliance costs, the cost of a cyber-attack is likely to far exceed the implementation cost. Cyber security resilience is simply a baseline cost of doing business.
Michael Wills is co-founder and chief data officer for CSS Platinum. For further information on the company and the services it provides to Gibraltar businesses and the international yachting industry, please visit https://cssplatinum.com and/or email support@cssplatinum.com.
WORDS BY MIKE WILLS INSIGHT'S ONLINE REACH 2020-21 WAS OVER 520,000 - EMAIL HELLO@GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM FOR ADVERTISING OPTIONS
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POLICE INSIGHT
RGP & GFRS RUGBY COACHING COURSE Officers from the Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) and Gibraltar Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS) have been working towards the first stage of their International Rugby Board, level 1 coaching certificate.
The course was delivered by coaches from the Penguin International Rugby Football Trust who promote the training of young people in rugby throughout the world. They were invited to Gibraltar by the Gibraltar Rugby Football Union (GRFU)’s development coach, Dave Barley. The coaching staff of Alun Harries and Dave ‘Cobie’ Cockburn made full use of their many years of experience in order to put the eight trainee coaches through their paces, with a programme that included the methodology of coaching, and the assessment of health and safety issues - as well as the gameplay itself.
An RGP spokesman said, “The original idea came from the Commissioner of Police who heard of the GRFU’s ‘Rugby in School Initiative’ and realised that, the involvement of Police officers and other essential services personnel would provide a perfect platform for interacting with youngsters in a non ‘policing’ or ‘non-emergency’ scenario. It was also clear that the all-inclusive nature, discipline and strong moral code of rugby has much to offer to young people.” Gibraltar Rugby’s Technical Director, Dave Barley commented, “It will be fantastic to have eight new coaches from the RGP and GFRS who will be able to go into schools and deliver rugby coaching to boys and girls. Part of the project is to deliver a rugby programme but, in this way, we are also educating young people on the work the emergency services do in our wider community. It is important that we break down barriers and allow young people to build a strong relationship with our emergency services.”
RGP Authorised Firearms Officers recently participated in a FiREArms training day on the Rock. the RGP officers carry out regular, intensive training to ensure that they are ready to respond to any eventuality.
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The danmaged HMS Victory being towed into Gibraltar after the battle of Trafalgar
FEATURE
TRIBUTE TO
LORD NELSON AND ALL THOSE THAT TOOK PART IN THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR OCTOBER 21ST 1805 - PART 1 OF 2 THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXTRACT OF A LETTER WRITTEN BY AN OFFICER OF THE BELLEROPHON: DEC. 9, 1805 I had the pleasure of writing to my aunt from off Cadiz, on the 21st of September, just after the entry of the combined fleets into that place. I am happy to convey you now the intelligence of their entire defeat; which, though I was confident would take place whenever they mustered courage enough to come out, yet I scarcely expected they would so soon have given us an opportunity of again showing the superiority of the British Navy. You will doubtless have already seen a much better account of the action than I can possibly give you; but as I hope what few particulars I have been able to obtain, will not prove unacceptable to you, I sit down to give you the best account in my power.— The combined fleet, after their action with Sir R. Calder, put into Vigo, and leaving there three of their disabled ships, sailed again for Ferrol,
off which they were joined by fourteen sail of the line, and proceeded with the whole of their fleet, consisting of twentynine sail of the line, to Cadiz, where they arrived on the 20th of August. Admiral Collingwood, with four sail of the line, was cruising off the port when they hove in sight, and would most probably have been taken had they attempted to pursue him, which luckily they did not. The Bellerophon, and three more sail of the line, which were up the Strait, joined Admiral Collingwood on the 23d, and Sir R. Calder's squadron on the 31st. Our fleet then consisted of twenty- six sail of the line, and we immediately resumed the blockade of Cadiz with the greatest severity, till Lord Nelson joined and took the command on the 29th of September. His plan being to give the enemy an opportunity of coming out, he only left a squadron of frigates cruising off the harbour, whilst the fleet continued cruising to the N.W., frequently out of sight of land.
WORDS WORDSBY BYPAUL PAULFOSTER BAKER 20
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tion, when we were bearing down on a superior fleet, they were employed in fixing the number of their prizes, and pitching upon that which should fall to the lot of each of our ships: ours, by the calculation of the oldest sailors on board, was to have been the Santisima Trinidad, the Spanish four-decker; and I dare say we were far from being the only ship in the fleet that had fixed upon her. We were not long kept in that state of anxiety and suspense, which you will naturally suppose everyone in our situation must have felt, for about nine o'clock in the morning of the 19th of October, the Mars was observed firing guns and making signals for the enemy's fleet being getting under weigh. The Admiral immediately made signal for a general chase, and to clear for action, which was obeyed with the greatest alacrity, and in ten minutes the whole fleet was under all sail, steering for the Straits, which was supposed
The Bellerophon, Belleisle, Leviathan; Orion, and Polyphemus, soon showed their superiority of sailing, and got far ahead of the rest of the fleet: at day-light in the morning we were in sight of the Rock of Gibraltar, but on a frigate's making signal for the enemy's fleet bearing N.E., wore, and again formed the order of sailing: the day was unfavourable and weather squally, so that we did not get sight of the enemy, though our small vessels formed a chain betwixt them and us. In the following night we got so close to them as to perceive plainly their signals, and everyone was in the most anxious state of suspense, till day-light the next morning (21st,) when the enemy was plainly discerned about seven miles to leeward of us, and about five leagues from Cape Trafalgar. Every advantage was on their side; they had thirty-three sail of the line, whilst we had only twenty-seven: they were full of Seamen and troops, and had a friendly port under their lee: whilst we had to beat off shore after the action, and might certainly have expected some of our disabled ships would have drifted on shore, but nothing was an obstacle to the Hero of Aboukir, and he immediately made signal to bear down upon the enemy in two columns, himself in the Victory leading the starboard division, Admiral Collingwood in the Royal Sovereign the larboard one, in which the Bellerophon was the fifth ship; no signal was ever obeyed with more promptitude; one would have thought that the people were preparing for a festival, rather than a combat; and no satisfaction was expressed, except at the state of the weather, which was calm, and prevented our nearing the enemy till ten o'clock, when a light breeze springing up, we came up with them fast. They were in the meantime employed in forming a close and well-imagined, though, till now, unexampled order of battle; but which, had their plan of defence been as well executed as it was contrived, would have rendered our victory much more dearly bought than it has been: they were formed in a double line, thus 123-456 French and Spaniards alternately, and it was their intention on our breaking the line (which manoeuvre they expected we should as usual put in execution) astern of No.4, for No.2 to make sail, that the British ship in hauling up should fall on board of her, while No.5 should bear up and rake her, and No.1 would bring her broadside to bear, on her starboard bow. Luckily, this manoeuvre only succeeded with the Tonnant and Bellerophon, which were among the ships that suffered most. A few moments before the action commenced; Lord Nelson conveyed the following sentence by telegraph, to the fleet" England expects every man will do his duty!" The loud and repeated cheering with which this was received, was a convincing proof that such an injunction was needless. At noon precisely the action commenced by the Fougeux and Monarca opening fire on the Royal Sovereign. .
Capt J. Cooke
As we knew the enemy, who were now reinforced by five sail of the line in Cadiz, had positive order to put to sea, and retrieve their character, after their action with Sir R. Calder, we were in momentary expectation of their coming out, and every ship that was perceived coming from the in-shore squadron was expected to convey the welcome intelligence. Everyone was in the highest spirits ; and so confident were our people of success, that on the very morning of the ac-
Part 2 to follow next month.
The Bellerophon, surrounded, at the time of Capt J. Cooke's death
Article supplied by History Society Gibraltar. Email: historysocietygibraltar@hotmail.com
to be the enemy's destination, for the purpose of forming a junction with the Carthagena and Toulon squadrons. Article supplied by History Society Gibraltar. Email: historysocietygibraltar@hotmail.com
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ARMED FORCES INSIGHT
STANWORTH MEMORIAl A plaque in memory of a Royal Marine who lost his life in a diving accident was unveiled in Gibraltar at the end of August.
Corporal Johnny Stanworth, from the Royal Marines, lost his life in 1971 at the age of 22 while diving on Europa Reef. An extensive search by RN Clearance Divers, several RN vessels as well as Spanish Naval vessels and helicopters took place, but sadly was unsuccessful. More than 30 family, friends, veterans and guests gathered at Europa Point for the special memorial
ceremony, which was held exactly 50 years ago to the day he died. The project to dedicate the memorial to Johnny has been two years in the making, thanks to the determination of former diving buddies Tony Ward and Pete Wilkins. Tony has spent the last two years getting permission from Gibraltar Government officials, family members and military bosses, and working through COVID-19 challenges, to get the green light for the memorial. Tony, 74 from Northampton, said: “In 1968 I was on the same swimmer/canoeist course as Johnny and I
had a lot of respect for him. He would have gone far in the Royal Marines. Johnny was awarded the Kings Badge at the age of 18 in his Royal Marines Commando training. “Back in 2019 his friend Pete Wilkins mentioned that there is no grave or memorial for Johnny on the Rock. “We agreed that it was about time something was done to rectify that, and, perhaps a memorial plaque in Gibraltar might be appropriate.”
YOUTH OUTREACH A group of teenagers got an insight into what life is like as a soldier thanks to an outreach programme at the Ministry of Defence. During the two-day event, 12 teenage boys and girls got to grips with weapons, bomb disposal robots and visited various military locations around the Rock. Organised by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment and the Gibraltar Youth Service, the Youth Outreach Programme is designed to encourage youngsters to join the local regiment. On the first day, the youngsters were given a presentation about life as a solider, before being shown weapons, bomb disposal equipment and then enjoying a visit to the Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron. On the second day, they visited the Buffadero Training Camp, where military personnel showed them how an Observation Post works and the Dismounted Close Combat Trainer – an indoor electronic firing range. An MOD spokesperson said, “The kids really enjoyed themselves and were very excited throughout. They enjoyed the more hands on activities like the observation post and command tasks. However, their favourite part was the Dismounted Close Combat Trainer as they saw it as a computer game.” Warrant Officer Michael Sanchez, Royal Gibraltar Regiment, added, “The main aim is to show them what we have to offer and what a cracking career the Regiment is, because it is, and then they need to decide for themselves. “I have literally done 19 years and the way I see it, even during the bad times I have found good times. I’ve found times when I’ve been going through a bad patch on exercise, but I’ve still found the fun side.”.
CADET CHALLENGE To mark the 80th anniversary of the RAF Benevolent Fund and the formation of the Air Training Corps, cadets at No. 2 Overseas (Gibraltar) Squadron joined their counterparts in the UK to take part in an effort to complete 80 miles in 80 days. As opposed to setting individual challenges for the cadets to complete, the Squadron’s Officer Commanding, Flt Lt Ivan Caward, decided to use various locations across Gibraltar to provide a unique way of completing the 80 miles. The challenge commenced with a walk around the Rock, supported by the Gibraltar Defence Police (GDP). This was followed by a tunnel tour through the Great North Road and a FOD Plod (collection of rubbish and debris) the length of the runway, with the latter providing a great help to RAF Gibraltar’s Air Safety Team, who are always keen to find ways to make the Airfield even safer. On completion of the event, cadets from the Squadron had the following to say: “It’s the first time I have walked around the Rock; you notice details that you have never seen before. I didn’t realise how steep Dudley Ward Tunnel as I have only driven through in a car! It was also good to get out and walk in a group of friends.” - Corporal Catlin Fitzgerald.
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The tunnel tour was amazing, and I would have never guessed that there was so much hidden within the Rock. The history was really brought to life by our guide and Squadron Warrant Officer, Paul Llanelo.” - Cadet Jasmin Jarman “It was a pity that the fog covered the runway and we missed out on the unique views of the Rock on the day, but we had a great time anyway. Before we started the FOD Plod, the Air Safety Manager and Airfield Ground Support Unit Manager gave us a talk about what FOD is and why it is so important to ensure that the Airfield is kept clear. It was frightening to see what damage a small piece of metal can do, but thankfully I’m happy to report that we didn’t find anything other than feathers and fish bones.” - Corporal Merrick Kent For more information on the Air Training Corps or if you are interested in joining, please contact Flt Lt Ivan Caward oc.2os@rafac.mod.gov.uk or +35054005832.
OCTOBER 2021
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23
FEATURE
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SAILOR
SIMON PARKES
WORDS BY JO WARD 24
OCTOBER 2021
GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM
FEATURE How would you feel if your son disappeared and you didn’t know what had happened to him? That is the situation that Margaret and David Parkes found themselves in thirty-five years ago. Simon, from Kingswood near Bristol, was just 18 years old when he disappeared after a night out spent with crewmates from HMS Illustrious where he was known to have visited bars on the Rock. The ship had docked in Gibraltar on the 12th December 1986, on its return to Portsmouth from a deployment to Asia and Australasia but Simon never re-joined the ship. Insight asked Margaret why they decided to launch a new appeal now. “This initially began when GBC journalist Ros Astengo approached us with the idea of writing a book about our son Simon. Obviously this needs a lot of research and preparation and we began with a new appeal. It is an open case, so police in the UK and Gibraltar are still investigating.” Simon had been shopping and drinking with his shipmates and was last seen leaving the Horseshoe Pub in Main Street, around 10.30pm. All his belongings were still on board the ship, including his passport, clothes and Christmas presents that he had bought for his family. The Navy carried out an extensive search but there was no sign of him anywhere on the Rock, and Simon was declared AWOL (absent without official leave) after failing to return to the ship. Margaret and David have not heard anything from him since then and she tells Insight about their theories surrounding Simon’s disappearance. “Over the years it has been widely reported about what happened to Simon on the night he disappeared. There are gaps in those theories and we believe the new appeal will encourage people with more information to come forward. Our belief is that Simon died that night and an individual, or individuals, were involved in his death.”
evidence to link him to Simon's disappearance the police are keen to find it as soon as possible. If new information does comes to light as it has done over the years, it raises the hopes of Margaret and David that they will find out what did happen to Simon and this will give them closure. “There are people out there who don't know what happened, but have information that might lead us to the truth. There are also some who will know the truth or think they know the truth. I ask them, after all this time, to come forward and take away our pain and never-ending grief.” “I try not to put Simon on a pedestal, he would not have wanted that. But he was a loving son and brother with his life ahead of him. He was funny, kind and thoughtful and also a teenager who would have a messy bedroom and was always hungry! He went away a boy and would have come back, given the chance, a man.”
Margaret uses a quote written by a close school friend to sum him up: 'Simon was my friend. My dear friend. Simon was so many things it’s hard to explain what a joy INSIGHT SPEAKS WITH he was and what a character he was. He MARGARET PARKES was funny, bright artistic and kind. Most of ABOUT THE RECENT all he was caring.'
RENEWED APPEAL FOR INFORMATION SURROUNDING THE DISAPPEARANCE OF HER SON.
Ten years after his disappearance, his case was reopened after a possible link was suspected with two brutal murders carried out by former Petty Officer Allan Grimson - who was serving on HMS Illustrious at the same time as radio operator Simon. Grimson was dubbed the ‘December Twelfth’ murderer after his confession to the murders of Nicholas Wright, 18, on 12th December 1997, and Sion Jenkins, 20, exactly 12 months later. Grimson told detectives how he viciously attacked the men after luring them to his Portsmouth flat, and the judge who sentenced him to a 22-year jail sentence said that Grimson was a ‘serial killer in name if not number’. In January 2003, searches were carried out in some Gibraltar cemeteries by police, and after what detectives described as ‘new areas of interest’ were identified, a two week search of the Trafalgar Cemetery took place in December 2019 by the Royal Gibraltar Police in conjunction with the Hampshire Constabulary. The results of forensic tests on bone fragments found in Alameida Gardens proved not to be those of Simon.
Not knowing what happened to Simon has affected not only the lives of Margaret and David but also their wider family, friends and acquaintances. “At first, some did not know what to say so it was left unsaid. Others supported us in different ways. Sadly, others close to us have died. The worst time was at the beginning because although we had hope that he was alive somewhere, we were sure he would have tried to contact us. After the initial shock, we tried to keep busy, always hoping. We needed to know, we needed information, and we needed support but didn't know how to get it. We were numb.
Even now it is difficult to comprehend how many years have gone by. When the first police investigation began, around 2000, it was such a relief but that meant we also had to relive the past which was painful and public. So here we are, getting closer to the truth we hope. Time is running out for us, so this has to be the biggest appeal ever.” Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has made a plea for people to follow the Twitter account set up on behalf of the Parkes family and to provide information if they have any. Margaret is hopeful that new information will come to light because of this new push in the media. “We are so grateful for Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo asking people to follow the Twitter/FB account @SMissing1986 and to provide any information they have. It reiterates how important this case is to the people of Gibraltar. New information is coming in and we are encouraged that this will continue to grow.” There is no doubt that Margaret and David will never give up the search for Simon and are desperate to know what happened to their son. If you can help in any way or if an one has any information, please send it to: simonparkesmissing@gmail.com
A parole hearing is being held in December for Grimson, when parole may or may not be approved, but if there is any
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25
FEATURE
KING CALAWAY ON THE RISE AGAIN WITH A NEW EP RELEASED
WORDS BY JOE ADAMBERRY 26
OCTOBER 2021
GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM
FEATURE There is a Country Rock band in Nashville who had been nudging big time success when the world got wrapped up in a pandemic and they went off the public radar. Not completely though as fans will point you in the direction of a number of celebrity duets which they were a part of on Zoom during the dark days of lockdown... when playing in a band meant that you were playing in your front room and other band members in theirs. Local singer and composer, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Simon Dumas was tracked down for a chat. It’s great to hear that King Calaway are touring again after the lockdown. How did it feel to be playing to live audiences again? “It’s been really incredible to be performing again. Dates have been slightly scattered in terms of where and when. A few of the gigs have been rescheduled shows from 2020 but all in all it’s been so rewarding to get back on stage. As we release our new EP we still have local shows booked in Nashville including at the Grand Ole Opry.” The pandemic rudely interrupted your well charted course which was on track to make your band bigger and more widely known... what changes have been made by your management to bring King Calaway back into the public eye again?
Previously you have played for ‘Rascal Flatts’ when they were on their last tour before the pandemic and it was on the cards to happen again...is this opportunity still being actively pursued if or when they tour next year perhaps? “Our first and only time we played opening for ‘Rascal Flatts’ was phenomenal! It was at the Ascend Amphitheatre in Nashville to a couple thousand fans. Unfortunately the pandemic seems to have cancelled that farewell tour which we were going to join, however I do hope it will be rescheduled!” From a personal perspective since you have tasted some success and high-profile gigs on TV and concerts do you feel any nearer to making it big time or is your musical dream realized already?
“Collectively we agreed it would be best if the band used the time off to write new songs, rework our sound and to get ready for when the world reopened. We are so grateful for the support from our record label and management team who have put together some great opportunities for us in the hope that our music will reach as many people as possible.”
“I’ve spent my whole life imagining what it would feel like to ‘make it’ in music. 2019 was for me truly a bucket list year, performing in US Bank Stadium to 70,000 people, also playing live on the ‘Late Late Show’ with James Corden and other TV shows. At this point I’m taking every day as it comes with a tremendous amount of gratitude. I still have my aspirations as a songwriter (both for King Calaway and
How did you manage to spend your time between Gibraltar and the US during lockdown and when did it finally become possible to be a band again and play in the same room together?
for other artists). I’m also hoping that our band can get out and play on a headline tour once it’s safe to do so.”
“In Gibraltar I spent time with my family. After a whirlwind two years with KC it was really nice to hit the pause button and just spend time at home. It was also a good chance to reflect on all that had happened and that alone inspired a lot of song writing in the evenings via Zoom with Nashville writers. I did more song writing once I got back to Nashville in August of 2020. It was great to be reunited with the band. In the New Year we went to Asheville, North Carolina in February for three weeks in order to record our new material.” I’m assuming that the band’s song writing would have come along nicely with all that time on your hands during isolation ...will these new songs make it into your next album or will there be additional material from other writers involved? “Yes indeed. We’ve all been writing a lot of material. I’d say between us we were narrowing down choices from a pool of eighty songs that each of us had co-written. This new four songs EP will feature 3 songs with at least one KC original, and one ‘outside cut’ as they are called over here. I co-wrote two of the songs on the EP, ‘More People’ and ‘Heartbreaker’ and I’m really excited about all the other songs which will be released at a later date.”
Can you give us an insight into which songs might get into the final cut of the projected KC album which are already recorded? “This new body of work is inspired by our stories and our journey. Musically we really channelled a sort of ‘California country’ sound with Rock influences in some other songs. We are really proud of what we’ve created and feel it’s the most authentic version of King Calaway to date.” If there has been a negative it has to be the band's time apart during lockdown, which I know you are catching up on...has this separation dulled your collective drive as a band and is everyone still 100 percent on board to Rock the rest of 2021 and beyond? “We are all 100% on board! We are hungry, motivated and ready to pick up from where we left off in 2020. However with new momentum, live shows and excitement!” There is little that we can add to that sentiment other than our best wishes that dreams may continue to come true and that this talented band that are ‘King Calaway’ take their place in the US music charts and who knows, if they tour Europe in the future they could be booked to perform here once again on Simon Dumas’ home turf. Take a listen to their new music on Spotify or any of the other music platforms it’s good music on the rise.
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FEATURE
WORDS BY STEVEN GONZALEZ GFA 28
OCTOBER 2021
GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM
FEATURE GIBRALTAR’S WALKING FOOTBALLERS ENJOY ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL SUPER MASTERS COMPETITION. Gibraltar’s walking footballers travelled to Denmark in August as the reigning International Super Masters 65+ Champions, after triumphantly winning the previous tournament in 2019 in Paris.
team member told the local press whilst previewing the tournament. They also had their eyes on the two other events in the over 65 category, the penalty shootout and the running event in which they would compete in for the first time. One thing was for certain, Gibraltar’s Walking Footballers had not lost any of their competitive edge!
The global Covid 19 pandemic meant that Gibraltar were unable to defend their title in 2020 as the annual tournament was postponed for a year given various lockdowns across many countries and the travel restrictions that have been in place. Actually, the postponement meant that Gibraltar’s Walking Footballers reigned as International Super Masters Champions in the over 65 age group for two years. Covid 19 has had some wide-ranging effects on many global tournaments and sporting events, many of which have been cancelled, shelved, and completely removed from international calendars. As soon as the Super Masters was rescheduled for 2021, Gibraltar’s Walking Footballers were determined to travel to Copenhagen safely, to defend their title. Yet for the majority of the Rock’s Walking Footballers, competing internationally is just a bonus and something to look forward to. Their twice weekly sessions using the facilities at the Bayside Sports Complex and the Victoria Stadium are much more important. For them, walking football provides a much-welcomed opportunity to exercise and take part in physical activity and do so in the sport they love and have loved for so many years. Furthermore, there is also a very important social side to Walking Football. Over a post session coffee tales and anecdotes from their younger days are frequently recounted and always with smiles and laughter across the faces of the footballers. As they left this August for the Danish capital though, defending their title was firmly on their mind, “Ready to go” one
In the main event they were once again one of the standout teams in the tournament which was played in a 5 aside round robin format, somewhat similar to futsal, with matches lasting 15 minutes Despite a valiant effort Gibraltar were toultimately finish runners up to Wales. The running event, which was a first for our over 65’s saw them put in another valiant performance, finishing in 3rd place, but the best was yet to come.
WHAT IS WALKING FOOTBALL? Walking Football is a different version of the beautiful game. Walking Football is a walking pace version of football for men and women. It is a non-contact activity where any player who sprints, runs or jogs while the ball is in play concedes a free-kick to the other team.
HOW WALKING FOOTBALL IS PLAYED • Running is not allowed. A participant always has to have one foot on the ground. • Matches are played with modified formats (5v5/6v6) on smaller pitches with shortened game times • It is a non-contact version of the game. • The ball cannot be kicked above head height. • There is no heading of the ball. • The focus is on fun and making friends.
The third event in Copenhagen was the penalty shoot-out. With Eric Abudarham in goal, reigned supreme! The victory meant that they had finished in 3rd place or higher in allthree events they entered in Copenhagen, so overall hugely successful and proud week for Gibraltar’s walking footballers. Speaking after the tournament Gibraltar Walking Football Chairman, Eddie Guerrero, who was in Denmark said: “I am extremely proud of the performance of all my players and coaching staff in the three competitions that we participated in the Copenhagen Tournament. The hard training and preparation carried out prior to our departure for Copenhagen paid dividends and it demonstrated once again that despite our small catchment area we can compete with the best. We now look forward to the next international tournament to be held in Zurich in May 2022.”
All eyes are firmly on 2022, in Zurich, for their next international Walking Football event.
THE FULL TRAVELLING PARTY TO COPENHAGEN CONSISTED OF: Players: Abudarham Eric, Baglietto Frank, Federico Eliott, Figueras Victor, GuerreroEddie(Player/Manager), Lugaro Hector, Martinez Diego, Moudden Mohamed, Pecino Jaime, Perez Jimmy, Sene Andy, Zammit Charles. Accompanying Members: Ghio Luis, Fortunato Charles, Langston Albert.
GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM
Travelling officials: Gibraltar FA Delegate: Asquez Leslie, Physiotherapist: Mitchell David, Manager: Guerrero Eddie, Asst Manager: Britto Gerry, Coach: Stych Roy, Assistant Coach: Field George, Contingent Coordinator: Beltran Dennis, Match Delegate: Reyes Jon, Referee: Jones Dennis.
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FOOTBALL INSIGHT LAST SEASON LYNX LEAD THE WAY WITH STREAMING OUR MATCHES TO AUDIENCES WORLDWIDE. FOR THE 2021/22 SEASON, WE HAVE TEAMED UP WITH FREEBYSPORT TV TO ONCE AGAIN OFFER LIVE COVERAGE OF ALL OF OUR GIBRALTAR NATIONAL LEAGUE FIXTURES. After gaining many new fans last season from around the globe, it was important that we still gave them a platform where they could watch us. With new players, comes new fans and new viewers from more countries. Having the ability to show games live, gives their families the chance to proudly watch them play, and gives sponsors more exposure than ever before. It’s a great chance to give football in Gibraltar even more exposure. This season will include commentary from former member of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment Steve Brown, who went into broadcasting and journalism 10 years ago. “I have been following the progress of rock football for many years and during that time the game has improved dramatically. New players joining clubs from overseas and more importantly the emergence of local talent coming through the academies has been encouraging and refreshing to see. So to be asked to join FreeBySport TV for the 2021/22 season as their lead commentator was a privilege and an extremely easy decision for me to make. Over the past few seasons FreeBySport TV has primarily been a platform for promoting Mons Calpe SC with coverage of all of their games being shown online, but this coming season will be even better with the inclusion of Europa Point FC and Lynx FC, and also talk of possibly one or two more clubs joining forces before the start of the season which begins on October 15th. For a commentator and supporter of rock football it’s excellent news that those watching on the rock and around the globe will be able to follow the fortunes of their teams online and totally free of charge. There’s never been a better time to follow football on the rock in my opinion, especially with the recent success of Lincoln Red Imps and their progression into the Europa Conference League group stages. And of course the progress of the national game. A lot of work is going on behind the scenes to make sure we are ready for FOR FURT kick off. Meetings and emails are conHER INFORMAT stantly being passed back and forth ION, PL EA SE in order to make sure we’re all on the CONTACT THE CLUB same page. It’s the start of someON LY N XFC@MAIL thing new. And for me personally it’s .COM OR 200 69 great that I’m able to use my skills for 695. the good of football on the rock. Enjoy it. It’s free!” A massive thanks to Steve for taking the time to give us a few words. It’s amazing that the streaming will be free for fans and so easily accessible for them. That is truly massive! We are really looking forward to being able to chat to even more fans on social media before, during and after the matches. Be sure to get involved!
WORDS BY SCOTT HOUGHTON 30
OCTOBER 2021
GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM
SPORTS INSIGHT SPORT CONTINUES TO TAKE CENTRE STAGE AS PLANET EARTH SLOWLY STRUGGLES TO BREAK FREE FROM THE DEADLY TENTACLES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, AND THIS MONTH IT'S CRICKET’S TURN TO PLAY A LEADING ROLE IN LIGHTING THE WAY ON THE ROCKY ROAD BACK TO NORMALITY WITH THE START OF THE T20 WORLD CUP IN OMAN AND THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE IN INDIA, BUT POSTPONED BECAUSE OF THE PLAGUE AND THE EMERGENCE OF THE VIRULENT “INDIAN VARIANT", THE 7TH ICC T20 WORLD CUP HAS BEEN SWITCHED TO THE MIDDLE EAST, STARTING ON 17TH OF THIS MONTH, WITH THE FINAL DUE TO BE PLAYED ON 14TH NOVEMBER.
T20 cricket, by far and away the most exciting version of the sport, came into being in 2003 and the inaugural T20 World Cup was played in South Africa in 2007 when India claimed the cup by beating bitter rivals Pakistan by just 5 runs in an exhilarating final in Johannesburg. Of the six T20 World Cup finals played so far, West Indies boast the most successful record with two victories, with one each for England, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Surprisingly, Australia and New Zealand still await a maiden World T20 cup final win – something the southern hemisphere heavyweights will be pumped to put right this time round. England have contested two finals, beating Australia in 2010, and losing to the West Indies in the last tournament, played in Eden Gardens Kolkata in 2016. This year’s tournament sees the sport's top eight qualified nations – England, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies and, miraculously, Afghanistan, being joined by four qualifiers, two of which could be Scotland and Ireland, to form the Super 12, which is split into two groups of six. England face defending champions West Indies, Australia and South Africa in Group 1 which has already been labelled the Group of Death. Should Ireland qualify to join the group we could see a possible clash with England, an English side captained by Dubliner Eoin Morgan – not content with stealing football stars Jack Grealish and Declan Rice from Ireland's international youth teams, the “Auld Enemy" has gone and pinched their best cricketer as well! Ranked T20 number one in the world, England are among the favourites to lift the trophy for the second time, the Red Rose having gained the sweetest of victories when bashing the Aussies in the final in Barbados eleven years ago. Shorn through
injury of the services of the world's fastest bowler Jofra Archer and top all-rounder Ben Stokes, who is taking indefinite leave to rekindle his mental wellbeing, their first opponents are defending champions West Indies, whose light has dimmed somewhat from the stellar days of Lara, Lloyd, Marshall and Richards, but on their day the Windies are capable of scalping any side. Faltering giants Australia and South Africa follow, along with two qualifiers yet to be determined, all in all a teak-tough group, and should England qualify for the semis, Morgan's men should not fear whichever teams emerge from the other group. The entire world, not just the world of cricket, will hope that the courageous band of men representing Afghanistan prosper in the heat of battle in Oman, but will the Taliban be watching and dancing in the streets!
Selected Group Matches (all times CET) 17th October Bangladesh v Scotland - 15:00 18th October Ireland v Netherlands – 11:00 19th October Scotland v Papua New Guinea – 11:00 20th October Sri Lanka v Ireland – 15:00 21st October Oman v Scotland – 15:00 22nd October Namibia v Ireland – 11:00 23rd October England vs West Indies - 16:00 27th October England vs Qualifier – 12:00 30th October England vs Australia – 16:00 1st November England vs Qualifier – 15:00 6th November England vs South Africa – 15:00
My first recollection of cricket was when accidentally wandering through an open gate after a liquid lunch in Tunbtidge Wells and finding myself among a sparse scattering of spectators at a county cricket match, where nobody appeared to be watching the on-field action and quite a few appeared to be having a nap. I noticed one elderly lady nearby who was busily knitting, while a Yorkshire terrier lay sleeping at her feet. In the distance I could see the players, all immaculately attired in brilliant whites, top and tails, I could hear the odd shout carried on the breeze, and thought to myself, how nice, how posh, how totally different to the shouts of abuse I endured while playing footy on Hackney Marshes every Sunday morning, and then I fell asleep, coming to two hours later. At that time i thought cricket should be sponsored by Ovaltine as a bedtime drink to cure insomnia, but with the advent of T20 all that changed forever. Now, every ball bowled, every run scored, every target set is vital, tension-filled and often breathtakingly exciting - no chance of a nap now as the result is often in doubt until the final ball is bowled or the winning run secured. We're blessed to have four weeks of exhilarating action to come, every match covered on TV, pub-friendly start times – lunch times and evenings. Howzat! I can’t wait! CURRENT ODDS: India 13/5, England 7/2, Australia 6/1, West Indies 7/1, New Zealand 8/1, Pakistan 10/1, South Africa 12/1, Bangladesh 50/1, Sri Lanka 66/1, Afghanistan 80/1, Ireland 500/1, Scotland 1000/1, Netherlands 1000/1, Papua New Guinea 1500/1, Oman 1500/1, Namibia 2000/1. TV COVERAGE: Sky Sports / Highlights BBC1 RADIO COVERAGE: BBC Radio 5 Live
WORDS BY LIAM BEGLAN, SPORTS WRITER GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM
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FEATURE The very first attempts tentative steps at kicking-off women’s rugby on the Rock were made in 2008 following a successful schools programme. Then, around 2015, Teacher and rugby referee, Rob Azzopardi, resurrected the idea and, on an exceptionally wet and windy Tuesday night in March 2018 at Devil’s Tower Camp, Zoe Fidock, later to become GRFU Chairperson for Women’s Rugby, and Tom Tunbridge, the current GRFU Vice-President, organised an open training session. Tom’s bombardment of the email intrays of anybody that had expressed an interest paid off; despite the conditions 24 players turned up. Unfortunately, the time just wasn’t quite right for the women’s game in Gibraltar and, with issues over access and commitments, player numbers dropped. By the end of the summer of 2018 I joined as a new coach, and ran weekly training sessions at DTC focusing on building on basic skills with the players that remained. Then came the move to Gibraltar Rugby’s current home in late 2019 at the newly built Europa Sports Park. Suddenly, rugby players had access to a purpose-built facility, something which they had needed for years. Numbers began to recover. Then the COVID and lockdowns arrived in Gibraltar. Despite this setback player numbers were maintained and increased once lockdown conditions began to ease. In fact, the numbers were good enough that the first competitive game of COVID-compliant touch rugby was played between Rooke and Nelson and refereed by Rob in mid-November 2020 with Nelson running out as winners on a sunny Saturday. It is easy to underestimate the significance of a game of touch rugby but as finance director, GRFU CFO and mum Georgie Taylor says: “I never thought I would be playing rugby again, so this journey feels really special.”
game trust administrator Kelly Gibbins, 22, played for the winning team. “I learned a lot,” she said. “How to read the game and seize the spaces, invaluable lessons for my growth as a rugby player. Every week brought endless smiles.” That learning and enjoyment was a gift to women’s rugby as players got more game time and those introduced to the game decided to take it further. The Gibraltar 7s tournament presented the opportunity to play a full 15-a-side rugby in front of a crowd. However, this was going to be a game against more experienced players so training had to be stepped up. The first club game involving contact was played in May with a winning debut for police constable Leila El Yettefti, 25: “Before the game I was [so] nervous, then I saw my teammates had my back, I relaxed and enjoyed the game. After the win it was such a euphoric moment.” With a few games of contact rugby under their belts, the first Gibraltar Women’s Rugby Select rugby team took to the pitch against visiting Spanish players on Sunday 20th June. Emotions were, understandably, running high. “At the start I was feeling really nervous,” said trainee psychologist Camille Lavagna, 23, “but as the match went I on I felt determined to take the win as we had all been working so hard together.” They got the win and a very closely fought game, 15-12, having to come from behind twice. There was even significant coverage of the game on GBC, a great advert for the game. As this article is being written, the players are preparing for a new season. They are always looking for new players. “I love the fact that, no matter your experience or skill set, there is a position for everyone,” says student Milly Head, 17, “you meet such a variety of people. Despite being the youngest, the team has always made me feel welcome.”
GIBRALTAR RUGBY
Three more games, all refereed by Rob, who brought his “The girls in the squad are coaching skills to the role, were such a fantastic group,” adds played before the second lockGeorgie. “There is some really down hit. Online quizzes were great talent for the future of used to keep team spirits up as the women’s game in Gibralwell as Zoom fitness sessions tar.” WITH A FEW GAMES OF CONTACT RUGBY UNDER THEIR BELTS, THE FIRST GIBRALtwice per week, which I used TAR WOMEN’S RUGBY SELECT RUGBY TEAM TOOK TO THE PITCH AGAINST VISITING “It feels great to be part of to manage. During the second lockdown the GRFU was reSPANISH PLAYERS ON SUNDAY 20TH JUNE. EMOTIONS WERE, UNDERSTANDABLY, a team that is growing and structured and the women’s RUNNING HIGH. “AT THE START I WAS FEELING REALLY NERVOUS,” SAID TRAINEE developing together,” says game in Gib was reorganised “Playing rugby has PSYCHOLOGIST CAMILLE LAVAGNA, 23, “BUT AS THE MATCH WENT I ON I FELT DE- Camille. to mirror the men’s game with definitely made me more resilTERMINED TO TAKE THE WIN AS WE HAD ALL BEEN WORKING SO HARD TOGETHER.” four clubs. For the purposes ient [and] enhanced my confiof the playing regular matchTHEY GOT THE WIN AND A VERY CLOSELY FOUGHT GAME, 15-12, HAVING TO COME dence and fitness.” es, these were amalgamated FROM BEHIND TWICE. THERE WAS EVEN SIGNIFICANT COVERAGE OF THE GAME ON It is my view that we need to into two teams: Red and Black. GBC, A GREAT ADVERT FOR THE GAME. keep growing the game in Gib, Their first match was held on to achieve that critical mass. 17th April 2021. Encouragingly, The best way to do that is with this game featured debuts for a couple of new players. games; the ladies just want to play more matches. Our plan is to As COVID restrictions were relaxed, rugby activity in Gibraltar inbe playing every couple of weeks, either domestically or against creased quickly with the advent of the Corporate Touch Rugby outside teams, home and away. That way you build both characTournament in May and the announcement of the inaugural Giter and experience and get a pool of players to select from for our braltar Rugby Sevens tournament scheduled for late June. first international match. That’s where we want to be.
THE GROWTH OF WOMEN'S RUGBY
The touch rugby tournament required mixed teams and nearly all the players found themselves being invited to play. New to the
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FEATURE The EBSA European Snooker Championship is the premier amateur snooker tournament in Europe and this year it is being held in Portugal at the VidaMar Hotel Resort in the Algarve from the 2nd to 17th October. Gibraltar players Lee Prickman and Michael J Kane have booked their places in the Algarve event organised by EBSA (European Billiards & Snooker Association) in conjunction with the Federaçao Portuguesa de Bilhar (FPB).
the knockout stages, except the 6 reds which is a straight knockout from start to conclusion.
Lee, apart from being the number one player in Gibraltar, is also the Secretary for GBSA (Gibraltar Billiards & Snooker Association) based at The Crucible Club in Jumpers Bastion. He explains that this was the same tournament that was due to be held in March last year, but it didn’t go ahead because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Lee explains that there will be 16 competition tables brought and set up particularly for the tournament, with between twenty-eight and thirty countries represented and up to one hundred and twenty to one hundred and forty players in the Men’s category alone. “The tournament will be live streamed from the EBSA.tv website - and other media outlets will also link in to that and project it worldwide,” he says.
“On Saturday the 15th March last year I played Judd Trump, the world number one, in the Gibraltar Open and for the first time in snooker history there was no-one except for the two of us, the referee and two camera people, that was it, there was not
The EBSA European Snooker Championship attracts the best amateur players from Europe vying for a chance to get a 2 Year Pro Snooker Tour card. “Some of the budding amateurs utilise the facility of having access to become professional via this
called Connor Benzey who is looking to turn professional.” Asked how he thinks that he will do in his tournaments, Lee comments that he will be competing with the best non-professional players in this part of the world and because they are all trying to do the best for their countries, they all come under a lot of pressure. “Michael and I are both decent players and we can beat any of the other competitors, but it is all down to a bit of luck on the day.” “The tournament tables are a little bit different, harsher and faster than those we normally play on, and the pockets are cut very tightly so you have got to be very
European Snooker Championships in Portugal another person in the stadium,” Lee says. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, matches were originally limited to a maximum audience of 100 but after the first day, all matches were played without any spectators. “Francis Becerra and I were due to leave for Portugal the day after the tournament finished, but it was called off.” Michael, originally from Northern Ireland, and Lee are entering three different tournaments, the first one being the 6 Reds beginning on Thursday, 7th October. The second is the Men’s and Mixed. “This is the showcase tournament and it means that anybody of any age or any gender can enter,” Lee states, and the third is the Seniors competition for over 40s, the final of which concludes on Friday 15th October. There is also a team tournament going on at the same time but as Lee and Michael are in the Seniors they can’t enter in case they are drawn against someone they are already playing. “There are also Individual tournaments for the U18s and U21s, which we don’t qualify for,” Lee laughs, “so we decided to play in the best categories that we could fit in to.” All tournaments are mini-league style round robin played until
THE EBSA EUROPEAN SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP IS THE PREMIER AMATEUR SNOOKER TOURNAMENT IN EUROPE AND THIS YEAR IT IS BEING HELD IN PORTUGAL AT THE VIDAMAR HOTEL RESORT IN THE ALGARVE FROM THE 2ND TO 17TH OCTOBER. tournament,” Lee states. “There will also be many well-known names in the world of snooker taking part who have been professional in the past but who have fallen off the tour and are looking for a way back in.” Lee names ex-professional Darren Morgan (Wales) who won the World Amateur Championship in 1987 and played on the professional main tour from 1988 until 2006. “He plays in the Seniors and wins it most times,” he says. “There is a very good player from Finland called Robin Hull - who used to be an exceptionally good professional player, and one of the youngsters that will be taking part in the Under 21s championship is a guy
accurate, but as long as we can brush the pressure aside as soon as possible and play and cue well - I am not going to say we are going to win it - but there is every chance that we may certainly make a few surprises.” The Crucible Club, with between sixty and eighty members, is back up and running now after having being closed during the lockdown periods, and is of course complying with hygiene and social distancing criteria. Lee says the Club is keen to welcome new members, especially in the juniors section. “It would be great if we could enter players from Gibraltar into the Under 18s and Under 21s in future EBSA tournaments,” he says. Lee and Michael are proud to be representing Gibraltar at the EBSA European Snooker Championship and Insight wishes them the very best of luck in their endeavours in Portugal. www.gibraltarsnooker.com
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FEATURE Jack’s passion for rowing came from his father who was a member of the Calpe Rowing Club which has become something of a well-established breeding ground for successful athletes. “I have been a member of the Calpe Rowing Club since I was a baby, and I would go and watch my dad race when I was younger,” he says. “I started rowing from the age of 12 and kept improving.” Jack credits rowing with keeping him fit and also with developing a discipline that helped him through his GCSEs and A levels and then at university. “It makes you realise that hard work pays off and that if you study hard you are going to get the results that you want.” In 2018 Jack moved to the UK to attend Oxford Brookes University and has recently graduated with a Sports Coaching and Physical Education degree. Fortunately, Jack is just starting his PGCE teacher training placement in October at the City of Oxford College which means that he won’t spend time commuting and will be able to carry on training with the Oxford Brookes Rowing Club. At the moment, Jack says that his life consists of rowing and studying. “Usually on a weekend I will wake up around 6.30 am, go to training and then get back around 2pm.” It’s not all hard work and no play though. “We do have social events at the Rowing Club and the coaches understand that whilst we are at university we need to enjoy ourselves as well.”
“I had to submit scores on the rowing machine in November last year and then some in January and February after which I got invited to do some trials in May where they picked out who they wanted to take to the European scene.” Of those sixteen, the twelve fastest got picked for the team.
Jack says that it wasn’t until they were about two hundred metres from the finishing line that the team knew they had done it and that then it was just incredible knowing that they had crossed the line first in front of other international crews from Germany, Romania, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. “It was a magical feeling.” However, Jack says that at first it didn’t feel like they had it in the bag. “If you look back on the live-stream we were actually down a little bit for the first 500 metres and that is when we decided we were going to push through from the 500 all the way through to half way - so we started moving through everyone else until we had about two or three seconds on the rest of the field and from there it was just a chasing game with the other teams trying to chase us down.”
F O R G I B RA LTAR I A N R OW ER JACK PRIOR
GIBRALTAR IS CELEBRATING THE SUCCESS OF LOCAL ROWER JACK PRIOR WHO WAS PART OF TEAM GREAT BRITAIN THAT WON THE GOLD MEDAL IN THE MEN'S EIGHT FINAL AT THE 2021 EUROPEAN ROWING UNDER 23 CHAMPIONSHIPS HELD IN KRUSZWICA, POLAND ON 5TH SEPTEMBER.
Rowing is the ultimate team sport, where every rower must match exactly the movements of the others in the boat to achieve a successful outcome. “I was training with Oxford Brookes the whole time but the last three weeks before the competition I was training with the Great Britain team, most of whom I hadn’t met before but luckily we got on really well because everyone was in the same boat, (excuse the pun),” he laughs. According to Jack, although people were apprehensive at first, the group dynamics really picked up once they knew they had been selected to go to Poland.
There were huge celebrations when Jack returned to Gibraltar, with a big reception at the Calpe Rowing Club as well as a private reception for Jack and his family at No. 6 hosted by the Chief Minister, whose wife just happens to be Jack’s aunt.
Jack is now twenty-one years of age and will be eligible, if selected, to row for the Great Britain U23 team for one more year. “I don't automatically go through and although it will be much the same selection process as this year, it will be a little bit easier because they know that I represented Great Britain before – but I still have to hit all the qualifying standards.” What does the future hold for Jack? “I would eventually like to come back to Gibraltar and teach, hopefully in the area of PE which is my main interest.” Maybe we will see Jack competing in the Olympics in the future? “I don't know, I am just going to take it year by year at the moment and see what happens,” he replies modestly.
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“At first, it was a difficult adjustment going from a junior rower into the senior set up. It was during my second year that I started making good progress but unfortunately because of Covid I couldn’t really finish that year, however in my final year I really improved, and part of that was down to the standard of the people I was rowing with,” Jack explains. “My personal scores improved so much throughout that year as did the general standard of the student group here at Oxford Brookes.”
The team flew out on the Thursday before the competition which was being held over the following Saturday and Sunday. “It was a whole day of travelling and then about a four hour transfer to the hotel, so we were all a bit lethargic on the Friday session,” he states. “Saturday was a preliminary race where the fastest crew gets the best lane and the slowest gets the worst lane,” Jack explains. “On that Saturday morning we did a session before our preliminary race in the afternoon and we won that, but we didn't really know how fast everyone else was going because they could have just been playing mind games and may have been going a little bit slower on purpose.” This set the team up quite nicely for the Sunday because they were able to identify a few things they could improve on. “On Sunday we had a session in the morning and the final was in the afternoon.”
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G2720 | 4 BEDROOM TOWNHOUSE FOR SALE IN LORD NAPIER MEWS | £1,195,000
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Why is Trusted Novus Bank entering the Buy-to-Let market?
The property market in Gibraltar has developed positively for a number of years. This is due to a combination of factors including high demand for rental properties, rental yield being 4%-6% on average and the absence of locally applied Capital Gains Tax. With a high demand for Buy-to-Let properties, TNB recently developed a new product concept to support and facilitate the residential rental market. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY TNB DECIDED TO EXPLORE THE BUY-TO-LET MARKET? This has been an interesting market in Gibraltar during the last few years; a big part of the property market where we have seen several detarget audience (E1, Eurocity, West One, Marina Club etc.). We’ve also experienced that many property investors are interested in partners that can help fund these purchases and we are very interested in helping them with this. Mike Nicholls, CEO of Chestertons (Gibraltar) mentions “Buy-to-Let landlords in Gibraltar have achieved consistent gross yields of 5% - 6% pa over recent years. These have eased to 4% - 5% pa recently with sale prices moving sharply ahead in 2021. Larger, more expensive properties tend to have lower yields.” HOW DOES THIS ALIGN WITH THE OVERALL STRATEGY? TNB’s aim is to be the ‘Homeowners Bank’ and as part of this we also wish to support clients (and prospects) whose goals are to expand their property portfolio or are creating a portfolio in the Buy-to-Let market. 39
WE SPOKE WITH KASPER THY JESSEN (HEAD OF CORPORATE BANKING) AND MORTEN JENSEN (HEAD OF MORTGAGES) TO DETERMINE WHERE THEY SEE THE PROPERTY MARKET (SPECIFICALLY THE BUY-TO-LET) HEADING IN THE FUTURE AND WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR
We believe our products are highly competitive and, as we offer a broad range of banking services including investments, we are able to blend Buy-to-Let loans to offer low lending rates with across a wider asset base. HOW HAS BREXIT AFFECTED OUR BUYTO-LET BUSINESS? Indirectly, and due to the potential new border agreement, Gibraltar has been seen as a popular area for investments. Gibraltar’s Covid 19 vaccination program had the same effect, and this showcased Gibraltar as a country worth investing in. We received a large number of enquiries regarding Buy-to-Let mortgages earlier this year, this was from both local people and international (mainly UK).
Our main focus is to grow our general lending book; hence we have been more active on marketing our residential mortgage and construca newer market for us and we’re hoping that by also focusing on this we can contribute even further towards the overall lending growth. HOW DOES THE BUY-TO-LET PRODUCT DIFFER FROM OUR COMPETITORS? Due to our highly personalised approach, we beclients and be able to build strong long-lasting relationships. We want to be more than just a bank; we understand the importance of being partners.
HOMEOWNERS’ BANK IN GIBRALTAR
WHO IS OUR TARGET MARKET FOR BUYTO-LET? Our target market is primarily clients and prospects who have some previous knowledge and experience in the Buy-to-Let market. TNB is taking a cautious approach towards clients with no or very limited experience in buyto-let property activities. History in other jurisdictions shows that where there has been a rapid boom in the buy-to-let market, some clients exposed themselves to high-risk investments whilst not fully understanding the risks involved. We also expect our clients to have good knowledge of Gibraltar, meaning that they either live in Gibraltar or visit on a regular basis.
Short-lets,
BREACH OF COVENANT? Words by Dustin E. Joyce Patner, Attias & Levy
As we continue to deal with the devastating effects of a global pandemic, the arduous balancing act of resuming social and economic ‘normality’ while maintaining public health remains integral. A useful insight into this context is the recent emphasis on the resumption of the tourism and hospitality sector in particular, which is an industry that Gibraltar heavily relies on economically. Indeed, within the face of encouraging waves of tourism in Gibraltar which has seen accommodation return to full capacity, tourists have resorted to alternative means to accommodate their stays. This, in turn, has created the foundations for an interesting dilemma to consider – the steady development of short-term lettings and AirBnb’s, the impact this is having on residential estates throughout Gibraltar and whether there is a need for stricter legal regulation in an increasingly novel area which is surrounded by underlying legal ambiguity. The question arises whether a short-term let would breach a covenant in a lease which prohibits a leaseholder from using their property for any purpose other than as a private residence. The importance of this questions is obvious. With various listings on Airbnb and other sites, property owners are increasingly using such sites, to seek to make income from their properties. Yet leaseholders who utilise these sites are at a risk of having their leases forfeited if their actions are in breach of covenant. We look at the pitfalls of ‘hosts’ not doing their homework on leasehold covenants. From a legal perspective, it is therefore important to consider the legality of these short-term lettings in light of the legal instrument that governs the relationship between landlords, management companies and leaseholders – the Lease. Issues are raised when considering the wording of residential Leases in particular, where covenants often contain ‘user’ covenants that restrict the way in which leaseholders may use the premises. As set out in leading cases on the basic construction of leasehold clauses such as Arnold v Britton [2015], the general principles of contractual interpretation will also apply to leasehold covenants. The effects of this are that courts will likely adopt a strict interpretation of the language of each independent lease when considering whether short-term lettings will be legally permissible. Indeed, on the basis of this framework it is likely that courts will adopt a strict objective basis when interpreting these clauses when applying the applicable test of construing what “a reasonable person having all the background knowledge which would have been available to the parties would have understood them to be using the language in the contract to mean," as per Chartbrook Ltd v Persimmon Homes Ltd [2009]. Despite the logic with this approach to interpretation, the issue is that there is often ambiguity in the wording of these clauses which may create potential inconsistencies in the application of the law to these existing contracts. Clearly, under this interpretation the legality in which a leaseholder under a residential lease may use his property for short-term lettings will turn
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towards the actual wording of these clauses, rather than an adherence to what the parties’ themselves had actually originally intended. This becomes particularly problematic when interpreted within a current legal climate, where many leasehold contracts would have been drafted in a distinct legal and commercial context. Recent cases have tended to introduce some clarity in this area. In particular, the case of
what has become known at the ‘Airbnb ruling’ court which tackled this question, where guidance was given on the circumstances in which short-term lets might amount to a breach of covenant prohibiting the use of a property for anything other than a private residence. The covenant to be observed by the tenant in the lease read “Not to use the Demised Premises or permit them to be used for any illegal or immoral purpose or for any purpose whatsoever other than as a private residence.” Lawyers for the tenant urged in the appeal that the lease was to be considered as a whole. There were no restrictions on underletting or on granting short term tenancies or licences, no and no requirement for the property to be used as the tenant’s main residence. In dismissing the appeal the court commented that the transient use of the property by the tenant created a set of circumstances where the tenant would not consider the property their private residence and that by granting short term lets of the property for days and weeks at a time this did on the facts of that case breach the covenant under consideration. In order for a property to be used as the occupier’s private residence, there must be a degree of permanence going beyond stays lasting either a weekend or a few nights in a week. Where one draws the line is, of course, a matter to be explored on a case-by-case basis; nevertheless, it is clear that, the shorter the duration of the lettings to third parties, the more likely it is that the leaseholder will be in breach of covenant. The more recent case of Triplerose v Beattie and Anor [2020] held that the duration of a series of short-length lettings was material to determining whether there was a breach of user covenants in a lease. Indeed, what this development in the case law shows is that ultimately whether or not a leaseholder is in breach of its lease will be centred on a review made by the independent judge on a case-by-case basis. The Courts are therefore applying long established principle to new commercial trends and it is the manner in which they do so that creates uncertainty at present, but which will be clariUltimately, it is important to take advise on lease covenants when purchasing property as a buy to let investment or before setting up as a host on a holiday site – failure to observe covenants in a lease could result in the loss of the property. Owners who are borrowers should also consider the terms and conditions of their mortgage before entering into short term lets as they could be in breach of those conditions by sharing occupation even for short periods of time.
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INDIVIDUAL, PERSONALISED AND BUILT TO LAST. That’s why so many customers choose Itek. Contact us for an appointment on +350 2004 1994 or email sales@itek.gi
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HOMEOWNERS’ BANK IN GIBRALTAR
Property Market
update
A year that began nwith news of yet further lockdowns; clearly not something that one would have wished for in their New Year’s wish list, but we hoped and expected that this was the last curve on this winding road for Gibraltar at least. What was certainly not expected was the buoyant mayhem that unfolded during the course of the first half of 2021. The end of 2020 did bring with it some good news in the shape of the “New Year’s Agreement” with Spain and the UK, delivering a degree of certainty for Gibraltar’s political and economic status, something which, since 2016 we have lacked. This really (in our view) has been a gigantic catalyst to the events in the property market over recent months and which has seen an uplift in property prices averaging (in general terms) to approx. 7%, but up to 15%+ in some circumstances. Frightening to say the least, although we had alluded to this late last year and even prior. Over the past decade we have regularly provided appraisals on our thoughts and forecasts on the property market. Since 2017 we have highlighted our concerns with the high volume of speculative developments steered by a “studio” segment delivering hundreds of these units to the market. We have also expressed our bullishness in the market on “owner occupier” properties within the mid to high end tiers of the market and the demand for these properties. This demand has in part, been steered by an expectation of a positive outcome with regard to
Brexit, as well as real growth in the market driven by applicants seeking larger homes, in their quest to base themselves in a safe, English speaking, regulated, low tax environment. We seem to be cementing this attractive proposition toward the “ultimate residency” further. As to the impact of forming part of the Schengen group may have on the property sector in Gibraltar, clearly the prospect of free movement with Spain under a safe political arena not seen in over three hundred years is an attractive and positive proposition, not least with a continued and underpinned financial services relationship with the UK; the future seems bright, and we welcome the agreement. We will as always review and comment on the impact of this agreement, it clearly promises to deliver a bright future for Gibraltar with a degree of political security and economic stability not seen before. There is little one can say to try and sum up the happenings of the past year, let alone that of the past 4 years. Just when we thought that there could be nothing worse than the antics of Brexit, we are given the joys of Covid-19. Without wanting to make jest out of what has been the biggest health crisis in entire generations - is it ok to say… “for the love of God, someone please make it stop”! Thankfully in Gibraltar we can rest slightly easier than most.
HOMEOWNERS’ BANK IN GIBRALTAR
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“where the world is in crisis, the Rock excels”.
A bullish comment spoken by yours truly at a presentation to some international investors who quite frankly are astounded by the success’ we are witnessing; and (if I may) so accurate when it comes to the experience, we have had over the past 4 years and ironically enough over the past 15months since March 2020. There is no question (and regardless of my banter), that we are and have been so incredibly fortunate, but to a larger degree so well placed and structured to have (in the main) done so well – and I am of course primarily referring to the property sector.
Please note that these numbers are solely based on BMI Groups performance and do not necessarily account for the market in general – we do however believe that it describes a scene and a trend true to the market in general terms.
The economy remains difficult to forecast and our exposure to the cost of Covid should not be underestimated. However, unlike many other competitor jurisdictions we benefit from a multitude of sectors contributing to the economy, it’s
The updated graph above now shows only the trend line for the first 6 months of 2021. This essentially is a guide based on completed and uncompleted sales throughout the period – it is nothing short of exceptional. We update our stats annually but due to the extreme hike in prices that we have witnessed during this period together with the volume of sales, we thought it worthy of note to use the graphic to exemplify the position.
not just financial services or e-gaming; Gibraltar enjoys a vibrant shipping sector, and we are at the forefront in the regulation of DLT / Crypto sectors which have added huge value to our suite of services – this in our view is only set to grow further.
Against all the odds, we have seen price increases and sales volumes take a sharp rise throughout 2020 and an even sharper rise throughout the first half of 2021; as mentioned on so many occasions in previous updates, it has been the owner occupier markets, largely two-, three- and four-bedroom properties in mid to high end developments showing some truly spectacular gains with some increases in excess of 15%. The higher end and fourth tier in the market generally with price ranges upwards of £1,500,000 has also reemerged with strong activity in this sector and sales in areas such as The Sanctuary (circa £6m and offers now reaching upwards of £7m), Buena Vista Park (average of £3.5m), Admirals Place and others. We have been fortunate to have been involved in the large majority of high value individual sales achieved to date. Interestingly we seem to be attracting high value profile clients who value privacy and a safe place to reside in, “safe” in all respects, and the Rock continues to be a beacon in this regard. Without insight into circumstances surrounding us and an understanding of the dynamics of Gibraltar, the numbers are non-sensical and you may choose to take the view that this estate agent is quite frankly taking you for a ride. Our view of the why’s and the how’s is best described in the extract below which we wrote some time ago:
To be clear, we are not suggesting that the average price in Gibraltar has reached close to £1,000,000, this figure has been reached only because BMI have achieved some out of the ordinary high value sales during this period, which are not representative of the market in General. The truer figure based on deleting these exceptionally high value properties is likely to be in the region of £780,000 which reflects an uplift of approx. 15-20% over the period.
Our views over the years maintain a trend: growth in owner occupier driven markets steered by a continuously growing gaming and finance centre, with stability and security adding further value. Whereas we have been pleasantly surprised with the growth in a large part of the property sector, we also continue to remain cautious on the studio market sector given volumes under construction and imminent completions. We took a view to stay out of this segment several years ago due to the high volume of proposed developments exclusively aimed at this product. We struggled with the prices being pitched and the marriage to an identifiable end user. It appears that to date it is the only sector that in general terms has not enjoyed the growth in capital appreciation attained by much of the market. 43
Outweighing all factors and reasons for the uplift is the very evident shortage of owner occupier, larger properties on the market and the demand that exists in this segment. We have been stating this for some time and advising our clients and applicants that it is this sector that remains the driving force and has resulted in extraordinary capital appreciation. Our average top end rate per square metre has now reached approx. £6,600 from an average of £5,700 only a year ago. We have reached rates of up to £9,000/sqm in some instances. The market has quite clearly pushed its boundaries once more, with average rates per sqm increased across all tiers, but in particular at the mid to high level tiers; we also believe that the fourth tier (upper high end) is firmly placed and here to stay, underpinned by a growing number of HNWI’s relocating and staying in Gibraltar – we are attracting real high value homeowners, no brass plating. HOMEOWNERS’ BANK IN GIBRALTAR
Tourism is also an important pillar of our economy, but it has to be said that there is a great deal more to be done; we have enormous potential, but we have always remained behind the curve in what is a sector that should be developed to its full and in keeping with the times. Having said all of the above, if one considers the timeline since the Brexit referendum and all the uncertainties surrounding this and Covid, it has to be said that we have done swimmingly and held our own immensely well. 2021 brings its own challenges and so far our position is truly quite special, our ability to overcome stands us in good stead to continue with our ever-growing economy and with it our property sector too. We hope that with this recent write up we can give a small and educated snapshot of the market where we see the upsides, as well as some of the downsides. Louis C. Montegriffo Managing Director BMI Group.
The soft touch It enhances your relaxing and ups a room's tranquillity levels. Soft furnishing gives a room a complete makeover in an economical way. It even allows you to try out your DIY skills and show off your artistic/design side. It's the easiest way to switch up a room's look in terms of colours and contrasts How should you select the soft furnishing items for your living room?
We all have a pretty clear idea about what furniture is, but what is soft furnishing? Soft furnishings include items such as curtains, scatter cushions, bean bags, bean cubes and chair coverings that are used to decorate a room. When you talk about soft furnishing these items specif ically add that extra colour, softness, and texture to your living room. It also helps to overcome any of the furniture flaws that might be there in the living room and help to give it a feeling of warmth and comfort. The fabric is like a compulsor y and most essential part of soft furnishing.
Words by Kathleen North
Deciding the items to choose while decorating your home is usually a time-consuming task. It varies from person to person depending upon their taste, likes, dislikes, your budget and so on. When trying to choose the best furnishing item for your home it is essential to keep in mind that the items that you choose must make the surrounding attractive and elegant. You need to ensure that they add to the surrounding of the home as well as the item should be of a good quality. Although soft furnishing is available in a wide variety, you should be aware of what should be selected and which item should complement his need most. There will be a number of options available for you across colour, design, textures, patterns, etc. but you should be wise enough that which of the chosen pattern is going to complement the house most. Soft furnishing items add liveliness and warmth to the house and make the surroundings feel more welcoming. Steph Briggs is a TV Celebrity Interior Designer and Co-Founder of Interiors & Gifts Emporium, La Di Da Interiors. Steph believes ‘Predicting design trends can take a lot of research and observation. The Catwalk fashion trends often influence interior design. Colours, patterns, materials and shapes of the season often influence what we see moving into commercial design and then home interior design via the High Street. World affairs and events also influence trends in design; think how much Covid has changed our interiors, with almost every home in the UK requiring at least one work from home station, if not two or three, depending upon the number of adults and children in the house. The Biophilic design trend has continued to remain strong, embracing design inspiration by nature, as we crave bright skies, freedom, long carefree summer days. There are professional trend forecasting companies out there for the major retailers. However, smaller design houses and retailers know their target market and utilise trend knowledge to create a product range in line with their customer's needs and desires. Not all trends are suitable for every brand (after all, if we were all the same, life would be so dull) so it's all about knowing what works for you and your client base. Social media has had a massive impact over the last few years. Instagram, along with the rise of 'influencers', has seen the achingly dull grey on HOMEOWNERS’ BANK IN GIBRALTAR
grey palette sit alongside the shiny world of Mrs Hinch and influencers who create a reel out of each DIY project. Interior trends are predicted up two years in advance – most of us in the trade will order at least 6-9 months in advance of the season. I usually order my Christmas stock in February. The environment comes into play. For example, it is difficult to predict the weather; a long hot summer equates to increased alfresco living and leading an outdoor lifestyle. However, a cold, wet summer means more storage is required and a greater focus on a multi-functional space for indoor living. For anyone designing their home without the benefit of an Interior Designer, neutral interiors are incredibly popular due to the perception that it's easy to pull a scheme together without getting scared of getting it wrong. The dull grey interiors of 2020 transformed into Greige in 2021 and are now more textural. Pale neutral interiors are popular as ever but richer in texture. Layers of chunky wool, heavy linens, porcelain, and dried botanicals feature heavily and add personality and a tactile nature. Bolder and more confident, Navy blue is the colour to use in dark interiors at present. Soulful and deep, it works fabulously as a background for metallics for a luxe feel. This classic shade pairs beautifully with natural wood and tan leather for a sophisticated, relaxed look. And the traditional combination of soft white and navy gives a regal touch and works brilliantly with 'Bright Skies' Dulux Colour Of The Year for a simple contemporary style. As we become more conscious of supply chain and environmental impact, refinishing and upcycling furniture is no longer seen as a "make do and mend" approach but is a beautiful way of achieving a bespoke look. Designer style with eco ethics is the future.’ The emphasis on natural and sustainability continues to grow from interior trends from previous years. It’s no wonder that their aesthetics are becoming even more refined and covetable. Moreover, we’re seeing a subtle merge of retro, natural, and zen elements in 2022 interior design trends. In addition, the importance of setting up home offices and keeping clean spaces play a substantial role in favoured looks. Single-use spaces seem to be a thing of the past. In the light of architectural strides and design, we expect interior design trends in 2022 to feature nifty ideas on multifunctional rooms. Make the most of every nook and cranny with clean and innovative room-dividing tactics. One clear reason why the calming neutral colours continue to infiltrate the interior design trends of 2022 is because we continue to strive for balance and harmony in the home. We want and need the home to be a place of recovery, a place where we feel safe and can heal after a troubled time. Steph Briggs: La Di Da Interiors. https://www.ladida-andover.com
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Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney Words by by Natasha Pizzarello, Associate, Hassans International Law Firm Limited
FOR MANY PEOPLE WRITING A WILL AND SETTING UP LASTING POWERS OF ATTORNEY CAN BE A COMPLEX AND DAUNTING PROCESS. ALTHOUGH THERE IS A LOT OF INFORMATION OUT THERE ON THESE IMPORT ANT DOCUMENTS, NOT ALL OF IT MAY BE ACCURATE.
As life and responsibilities change, estate planning becomes more relevant and important. The COVID-19 global pandemic has focused some people’s minds on estate planning measures and putting in the necessary arrangements in place to protect their loved ones. The biggest misconception surrounding Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney are that they are documents for the elderly, and this could not be further from the truth. WILLS A Will is a document that allows an individual to put in writing how they wish to distribute their possession when they pass away. For the Will to be As long as you are over the age of 18 you are not too young to make a Will. In a Will you can outline your wishes in respect of your possessions (physical and digital ones) as well as your children, other dependants and pets. Unfortunately, we cannot predict the future and having a Will in place that outlines your wishes can give you peace of mind whilst protecting Even if your family are aware of your wishes the legal position on the dismay not necessarily be in line with your wishes. It is important that a Will is therefore in place to clearly set your intentions with regards to the distribution of your estate. This ensures that potential future disputes are avoided, which could be unnecessarily costly, burdensome and distasteful for family members. cater for different circumstances and to protect your wishes. er very important that you review it regularly or whenever you have any
LASTING POWERS OF ATTORNEY A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legally binding document that allows an individual to choose a person or people that they trust to make decisions on their behalf (called the attorney) if or when a person no longer has capacity to make decisions for themselves. If you were to have a serious accident or change in your health that affects your mental capacity your next of kin would not have the automatic right Putting Lasting Powers of Attorney in place is like setting up a life insurance policy, you hope it never needs to be used but if the circumstances arise you have something in place to assist your loved ones. Having Lasting Powers of Attorney can help avoid the need for court proceedings in the future which can be costly and time consuming. There are two types of Lasting Powers of Attorney: •
Property and Financial Affairs Lasting Power of Attorney.
•
Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney.
gives the attorney the power to make decisions that may include withdrawing money from a bank account, dealing with property or re-investing assets. An individual can choose whether the Lasting Power of Attorney is valid from the moment it is entered into or only when the individual has lost mental capacity as prescribed by a medical practitioner. A Lasting Power of Attorney in respect of health and welfare gives the attorney the power to make decisions that may include whether to keep the individual on life-sustaining treatment or whether the individual should live in care. The attorney’s authority under this document is only valid when an individual has lost their mental capacity. as prescribed by a medical practitioner.
circumstances and wishes. Powers of Attorney in order to safeguard our clients’ future wishes. For any further information please contact natasha.pizzarello@hassans.gi or abigail.cornelio@hassans.gi of Hassans International Law Firm Limited.
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Since 1931 Dulux has had a strong heritage in both quality and colour. The Heritage brand and Dulux dog are symbols of our history and professionalism, of our craft and dedication in delivering the most innovative colours for today’s home.
The luxury Heritage colours are available in a wide range of Dulux Trade finishes to enable you to select the right paint for your home. Dulux Trade is our highest quality paint, the trusted choice of decorating professionals.
The 112 beautiful shades have been expertly curated by Dulux colourists and are displayed to ease colour selection. To help find the perfect shade, each colour area is arranged into pale, mid, and deep tones to choose from.
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FEATURE
Gibraltar Amateur Radio Society Lighthouse Weekend Gibraltar Amateur Radio Society (GARS) activated Europa Point Lighthouse ZB2LGT (GI 001) for the International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend (ILLW) on the 21st & 22nd August this year. This annual 48 hour amateur radio event is held on the third full weekend in August and involves participants setting up portable stations at, or as close as possible to, lighthouses and lightships around the world. Amateur Radio started in Gibraltar shortly after the Second World War and today GARS is a small but active society representing the interests of Amateur Radio both locally and internationally as a full IARU member society and the club is also affiliated to the Radio society of Great Britain. Secretary of GARS, John King, explains that the club has been going since the late sixties. “In those days radio was quite popular because there was no such thing as Skype or WhatsApp and it was the only way to be able to talk to people without having to pick up a phone.”
means that when we call out everyone wants to talk to Gibraltar and we have to be very disciplined in how we operate.”
Something that ‘hams’ enjoying doing is collecting QSL cards which is a written confirmation of a two-way radio communication between two amateur radio or citizens band stations. A typical QSL card is the same size and made from the same material as a postcard, and most are sent through the mail. “If someone talks to us we will send them a QSL card with the station name on the front,” John comments. “The particular station for the lighthouse is ZB2LGT and this call is issued every year.” A lot of people don’t understand amateur radio but it can be an incredibly social activity. “People see us down at Europa Point, sat on a chair, talking into a box and they have no idea what we are doing,” John laughs. As it says on the club website: “There
Amateur radio (often called Ham Radio) is gaining in popularity throughout the world now, and year to year the number of licenses issued is increasing, which is not what most people would tend to expect in the age of smartphones which makes communicating with others much easier. Once thought of as a ‘geeky hobby’, John explains that it involves radio operators (called ‘hams’) talking to each other over HF/VHF and UHF frequencies. “It used to be quite difficult to get involved,” John says. “Before 2003, to get a full UK amateur radio licence, you had to take the City & Guilds RAE exam, but from 2004 it became much easier with the dropping of the Morse code part and a new three way examination system - Foundation, Intermediate & Full - and since then a lot more people have taken up this hobby.” This was evident in around the world during the lockdowns when people were stuck at home and looking for things to do. The ILLW takes place as close to the Europa Point Lighthouse as members of GARS can get. “This year we operated from an old bird watching shack and over the course of the two days we managed to talk to about one thousand five hundred different stations around the world, including approximately thirty lighthouses who were taking part in the same event,” John states. Countries that made contact with Gibraltar were from most of Europe and the UK and included places further afield such as Uruguay, Canary Islands, Barbados, Zambia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Colombia, Chile, Algeria, South Africa, Eswatini, Tunisia, Israel, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Lebanon, Bonaire, Brazil, America, and Canada. GARS has been involved in the Lighthouse event for the past twenty years and Gibraltar is unusual amongst the other countries taking part because there aren’t that many stations that are actually licensed here. “There are probably about fifty,” John says, “but of those there are only a handful that are actually active, so this
is no better way to explore the fascinating world of radio communications than by becoming a radio amateur, and Gibraltar is a great place to do it from.” Amateur radio can be fun, social, and educational and there are many reasons why people become involved in the activity. These include being able to contact people all over the world by radio, to compete in international competitions, to engage in technical experimentation, to communicate through amateur space satellites or with the International Space Station and to act as a lifeline and to provide communications at times of emergencies. GARS is situated on Coaling Island and the club meet every Wednesday at 8 o'clock until 9.30 pm. John is keen to attract new members as well as welcoming any visiting radio amateurs. “If you are interested in learning about amateur radio and obtaining a Gibraltar licence, please pop down and have a chat with us and listen in and hopefully you will find a new hobby.” Find out more about GARS from their Facebook page: Gibraltar Amateur Radio Society or from their website: www.gibradio.net or send an email to john_m_ king@hotmail.com
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Just Married on the Rock
Mobile: 58897000 Email: nicholas64@gibtelecom.net
Janet & Mark Married 03 September 2021 Photographer Nicky Sanchez
Esther & Brian Married 01 September 2021 Photographer Nicky Sanchez
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it's just SO/ Sotogrande is the new upscale resort with a oneof-a-kind personality that has opened in Southern Spain. It promises to be unmistakably playful, offering a creative, audacious, and contemporary interpretation of luxury hospitality, all set within Sotogrande, the exclusive lifestyle destination in Southern Spain.
Sotogrande A stylish, design-driven resort, SO/ Sotogrande endeavours to introduce guests to new ways of enjoying Andalucía and its culture, through gastronomy, design, fun, and fashion. Open all year, the SO/ Sotogrande brings some much needed flair and personality to the discreet and private luxury destination of Sotogrande. The resort aims to bring together the essence and vibe of Andalucia with the flair and soul of the hotel. For this project they have collaborated with Dolores Cortés, Spanish fashion designer who created a unique striking design elements through out the resort. She designed the hotel’s logo, important elements of the interior design and the staff’s uniforms weaving her fashion forward style int SO/ Sotogrande. SO/ Sotogrande will astonish, with its unique concept of the ‘Revolutionized Cortijo’. The hotel retains the essence and local style of the property’s Andalusian heritage, without losing the contemporary sophistication of the SO/ brand, with its captivating gastronomic and wellness guest experiences. With panoramic views of Sotogrande the resort has 152 rooms (including 36 suites) and sets new standards of 5-star luxury. The resort is also a tempting new hub for bars and restaurants including MIXO, the all-day coffee shop and cocktail bar; EL CORTIJO, a contemporary Spanish restaurant; HI-SO, an outdoor terrace restaurant with custom wood-burning grill; and also, SOCIAL-CLUB, the elegant café bar in the adjacent golf club house. The Wellness centre is set below this garden and appears to seamless blend with the landscape, thanks to its living roof. Although the spa was not open during my stay, I did have a tour, to see inside this modern, innovative space. Set to open late summer 2021, guests will find a pool, thermal circuit, and treatment rooms, each an architectural statement, a private oasis of zen tranquillity. Design motifs, traditional materials, and artistic touches combine with clean architectural lines to create a calming space. SO/ was first conceived a decade ago, a notion developed from the ideas of Design, Playfulness and Fashion. It has since evolved into a distinctive hotel brand that is the epitome of rebellious luxury, a new kind of upscale hospitality. Having opened the first SO/ property in Mauritius, there are now projects extending across the world. www.so-sotogrande.com / +34 956 58 20 00 Instagram: so_sotogrande / facebook: so.sotogrande
COMPETITION Win a unique resort experience at the wonderful SO/ Sotogrande. Enjoy a stunning 1 night stay for 2 people including a 3 course evening meal and breakfast.
Q: Which Spanish designer collaborated with SO/ Sotogrande to create the emblem, custom art canvases,rugs, and artisan ceramics for the resort? Entries Close 1 November 2021 / Prize valid to 31 March 2022. Send your entry with your answer / name / contact details to jeaninsight@gibtelecom.net or post to Insight SO/ competition, GBZ Media Ltd, Worklab, West One, Europort Road, GX11 1AA.
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HEALTH & WELLBEING
WHAT EXACTLY IS IT?
ALL WOMEN GO THROUGH IT, BUT HOW EXACTLY CAN YOU GET THROUGH IT? FOR MANY WOMEN, THE MENOPAUSE CAN BE A REAL PAIN AND HAVE A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON BOTH YOUR MIND AND BODY. WHAT DOES ‘MENOPAUSE’ MEAN? Technically, ‘menopause’ is simply the end of your periods, when you’ve gone at least a year with no menstrual bleeding. Physical changes begin years before the final menstrual period, and this transition phase is called perimenopause, when levels of the main female hormones (oestrogen and progesterone) start to rise and fall erratically. On average, perimenopause lasts for around four years, although for some women, it can go on for up to 12 years. It’s likely you’ll begin to notice signs of perimenopause in your forties, or even your thirties and only 10% of women report their periods stop suddenly, with no noticeable changes in their cycles beforehand. The menopause usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55. WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON MENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS? Not every woman has significant symptoms and you may find you barely notice the transition. Here are the most common menopause symptoms and how to tackle them: MENSTRUAL CHANGES A persistent change of seven days or more in the length of your cycle – making it shorter or longer – can indicate you’re in early perimenopause. A stretch of 60 days or more between periods usually happens later in perimenopause. Menstrual changes are caused by ovulation becoming unpredictable as your supply of eggs dwindles. HOT FLUSHES Hot flushes and night sweats are collectively known as ‘vasomotor symptoms’ and affect between 60 and 85% of women, varying in severity and frequency. They usually last around two years but for 10% of women, hot flushes can last as long as 15 years. Experts still don’t know exactly what causes them, but it’s thought hormone fluctuations affect the way the brain controls body temperature. What you can do: ask your doctor about HRT (hormone replacement therapy). This replaces your missing hormones and is the most effective way of stopping vasomo-
tor symptoms, as it treats the underlying cause. Taking HRT can also lower your risk of conditions such as heart disease and osteoporosis that increase post-menopause.
St John's Wort Capsules or Holland & Barrett Valerian capsules containing Valerian root extract, but always read the advisory information on the packet beforehand.
Some menopausal women may prefer to use alternative remedies to tackle their symptoms, such as agnus castus, red clover or soy isoflavones. Look out for Holland & Barrett Femlieve Agnus Castus or Holland & Barrett Soya Isoflavones with Vitamin B6. Why not try Vitabiotics Menopace Plus plus active botanicals from Holland & Barrett to provide support during and after menopause.
SEXUAL ISSUES Falling oestrogen levels can thin and dry vaginal walls, leaving you prone to infections and making sex uncomfortable. You may also experience irritation and soreness, even if you’re not sexually active. On top of this, you may find you have a reduced libido. Stress and relationship problems can contribute to lower sex drive and loss of lubrication too.
Adopt simple lifestyle measures, like wearing natural fibres and try to reduce stress. Reduce (or cut out) alcohol and spicy foods which can often make hot flushes worse. Consider a course of CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) which has been shown to reduce the frequency and duration of hot flushes. MOOD PROBLEMS Anxiety and depression are more likely to affect women during perimenopause; if you have a history of depression, you’re likely to experience it now. Changes in hormone levels may affect the neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, that control mood. Of course, your mood can also be affected by other factors at this time, such as loss of fertility and negative social stereotypes around menopause, along with worries about children, work and elderly parents. Holland & Barrett Menopause Mood Relief 30 Tablets is a traditional herbal medicinal product for the relief of symptoms of the menopause including hot flushes and contains 300mg St. John's Wort & 6.4mg Black Cohosh What you can do: self-help measures can ease depression and anxiety, including yoga, meditation and regular exercise. Speak to your doctor about a course of CBT too. HRT may be useful, but antidepressants are not recommended as there’s no evidence that they work for low mood associated with menopause. Some women find herbal remedies, such as St John’s wort or valerian, may be helpful for low mood or anxiety during the menopause. Try Holland & Barrett Maximum Strength
What you can do: vaginal dryness can be treated very simply with topical oestrogen, used either as a cream, pessary or vaginal ring. It can be used on its own or with HRT. Or you could try over-the-counter vaginal moisturisers and lubricants. Holland & Barrett Sea Buckthorn (Omega 7) can help to increase production of mucus in these linings. POST-MENOPAUSE After menopause, a lack of oestrogen means you’re more susceptible to developing osteoporosis and heart disease. You may also find you gain weight and your skin starts to become dryer. You can support your bone health by upping your intake of calcium and vitamin D while omega-3 can help reduce your risk cardiovascular disease and combat dry skin. Holland & Barrett Calcium 600mg with Vitamin D3 or Holland & Barrett Extra Strength Omega 3 Fish Oil may help with post-menopause issues. Advisory Information: Food supplements must not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking any medications or are under medical supervision, please consult a doctor or healthcare professional and always WOR read the label before MENOP LD use. AUS
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FEATURE
HC CANCER CENTER
WEAPONS AGAINST BREAST CANCER OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER PREVENTION MONTH, ALTHOUGH FOR MANY, AWARENESS AND THE FIGHT AGAINST THIS DISEASE FORM PART OF EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in both developed and developing countries. It is estimated that 1 out of every 8 women in Spain will develop breast cancer. Despite this, the cure rate is increasing and thanks to early detection campaigns prognosis for this disease has improved. Medical advances have made it possible to learn more and more about the biology of the disease, developing more effective and less aggressive, personalized treatments. At HC Cancer Center we face this disease every day, our team comprises specialists in different fields who investigate the tumour starting at its origin and together plan the optimum treatment for each patient. The first step in this fight begins with prevention and early diagnosis. All women aged 45 or over should have a mammogram. Tomosynthesis, or 3D mammography, can detect very small lesions that previously passed unnoticed, increasing cancer detection by 40%. As a result, cancers are diagnosed in their early stages, significantly increasing patient survival. When cancer is localized, the treatment of choice is usually surgery or radiotherapy, sometimes combined with chemotherapy to maximize the effect.
evaluation of the risk of relapse in each patient and therefore understanding of the benefits of supplementing treatment with chemotherapy, or even the identification of a drug targeted at that specific mutation”. In hormone-dependent tumours, hormone therapy will also continue to be an essential part of breast cancer treatment. Each treatment has its function and its time, and it is therefore essential that it is coordinated by a multidisciplinary team. “We have a breast unit made up of different specialists, among them gynaecologists, radiologists, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists. They offer a complete service to patients from early diagnosis to treatment, to guarantee the best treatment option, in the best surroundings and with the same people”. Thanks to this progress in treatment plus methods for early diagnosis, she concludes: “we have managed to increase long-term survival rates and are a step closer to winning this battle”.
Surgically, conservative surgery is currently the preferred option, i.e. the removal of the lesion with an adequate margin, avoiding mastectomy whenever possible. In order to provide this more conservative treatment, while still maintaining local control and the survival figures previously obtained with mastectomy, it is ALWAYS necessary to supplement treatment with radiotherapy. “New radiotherapy is more precise, conformed, and safe, improving treatment tolerance while maintaining effectiveness”, explains Paula Sedano, radiation oncology specialist at HC Cancer Center. In cases where systemic drug therapy is required she continues, “We have different genetic platforms that provide information on the genetic mutation of the tumour. This enables
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HEALTH & WELLBEING
VEGETARIAN
WORLD
DAY
1ST OCTOBER 2021
THIS ANNUAL EVENT, WHICH BEGAN IN 1977, ENCOURAGES EVERYONE TO TRY A MEAT FREE MEAL - EVEN FOR A DAY. THE BENEFITS OF HAVING MEAT FREE DAYS IN THE WEEK ARE NUMEROUS, WHICH IS WHY OUR LOCAL CONSCIOUS EATING INITIATIVE SUPPORTS AND ENCOURAGES SUCH EVENTS.
STAY HEALTHY
ALLEVIATE WORLD HUNGER
Opting for mostly plant-based foods, limiting red meat and processed meat, can have a big impact on your health. The World Cancer Research Fund highlight that diets lower in meat intake boast lower risks of strokes, heart disease, cancers, type 2 diabetes and premature death.
We produce more grain to feed animals than humans. It can take up to 12 kg of grain to produce 1 kg of beef, which is an inefficient use of energy. Currently, around 900 million people suffer from hunger and undernourishment, yet an amount of cereal which could feed three times this number of people is fed to cattle, pigs and chickens.
SAVE MONEY Most of the staples of a meat-free diet (i.e. beans, lentils, rice and corn) are comparatively cheaper, and longer lasting, than meat. Eating less meat + more veg = saving money
SAVE LIVES Billions of animals farmed and killed for meat each year are raised in intensive factory farms. These animals are often diseased, injured and dying, due to the unnatural conditions they are kept in. Eating less meat does reduce the number of animal lives lost (if you are curious about your impact try a Vegetarian Calculator online).
SAVE OUR ENVIRONMENT Continued agricultural intensification, expansion, and overfishing, will continue to contribute to loss of species and biodiversity. Greenhouse gases, such as methane, CO , and nitrous oxide, produced by livestock, decaying manure and the destruction of forest ecosystems, also contribute to climate change .
SHARED SUCCESSES! Please get in touch with one of your favourite meat free recipes- tasty and kind to the wallet- so we can share them for others to try: www.HealthyGibraltar. org/MeatFreeMealIdeas
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HEALTH & WELLBEING
HYPNOTHERAPY IS A TYPE OF MIND-BODY INTERVENTION IN WHICH HYPNOSIS IS USED TO CREATE A STATE OF FOCUSED ATTENTION AND INCREASED SUGGESTIBILITY IN THE TREATMENT OF A MEDICAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER OR CONCERN. Clinical Hypnotherapist Helen Brooks aka ‘the Tummy Whisperer’ is a clinical hypnotherapist with a Degree in Applied Psychology who focuses her expertise on helping and treating sufferers of IBS. She helps clients where dietary changes and medication have failed to reduce symptoms. Helen states that ‘hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis as a therapeutic technique. It is a form of therapy that utilises the subconscious mind to bring about change. In a relaxed but focused state of awareness, the hypnotherapist can use positive suggestions which are accepted by the subconscious mind to help bring about changes in thoughts, feelings and behaviours. There are many different therapeutic techniques within the field of hypnotherapy ranging from post-hypnotic suggestion through to more analytical methods, regression or the use of metaphors and visualisations to help solve problems. If you have a deep-seated emotional problem or bad habit you just can’t break it is likely influenced by the subconscious mind. It is therefore important to engage the subconscious mind to bring about change. Hypnotherapy can help you take back control and access your own inner strengths and resources. Hypnotherapy can help with a wide variety of emotional issues and is really effective in helping to relieve anxiety, fears and phobias. It is helpful for working with habits such as stopping smoking and nail-biting and can help with creating healthier habits like healthy eating. Hypnotherapy is often misunderstood because of stage hypnosis and stuff on TV. It's wrongly associated with power, control and belief. You are not under someone's control, powerless or unconscious, you don’t have to believe in it to work and you most certainly won’t be made to cluck like a chicken, in fact, hypnotherapy is used in a variety of medical and professional settings. It can be used in operations instead of anaesthesia, it's used for dental work to slow the flow of blood from tooth extractions, it can be used to reduce blood pressure, ease the side effects of chemotherapy and speeds the healing of wounds and recovery from surgery. It’s also used by Olympic athletes to improve performance and so much more. There are certain physical issues it has been shown to be particularly helpful for. I special-
ise in a specific type of hypnotherapy called gut-directed hypnotherapy which is a well researched and clinically proven way to make long term changes to Irritable bowel syndrome. Gut directed hypnotherapy is using hypnotherapy to change the function of the gut. It works by restoring the communication between the gut and brain, reducing the hypersensitivity of the nerve cells and relieving IBS. Hypnotherapy also teaches the mind to control the gut, rather than the gut controlling you. Stress and anxiety exacerbates IBS symptoms and hypnotherapy can counteract this by activating the parasympathetic nervous system which stimulates the body's rest and digest phase. Hypnosis can also help change subconscious responses to situations such as the fear of needing the toilet when away from home or the fear of eating certain foods. Alleviating these fears helps to keep the mind and body working together in harmony and stops the fight or flight response adding to digestive disturbance. In gut-directed hypnotherapy, the suggestions are focused on creating physical changes such as; your digestion works smoothly and comfortably, you are free from bloating and discomfort, you are in control of your bowels. They would also be focused on improving emotional wellbeing; you feel more relaxed each day, you are calmer and much more self-confident. Imagery is a powerful way to communicate with the subconscious mind and various metaphors and visualisations are used in sessions. You may imagine you are drinking a soothing healing liquid that coats your entire digestive system and soothes discomfort, restores regular bowel movements and eases bloating. Your subconscious then uses these images to create physical changes so you experience relief.’ WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF HYPNOSIS? The hypnotic state allows a person to be more open to discussion and suggestion. It can improve the success of other treatments for many conditions, including: • Phobias fears, and anxiety • Sleep disorders • Depression
• Stress • Post-trauma anxiety • Grief and loss Hypnosis also might be used to help with pain control and to overcome habits, such as smoking or overeating. It also might be helpful for people whose symptoms are severe or who need crisis management. TECHNIQUES During a hypnotherapy session, people are guided through a process to induce a trancelike state that helps them focus their minds, respond more readily to suggestions and become deeply relaxed. Hypnotherapy utilizes the heightened awareness of the hypnotic state to help you focus on a problem more deeply. 3 Hypnotherapy utilizes techniques including: • Relaxation: You will be guided by the hypnotherapist to visualize yourself in a state of peacefulness and relaxation, even when confronting a problematic behaviour or the object of your fears. • Suggestion: Your hypnotherapist may make gentle suggestions for behaviour changes that can help you conquer your issue. For example, you may be taught to see yourself as a supportive advisor during a phobic reaction, thus learning to trust yourself and your ability to get through the situation. • Coping skills: You may be taught certain cognitive-behavioral coping skills, such as guided imagery and the STOP! technique that you can use when confronting fears or anxieties. Caitlin Thorpe is one of Helen’s clients. ‘I had tried different things before working with Helen (e.g. dietary changes, probiotics, lifestyle changes etc), and was despairing wondering if I could ever find something that would help. I am so grateful that I got to work with Helen. I have experienced improvements in my IBS I didn't previously think were possible. Working with Helen has been a life-changing experience.’ Hypnotherapy is a gentle yet powerful way of working and is suitable for pretty much everyone from children to the elderly. It's a natural holistic approach that can be used in many ways. Helen Brooks website thetummywhisperer.co.uk
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FEATURE
10 pieces of advice for anyone starting or returning to university this year
I can’t believe it’s been 4 years since I graduated from university, and 8 since I enrolled. They say your time at university can be the best years of your life and looking back I still believe that to be true (on par with travelling the world and living abroad of course). With some of my family members heading off to uni this year, I thought I’d share my advice for making the most of your time at university, and things that I would have found helpful to know when I started. 1. Don’t sit in your room all day. I know some of us are more introverted/ extroverted than others, but especially during your first few weeks at university it’s important to get to know your flatmates and people in your halls. Mostly to avoid things feeling awkward in the long run. Stepping out of your comfort zone and speaking to new people might be daunting for some, but remember everyone is in the same boat.
2. Learn some basic meals on Youtube. It becomes so easy at uni to live off ready meals and Tesco meal deals, but that’s where you’ll see most of your money going. If cooking isn’t really your thing, try and master a few basic recipes that you can meal prep for the week so that you don’t end up buying stuff you don’t need when you don’t feel like cooking. Especially since the closest supermarket will probably be across the road in halls!
3. Budget your week. I wasn’t the greatest at doing this my first year of uni, in fact I always found myself having to message my mum to top me up at the end of the week because I’d spent too much on student night events and Odeon cinema. In uni there’s always something going on, so it’s best to plan how much you’re going to need for food, bills etc for the week and then whatever is left you can leave for the fun stuff.
4. Take advantage of student discounts UniDays, StudentBeans and Totum are all places that work with brands to give you the biggest discounts. The most important one if you’re planning on visiting your friends across the UK is to make sure you get a student 18-25 Railcard for discounts on your train and tube journeys. If you’re a big cinema fan, you can also get an Odeon Limitless card for £17.99 a month that lets you go see as many movies as you want.
5. Try something new with a uni social club or society. I remember joining the rowing team during my first year of uni, and I only lasted two months because I couldn’t deal with the 6am wake up call every Saturday morning. That being said, the social and themed events that the team organised were amazing. If sport isn’t your thing, you’ll still find everything from the ‘wine society’ to the ‘disney society’. If you’re feeling inspired most universities also allow you to open your own club if there is enough interest/it follows the guidelines.
6. Don’t leave it until the end of the year to sort out accommodation. After halls most people choose to go into a house share with friends, but the tricky thing is deciding after two months of knowing someone whether they would actually make a good housemate. I didn’t decide who I was living with until about March, and by then most of the good houses had already been swiped. My advice is to start thinking about who you’d like to live with a few months into your uni year, once you’ve managed to gather a good sense of character from your peers. Just pay attention to who cleans up their plates straight away and doesn’t steal all the milk.
7. Remember why you’re there in the first place. Uni is definitely a place where you can work hard, and play hard. I think I went out the most during my final year of university, but I always made sure I’d hit my personal work deadlines first so that I’d be able to have fun and de-stress and not feel guilty about it. If going out partying isn’t your thing just make sure you’re still making time to do fun things so that you don’t burnout.
8. Look after your mental health. University can be challenging for a lot of people. Whether it’s because you’ve
WORDS BY GIANA SPITERI 60
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moved away from home for the first time, are finding your course challenging, or because the experience hasn’t quite met your expectations. It’s important to remember that you’re not alone in feeling like this and that you can talk to your friends, family or tutors about whatever issues you are facing. I know of people who felt pressured to stay at university when they really weren’t enjoying it, and it’s also ok to admit that university isn’t for you. Plenty of people choose to go straight into jobs after school and go on to have successful careers.
9. Be proactive and get involved. Throughout your time at uni you’ll find there’ll be lots of opportunities offered to you which won’t only help your interpersonal skills and look good on your CV, but will also help shape your uni experience. I wasn’t aware my university offered a study exchange programme until I was having a deep browse through their website one day, and after enquiring to my course leader about it I ended up applying and doing a semester abroad in Orlando, Florida. If you aren’t sure about what extra opportunities your uni offers, make sure to speak to your tutor about it.
10. Use this time to grow. Chances are you’ve grown up being around the same people, cultures and ways of thinking. Especially with Gibraltar being such a small place and closeknit community. When you get to uni not only are you thrown into the deep end of independence, it’s also a time where you get to discover new passions, relationships and hobbies. So make the most of it!
Giana Spiteri is a local writer, specialising in lifestyle, beauty & travel. instagram.com/ teawithgi GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM
PACS
BACK TO REALITY Whether your child started school for the first time, moved to a new school or transitioned to high school it can be an emotional and exciting few weeks for children and parents alike. Here are our top tips for making things go smoothly. DROP OFF: If you know a child in the class arrange to meet and walk in together. Everything is less scary with a friend. Create a goodbye routine, whether it’s a kiss and hug, “see you later alligator”, or hi five. Practice this routine at all times when you leave your child, for example at a grandparents, at play dates, not just school. It gives them a verbal and physical reminder that your leaving but will be back again soon. Trust in the teachers and teaching assistants. They are complete pros at this and have dealt with children finding transition to school difficult. There isn’t much they haven’t seen before. LESS QUESTIONS AT PICK-UP: When you ask your child about their day they may not have much to say. Some children need some downtime before the can reflect, think or talk about school.
ROUTINE: It’s a word used a lot in all aspects of parenting, but that’s because it works. Its especially useful to build a routine in the first few weeks of school. You may want to make preparations for the next day part of your evening routine. There won’t be much expectations for homework in their first few weeks but it soon comes, so set some time aside each evening. Your child will be processing all the new experiences they’re having so sticking to a bedtime routine helps. Sleep is a remedy for most things. NO COMPARISONS: “look that child doesn’t cry about school”, or “your friends are so much more organised”. Knowing your child and loving them for who they are is one of the greatest gifts we can give to our children. We each take our own unique journey in our own time. In general your child and you should be well settled by half term and used to new routines.
DON’T PLAN TOO MUCH IN THE FIRST FEW WEEKS: Wait until they are settled before signing them up for lots of after school clubs. Your child maybe very tired in these first few weeks. IT’S A BIG STEP YOUR PARENTS TOO: You may feel like you have lost your baby, they are becoming a big girl or boy by starting school. Your pre-teen maybe transitioning to high school and your worried about the challenges and new responsibilities they are going to face. Have that chat with a friend or your partner, keep busy either with work, take time for that exercise class or 5 mins to yourself, you have been longing for. This allows you space not to unconsciously pass your anxieties to your child.
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MOTORING INSIGHT
Obviously it's a...
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MOTORING INSIGHT
DURING THE TIME I HAD THE CUPRA FORMENTOR, A FEW PEOPLE ASKED ME WHAT IT WAS, SIMPLE ANSWER - OBVIOUSLY - IS IT’S A CUPRA FORMENTOR. But that answer to some just wasn’t good enough, after dodging the question, and going round in circles, I finally had to admit it was built by SEAT, and part of the VW Group. SEAT have always tried to use Spanish place names to call their cars, such as: Ibiza, Malaga, Marbella, Alhambra, Córdoba, Toledo, and some more obscure ones such as Leon, Arona and Altea.
But Formentor is a very pretty place in Majorca, and the Formentor is a very pretty car, with some bold and striking lines, the pressing of the metal is really clever engineering with the body panels having razor sharp creases. The car I had on test from SEAT UK press office, sorry, CUPRA UK, was a 1.4 petrol plug-in Hybrid that produces 245ps (combined output, petrol engine and electric motors). It goes from 0-62mph (100kph) in 7-seconds, and boasts a top speed of 130mph. It is coupled to a very smooth 6-speed automatic gearbox.
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You can charge the battery either from home using a standard household plug, or take it to a public ChargePoint. I just charged it from home, and like all other full electric, or plug-ins, it seemed to take forever to do so. It took nearly five hours to go from a range of zero miles to 21 miles. It's meant to be able to go for 34 miles when fully topped-up. Using a swanky 3.6KW ChargePoint it takes about three hours to "electri-
cally fill". However, it begs the question, "3 hours to get 34 miles, is it worth it?". When it was completely out of battery power and solely relied on petrol power, the economical 1.4-litre engine achieved just over 50mpg (4.704l/100kph). The interior is quite exquisite with some really nice touches, with its black nappy leather heated bucket seats with copper stitching on the VZ2 test car. The whole of the interior looks and feels like real quality, a great place to sit for a long journey.
It has a large (12-inch) screen in the centre of the dashboard and a 10.5invh Digital Cockpit in front of the driver. The infotainment system is really easy to use, and very intuitive, and much improved on some previous efforts by VW Group, I think they have learned by their mistakes. There is a great long list of standard equipment on the Formentor, too many to list. The UK OTR price of the
test car was £41,115, and does sound a hefty price to pay, but when you look at the complete package, all the nice features you get, then it begins to look reasonable value. The Cupra Formentor is certainly a striking looking five-door hatch, with some very distinctive lines, that stand out in a crowd. The interior is stunning, and SEAT, sorry, CUPRA have gone over and beyond what would have been expected in this type of car, from the Spanish manufacturer, so well done for a brave effort.
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ADOPT
DON'T
SHOP
Spanish Dogs
DAV INCI
Spanish Stray Dogs UK
Davinci arrived at Los Barrios pound in July 2020 and was about 3,5 years old. He was found presumably abandoned in the streets. This big handsome boy loves a good cuddle and to go out on walks. During the day he is out with other dogs. He loves running around and play with his ball, he needs a home with a garden.
BRODY
ANGELA
Brody is a lovely young dog who was rescued from a kill shelter in northern Spain. He is only 2 years old and a very happy little boy. He is very friendly and would do well in a family home a he is good with other dogs, cats and children
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OPA
Opa is a very friendly older dog who was rescued from a kill shelter in northern Spain. He is a small dog who only wants to please; he loves to curl up and be cuddled and only needs short walks. He is good with other dogs, cats and children and he’s looking for a calm home to give him love and fuss. More info: www.ainf.gi
Spanish Dogs
Spanish Stray Dogs UK
Angela arrived at Los Barrios pound in April 2021 and was about 3-4 years old. She was found with her 4 puppies. Angela is a timid little girl, she will come to you to get some treaties, but then she backs off again. She needs a calm home without small children, but she would love to have another friendly dog friend. More info: www.spanishstraydogs.org.uk
OCTOBER 2021
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A VET'S INSIGHT
One of the most common ailments that I encounter on a daily basis is poor dental hygiene in domestic animals.
CAN BAD TEETH CAUSE HEART DISEASE? Cats and dogs are different on this front, with dogs tooth decay etc is a preventable problem whereas in cats with teeth problems there is often a genetic element to it . Dogs and cats are more susceptible to dental conditions because they are carnivores and therefore the pressure they can exert with their teeth is much greater than omnivores or herbivores. What this means is that any minor damage to teeth in these animals can escalate very rapidly.
the infection can spread into the bone and cause osteomyelitis!! When dogs have this extent of tooth decay there is a high risk of bacteria embolising into the blood and lodging in the liver and in some cases on the heart valves. The latter can then cause murmurs and heart failure. The pain at this stage is substantial and the halitosis is enough to impregnate the atmosphere. To allow your pet to get to this stage is almost tantamount to neglect.
With dogs dental decay is primarily due to the animals not chewing enough. Puppies have to be taught from a early age to chew hard objects so that they continue doing this for the duration of their lives.
If your dog doesn’t chew then it will need regular dentals where the teeth are cleaned with an ultrasonic descaler and polished. This will have to be done at least once a year, otherwise the above will happen. So I can’t emphasise how important it is to get your dog to chew from an early age. Prevention is always better than cure.
The actual grinding and chewing action of their teeth on hard chews keeps the teeth clean of plaque and dental decay. The dog that does not chew sooner or later has problems. The softer the diet the more rapid the onset of periodontal/ gum disease, accumulation of plaque, tooth decay and eventually tooth loss. If a dog doesn’t chew plaque starts to accumulate on teeth, the foreign material then start to irritate the gums, bacteria build up on the plaque. This hastens the receding of the gums, at the same time the plaque and bacteria damage the integrity of the enamel layer. Once this starts it is a domino effect, the infection gets worse, and the dog ends up rotten teeth. When the upper molars are contaminated this can result in abscesses that appear as swelling below the eye on the maxilla. In severe cases
Cats are different , there is often a genetic, allergic or infective element that contributes to tooth decay. In the wild cats hunt and the actual act of eating their prey has For more a cleansing effect on their teeth . High information pl quality diets tend to have incorporatease ed a harder texture in the pellets so phone Gibralta r mimic eating prey , softer and wet Vetinary Clinic on brands all the time could predispose 200 77334 your cat to dental disease. In summary look after your pet’s dental health, he will thank you for it by living a longer healthier life .
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HOROSCOPES
YOUR FUTURE IN THE STARS
OCTOBER WITH KATE MCHARDY
ARIES (Mar 21 - Apr 20)
LEO (Jul 23 - Aug 23)
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 - Dec 21)
Miracles do happen, Aries, and they start happening when we find a sense of inner peace. It is about energy and like attracting like… when the inner energy changes to still then when allow miracles in.
You may feel that you are in the middle of personal chaos at the moment, Leo, but remember that this is a time of truth and must be gone through for new life to emerge. That is exactly what is happening so take a deep breath and dive right in!
Remember Sagittarius, that thoughts become things and so we must monitor them carefully. In fact, to guide your thoughts towards forgiveness is a most powerful way to achieve success and contentment on all levels.
TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21)
VIRGO (Aug 24 - Sep 23)
CAPRICORN (Dec 22 - Jan 20)
During these times of uncertainty, Taurus, you may find that it helps to look into the eyes of the people you see each day and say, “The Light in me salutes the Light in you”. This will both spread and share happiness.
Our flaws, as we perceive them to be, are actually our wounds and therefore they are experiences from which we need to heal. So, this month you are being guided to be more compassionate with yourself, Virgo, and so with others..
You are being guided to give away all feelings of fear and anger this month, Capricorn. Rather than pushing them down, allow them to rise to the surface and acknowledge them and then give them away. Send them off into the sky and just let them go.
GEMINI (May 22 - Jun 22)
LIBRA (Sep 24 - Oct 23) You may well find yourself working in partnership this month, Libra and this may be totally unexpected. However, it is a very positive thing and there is much to be learned from helping each other be the best you can be!
AQUARIUS (Jan 21 - Feb 19)
You are the great communicator, Gemini, and you have a vibrant imagination. You are in the ideal position at this time to help others to understand that they can indeed create their own reality and their own future.
You are being reminded that you are powerful in whatever moment you choose to be so, Aquarius. You are an instrument of love right here, right now and you are being directed to step into that power. The world needs you!
CANCER (Jun 23 - Jul 22)
SCORPIO (Oct 24 - Nov 22)
PISCES (Feb 20 - Mar 20)
You can expect to feel romantic love all around you this month, Cancer, and to feel especially cherished and cared for. First though, you must spend some time remembering that you deserve this!
Connecting on a deeper level with someone this month is important, Scorpio, so don’t hold back. Overcome your initial fear and listen to your heart… It won’t let you down. This is one of those times when to be vulnerable id to be strong.
ou’ll find yourself giving a friend the benefit of the doubt this month, Pisces. Listen with depth and compassion. Do not judge. This is a time for your loyalty to guide your actions and to be the true friend that you are. A gift.
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Email: katemch@gmail.com Facebook Group: Horoscopes Gibraltar
FEATURE
Commitment… An agreement or pledge to do something in the future. (Dictionary definition). Generally, we tend to think of commitment as being committed to your relationship or your career or to results you are looking to achieve in one or more areas of life. We might commit to our families, our communities. People commit to getting out of debt or getting into good health, good physical shape... and so on. But, how about committing to ourselves? I mean truly committing to becoming who you really are. Choosing to be who you really are. Engaging with life as your true, authentic self. The truth is that most people have no idea who they really are. They know certain things about themselves. They may know their favourite colours, their favourite food... what they want to achieve in five or ten years’ time. They may know where they live and who they are married to … the names of their children and how to be a good parent. But do you know who you are? We are taught, from an early age, to identify ourselves from the outside in. Society teaches us that we are the job, the house, the holiday, the car when, in fact, these things are the mere manifestation of our external experience. As the spiritual beings that we are, having a material experience, there needs to be a balance. The body and the physical world need to be looked after and cared for in order that we have the material comforts and resources necessary for the soul to fulfil its purpose during its time inhabiting the body. The soul has a mission. The purpose is already there, like a seed waiting in the depths of your heart for you to go within and honour it. The big question is... how? And if I mention ‘meditation’ at this point there is likely to be a universal groan and utterings of “oh no!” So maybe revisiting what we mean by meditation is appropriate at this juncture. The word ‘meditation’ is derived from the latin verb – meditari, as follows: Verb · to think or reflect upon, consider, contemplate, ponder, meditate (upon); intend · plan, contrive, devise · Meditation is simply about taking some time to still the mind and allow the thoughts to drift. Of course, with practice, this can develop into a lifelong daily habit… and a good one too… but for the initial stages I believe in keeping things simple and manageable.
UNTIL ONE IS COMMITTED THERE IS HESITANCY… THE CHANCE TO DRAW BACK. THE MOMENT ONE DEFINITELY COMMITS ONESELF THEN PROVIDENCE MOVES TOO. WILLIAM H MURRAY. I have found over many years of working on and teaching personal and spiritual development that the most powerful way to get to know yourself is to develop your creativity and make time to be with yourself in the passion of your creative energy. Getting lost in what you are doing and becoming one with what you are creating. This is where great ideas and thoughts and words of wisdom come to us... this is where our hearts become excited and we forget time and space and lose any desire to return to the real world. But when we do return, we have the extra dimensions of compassion and understanding to bring back with us.
It has been said that true commitment is when the meeting takes place between what already is and what actually wants to become real. And indeed, a commitment must be made if we are to manifest the dreams for which we have been born. So, what already is can be found through delving into our creative self and trusting the process of bringing it out to become real. An awesome process. We have all been created and, therefore, as creatures of creation it is endemic in our very beings, to create. There are as many ways to be creative as there are people on the planet so do not berate yourself for not being a Dali or a Picasso... you are you and you must give yourself permission to play around with whatever takes your fancy until you locate the inner you and then you can make the commitment to your inner self to live your life being the best version of yourself, living and honouring your god given purpose from the inside out. A commitment is not made, it is forged. It is forged between what is already located deep within and what wants to become real. You will know that you have located the inner you when you find yourself immersed in your project. You cannot tear yourself away and you are super excited about getting back to it as soon as possible! Thus, the commitment makes itself... forged by the inner formless truth, an unchosen desire, taking shape and being defined by the outer form which it takes on. A true commitment is one that will change your life because it is born from who you already are and it will grow into its fully developed form by who you become. As your commitment develops and you grow with it, through it and from it, so you can become ever more specific. As Rumi says, the desire has been placed in every heart and that desire becomes a driven thing when we discover the joy of being committed to who we really are! Everyone has been made for some particular work and the desire for that work has been put in every heart... Rumi.
Kate Mchardy MA(Hons) PGCE MSPH Spiritual coach, teacher and healer. katemch@gmail. com / Tel: +44 7712889534. Facebook: The University of Light Group / Readings at The University of Light (@tarotangelspiritreadings).
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Red Wine Brisket Brisket is great to cook with and although usually requires slow cooking or attention so that the meat doesn’t tense up, it can deliver some great tender results. This Jewish inspired recipe can be shared with friends and family anytime of the year.
INGREDIENTS 1kg beef brisket (Cima / top rump) Sea salt
Fresh rosemary 1 Bay leaf 800g tomate triturado
Olive oil
Tomato puree
1 Red onion 5 Garlic cloves Fresh thyme
1 Bottle red wine (rioja) 6 Carrots Pepper
METHOD Sauté and seal the meat in a large pan. Place all ingredients in a large oven proof casserole and seal the meat with a drizzle of oil, place the carrots in the casserole pot until they are tender, checking and stirring occasionally covering with the sauce until tender at 200C. I suggest cutting the onion into 1/8ths. Leave the pot uncovered once the carrots soften and place back in the oven to roast. The top of the meat should begin to crisp.
For more delicious Mama Lotties recipes visit:
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WIN!!! WIN!!! WIN!!!
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1. The line along which anything lies, faces,
1. An article of furniture having a
moves, etc. (9) 5. _ _ _ _ riya, ancient city in Sri Lanka. (4)
broad, usually level, writing surface. (4)
7. A naval officer of the highest rank. (4)
2. Capital of Latvia. (4)
9. To perform. (2)
3. A shy person. (9)
11. _ _ _ _olent, evil; harmful; injurious. (5)
4. Lazily careless; offhand. (9)
12. A female given name. (4)
6. _ _ _ _ _ _ _t, a person who is guided more by ideals than practicality. (7)
13. To distribute or apportion by measure; allot; dole. (4) 14. Type of aloholic liquor. (3) 15. Important part of cameras. (4) 16. Short for, Let it stand. (4)
A FABULOUS HIMALAYAN SALT LAMP
8. Used in citations to indicate an author or word that has just been mentioned. (4) 10. Traditional toy for girls. (4) 11. _ _ _ _um, a large wine bottle having a capacity of two ordinary bottles or 1.5 litres. (4)
Fill in the details below and send it, with the completed crossword, to GBZ Media Ltd, WorkLab, Eurotowers Complex, WestOne, Europort Road, GX11 1AA (Tel: 22251308). Entries to be received before 24th of the month. A winner will be drawn from all correct entries and will receive a Himalayan Salt Lamp from The Light & Power Shop.
Name:.................................................................................... Address:................................................................................ Tel: ............................................ Last month’s lucky winner was: ANTHONY FORD
70
OCTOBER 2021
GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM
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General Distributors of Mercedes-Benz 70-72, Devils Tower Road, GIBRALTAR. Tel: +350 20045888. Email: sales@gedime.com. www.gedime.com
GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM
TO ADVERTISE IN THE ROCK'S LONGEST RUNNING MAGAZINE CALL +350 22251308
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Take the time to seek
serious advice BMI Group are an established and a leading real estate agency with a strong presence in Gibraltar. Over the past three decades we have successfully played a key role within the local property market and acted as consultants for major residential and commercial developments such as, Atlantic Suites, Kings Wharf, Buena Vista Park Villas, The Sanctuary and The Anchorage to name but a few. BMI offers sales, lettings, commercial, management and consultancy services to a worth clients and private clients.
BMI GROUP ESTATE AGENTS info@bmigroup.gi
(+350) 200 51010
BMI Group Limited, Unit 7 Portland House, Glacis Road, P.O. Box 469, Gibraltar 72
www.bmigroup.gi
WORDS BY RICHARD CARTWRIGHT # B M I G ro u p OCTOBER 2021
# Le a d i n g Ag e n t s
# G i b ra l t a r
GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM