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COSTA CALIDA EDITION COSTA CALIDA
Your English Newspaper
roundtownnews.com
Issue 101
3 - 9 OCTOBER 3-9 JAN 2014
Murcia’s innovative app for smartphones THOSE VISITING the City of Murcia, with time on their hands to explore its many hidden treasures will delight in a new mobile application the city has just released p8
Macy Gray opens the Cartegena Jazz Festival
SOUL SINGER Macy Gray will open the thirty-fourth edition of the Cartagena Jazz Festival, which this year will be held from 1st to 22nd November p20
At least a little rain helps, but more would be better
ALL YOUR gardening tips and facts can be found on p26
Getting answers in Spain READ MORE on p33
Showbiz Goss
MARIANNE FAITHFULL started singing in London coffee bars in the early 60s, but after Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote ‘As Tears Goes By’ for her in 1964, her life changed considerably p44
Simon Manley and Paul Rodwell met with various local charities and residents groups in Mazarrón
British Ambassador visits Murcia by Keith Nicol BRITISH AMBASSADOR to Spain, Simon Manley visited Murcia for the first time this week. He spent Tuesday in the regional capital meeting with The Mayor, Miguel Ángel Cámara and on Wednesday spent time meeting members of local community groups and charities in Mazarrón. The British Ambassador said he welcomed the efforts of English speaking charities in the Murcia region, for building up close working relationships with local authorities, for the invaluable support they offer to the English-speaking community and also highlighted the importance of Murcia as a location for British tourism and for its agricultural exports to the UK. He was accompa-
nied by Consul Paul Rodwell and some of his team from Alicante and noted that he was impressed at the way expatriate British Charities work with and are supported by local town halls and, in turn, how they complement the local town hall services offered to the most vulnerable expatriates. In Mazarrón, Mr Manley spent time with representatives from Help at Home Mar Menor, MABS cancer support, HELP Murcia Mar Menor, Pals and Forget Me Not, which offers hospice care for the terminally ill and residents from Camposol, of where he remarked that he was shocked by some of the images of the damage caused to the residential zone by the torrential rain from earlier in the week. According to the census of current inhabitants, there are 1,689 people from the UK living in
Murcia, compared to just 100 in 1996 and 931 in 2006. On Tuesday he met with local authorities in Murcia, where Mr Manley stressed the important links between Murcia and the UK in terms of agricultural exports to the UK and tourism. Last year more than 450,000 UK passengers arrived in San Javier airport, which accounted for 84% of their total passenger traffic. The meeting, held at the Casino, has served to reiterate the willingness to strengthen cooperation relations between the two. The British Ambassador also raised the UK Government’s concerns over the ongoing property problems that affect some British nationals, encouraging the local and regional authorities to work to resolve the issues. Continued on page 8