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January Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

PENSIONER’S BENEFIT SHAME by JACK TROUGHTON

PENSIONER VIVIENNE Day has three months to repay the proceeds of her benefit scam or face nine months behind bars. THE 70-YEAR-OLD fraudulently pocketed over £41,000 in benefits over eight years while enjoying retirement in the sun at a Spanish home in Mazarron, Murcia. Day, from Basildon, Essex, falsely claimed housing benefit, council tax benefit, Disability Living Allowance, and Pension Credit and pleaded guilty to three offences of dishonestly making a false statement or representation and failing to notify a change in circumstances contrary to the Social Security Administration Act 1992. As a result, she was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two

years with a six month supervision order. Under a confiscation order she must pay the £41,000 and £4,098 costs within three months or face the jail term. The pensioner not only failed to notify the Department of Work and Pensions that she had moved abroad – she also kept secret the ownership of a Spanish property and her nest egg savings of £127,000. And her fraud was discovered because of the close working relationship between the DWP – which has a team of investigators based in Spain – and the Spanish authorities. DETECT Investigators warn one of the most common forms of benefit fraud among expats is a failure to update their benefit office of a change in circumstances, such as moving abroad – they underlined how such changes and a failure to report them would be detected and pursued. Continued on page 3

Basildon councillor Stuart Sullivan hopes case “deters” others

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

From the Editor’s desk...

Hola!

OPERATION CAPTURA continues to reel in the UK´s ´most wanted´ - the guys who still believe Spain offers a cosy hideaway – and 73 from 86 fugitives have been snared to date, an amazing success story. The public has played a valuable part, thanks to an ongoing love affair with Crimestoppers and the charity´s professional allies; Britain´s National Crime Agency and the various Spanish police forces. Naturally, RTN and other newspaper and media sites in Spain are happy to do their bit too; publishing photographs and highlighting the wrongdoings of those on the wanted posters. There is nothing better than writing when, where and how they get their collars felt – sometimes in real life police dramas. And on occasion, because of a tip off, an arrest has been made within hours of the wanted list being issued. It is just the thing to get a newshound excited. It is also good to pass on what has happened to those deported back to face justice in the UK. This week we are able to report the new address of an international drug smuggler – starting a 13-year stretch of porridge at one of HM´s prisons.

Enjoy the read, JT GOT A STORY?

Call Jack Troughton, 661 403 016, for Costa Blanca North Keith Nicol, 609 417 385, for Costa Blanca South & Ian Askew, 628 580 367 for Costa Calida

TO AIR YOUR VIEWS Letters on any subject are welcomed by the Editor for publication and must arrive by 12 noon on Monday for consideration for the following Friday’s edition. Priority will be

#RTNHQ Oficina Charral, Emilio Ortuño 6, Floor 4, Office 1 & 2, Benidorm, Alicante 03501 TEL: 902 118 999 EMAIL: rtnmail@ roundtownnews.com

PUBLISHER: Mia Media S.L MANAGING DIRECTOR: Daniel Wilkinson EDITOR: Jack Troughton AGENCIES: Santos T. Morales ACCOUNTS: Sam Holliday PRODUCTION: Daniel S. Thomas Rebecca T. Tyszka Alice Hillier GENERAL MANAGER SOUTH & CALIDA: Peter Clarke SALES: Kath Poole Colin Rich Eduardo Piana Laura Showell Alan Palmer Michaela Smith DISTRIBUTION: Damien Forman Ian Tilley iDs Logística REPORTERS: Keith Nicol Jeanette Rice Ian Askew CARTOONIST: Carter McKeague COLUMNISTS: Peter Taylor Sara Bell Chris Ashley Carlos Baos Blacktower F.M Aunty Virus Dick Handscombe Kenny Corris Jane Cronin Tim Saunders

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Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

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Councillor Sullivan hopes case “deters” others

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Continued from front page BASILDON COUNCILLOR Stuart Sullivan said: “This is a remarkable case both in the scale of the fraud and the fact that it went on for eight years. “Basildon council takes these cases very seriously and, as this case highlights, we will vigorously pursue those who commit these crimes and seek a full refund of money claimed as well as court costs. I hope the severity of the

sentence will act as a deterrent to other.” To find out what changes need to be reported to the DWP, go to www.gov.uk/reportbenefits-change-circumstances. And anyone suspecting a person of committing benefit fraud in Spain can call the Benefit Fraud Hotline on 900 554 440 – calls are free and confidential. Alternatively, report a benefit cheat online at www.gov.co.uk/report-benefit-fraud.

#NEWSBITES LIGHTHOUSE EXHIBITION IN CARTAGENA THE NAVAL Museum of Cartagena is putting on a temporary exhibition to introduce the world of lighthouses. The show, called ‘The rest is darkness’, aims to highlight the importance of this type of construction through models, objects and works of art related to these unique buildings. The exhibition also explains the architectural and historical value of these buildings, which are usually located on high ground. At the same time, it pays homage to the lighthouse keepers, who are slowly disappearing, as the most lighthouses today are automated, with many already uninhabited. This exhibition is organized by the Sparks-Artifacts cultural association of Almería, who designed the show in 2013 to mark the 150th anniversary of the launch of the three oldest lighthouses in the province, and has already been mounted in different coastal cities. The exhibition is divided into three parts. The first consists of models of lighthouses, next to panels with drawings and photographs illustrating their history. Another part is reserved for lighthouse related art, and shows works by various artists and photographers, representing their different visions of lighthouses, and their attraction for artists, poets and all kinds of people. The final part of the exhibition focuses on models, stamps, coins, postcards, books and magazines about lighthouses. The Naval Museum,is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10am to 1:30pm and from 4:30pm to 7pm, and on Sundays, from 10am to 2pm.

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Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

Costa Blanca’s terrorist link

Abdelhamid Abaaoud

by KEITH NICOL ABDELHAMID ABAAOUD, ‘Abu Umar al Baljiki’, the dead suspected planner of the attacks of 13th November in Paris, provided training in Syria to a former Torrevieja resident. For several days Abdelhamid Abaaoud trained prospective terrorists in the handling of weapons and explosives, with the local connection being Abdeljail Ait El Kaid. Apparently the Moroccan El Kaid, a jihadi, lived in Torrevieja until mid 2014 before going to Syria. Abdeljail Ait El Kaid was arrested on June 22nd, 2015, in Warsaw airport, during a stopover, as he was returning from Belgrade to settle in Barcelona. El Kaid was arrested under an international arrest warrant (OID) issued in January this year, by the head of the Court of Instruction 1 of the Audiencia Nacional, Santiago Pedraz. This alleged terrorist was sent to prison after the Polish authorities extradited him to Spain. Before his departure to the Islamic State, Abdeljail Ait El Kaid had been under close surveillance by members of the Headquarters of Information of the Guardia Civil, which had taken note of his radicalisation. According to research by the Spanish anti-terrorist services, in spring of 2015 El Kaid, was

under the command of Abdelhamid Abaaoud during a stay of several days in Raqa, the capital of the self-styled Caliphate. He fled to Greece in January, 2015, after avoiding an antiterrorist operation conducted on 15th January, in the Belgian town of Verviers,. Here two jihadists were killed and three others were arrested, all friends of ‘Abu Umar al Baljiki’. After his arrest, El Kaid admitted to “combat” training in Syria and may have been trained to carry out attacks in Europe by Abbaoud, although the Guardia Civil maintains that the Moroccan had no specific plans to attack. They also said that El Kaid had another colleague, fellow Moroccan Reda Hame, who had received specific orders to attack a concert hall in Paris. Spain immediately alerted the French counterterrorism authorities of his arrest and information about a possible terrorist attack. Hame was arrested in France in August after having travelled through many European countries. The French authorities, following the capture of Hame, averted the attack on the concert hall. However, Abaaoud resumed his plans with another cell which resulted in the tragic terrorist attack on Friday 13th November and the loss of 130 innocent lives.

Human error caused Alton Towers crash ALTON TOWERS have reported that the tragic accident in June which seriously injured ﬁve people was caused by human error.

The Merlin group, who operate the Alton Towers theme park, released a statement this week saying that “the investigation into the tragic accident in June has concluded that the incident was the result of human error, culminating in the manual override of the ride safety control system without the appropriate protocols being followed.” The Smiler ride accident occurred when two carriages collided on the track, with one 17 year old girl, Leah Washington, having to have her left leg amputated following the crash. Merlin state that they are continuing to work with the Health and Safety Executive to ensure that such an accident does not occur again, including measures to ensure that all protocols and the training of employees is improved. Despite some of the victims’ legal representatives previously stating that they did not feel the ride would re-open, the park has announced that The Smiler will re-open during the 2016 season. Alton Park is currently closed for the winter, but Merlin said “we are conﬁdent that lessons have been learned and that appropriate action has been taken to address all the issues raised by our investigation, and we believe our core conclusions will be in line with the HSE ﬁndings. Having completed all the necessary steps, the ride, which has been closed to the public since June, will re-open in 2016.”

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#NEWSBITES

SPAIN HELPS FUND AUSCHWITZ

THE AUSCHWITZ-Birkenau Foundation has received a contribution from the Spanish government of 100,000€ to help with the museum’s maintenance. The Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, which oversees the conservation and maintenance work at the site of the former Nazi concentration camp in southern Poland, receives contributions from many countries with Spain being the 36th. The money, made to a Perpetuity Fund of 120 million euros to ensure the consolidation, restoration and long-term maintenance of the camp site, includes the most sizeable contributions, of 60 million euros, from Germany. The United States has contributed 15 million dollars and Poland 10 million euros. The contributors also include the President of the World Jewish Congress Ronald S. Lauder and Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Righteous Persons Foundation’. Paweł Sawicki of the Auschwitz Museum Press Oﬃce said that the “conservation work commenced in the middle of 2012 and currently focuses on two brick barracks in the Blb section of Auschwitz II-Birkenau, which were erected in 1941.” The site of the Auschwitz camp extends over an area of almost 200 hectares and comprises 155 buildings. Over 1.1 million people perished at Auschwitz, including European Jews, as well as non-Jewish Poles, Roma and Sinti, Soviet POWs and people of many other nationalities.

350,000 traffic tickets may be cancelled Drivers on the Costa Blanca who frequently feel they have attracted unwarranted traﬃc tickets and ﬁnes will welcome a new European investigation.

Because of changes in Traffic Laws, the Department of Transportation, the DGT, decided it more prudent to collect money by offering drivers the opportunity to save 50% of their ‘multa’ or fine, by paying up within a set time but in doing so, admitting their guilt and taking away their right to appeal. But now the DGT is being scrutinised because of the vast amounts of errors in reporting European motorists and the complaints against them. The DGT denies any wrongdoing and defends the legality of their actions. All fines reported to date this year by the three Provincial Traffic authorities amount to a total of 190,000 violations and another 160,000 from the 129 Valencian municipalities. However, where the system has fallen down is in the vast number of noted irregularities in their date of the fines and their publication. The situation affects, among others, the City of Valencia, plus Elche, Torrevieja, Orihuela, Benidorm, Alcoy, Elda, Villa-real, Alzira, Denia and Peñíscola. The matter has been brought to light by the defence organisation of European Automobile Associates (AEA) representing the rights of European drivers. Notice of fines have not been delivered to motorists and payment and pleading guilty

is only effective if drivers can manage to find out and do so within the 20 calendar days the DGT gives them to take care of the penalty. And where the system omitted the date on which the fine was given, the AEA argues “it results in them being invalid, ineffective and with no legal validity for the publication of fines.” The AEA notes: “Any motorist could oppose the executive collection of such fines from the tax office, or any other collection service, because the required notice has not been given and is not successful.” And it is seeking a review of records for: “Those Valencian motorists who have been overcharged by having to pay the full fines, executory by embargoes, provided they have not received notification by registered mail or have submitted a written response to the recommendation of the fine management services.” In essence, since 2010, the DGT have made it as easy as possible for drivers to pay fines but very difficult to fight against them. The attitude of the DGT appears to be is if a fine is given to an unknowing driver and the system fails to deliver any notification, the driver must constantly check the DGT website to see if any penalty has been lodged – most frequently for speeding. And, further, the 20 day payment period starts from the day an offence has been committed – frequently leaving drivers no alternative but to pay the fine in full with the possibility of further charges.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

Rosario tells it like it is by KEITH NICOL TORREVIEJA COUNCILLOR Rosario Martínez entertained a full room of members of the Nosmo-king Club last Thursday. As someone who is in daily contact with both councillors and residents, plus being an English teacher by profession, Rosario is one of the most popular and trusted elected councillors, even though she now sits in opposition. Rosario was formerly Torrevieja’s Councillor for Foreigners, Education and Youth, and was often called upon to act as translator for many diﬀerent projects and functions that involved the International community. She has just been made director of the team in charge of the election campaign for the Partido Popular in Alicante, such is her high standing with her own party and the top politicians from Alicante and Valencia. The Nosmo-King Club is one of the oldest associations in Torrevieja. They meet every Thursday in El Paraiso Restaurant, located close to the Carrefour commercial centre at 11am and have a variety of events, from local and entertaining speakers and presenters to luncheon clubs and days away by coach. Everyone is welcome to attend and ﬁnd out more about this

friendly group. Just show up and introduce yourself. On this occasion, Rosario gave an overview of what was happening, or not happening, now that Torrevieja is the only city in Spain with a Pentapartido, a five party coalition, trying to rule without any major governing experience, while each party tries to appease the others. During the open question and answer session, she highlighted the fact that although the pentapartido government still do not have any direct way for citizens to approach a councillor through email, phone, fax or a direct visit to the 2nd floor in the town hall, those who need advice can always visit the Partido Popular on the 4th floor of the town hall with their questions or thirst for information, on any matter relating to living or visiting Torrevieja. The pentapartido still do not have a Foreign Residents Office nor anyone available for International Residents to contact directly. They have gone a stage further, and the AMICS office also remains closed after almost two months, putting many non European residents, especially from Africa, plus South and Central America, at the risk of deportation, as they have been unable to have their paperwork signed off and, in most cases, have only three months to do so.

Rosario Martinez captivates a full house at the Nosmo-king club

Providing information for the UK and Spain since 1998

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Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

George Osbornes first autumn statement IN WHAT is being called one of the biggest U-turns, George Osborne, Chancellor for the Conservative government, gave his autumn statement on Wednesday to the House of Commons.

A brief summary of the Chancellor’s plans for tax, welfare and government spending included the announcement that tax credit cuts have now been abandoned, pensions will rise and police funding would not be cut. It is estimated that the tax credit cuts would have adversely affected over three million Britons if they had gone ahead and, although this will be welcome news for those who were fearing the worst, Osborne said that they would continue to axe £12 billion from the welfare budget. Pensioners are also set to receive a rise of £3 a week taking it to £119.30 although this had already been announced. It will be the largest increase in 15 years. However the Chancellor also stated that there would be a further rise in pension age to enable the triple lock on pensions (which protects the value of the state pension) to be maintained. In another surprise move, the Chancellor also announced that the police budget would not face any further real terms spending cuts, while the Foreign Office budget would also be protected. There will be a 3% increase in Stamp Duty for those buying second homes or buy-to-let properties, effective from April, to assist the extension of the “right to buy” scheme and build

more aﬀordable housing. Osborne announced that the “Tampon tax”, VAT levied on the sale of tampons at 5%, could not be repealed because of EU rules. However, the £15m raised by it each year will be handed over to women’s charities. The Chancellor outlined major cuts to a number of government departments, much of it targeted at spending on Whitehall staﬀ and resources. This included 37% cuts to the Department of Transport and 14% cuts for the Department for Work and Pensions. A spending boost on defence and the fast-tracking of £3.8bn NHS funding

Captura captive jailed DRUG SMUGGLER Anthony Dennis flushed out of a Spanish bolthole through the successful ‘Operation Captura’ publicity campaign has been jailed at the Old Bailey. The 48-year-old, who spent two years on the run in Spain, was last week sentenced to 13 years and four month imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit a foreign drug trafficking offence – involving more than three tonnes of cocaine worth millions of Euros on the streets. Dennis, from Ongar, Essex, was named as one of Britain’s ‘most wanted’ under Operation Captura but returned to the UK and was arrested after his photo appeared on a mobile digital billboard that toured Spanish beach resorts this summer. The criminal initially went on the run after Dutch gang members failed to remove 67.5 kilos of cocaine from a shipping container at Antwerp in Belgium; which was later discovered and seized. The plot had been hatched in a cafe in Rotterdam but a joint operation between the UK National Crime Agency and Dutch Police; other gang members being arrested in October 2013. Dennis and co-conspirator Anthony Wilson, 38, from Harlow, had sourced the drugs in South America and arranged its transportation to Europe in containers carrying legitimate cargo. However, despite attempts to maintain secrecy, the gang’s activities were covertly monitored and Dennis and Wilson were proved to be involved in the trafficking. Wilson later received a 12 year jail sentence.

had already been announced before Wednesday’s statement. Councils have been given power to raise council tax to fund social care in a bid to tackle the gap in funding for elderly social care. The Chancellor announced plans to allow councils to raise council tax by 2% to boost their social care budgets. As with all budget statements, there were winners and losers, but the House of Commons was certainly lively on Wednesday afternoon as Mr Osborne took over an hour to deliver his statement to the usual barrage of paper waving and jeers.

#NEWS BITES

PEACE PROTEST IN MADRID A PEACE protest has been organised for this weekend in Madrid in response to mounting pressure that all European countries hit Syria hard. Following the Paris attacks, many leading Spanish actors, journalists and politicians have called for a weekend of peace protest in Madrid as opposition mounts against the

use of force in response to recent attacks. A manifesto stating that “we refuse to participate in the false trade oﬀ between rights and security” has been signed by the Barcelona mayor, Ada Colau, actress Pilar Bardem and TV presenter Chechu Monzón. The document has over 6,000 signatories and calls for the protest at midday on Saturday in central Madrid.

Spain’s prisoners help militants

One of the leading forces behind the decision for the protest includes statements issued by other members states such as the French President Francois Hollande’s response to the bloody attacks, including intensiﬁed strikes on Syria and tough new domestic security measures, which has raised concerns that the drive for safety in Western countries is slowly eroding freedoms and causing more harm than good.

THE INTERIOR Ministry has released details of two men currently serving sentences in Spain who are suspected of recruiting militants from within their prison cells. An Interior Ministry statement at the beginning of the week said a man of Moroccan origin, who is serving a sentence for domestic violence outside the central city of Segovia, is now under investigation for recruiting jihadists from prison and sending them to Syria and Iraq to train with ISIS ﬁghters. The prisoners he recruited were nearing the end of their sentences. The other man, Belgian-born Mustafa Maya Amaya, the son of Spanish parents and married to a Moroccan, lived in north eastern Morocco until December 2012. When he escaped a police raid he relocated to the border city of Melilla, where he was arrested in May 2014. It has been reported that Mustafa, who is 52 and wheelchair bound, is an Islamic extremist and that he has confessed to sending more than 200 jihadists to Syria and Iraq, with many that he recruited being from France and Belgium. Connections have been made between Maya and some emails involving the purchasing of a Kalashnikov riﬂe, the same weapons used in two French attacks this year.

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Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

Welcome to Black Friday by KEITH NICOL

IF THERE were a Patron Saint for Bargain Hunters, and who knows there possibly is, today, Friday November 27th, would be their day. With Christmas just a month away, Black Friday is one special day to pick up a bargain at many different local stores around the region. For the second consecutive year, many of those who make up the commercial fabric of Torrevieja are taking part in the celebration that has spread worldwide from the United States called ‘Black Friday’, which falls the day after their Thanksgiving. Today, more than 100 diﬀerent shops and services around the city oﬀer a variety of interesting discounts to encourage citizens to start their Christmas shopping. On Wednesday the Councillor for Commerce, Manuela Osuna and the president of the local small and medium business association, Apymeco, Caridad Salmerón, unveiled the campaign that is being sponsored by the local Government and which has received a strong response from local establishments, more than double that of last year. This is despite the fact that in 2014 the date of this celebration was marred by rain, but the stores still considered taking part a positive move.

Today a total of 110 establishments in Torrevieja are participating, with the vast majority, about 70, belonging to Apymeco, who represent about 200 registered businesses in the city. This fact was positively assessed by Caridad Salmerón, who explained that the main change compared with last year is that shop owners have been given the option to extend the ‘Black Friday into Saturday, on this occasion. Today, Black Friday shops will remain open all day, continuously, while on Saturday they have the choice of whether to open or maintain their normal working hours. The Habaneras centre has also joined in the celebrations with a number of different activities and performances taking place to attract shoppers. Find out more about the initiative on the website of the Department of Trade and Commerce: www.blackfridaytorevieja.es, which lists all the shops and their special discounts on offer, ranging from 10% to 70%. Black Friday covers a large range of establishments including furniture stores, opticians, shoe stores, flower shops, sports shops, photographers, toyshops, jewellers, gourmet food shops and even professional services and medical aesthetics.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

Art fraud on the Costas! FIVE FAKE Picassos have been seized in two separate raids on the Costa Blanca.

The Heritage department of the Generalitat Valencia Police Department has seized ﬁve “suspected counterfeit” Picasso works and arrested eight people who were attempting to sell the art to unsuspecting buyers. At an estimated 160 million euros, if the art was real, the detainees could have been laughing all the way to the bank if it hadn’t been for some very basic mistakes made on their part. The seizures were carried out in two operations, completely unconnected, one in Benidorm where two arrests were made and the other in Granada, where six were arrested. Álvaro Rodríguez, the Commissioner of Police of the Generalitat, said at a press conference “there is no precedent for such an operation in Spain. Although the detainees are not related, the operations were carried out jointly to deal with two attempts to sell counterfeit Picasso paintings that have amazingly come together in time.” Police detected that a group of individuals in Benidorm had attempted to get expert reports on a work by Picasso, called ‘Life and death’, and wanted to sell the art for 30 million euros. Whilst, initially, three suspects came to the attention of the police, only two have currently been charged, one of whom has a history for fraud and the other for scamming. Details came to light that the fraudsters had already put into place a tax haven account and tried to sell the work on 19 previous oc-

casions. Explaining to potential buyers that they had inherited the picture from a private collector in Barcelona who had died, it was incredible that they had been seen carrying the art in a van which also contained building materials. Whilst some experts had signed documentation stating that they believed the works were authentic, it is not clear if they were under duress or had only seen images of the art,and not the actual piece. The Commissioner also highlighted that, in some cases, there is a “shared interest” as experts can received “a percentage of the sale.” The operation in Granada saw six people arrested for attempting to sell four works by Picasso in a similar scene to that of the Benidorm case. The accused were trying to get documentation to certify the validity of the pictures which caused some gallery owners and art experts to become suspicious. Rodríguez said that one of the paintings, called Cuba, did not correlate to any known works by the artist. Although his grandfather had been a painter and lived on the island, he stated that there was “no evidence” that the artist painted any pictures there. The paintings are going to undergo spectrogram analysis to work out where and when they were painted as well as whether or not the signatures are authentic. The Commissioner said that the defendants “attempted to make contact with foreign and international investors to give documentation and certiﬁcates that were false”. The defendants in Granada are also charged with crimes of fraud and anti-intellectual heritage. Two of them have a history for urban corruption and bribery.

The works of art

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

Quieter eating campaign by JEANETTE RICE

A HEARING ORGANISATION has launched an “eating without noise” campaign in Spain to encourage diners not to be so noisy when visiting local restaurants. Svante Borjesson, director of a Spanish foundation called Oír es Clave (Hearing is Key), has started an initiative that it is hoped will provide diners with a more relaxed restaurant experience, particularly as Spain is known for its slightly more animated meal times. The initiative, “eating without noise”, hopes to provide diners with a more relaxed restaurant experience, especially when they are eating top quality food and, so far, 22 restaurants across the country have signed up, declaring themselves to be “quiet dining” venues, including Michelin-starred eateries such as Restaurante Martín Berasategui in the Basque town of Lasarte-Oria and Hotel Único in Madrid. Mr Borjesson said “without a doubt we have a problem with noise here in Spain. According to the World Health Organisation, Spain is the second noisiest country in the world, behind Japan.” He goes on to highlight that it is not just the vocals that make dining in Spain a noisy experience and feels that changes to table layouts and the use of building materials that do not reverberate sound could also improve the experience. The campaign, which has attracted big names, including the chef Ramón Freixa, of Hotel Único and also James Blick, the co-founder of Devour Spain, specialising in food tours, asks restaurateurs to ﬁt sound insulation and space tables further apart. Mr Blick said “anyone who goes out to eat in a real restaurant is right to expect a proper experience. However, sometimes, the hustle and bustle in a small venue can be part of its unique atmosphere.” Svante said “when you go north people are quieter. Here you get this eﬀect whereby the more people that arrive in a res-

Hotel Unico in Madrid

taurant, the louder people have to speak to be heard above the next table until, in the end, everyone is screaming. It’s a noisy country, but if the acoustics were better, we wouldn’t need to get used to screaming.”

It is hoped that famous food guides like the Michelin Guide also take quiet dining criteria into consideration, and that, one day, acoustic comfort will be just as important in the evaluation of a restaurant and will appear in reviews.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

Hope from tragedy by JACK TROUGHTON

A QUARTER of a century after the murder of her daughter Alison, Costa Blanca writer Jill Morrison ﬁnally felt able to write about the tragedy and its aftermath. Under her pen name Jill Lanchbery, she has penned ‘Memory of a Daughter’, the story starting with the domestic killing – Alison’s husband was later jailed for life – and how a family coped. Jill and second husband Peter were looking forward to enjoying their middle age when they became parents to three young boys, the eldest just six at the time. “This is not a ‘poor me’ story,” Jill told RTN. “It is a story about survival. When my daughter was killed she left three small boys and they grew up with us – they are grown up themselves now and married – the youngest is 30. “When something as dreadful as that happens, it is a parent’s worst nightmare happening to one of their children.” Jill, who lives with Peter in Lliber, said it was important for readers to know who her daughter was and how she got to the age of 25 when she was married with three youngsters – but had “outgrown” the relationship. Alison and her husband had moved to Kent where he was to work on the Channel Tunnel in 1988. Two weeks later Alison was dead and her killer quickly arrested. Jill said: “We were 47 when this happened. My youngest was still at school – I had already brought up four children and the

last thing on my mind was bringing up another three children. “But we sat down with social services and realised there was not really an alternative. Peter said the decision was mine but whatever I decided, he was there for me.” She added: “We wanted the boys to grow up with the least damage possible and we had to take advice from the professionals.” Jill praises the police, the courts, professionals, family and friends, who supported them and helped them all survive. “I will carry the scars to my grave. There are times when you scratch the scab off, the healing scab, and it is all as painful as the day it happened – but you cannot continue to feel that intensity through your own life,” she said. “We had to be strong for those little boys; they were just babies. They had gone to bed one night and woken up and their whole world had been demolished. “We also gave up our middle age years but I would not have done anything differently and I know Peter would not have changed things.” Jill said it had taken “a very long time” to put the story and her feelings in into the 130 pages of ‘Memory of a Daughter’. The process began by writing poetry about her feelings for Alison and her loss “and feeling confident and secure enough to share it with a group of writers.” “Memory of a Daughter” is available from Amazon as a Kindle edition.

Jill Morrison

Dancing legend dies aged 101

THE ITALIA Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London made the sad announcement on Tuesday that Miss Ruth Conti has passed away.

Richie Sparks presenting at the Town Meets Country event

The statement read “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Miss Ruth Conti. She passed away peacefully at home in Sydney at the incredible age of 101. So many people in the arts & entertainment industry owe a great deal to this amazing women. We have lost a legend.” Miss Conti taught at the school until the 1970s, when she returned to Australia after working with the Royal Ballet, having counted Margot Fonteyn as a close friend. The school students have included names such as Tracey Ullman and Olivia Hussey, and the school was famously a training ground for the likes of Noel Coward and Gertie Lawrence.

Big FM serving the community

BIG FM is local radio for local listeners provided by local presenters - one of the few radio stations on the Southern Costa Blanca committed to helping local charities, NGOs and small businesses reach out into the community. Big FM was founded three years ago by presenter, producer and station manager Richie Sparks, who spent more than a decade in broadcasting with the British Army. Following his stint in the forces, Richie became an onsite engineer for a local radio station in the UK before moving to Spain when he was asked to be a presenter for Vibe FM and then at Spectrum FM as the local presenter for this region. Richie said: “Having worked as a local DJ and Karaoke presenter, and continuing to do so, keeps me firmly grounded with the local community. I felt that the area would benefit from a dedicated community station with more music and less chat and that’s how Big FM came to be. “The Station’s vision for the future is to expand into more communities, with local studios for each region, keeping it ‘local’ and avoiding the canned celebrity shows, with future closer ties to local town halls so that we can broadcast relevant information to each of the local communities.” Most recently the station supported the Town Meets Country event in Torrevieja, providing music and audio support for all the events and activities with Richie sharing the broadcasting duties with Lee Howard during the event. Richie added: “Our presenters all voluntarily give their time to the station and receive individual sponsorship from businesses they personally know.” The station was set up as an alternative to the standard commercial radio stations and has grown in popularity and coverage, reaching from Novelda, north of Alicante, as far as La Manga, on the Costa Cálida, and it has three new transmitters being erected to reach new audiences. The primary frequency is 89.9fm with 99.8fm used for local fill-ins. Richie continued; “Some of the charities we support include Elche Children’s Home, The Norwegian Church, Pets in Spain, Debra Spain, Help for Heroes, Reach Out Torrevieja, AAN San Fulgencio and many more. All charities are welcome to place notices on our community notice board which we broadcast daily.” Contact details and schedules can be found at www.bigfm.org or call the studio on 966 19 40 45.

Ruth Conti

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

No bulls in Aldaia vote by JEANETTE RICE

A TOWN in Valencia held a referendum to decide if bullfighting should continue as part of their traditional events. The residents of Aldaia, in Valencia, were asked by their town hall if they still wanted bullfighting since many authorities have voted to stop funding such activities in the past year. Despite a very poor turn out at the polls 1,801 voted that they were opposed to bullfighting and 1,418 voted in favour. With the population being registered as 23,000,

only 13% participated in the referendum. However, as the majority that did vote were in favour of ceasing the events the fiestas due in the summer of 2016 will now be bull free. The town of Aldaia has held bullfighting for the past five years with events such as setting a bull on fire. Aldaia council said that they “welcomed the turnout in the referendum, the first of its kind conducted in the town, and the civic response of the neighbours, which is one step in the direction the government team seeks to broaden participation and democracy.”

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LA MANGA TO GET CYCLE PATHS

LA MANGA is ﬁnally to get its long awaited paths for cyclists and pedestrians at the edge of the Mar Menor, announced councillors, Bernabé, Carrillo y Martínez-Cachá, during the presentation on Wednesday of the project in the marina of Lo Pagán, San Pedro del Pinatar. The European funded project also includes the construction of a boardwalk along the Mediterranean shore.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

Walking Football comes to Torry

The first group of Torry Terminals played last Friday

WHILE CD TORREVIEJA continue to try to recover their winning ways, some of yesterday’s footballing talent slipped into their shorts and trainers last Friday for the first Walking Football session held in the city of Salt. The new initiative has been developed by the CD Torrevieja International Supporters Club, the Torry Army, who, since the majority of their members are over 50, have an inbuilt market to attract back to the football field. The first session attracted 16 players, with ages ranging from the fifties though to 79, with the majority being in their late sixties and early seventies. The reasons behind the activity are many and varied. One player, Colin, said: “I’ve not put on a pair of football boots since I played with the Sappers back in 1959”, and most of those present had not kicked a ball around in a semicompetitive atmosphere for at least twenty years, if not thirty plus. The sessions are open to anyone 50 or over. Each session starts and finishes with a short stretching session, to warm up and then cool down the muscles, many of which have not been stretched for many a decade. After a few basic passing drills, which also included the ‘WAGS’ joining

in the fun, two teams did friendly battle, taking care not to tackle too hard, while not running but walking around the pitch. In order to minimize the risk of any injury, defenders can simply call out ‘tackle’ when in a 50/50 situation, which helps to avoid any possible contact while allowing the ball carrier to pass the ball. This takes out one element of the possible risk of injury. Unlike possibly any other form of the ‘beautiful game’, walking football throughout the region is noted for the smiles on all the players faces. The majority of those talking up Walking Football never thought they would kick a ball around again after they turned 40 and hung up their boots many years ago. Along with the basic ﬁtness, fun, fresh air and comradeship that the game provides, the only downside seems to be that, as with any new sport, players are rediscovering muscles that they forgotten existed, while a trip to the pharmacy for ‘rub’ and muscle relaxers seems to be on the shopping list. The new Torry Terminals play every Friday morning at 10.30am on Campo number 3, at Torrevieja’s Sports City. It costs just 2€ a session and everyone is welcome. Please take a bottle of water, a white and other coloured T-shirt plus shorts or loose pants and training shoes.

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MUNICIPALITIES TO MONITOR AIR QUALITY A SURVEILLANCE network, through ﬁxed and mobile devices, in each of the 45 municipalities in the Murcia region, is going to provide, 48 hours in advance, a prediction of air quality.

The computer system will collect data similar to way the Meteorological Agency operates. The Minister for Water, Agriculture and Environment, Adela Martínez-Cachó said, “following approval by the governing council of the plan to improve air quality in the region, the analysis of the results will enable both municipalities and businesses to adopt necessary measures to mitigate environmental problems”. The Minister said that this plan has been launched because “certain thresholds have already been exceeded, for example, nitrogen dioxide and ozone.” Among the most troubled areas are San Basilio in Murcia, around Escombreras in Cartagena, and the towns of Alcantarilla and Lorca, in the latter case by ozone values recorded in summer. The system will detect when certain thresholds are exceeded and will know exactly where the particles come from. The Regional Government also intends to implement a programme of information, communication, awareness and education among citizens, and will include air quality in its educational programmes, conferences with the aim of raising awareness amongst the agricultural sector and examining alternatives to the burning of agricultural waste.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

Delicious cuisine in Torrevieja by KEITH NICOL

THE THIRTEENTH edition of the Ruta de la Tapa Torrevieja has entered its final weekend and finishes on Sunday evening. This edition involves a total of 57 establishments that have developed 228 different tapas between the typical and Gourmet tapas, to present the best of this special Spanish gastronomy event. Last weekend attracted thousands of customers to local bars, cafés and restaurants who took advantage of this form of gastronomy, especially at such an excellent price for tapas and drinks. The imagination put into the presentation and style of many restaurants and bars, has soared in recent years, attracting a wide audience who enjoy the special offer of culinary treats. Many foreign ‘torrevejenses’ were found over the weekend sampling the tapas prepared by the fifty-seven participating restaurants in the city. One of the most interesting finds was that establishments reported that most of the “tapas parties” are youth groups who

have taken the time to organise their itineraries in advance, so as to avoid missing out on any of the items that are on offer. Although some establishments offer the specials all day long, the minimum schedule is from 12 noon to 4:30pm and 7:30pm to 11pm, at the unbeatable price of just 2€ for a basic house tapa and fifty cents more for a very special gourmet version; both with drinks included. This initiative aims to promote the cuisine of the city at affordable prices and has become one of the most popular gastronomic events in the whole region of the Vega Baja. La Ruta de la Tapa is organized by the Department of Tourism and Hospitality, in collaboration with the Hospitality and Commerce Association of Torrevieja. For those wishing to try to win some special prizes, there’s also an app for iPhone and Android mobile phones and tablets that’s free and easy to use. ‘Ruta Torrevieja Tapa’ provides the location of the 57 participating bars and restaurants and their tapas to encourage visitors to take photos and share them via social networks.

Just some of the tapas available this weekend

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REACH OUT’S CHRISTMAS FAIR THE “REACH OUT” Christmas Fair at the Marina Bar, Torrevieja, took place on Friday the 13th November.

It triumphed again by raising an amazing amount of 1,246€. The support for the event was tremendous and the bar projected a brilliant example of the spirit of Christmas with a crowd of people enjoying the many amusements and stalls. With the Phoenix Band providing the Christmas Carols and Santa popping in to see the children, it was a memorable afternoon. The event was organised by David & Lorraine Whitney, volunteers at the “Reach Out” shop in Calle Doña Sinforosa. David said: “We’re over the moon with the result which surpassed last year’s takings.” adding “A special mention must go to Beverley Jones for making a brilliant cake which was raffled separately, and incidentally re-raffled twice again raising 258€ towards the total takings. Thanks also to David’s Coaches for their coach voucher and interest in our charity activities and to all those people, too numerous to mention, who helped and provided food, raffle prizes etc to make this event so memorable, plus of course, the team of dedicated volunteers. Thank you all so much.”

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

Big in Berlin

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CHEESE BURGERS FAST FOOD restaurant chain McDonald’s raise money to help children with an annual ‘McHappy Day’ – with takings from the sale of the iconic Big Mac burger going to the company’s charitable foundation.

The proceeds of sales across Spain on a single day last week are donated to the Ronald McDonald Foundation which runs homes in Valencia, Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga. Calpe Town Hall accepted an invitation to join the celebration and Councillor Carole Saunders was one of the representatives attending the launch of the foodie appeal. She told RTN: “The homes are where families can stay while their children are undergoing treatment in the city hospitals – it is a great scheme by a multinational company – unfortunately it is now advertised very well beforehand.” McDonald’s also donated vouchers for the children from the EMAUS home in Calpe to go and enjoy a meal at the restaurant.

ALICANTE TOURIST chiefs are in Berlin at the prestigious ´Éxpolingua 2015´ trade fair to broadcast the advantages of travelling to the proving to learn Spanish. Edward Dolon, Vice President of the Alicante Government and the minister for tourism, is in the German capital with representatives of Federation of Schools of Spanish for Foreigners and the universities of Alicante and Elche´s Miguel Hernandez de Elche and CEU.

The mission is to highlight the learning programmes that have been developed in the region and the attractions of the Costa Blanca – including gastronomy, culture, leisure and sports. Mr Dolon, explained: “Every year thousands of young people choose to study Spanish in the province; attracted not only by its exceptional climate, but also by its good communications, excellent schools and varied complementary oﬀers of cul-

tural and leisure activities that make the stay in this territory a unique experience that combines learning and fun.” He also stressed the importance of Germany as a source of students because of its numerous universities where Spanish was one of the most popular languages studied. And the Enjoy and Learn campaign was working to explore the potential of the foreign student market to attract as many visitors as possible.

Carole Saunders (fourth from left) at McDonald’s

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

Ten dogs find new homes THE FIRST Town meets Country event made its mark with the adoption of ten dogs going to new forever homes, and proving that a dog is not just for Christmas.

The new event took place on Saturday 14th November in Torrevieja and was sponsored by Grupo Rubio and Skoda, who provided the land and support for the event. The event was organised by Gina Marks of GM Promotions, who many local residents will remember as a presenter, producer and director with Sol Productions along with planning the highly successful Homes, Gardens and Lifestyles Shows. The event was a fun ﬁlled day packed full of humans and animals that created a fusion of ex-pat, international and Spanish businesses and visitors, who all came together in aid of supporting four

A dog is not just for Christmas worthy causes: The Albergue Municipal (Torrevieja’s Municipal dog pound and kennels), Alimentos Solidarios (the food bank, who provided food and drink for visitors and workers) A.L.P.E children’s society and the Norwegian Church. With 10 dog adoptions being achieved on the day, and animal awareness raised for our furry friends, sponsors San Antón provided vital veterinary advice. Special thanks also go to those who made the day with the line-up of animal attractions.Of special delight to the audience was the Guardia Civil with their drug dog team who came from Alicante with a demonstration from Cloy, the amazing trained drug detector dog. Located just a hundred yards away from the event, the Club Agility, Torrevieja, put on a wonderful display of dog agility that wowed the crowds. Emma Tytherliegh performed with her horses Rocky and Romero, Marianne from Las Colina Falconry with the hawk, Colin, Irene & Steve Allen organised the Dog Show which saw 50 wonderful dogs entering the ring to be judged by professional international judge Barbara Coy, CoyKhan Afghans. There were many winners with the Best in Show Dog being Trveno, the blind Spaniel belonging to Nicola Moran. To finish the day the Centro De Danza Lola Morales & Arantxa Blanco took to the floor to with Flamenco dancing, and also taught some salsa dancing. The team from Big FM provided the music and audio system on the day. A truly great day was had by all. Various prizes were won including the 32in TV donated by Female Focus. Jennifer Hurst was the lucky winner. The best news of all is that the four charities will benefit from the money raised with a total of 4,600.95€ taken on the day. Gina Marks said: “It was an absolute privilege to work with Grupo Rubio, Conchita Rubio Miralles and the team. Their professionalism and attention to detail helped bring together an amazing event to support the community, achieve some amazing results, and delight the 1,768 visitors on the day. Congratulations to everyone that took part in the event.” For more information on upcoming shows, please contact: Gina Marks MBA: Show Director, GM PROMOTIONS: Tel. 966 76 10 50: Mob. 695 39 98 41, www.gmpromotions.es FB Homes Gardens and Lifestyle Show.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

Quirón Hospital gives advice on fear for smaller children by KEITH NICOL

AFTER THE tragic terrorist events in Paris on Friday 13th November, experts from Quirón Hospital recommend that such actions are explained to children before they receive such information in school or on television. Following the attacks in Paris, Torrevieja Hospital Quirónsalud specialists are advising parents not to try and hide the reality of such situations from smaller children. Although our initial tendency is to protect children and to not tell them anything, this does not help their understanding of such situations and can backfire. According to the specialist in psychology at Torrevieja Quirónsalud Hospital, Nuria Javaloyes: “We have to talk to them about what has happened, anticipating what they will hear at school or on TV. Always tell them in words, with concepts they understand for their age and maturity and be very attentive to their questions during the conversation. It is important to use toys or drawings in order to explain to them but always providing tools to manage what is happening without being alarmist or going into the gory details.” It is vital that children see that everyday life remains the same, with no sudden changes or significant limitations after what has happened, as that is their main source of security and stability in routines that they know. It is also important to assess the information they are receiving from outside the home as the days pass and any changes in how the child is playing; You should also try to prevent the child from seeing certain images on television for which they cannot be emotionally prepared. The specialist at Quirónsalud Torrevieja stresses the importance of “providing security to children by speaking of the work carried out by the armed forces and state security, the confidence we as adults place on them, plus the influence that there is no good or bad, according to religion, because it is not about that, but about people who want peace and others who use violence to try and achieve their means.” According to Nuria Javaloyes, “We’ve observed that after the attacks in Paris that there is a collective ‘hypersensitisation’, ie: increased reactivity or sensitivity to any stimulus associated when terrorism occurs”. We feel more vulnerable and

perceive more threatening situations because we feel more identiﬁed with what happened: “It could have been me,” or “it could have happened to my brother, or my son.” This hypersensitisation is a normal reaction. It is caused by one of the most basic human emotions: fear. It is therefore a logical response to a real threat with the outcome being that we seek; ‘protection’. However, she adds: “it is important to keep things in perspective because we know that fear can be our ally, if kept at tolerable levels, but it can also be our enemy, if we allow fear to rise to exaggerated and even irrational levels that can start to limit what we do in life, and block us”. As in many other situations in life, the issues of terrorism may be a situation by which we can transform something so terrible into a good opportunity to learn how to improve our emotional management and pass this on to our children.

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CAMPOVERDE THEATRE GROUP DONATE TO LOCAL CHARITIES CAMPOVERDE THEATRE Group has just presented two more cheques to local charities.

This time Reach Out Torrevieja who support and help homeless people or others in desperate need received a cheque for 500€ and AMMA, the association based in the Mar Menor, who provide a day care centre for English and Spanish speaking people with Alzheimer’s, were presented with a cheque for 250€. Both of these charities have been past recipients of donations from Campoverde Theatre Group. All members of the theatre group felt that Reach Out, AMMA and Help Vega Baja, who received a cheque of 500€ last week, made valuable contributions to the local community. Campoverde Theatre Group is currently in full rehearsal mode for their next production, a totally original pantomime, The Owl and the Pussy Cat. This fun ﬁlled romp develops the traditional nursery rhyme and has every feature expected in pantomime, the love story between the Owl and the Pussy Cat, the over the top dame and her embarrassed son, the money grabbing pirates, to name just a few. This panto has something for everyone, laughter, music, dance and guarantees to entertain you on a chilly February evening. Go along and enjoy an entertaining evening and help us raise more money for local charities. The Owl and the Pussy Cat will be performed at the Casa de Cultura, San Miguel, on Friday 5th, Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th February, 2016, and tickets will be on sale shortly. The Ticket Line number is 629 25 86 97 or send an email to ctgticketline@gmail. com. For more information about the theatre group and its activities contact Jan on 966 18 97 41.

Spanish artists sued by church A SPANISH artist, whose new exhibition has been described as provocative, is being sued by the Christian Lawyers Association.

Giant squid captured A GIANT squid has been caught in Asturias and donated to a local specialist centre.

Trawler fishermen were shocked to find that they had caught a 150 kilo squid in their nets when fishing in Asturias this week. The fishermen on “Minchos VI” arrived back in port with their unusual haul but unfortunately the squid had died three hours previously. Measuring ten metres long from the head to the end of the tentacles the squid was donated to the local Cepesma Giant Squid Centre so that they could use it to study and help protect the marine species. The Centre in Lurca, which was established in 1996, is an international reference of maximum scientific and environmental interest. Visitors can go to the centre, which has nine giant squids, and discover the myth and legend of the deep ocean. One of the examples is a female Architeuthis dux that is almost 14 metres long.

Artist Abel Azcona’s exhibition, in Pamplona, Spain, entitled “Desenterrados” (Unearthed), contains 242 consecrated hosts, the small wafer received when being given holy communion, several of which he has laid on the floor of a local exhibition hall to spell “pederasta” (paedophile), in criticism of the church’s highly-publicized sex scandals. Azcona allegedly obtained the wafers by pretending to receive Holy Communion at mass before using them in his exhibition which is meant to honour those who were kidnapped and killed under the threedecade dictatorship of Francisco Franco, which lasted until his death in 1975. Polonia Catellanos, the spokesperson for the Christian Lawyers, said that the association has filed a lawsuit against Azcona for “an offense against religious sentiments and desecration,” which is outlawed under Articles 524 and 525 of the Spanish Penal Code.

Azcona is an outspoken critic of religion, having recently stated in a magazine that “religion is at the same level as cancer or AIDS, and, in fact, has killed more people than these better-known diseases.” Over 89,000 people have signed a change.org petition calling for the city to take down the show.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

Hunger Games Part 2 and Spectre by keith nicol

THE HUNGER GAMES: Mockingjay – Part 2 is playing alongside 007 in SPECTRE as this week’s V.O.S.E. Films at CINES IMF in Torrevieja. Both films show from tonight, Friday until next Thursday at 6pm, all week. Hunger Games Part 2 has an all star cast. It has a running time of 137 minutes. With a budget of $160 million it’s one of the few films to surpass the $100 million mark in its first week of release, with box office takings of $255.7 million and it hasn’t even opened in Torrevieja yet. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is a 2015 American epic science fiction war film directed by Francis Lawrence, with a screenplay by Peter Craig and Danny Strong. It is the fourth

and final instalment in The Hunger Games film series, and the second of two films based on the novel Mockingjay, the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy, written by Suzanne Collins. Produced by Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik, and distributed by Lionsgate, the film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcheson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Philip Seymour Hoffman (in his final film role), and Donald Sutherland. The first part of the Mockingjay adaptation, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, was released on November 21, 2014. This week in SALA 3: SPECTRE: and in SALA 5: Los juegos del hambre: Sinsajo. Parte 2 (better known as The Hunger Games: Mockingjay. Part 2), with both films screening at 6pm all week.

Both films are showing in VOSE: Version Original Subtitulada en Español (Original Version Subtitled in Spanish). The following week, the cinema hopes to have Tom Hanks in Bridge of Spies. The new Cinema and Cultural Club Facebook page will be up and running next week, soon to be followed by the website. Information about ‘Admit One’ Club and membership sign up will begin in three days time, on Monday, at the meeting of the U3A, from around 10.30am to 1pm, at the CMO, the large class building located behind Carrefour. To Opt In for more information about the new club and stay in touch with what is happening in culture and theatre, please send an email, with ‘Opt In’ in the subject line, to film@admotone.club.

More money raised for animal welfare A COFFEE and cake fundraiser organised by long-time supporter Elaine Sissons, at Laguna Green’s Bamboo Lounge,

has raised 353€ for the Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre at Rojales. Earlier this year Elaine completed a sky-diving jump to celebrate her 60th birthday, raising 571€ for the rescue centre in the process. Elaine is now in training for the gruelling 26-mile Yorkshire Three Peaks run next year, again hoping to raise money to support the rescue centre’s animal welfare work. “What an amazing person;” said centre co-founder Sue Weeding. “She volunteers at our charity shops, she’s sky dived, now she’s training for the Three Peaks. How on earth will she top that one?” The centre relies entirely on donations to fund its important animal welfare work, including the feeding and care of the centre’s more than 90 horses, ponies and donkeys rescued from abuse, neglect and abandonment. Donations of cash, or items for the centre’s eight charity shops across the Alicante province, are gratefully welcomed. A pick-up and delivery service is available for large items such as furniture. To make a donation, be a long-term sponsor, or volunteer, call Sue on 652 02 19 80. The Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre, just outside Rojales at Partido Lo Garriga, 59, opens to the public on the first Sunday of every month, between 1pm and 4pm. Free horse tours run throughout the afternoon and refreshments are available in the café. For more details and directions, please visit www.easyhorsecare.net.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

Chris’s Corner

Chris Ashley

Writer & Broadcaster

Was it W. Churchill, O. Wilde, GB. Shaw or perhaps J. Krankie who opined the sage observation “Great Britain & America, 2 nations divided by a common language?”

Never mind your Yankee Doodle Dandies, how about our Aussie Cobber Cousins? Not sure who to attribute this tale to, or even if it’s fair dinkum, - but heigh-ho! why let a little thing like veracity get in the way of a good yarn. A true blue English Aristocrat was travelling through the Queensland outback when he came upon a flooded billabong. “How simply spiffing, that looks jolly inviting, and I’m as hot as a glass blowers backside by Jove!” With one hand he scoops water into his mouth. Suddenly, down came the Troopers 1,2,&3 - looking for Matilda waltzing with a wallaby. One of them called out to the Toff in very broad Strine - imagine Crocodile Dundee on crack cocaine (me neither).“G’day Mate, I wouldn’t drink that water it’s where Skippy & his marsupial mates relieve themselves (although he didn’t use relieve, he used a word far more pithy, if you’ll excuse the lisp).” Our Pommy Popinjay replied “God’s Boots Old Bean, I can’t understand a word. Speak the Queen’s English man.” The Canny Cop replied slowly “ I was just saying, use BOTH! hands to scoop up the sparkling spa like water, that way you won’t spill so much as a drop your Lordship. Pip pip.” Another example of Antipodean v Anglo dialogue disasters happened to the Current & Final Mrs. Ashley. We had visitors from New Zealand and on the first day were asked what they would like for lunch. The C&F Mrs. A is a Nottingham wench where bread rolls are called cobs. In N.Z. however (those of a prim disposition look away now) cobs, in urban slang, means two thirds of the male appendages. The 2 veggies that go with the meat, if I may be so delicate. Alright just to beat the analogy to death, Hitler only had one. So it came as a bit of a shock to the system for our Kiwi visitors when asked “Who fancies crusty cobs for lunch?” They couldn’t wait to get a whole lot of gone between GB & NZ. Spread the Vegemite Mabel, looks like Top Tucker to me. I’m spreading myself over the airwaves too – check www.bigfm.org schedules.

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Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

What a frightening world we live in Last month I mentioned Europe and I feel the need to discuss this further. What some of us feared was going to happen regarding DAESH has started.

Jennifer Cunningham

I have felt frustrated for some time now at the laid back global attitude regarding the lacklustre approach to DAESH and the threat of possible attacks combined with Europe´s immigration policies. Fortunately the UK seems to have the more efficient surveillance, information structure and experience in place. However, it will never be enough. At long last, because of the events in Paris, there does seem to be determination from a number of countries, especially France, Russia, and America to stand up to the terrorists as in the words of French President Hollande, “we are at war”. Currently Belgium seems to have got themselves into a nightmare situation; one reason being, of course, the easy access into other parts of Europe, but particularly France. Fortunately the UK did not sign the Schengen Agreement concerning the open borders – that was a wise decision. What a frightening world we live in and it seems so surreal going about our normal lives, never knowing where or when something could happen, as ISIL (DAESH) is becoming more and more part of everyday life, which is increasingly unacceptable and frightening. There are now many discussions about bringing the border controls back into place within the EU but Brussels does not seem to agree with this which, in my opinion, is naive, as it is not dissimilar to the Trojan horse entering Troy. I think the dreaming has got to stop and reality needs to come to the forefront on all decisions. However, the current events are reinforcing my beliefs on the importance of the

UK remaining part of Europe. I just can´t understand how the British, who do not consider themselves Europeans, and currently 50% believe that leaving the EU will benefit them, which will leave the expats very vulnerable. The UK is just too small to become isolated and we need to be an integral part of Europe, especially for our own protection. I am extremely unhappy not being able to have a vote on the referendum as it will obviously affect all of us living in Spain and other parts of Europe. I have already registered my displeasure and signed the petition on https://petition.parliament. uk/petitions/111271. Can I suggest that if you feel strongly about not being able to vote in the referendum, you sign this petition. There is no point complaining when subsequently our lives become more difficult, if we have not voiced our views. Returning to the world of day to day business, with winter now upon us, we may be affected by storms, hail, high winds and massive downpours during this season. Please make sure that you are correctly covered for these situations. This is where Liberty Seguros Accidental Damage clause can be very beneficial. You may discover that you are not insured, other than through the consortium. This type of claim is only available when the Government assesses and decrees that some events are a “natural disaster” and the consortium processes these payments. My staff are often advised by clients that they can purchase a policy that is cheaper than we offer, with cover that is exactly the same. No – I don´t think so. In fact, I know this statement is often incorrect. A lower price for car insurance is often achieved by lowering the cover, for example on accident cover, to include the number of seats, or

even just driver only. Just take care, please always check before committing and if in doubt, ask us. I was very shocked when we lost a house insurance policy to a Spanish company because it was cheaper than our policy. When the sales consultant enquired as to how the quotes differed, they were told that the re-build costs were lower. The re-build cost is calculated, regulated and updated annually by the Spanish government (BOE). Therefore the insurance company has no input in this figure and are advised by the government accordingly. This is how the insurance world works and it is not up to an individual insurance company to lower the re-build cost. I have recently noticed in the newspapers that there are increasingly advertisements for low cost health care. Health costs are always expensive and realistically premiums need to reflect these costs. Once again, please do not be seduced by these companies and always check the policy thoroughly and your list of services and doctors available. Last week a friend, on returning to his car after shopping in Lidls, discovered that he had a flat tyre. Within minutes, two gentlemen arrived and offered assistance as they just happened to have the right tools with them. As this had happened to him before, he was suspicious and declined their offer, instead calling a friend. After replacing the tyre, he took it for repair and they found that the tyre had been slashed with a knife. Be careful of good Samaritans – what a terrible world! The garage told my friend that the gentlemen were only intent on robbing him, as this is becoming an increasingly common occurance. If in doubt, please call one of our offices or visit the website www.jennifercunningham.net

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

School Sports Day THE TRADITIONAL school sports days may be almost a thing of the past in the UK as the PC brigade try to stop such traditions just in case someone feels ‘hurt’ because they can’t run, throw or jump better than other students. However one local school has put the fun back into Sports Day, ensuring that all the students ﬁnd something they are good at while still keeping a little competitive spirit into the event. The tension had been mounting all week at Phoenix International School as the Bulls prepared to do battle with the Bears and the Alligators squared up to the Tigers in an all-out four way clash that saw class mates pitched against each other for the chance to lift the coveted winter sports day trophy. The atmosphere was electric at CDM, Orihuela Costa, which provided the perfect back drop for a series of races and team events incorporating all age groups from Pre-school through to Year 11. The school´s inclusive philosophy and family atmosphere was very apparent as every child proudly participated to the very best of their ability. Everybody got involved in the events and even the teachers could not escape being press-ganged into a relay race where the ball

Photo credit to “© Clarke Duncan | www.torrevieja.photography”

was passed over and under the legs: and, if that was not enough, each house battled it out in an intense teacher and student cricket match. The totals at the end of the day could not have been closer with only ﬁve points between the highest and the lowest scoring teams. Congratulations to Los Osos (the blue team) who came in at fourth place, followed by Los Caimanes (in green) and Los Toros (in red) who were level pegging in joint second place. But the glory, on this oc-

casion, had to go to Los Tigres (in yellow) who snatched victory from their classmates to win by the small margin of just two points. The school would like to take this opportunity to say how proud it is of all the students who took part. They were a credit to their parents, themselves and the school. They would also like to extend their appreciation to all parents who attended to support the school. Well done everyone for making the whole day such an incredible success.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

#letters 28

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

k #rtnemail of the wee

Both sides of the story

DEAR SIRS, judging from the adverse and very one-sided comments regarding the council in San Fulgencio and the perception that Urbanisación La Marina is merely a poor and severely deprived relative, I believe it is only fair to express an alternative view. I have seen a vast improvement over the last six or seven years since the change of administration and the establishment of the Deputy Mayor’s office in C/Madrid. Prior to this there was a distinct feeling of discrimination between San Fulgencio and La Marina, which is certainly not the case today. When Jeff Wiszniewski occupied the office, he was always happy to listen to sensible suggestions; like the traffic calming system which was installed at the top of the Urbanisation by the old vet’s surgery, shortly after the change of administration. The present incumbent, Paulino Herrero, is always keen to hear about matters affecting the urbanisation. The complaint published provided no evidence to support discrimination by the council against the urbanisation and although fun runs and rock concerts are not my priority, it is entirely feasible that some people will be in favour of the way the council seeks to spend money on entertaining its residents. Last year most of the street lights in La Marina were upgraded, and the pine forest along Avenida San Fulgencio was severely cut back and thinned, giving vastly improved sight lines for oncoming traffic, whilst, at the same time, greatly improving road safety. Earlier this year a number of the urbanisation’s roads were resurfaced and currently there are major works under way installing proper roads in La Marina/Oasis. All this must have required an enormous amount of money spent on the urbanisation. With regard to rubbish collection and the occasional blip, one can only imagine that people in England would die for the facilities we have here. Things can always be better and we should always be challenging those in power to improve conditions on the urbanisation, but, in identifying possible shortcomings, let us also be gracious enough to acknowledge the things that they get right. Yours faithfully, Ken Turner, Urb. La Marina, San Fulgencio.

A sinking feeling

WE HAD planned to buy property in the south of the Costa Blanca but we have had our eyes opened. The urbanisation has over seven thousand houses, and many have construction problems related to subsidence. Talk about a sinking feeling! Over 120 properties are awaiting repair under the ten year guarantee but the building contractors have said they cannot finance repairs to the properties or crumbling infrastructure. Much of

the planned infrastructure has also not been completed. Inadequate public road drainage and road surface quality causes continuous, and alarming, damage to private properties. Continuing subsidence as a result of a lack of compaction of the substrate prior to construction and poor workmanship in construction of both roads and pavements is a continuing problem along the lengths of Calle Cazorla and Calle Araucarius, leading to property walls subsiding, and damaging foundations to boundary walls. When it rains, water pours into gardens, while many swimming pools have cracked and subsided. Sub-

sidence of up to three feet is not uncommon. Raw sewage has also been detected in these areas as a result of collapsed, or broken drains under subsided roads. This has been reported to the building company, but without any response. Following recent heavy rains our worse fears materialised when one villa tilted and started to collapse. A number of villas also reported many subsidence problems. It is very difficult to understand how a Spanish property company can get away with such terrible construction standards. Craig Pero

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

AS PREVIOUSLY noted, individuals and also companies aﬀected by a mortgage ﬂoor interest clause, or by the purchase of preference shares,or Bankiashares on its IPO, or etc., can, in most cases, successfully claim against banks.

All such legal actions, whilst not identical, have many similarities with each other, usually they contain the possibility of a legal petition for the nullity (voidability to be exact) of part or the entire contract, to be declared. Legally the basis for these legal claims is found in the article 1261 of the Spanish Civil Code (CC), which says that for a contract to exist, there must be present within3 requirements: the agreement and consent of the parties, there must be an object of the contract, and there must be a cause of the obligation. Failure or defect in any of these requirements, pursuant to Article 1300 of the Civil Code could result in the contract being void. Regarding the deadline for claiming by thoseaffected, Article 1301 CC says that the action of nullity lastsfour years, and in cases of error, fraud or false cause, this limitation period of 4 years starts to run from the completion of the contract. The Spanish Supreme Court has clarified when it should be understood that the limitation period of four years startsfor these types of legal actions. In various of their judgments,includingnumbers 769 of 2014, and number 376 and 489 of 2015, they make it clear thatthe period of 4 years does not begin to count from when product is contracted, but rather from the consummation, or where appropriate, from the moment the affected is made aware of the existence of error, wrong information, etc, That is to say, from the occurrence of a fact for which the affected can understand and be aware, depending on the product concerned, the existence of circumstances that make the contract voidable. To use the case of Bankia shares, we understand that the term of four yearsshould start running from May 2012 at the earliest, which was when the annual accounts of the bank were reformulated and investors

could know the real situation of Bankia. This gives us a limitation period of until May 2016at least to claim. Where the sale of toxic bank products is involved, the period of four yearsshould start, for example, from when the customer is aware the product sold was not

an ordinary deposit but a risky and complex product, or from when they are aware that the investment madecannot be recovered, etc. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact.

The information provided in this article is not intended to be legal advice, but merely conveys general information related to legal issues. White & Baos Abogados. Tel:+34 966 426 185. E-mail: info@white-baos.com White & Baos 2014 – All rights reserved. Send your questions to spanishlawyer@roundtownnews.com or info@white-baos.com

LEGAL & FINANCE

What is the time limit for those who have lost out, to claim against their bank for ﬂoor interest rates, preference shares, Bankia shares, etc.?

Carlos Baos

Over a barrel

FFriday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

YOUR MONEY

Keith Littlewood

International Financial Adviser

I AM compelled to discuss some sales tactics that are becoming increasingly frustrating by companies that are forcing their customers to take out products that they do not necessarily need or want. I myself became a victim of this practice this week when hiring a car which was booked online and with full super cover taken and then only been forced to take out the hire companies insurance when I went to pick the car up – this is an ongoing situation for me which I am not letting lie and may update in a future article. This sales practice seems prevalent with the banks here in Spain. Every week I meet clients who have been forced to take out products with the banks to either avoid getting charged extortionate fees for transfers or to get an extra .5% interest on their account. The worst of which I have seen this week which I will go into detail now: This couple Mr and Mrs X had a bankers draft paid into their account from a house sale. Of course the bank contacted them saying they needed to see them urgently. Upon seeing ‘manager’ (or head of pressure sales I prefer to call him) they were told the entry of money into the account would cost them €600 and any future transfers out would also cost them similar amounts. This charge could be miraculously waived should the couple take out 2 ‘qualifying’ products with them. This is bad enough and in my opinion blackmail but these so-called qualifying products on closer inspection were the most frightening. The average age of this couple was 70 and the first ‘qualifying’ product was a savings plan investing €600 per annum minimum – it was hard to decipher other conditions but a saving s plan for a couple that actually required to increase their income was in itself absurd. The second ‘qualifying’ product was a €30,000 investment which was guaranteed not to lose capital. On closer inspection this product was for an eight and a half year term and was invested in high risk stocks and the guarantee was only in place should they not make a withdrawal until the end of the eight and a half years. This couple were unaware as all the information was in Spanish and this was not properly explained to them and they would definitely have needed access to this cash during this period The most important rules when investing are first to make sure you understand every aspect of the product you are taking and secondly never feel pressured into buying anything. At any sign of sales pressure run away – the salesman’s interest is not with you the customer but it is with himself either earning commission or hitting a target In today’s financial climate it is essential you do everything you can to make sure your money is safe and secure and what you want to transpire in the future has the best chance of happening. If you need advice or if have any questions regarding the above you can contact me on 657 684 094 or email keith.littlewood@blacktowerfm.com The above information was correct at the time of preparation and does not constitute investment advice and you should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity. Blacktower Financial Management Ltd is licenced by the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority and is registered with both the DGS and CNMV. Blacktower Financial Management (Int) Ltd is licenced in Gibraltar by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) Licence No: 00805B and registered with the DGS in Spain.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

#life&leisure

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015



Legion’s spreads the word

OFFICERS OF the Royal British Legion were “delighted” with the success of an Open Day as they recruited new members and answered crucial welfare questions. Read the full story on page 54.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leis ure #what’s on ////////////////////////////////////

Advent and Christmas services

by PATRICIA THOMPSON THE ANGLICAN Chaplaincy Of St Peter And St Paul, Torrevieja, has planned the following special Services over the Advent and Christmas period: LA SIESTA - Sunday 29th November, Advent Sunday – Chaplaincy Carol Service 6pm, - Monday 7th December, Interdenominational Carol Service 6:30pm, - Thursday 24th December, Midnight Mass – Holy Communion, 11:30pm. LOS BALCONES - Sunday 29th November, Advent Sunday – Christingle Service, 10:30am, - Thursday 3rd December, Carol Service, 7pm, - Friday 25th December, Christmas Day – Holy Communion, 10:30am. LAGO JARDIN - Saturday 19th December, Carol Service with Holy Communion, 6pm. CAMPOVERDE - Sunday 29th November, Evening Prayer followed by Coro Pilar Concert 6pm, - Sunday 20th December, Community Carol Service at the ‘Rusty Nail’, 6pm (Replaces service in Campoverde Church), - Thursday 24th December, Midnight Mass – Holy Communion, 11:30pm, - Sunday 27th December, Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, 6pm. LA MARINA (SAN FULGENCIO) - Sunday 13th December, Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, 6pm, - Friday 25th December, Christmas Day – Holy Communion, 10:15am. LA MANGA (OWNERS CLUB – LA MANGA CLUB) - Sunday 29th November, Advent Service and Holy Communion, 11am, - Friday 11th December, Christmas Carol Service, 6pm, - Thursday 24th December, Christmas Eve – Holy Communion, 6pm. CRISTO RESUCITADO (LA ZENIA) - Thursday 24th December, Christmas Eve – Holy Communion, 11am For more information on the workings of the Chaplaincy and other planned activities and events, please view their web-site http://c-of-e-torrevieja.com/. The specific locations of the various Church Centres, together with their normal Services can be found at http://c-of-e-torrevieja.com/where.php, on their Facebook pages, https://www. facebook.com/ChaplaincyOfStPeterAndStPaul?ref=hl and https://www.facebook.com/ CampoverdeChurch. The Anglican Chaplaincy extends a very warm and friendly welcome to all denominations who live in or are visiting the area and their Church Centres.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #events

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T.A.A.B.S. to sing Torrevieja Symphony Orchestra’s new programme for santa run

TORREVIEJA’S SYMPHONY Orchestra has announced its annual programme for 2016. The OST confirmed its programming for 2016, which will take place at the International Auditorium with a series of concerts that have become a tradition in this spectacular capacity. With José Francisco Sánchez as principal conductor, they have always filled the auditorium with more than 1,500 people. Proof of this is the launch of a season ticket pass of just 65€ for members of the society. The performances of the orchestra have won the favour of a loyal following, formed especially for the large community of British foreign residents, German, Dutch and Scandinavian, with a great tradition of passion for classical music. The first performance of the new year takes place on January 6th 2016, with the Three Kings; to be followed by a performance scheduled for February 20th and dedicated to the interpretation of Beethoven’s Concerto No. 5 for piano and orchestra with the participation of internationally renowned pianist Jorge Carrasco.

T.A.A.B.S., the Torrevieja Association Amateur Balladeer Singers, are pleased to be asked back to sing Christmas carols etc. For The Pink Ladies Santa Run at La Zenia Boulevard at 10am on Sunday 6th December. Also T.A.A.B.S Charity Singers are looking for a new musical director and a music operator, owing to the retirement of these valued members. Please contact Shirley on 677 31 30 73 or email sgodfrey223@gmail.com.

On April 27th, Beethoven and Mendelssohn star in a new recital; while on May 21st the Symphony Orchestra of the Region of Murcia (SORM) will offer a repertoire of works by Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky. Mozart and Dvorak are featured on October 22nd, 2016, and will culminate the programming for 2016. This is the only programme that, over the years, keeps up the cul-

tural use of, and that corresponds with the guidelines of use for, the Auditorium of the Generalitat Valenciana. The orchestra was founded in 2008, and is promoted by the Ars Aetheria Association. Tickets, or subscriptions, can be requested by email to: arsaetheria@hotmail.com in addition to the headquarters of the society on Calle Vicente Blasco Ibánez.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #feature



Soil erosion could be a thing of the pastwith Vetiver

Dick Handscombe Holistic gardener and author

I REALLY enjoyed my recent lecture from the Costa Blanca to the Almanzora Valley and Axarquia regions and having seen many areas of steeply sloping gardens needing an inexpensive solution to soil erosion I was surprised and pleased to come across the plant Veltiver, ChrysopogonZizanioidea. This grass like plant originally from India can grow to around 1.5 metres and put down roots of two to three metres so as well as being great for stabilising eroding banks and terraces it is highly drought resistant once its roots start to grow, normally just three to six months. It therefore has the potential for a wide variety of uses as outlined below. Fourteen practical ways to use Vetiver plants in gardens To prevent further erosion of steep slopes. To prevent the constant erosion of the outer edge of plateaus created to provide a level area on which to build a house and surrounding terrace on sloping sites. To create terrace walls on sloping sites as a less expensive alternative to stone or block walls. To repair the banks of unlined agricultural water channels. As a backcloth to a garden pond. Not just good to look at but could attract birds that like reeds in which to rest and nest. In containers to provide greenery on eating terraces. To hide an unattractive concrete block dividing wall. To provide internal windbreaks in windy gardens. To provide low maintenance green hedges on either side of the drive from the entrance gates or in front of the garage. To provide a wind break around a vegetable garden. To hide away the compost heap or perhaps experiment with an eco-natural compost heap with three sides provided by mature Veltiver plants If cut a couple of times a year in addition to the above uses the cuttings can be dried as a feed for horses and rabbits. If you have a small vegetable plot or orchard in the agricultural countryside with imprecise boundaries between yours and others surround yours with a boundary of Vetiver plants. As one of the plants used to create a natural water cleaning system for a swimming pool or koi carp pond. That list was just a quick thoughtful brain dump at 6am.. I am sure that there are others. The two photographs illustrate what a just planted row of rooted slips on a steep slope would look like and the same row just four months later. The only supplier of Vetiver plants that I have discovered is Vetiver Spain contactable via www.vetiverspain.com and info@vetiverspain.com. They supply the inexpensive plant in two forms, young cuttings or slips and potted cuttings with larger root balls. The former of are the least expensive and easiest for postal or courier delivery if you do not live near enough to collect grown on cuttings/slips in containers of various sizes and age.

‘Just planted slips’

‘The same slope four months later

’

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

#tv&showbiz goss

by Peter Taylor

 BEING AN ‘A’ lister as well as being beautiful and famous is an ongoing dream for many, having the looks and the dosh to go where you want on the arm of who you want! Sounds perfect doesn’t it! Not so according to Jennifer Lawrence, a female who ﬁts all the above criteria and then some. Featured on the cover of December’s Vogue she says “No one ever asks me out, I’m lonely every Saturday night, I feel like I need to meet a guy who’s has been living in Baghdad and has no idea who I am!” Odd city to mention Jennifer, but we know what you mean sweet pea! AS EUROVISION was 60 years old earlier this year Australia were invited to take part, a decision that produced many sideways glances, and one kinda thought that was that! Alas not! The competition will take place in Stockholm, Sweden, next May and the Aussie’s will be there … again! “The feedback we got after Australia’s participation in Vienna was overwhelmingly positive,” said the contest’s executive supervisor Jon Ola Sand, “we strongly believe the Eurovision Song Contest has the potential to evolve organically into a truly global event. Better change the name of it then!

BAYWATCH FIRST went out on NBC in America in the mid 80´s, but was cancelled after just one season, a decision I’m sure haunts them to this day considering the show became one of the most popular in the world. A movie of the Santa Monica lifeguards is now in the pipeline, and hunks Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Zac Efron are already confirmed in lead roles. Not so simple on finding the new ‘Pammy’ though, with six relatively unknown females battling for the part. The XXX version could maybe be called ‘50 Waves of Grey’.

TESCO’S HAVE come up with a very interesting Santa type sandwich called ‘Chocolate And Cherry Mascarpone Christmas Sandwich on Cinnamon Bread’, and it’s had mixed reviews. A picture of the new meal was shared on ‘Sh*t London’s Facebook’ page by Londoner Nic Branch with the message: ‘More gold at Tesco’. And people are seriously freaked out! Like yourself mate! ‘Chocolate and cherry sandwiches? Has the world gone mad?’ asked Jane Craigie-Payne. 30% of internet peeps said - Sounds Delicious!

A seminar of big bums and other body parts at Brunel? NOT MANY of you would expect to have Brunel University London and the Kardashians in the same sentence, but here it is, and the reason it’s here is equally unexpected. I am aware that I said a week or three back that The Kardashians would never darken these pages ever again, so please bear with me as I fancy it will be worth the effort. Brunel’s campus is located on the outskirts of Uxbridge, West London, and has around 15,200 full-time students and 2,500 staff. The chalk and cheese that is a top UK University and a USTV Reality Show from hell, joined together yesterday (26th November) in a seminar, and Dr Meredith Jones, who organised the event, told Times Higher Education “the sessions will examine the Kardashians as a powerful popular culture phenomena and discuss what Kim Kardashian’s vulva can teach us about contemporary life,” Heavens! Then the good Doctor added “there will also be a session called ‘Colour and Curves’, this big bum thing has taken over the world,” have you no shame woman! Doctor Jones then upped the ante on her bedside manner when she added “You may love them or hate them, but the Kardashian family must be examined, they may be vacuous and bland (yep! I’ll run with that), but they are also very powerful, therefore it is silly to think this subject is not worthy of academics,” top drawer stuff there Doc, but the lady ain’t done yet! And it’s quite an ending “They do nothing except be themselves – it’s like the same fascination we have with the British Royal Family.” Oh dear oh dear Doc, not the smartest thing to say if you’ve got half an eye on being a Dame Doctor Meredith Jones. Kardashian Filter back to Active!

FUNNY MAN James Corden has recorded a duet with Kylie Minogue on her Xmas album due for release this Monday 30th. It’s a cover of 80’s Yazoo song ‘Only You’ and Kylie said “He suggested the song for the album and I just knew he would sound amazing on it, it’s so subtle and lovely and I think it will surprise a lot of people.” Other toons to enjoy feature a duet with Iggy Pop and Kylie’s singing classic Xmas song ‘Christmas Wrapping’, and thanks to modern technology there’s a bonus track featuring Kylie and Frank Sinatra singing ‘Santa Claus is coming to Town’. Fan-dabbie-dozie!

MÁLAGA BORN Antonio Banderas went into movies when he was just 21 years old. He eventually married the lovely Melanie Griffith when he was 34, and won critical acclaim for his performance in ´The Mark of Zorro´ 3 years later. With lots of time on his hands due to not getting offered too many interesting enough parts, the 55 year old has enrolled at Central Saint Martins of Art and Design school in London explaining “A couple of years ago I had this idea to put a company together, and base it around design, we’re learning patterns, sketching, everything!” Cool!

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

tv listings 27th November - 3rd December

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friday 27th November BBC1

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Fake Britain 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Oxford Street Revealed 12:45 Rip Off Britain: Food 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News at One 14:30 BBC Regional News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Coroner 16:00 Escape to the Country 16:45 Len and Ainsley’s Big Food Adventure 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News at Seven 19:30 BBC Regional News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 A Question of Sport 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Citizen Khan 22:00 Have I Got News for You 22:30 Peter Kay’s Car Share 23:00 BBC News at Eleven 23:35 The Graham Norton Show 24:20 Josh

BBC2

07:25 Homes Under the Hammer 08:25 Oxford Street Revealed 09:10 Len and Ainsley’s Big Food Adventure 09:55 Live Formula 1 11:45 Coast 12:15 Planet Dinosaur 12:45 Daily Politics 13:15 Live Davis Cup Tennis 19:00 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 21:00 Mastermind 21:30 An Island Parish: Falklands 22:00 Great Continental Railway Journeys 23:00 QI 23:30 Newsnight 24:00 Artsnight 24:30 Weather 24:35 Moon

saturday 28th November

BBC1

07:00 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30 Football Focus 13:00 BBC News 13:10 Live Formula 1 15:05 Live Davis Cup Tennis 18:10 Celebrity Mastermind 18:40 BBC News 18:50 BBC Regional News 19:00 Pointless Celebrities 19:50 Strictly Come Dancing 21:05 Doctor Who 22:00 Casualty 22:50 The National Lottery Live 23:00 BBC News 23:20 Match of the Day 24:40 The Apprentice

BBC2

07:10 NFL Highlights 07:55 Tennessee’s Partner 09:20 Formula 1 10:55 Live Formula 1 12:05 Formula 1 Rewind 13:05 Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip 13:35 Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip 14:05 Live Snooker: UK Championship 17:30 Final Score 18:10 Flog It! 18:40 The Great Pottery Throw Down 19:40 Great Continental Railway Journeys 20:40 Japan: Earth’s Enchanted Islands 21:40 Dad’s Army 22:10 QI XL 22:55 Papadopoulos & Sons 24:40 Snooker: UK Championship

itv2

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:55 ITV News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 1000 Heartbeats 16:59 ITV Regional Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News 19:30 ITV Evening News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Gino’s Italian Escape 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 23:30 ITV News 24:00 ITV News 24:15 Raw Deal

CHANNEL 4

07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:10 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Frasier 11:00 Frasier 11:30 Undercover Boss USA 12:30 Come Dine with Me 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Deal or No Deal 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Posh Pawnbrokers 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:30 Unreported World 21:00 TFI Friday 22:00 Gogglebox 23:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man 24:05 First Dates

CHANNEL 5

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

itv2

07:00 Bottom Knocker Street 07:35 Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures 08:00 Signed Stories 08:05 Oddbods 08:10 Sooty 08:25 Super 4 08:40 Adventure Time 09:00 Marvel Avengers Assemble 09:30 Thunderbirds Are Go 10:00 Jessie 10:25 ITV News 10:30 Murder, She Wrote 11:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 13:30 ITV News and Weather 13:39 ITV Central Weather 13:40 The Jeremy Kyle Show 14:45 Judge Rinder 15:45 Doc Martin 16:45 Midsomer Murders 18:45 ITV News 19:15 Catchphrase 20:00 The Chase 21:00 The X Factor 22:45 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 23:45 The Jonathan Ross Show 24:50 ITV News and Weather

07:15 The King of Queens 07:40 The King of Queens 08:05 Race of Champions 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 The Morning Line 11:00 Frasier 11:30 Frasier 12:00 The Big Bang Theory 12:30 The Big Bang Theory 12:55 The Simpsons 13:30 The Simpsons 14:00 Channel 4 Racing 17:00 Come Dine with Me 17:30 Come Dine with Me 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 Come Dine with Me 19:30 Channel 4 News 20:00 The World’s Weirdest Weather 21:00 Grand Designs: House of the Year 22:00 2 Guns 24:10 TFI Friday

07:00 Childrens TV 07:50 Milkshake! Monkey 07:55 Make Way for Noddy 08:05 Paw Patrol 08:20 Little Princess 08:30 Pip Ahoy! 08:50 Blaze and the Monster Machines 09:10 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 09:25 Wanda and the Alien 09:40 Toby’s Travelling Circus 09:55 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 10:30 The Saturday Show 12:40 Annie Claus Is Coming to Town 14:30 The Christmas Shepherd 16:20 Finding Mrs Claus 18:10 Christmas in Conway 20:00 5 News Weekend 20:05 Police Interceptors 21:00 Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away 22:00 Football League Tonight 23:20 TV’s 50 Greatest Magic Tricks

07:00 Emmerdale 10:10 Coronation Street 13:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 14:30 The Xtra Factor 15:30 The Hot Desk 15:45 Scorpion 16:40 You’ve Been Framed! 17:10 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 18:40 Hulk 21:25 Back to the Future 23:45 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 24:50 The Keith Lemon Sketch Show

07:00 Rules of Engagement 07:25 Rules of Engagement 07:45 How I Met Your Mother 08:10 How I Met Your Mother 08:35 The Goldbergs 09:05 The Goldbergs 09:35 Baby Daddy 10:00 Baby Daddy 10:30 Melissa & Joey 11:00 Melissa & Joey 11:30 Made in Chelsea 12:35 Couples Come Dine with Me 13:35 Couples Come Dine with Me 14:35 The Goldbergs 15:00 The Goldbergs 15:30 Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel 17:20 Rude(ish) Tube 17:30 The Big Bang Theory 21:00 Shallow Hal 23:15 Gogglebox 24:20 Gogglebox

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

ITV1

07:00 Childrens TV 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Paw Patrol 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Toot the Tiny Tugboat 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:30 Matchmaker Santa 14:10 5 News Lunchtime 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 The March Sisters at Christmas 18:00 5 News 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 UK’s Strongest Man 2015 21:00 Police Interceptors 22:00 NCIS: New Orleans 23:00 NCIS 23:55 NCIS: Los Angeles 24:55 Access

07:00 The Hot Desk 07:10 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 07:35 Psych 08:20 Emmerdale 09:20 Coronation Street 09:50 Dinner Date 10:50 Psych 11:45 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 12:45 You’ve Been Framed! 13:10 Emmerdale 14:15 Coronation Street 14:40 Dinner Date 15:40 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:50 The Jeremy Kyle Show 17:55 The Jeremy Kyle Show 19:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 20:00 You’ve Been Framed! 21:00 The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift 23:15 The Hot Desk 23:30 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 24:30 Celebrity Juice

07:00 Revenge 07:45 Charmed 08:30 Charmed 09:30 Hollyoaks 10:00 Rules of Engagement 10:30 Rules of Engagement 11:00 Melissa & Joey 11:30 Melissa & Joey 12:00 Charmed 13:00 Charmed 14:00 How I Met Your Mother 14:30 How I Met Your Mother 15:00 The Big Bang Theory 15:30 The Big Bang Theory 16:00 Melissa & Joey 16:30 Melissa & Joey 17:00 Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD 18:00 How I Met Your Mother 18:30 How I Met Your Mother 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 The Big Bang Theory 22:00 The Woman in Black 24:00 The Big Bang Theory

sunday 29th November BBC1

07:00 Breakfast 08:35 Match of the Day 10:00 The Andrew Marr Show 11:00 Fern Britton Meets 12:00 Sunday Politics London 13:10 Live Formula 1 16:15 Escape to the Country 17:15 Songs of Praise 17:50 The Hunt 18:50 BBC News 19:10 BBC London News 19:20 Countryfile 20:20 Strictly Come Dancing 21:00 Antiques Roadshow 22:00 The Hunt 23:00 BBC News 23:20 BBC London News and Weather 23:30 Match of the Day 2 24:50 Citizen Khan

BBC2 07:30 Big Dreams Small Spaces 08:30 Countryfile 09:30 An Island Parish: Falklands 10:00 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 11:30 Simply Nigella 12:00 My Life on a Plate 12:50 Live Davis Cup Tennis 16:15 Match of the Day Live 18:25 Live Snooker: UK Championship 20:00 Robert Peston Goes Shopping 21:00 Ireland with Simon Reeve 22:00 The Secret History of the British Garden 23:00 The Cider House Rules

07:00 Bottom Knocker Street 07:35 Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures 08:00 Signed Stories 08:05 Oddbods 08:10 Sooty 08:25 Super 4 08:40 Matt Hatter Chronicles 09:00 Marvel Avengers Assemble 09:30 Fish Hooks 10:00 Jessie 10:25 Murder, She Wrote 11:20 The Jeremy Kyle Show 13:25 ITV News and Weather 13:29 ITV Regional Weather 13:30 The Jeremy Kyle Show 14:35 The Chase 15:35 The X Factor 17:20 The Mummy Returns 19:35 ITV News 19:45 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Jekyll and Hyde 21:00 The X Factor 22:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 23:30 ITV News and Weather 23:45 Off Their Rockers 24:15 Premiership Rugby Union

07:00 Hugh’s 3 Good Things: Best Bites 07:05 The King of Queens 07:25 The King of Queens 07:45 Race of Champions 08:40 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Frasier 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Sunday Brunch 13:30 The Big Bang Theory 13:55 The Big Bang Theory 14:20 The Big Bang Theory 14:45 The Simpsons 15:20 Small Animal Hospital 16:20 Parental Guidance 18:25 Sister Act 20:15 Channel 4 News 20:30 Guy Martin: Last Flight of the Vulcan Bomber 22:00 Homeland 23:05 Gogglebox 24:10 Bullet to the Head

07:00 Childrens TV 08:45 Pip Ahoy! 09:00 Blaze and the Monster Machines 09:25 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 09:40 Wanda and the Alien 10:00 Toby’s Travelling Circus 10:15 Jelly Jamm 10:30 LazyTown 11:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:35 Football League Tonight 13:00 Access 13:05 Road to Christmas 14:55 The Heart of Christmas 16:35 The Little Mermaid 18:15 Deck the Halls 20:05 Police Interceptors 21:05 Impractical Jokers 21:30 Impractical Jokers 21:55 5 News Weekend 22:00 Gran Torino 24:25 Justice

itv2

07:00 The Hot Desk 07:10 Emmerdale 10:20 Coronation Street 13:10 The X Factor 14:55 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 15:55 Catchphrase 16:40 Happy Feet 18:50 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 19:50 Back to the Future Part II 22:00 The Xtra Factor 23:00 You’ve Been Framed! 23:30 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 24:35 Plebs

Quote the Week

07:00 Rules of Engagement 07:20 Baby Daddy 07:40 Baby Daddy 08:00 How I Met Your Mother 08:30 How I Met Your Mother 09:00 Melissa & Joey 09:30 Melissa & Joey 10:00 Made in Chelsea 11:00 Hollyoaks 13:30 Astro Boy 15:20 Rude(ish) Tube 15:25 Couples Come Dine with Me 16:30 Couples Come Dine with Me 17:30 The Big Bang Theory 18:00 The Big Bang Theory 18:30 The Big Bang Theory 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 The Big Bang Theory 20:30 The Big Bang Theory 21:00 The Simpsons Movie 22:50 The Big Bang Theory 23:15 The Big Bang Theory 23:40 The Inbetweeners 24:15 The Inbetweeners 24:50 The IT Crowd

Congrats to 103 year old George Kirby and Doreen Luckie, 91, the world’s oldest newlyweds, who recently got married at the Langham Hotel, Eastbourne. “I wasn’t a blushing bride, but I was a bit giddy,” said Doreen.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

monday 30th November BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

itv2

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Fake Britain 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Oxford Street Revealed 12:45 Rip Off Britain: Food 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News at One and Weather 14:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries 16:10 Escape to the Country 17:15 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News at Seven and Weather 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Fake Britain 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Panorama 22:00 Tomorrow’s Food 23:00 BBC News at Eleven 23:25 BBC Regional News 23:35 Have I Got a Bit More News for You 24:20 Doctor in the House

07:00 Escape to the Country 07:45 Oxford Street Revealed 08:30 Len and Ainsley’s Big Food Adventure 09:15 Caught Red Handed 09:45 Thief Trackers 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Live Snooker: UK Championship 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands 20:30 Only Connect 21:00 University Challenge 21:30 Simply Nigella 22:00 London Spy 23:00 Live at the Apollo 23:30 Newsnight 24:10 Weather 24:15 Snooker: UK Championship

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:55 ITV News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 1000 Heartbeats 16:59 ITV Regional Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News 19:30 ITV Evening News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 The Martin Lewis Money Show 21:30 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 23:00 ITV News at Eleven 23:30 ITV News 23:40 Travel Guides 24:45 Murder, She Wrote

07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:10 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Frasier 11:30 Undercover Boss USA 12:30 Come Dine with Me 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Come Dine with Me 16:10 Countdown 15:10 Deal or No Deal 17:00 Posh Pawnbrokers 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 The World’s Most Famous Train 22:00 The Murder Detectives 23:15 Fargo 24:25 The World’s Most Expensive Food

07:00 Childresn TV 08:20 Bob the Builder 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Paw Patrol 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Toot the Tiny Tugboat 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:25 The Christmas Shepherd 14:10 5 News Lunchtime 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS: New Orleans 16:15 A Christmas Visitor 18:00 5 News 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 The Gadget Show 21:00 Ultimate Police Interceptors 22:00 Dino Autopsy: T-Rex 24:00 Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Hawai

07:00 The Hot Desk 07:10 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 07:35 Psych 08:20 Emmerdale 08:50 Coronation Street 09:20 Coronation Street 09:50 Dinner Date 10:50 Psych 11:40 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 13:10 Emmerdale 13:40 Coronation Street 14:15 Coronation Street 14:40 Dinner Date 15:40 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:50 The Jeremy Kyle Show 17:55 The Jeremy Kyle Show 19:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 20:30 You’ve Been Framed! 21:00 Two and a Half Men 21:30 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Plebs 22:30 Plebs 23:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 24:05 Celebrity Juice 24:50 Safeword

07:00 Revenge 07:45 Charmed 08:35 Charmed 09:30 Hollyoaks 10:00 Rules of Engagement 10:30 Rules of Engagement 11:00 Melissa & Joey 11:30 Melissa & Joey 12:00 Charmed 13:00 Charmed 14:00 How I Met Your Mother 14:30 How I Met Your Mother 15:00 The Big Bang Theory 15:30 The Big Bang Theory 16:00 Melissa & Joey 16:30 Melissa & Joey 17:00 Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD 18:00 How I Met Your Mother 18:30 How I Met Your Mother 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 A to Z 21:00 The Big Bang Theory 21:30 The Big Bang Theory 22:00 Made in Chelsea 23:00 Scream Queens 24:00 Gogglebox

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

tuesday 1st December BBC1

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Fake Britain 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Oxford Street Revealed 12:45 Rip Off Britain: Food 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News at Two 14:30 BBC Regional News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries 16:10 Escape to the Country 17:15 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Holby City 22:00 Capital 23:00 BBC News at Eleven 23:25 BBC Regional News and Weather 23:35 Imagine 24:50 Possession

BBC2

07:00 Fake Britain 07:45 Oxford Street Revealed 08:30 Bargain Hunt 09:15 Great Continental Railway Journeys 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Live Snooker: UK Championship 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals 22:00 The Great Pottery Throw Down 23:00 Mock the Week 23:30 Newsnight 24:10 Weather 24:15 NFL Highlights

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:55 ITV News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 1000 Heartbeats 16:59 ITV Central Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News 19:30 ITV Evening News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Countrywise 21:00 You’ve Been Framed! 21:30 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 23:00 ITV News at Eleven 23:30 ITV News 23:40 The Jonathan Ross Show 24:50 Benidorm

CHANNEL 5

07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:10 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Frasier 11:00 Frasier 11:30 Undercover Boss USA 12:30 Come Dine with Me 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Deal or No Deal 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Posh Pawnbrokers 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas 22:00 The Murder Detectives 23:00 Catastrophe 23:35 Tattoo Fixers 24:35 Revenge Porn

07:00 Childrens TV 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Paw Patrol 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Toot the Tiny Tugboat 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:30 Finding Mrs Claus 14:10 5 News Lunchtime 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Dear Secret Santa 18:00 5 News 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Ultimate Police Interceptors 21:00 Loch Lomond: A Year in the Wild 22:00 Eamonn & Ruth: How the Other Half Lives 23:00 CSI: Cyber 23:55 Capital One Cup Highlights

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

itv2

07:00 The Hot Desk 07:10 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 07:35 Psych 08:20 Emmerdale 08:50 Coronation Street 09:20 You’ve Been Framed! 09:50 Dinner Date 10:50 Psych 11:40 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 13:10 Emmerdale 13:40 Coronation Street 14:15 You’ve Been Framed! 14:40 Dinner Date 15:40 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:50 The Jeremy Kyle Show 17:55 The Jeremy Kyle Show 19:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 20:30 You’ve Been Framed! 21:00 Two and a Half Men 21:30 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Tricked 23:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 24:05 Celebrity Juice 24:50 Safeword

07:00 Revenge 07:45 Charmed 08:30 Charmed 09:30 Hollyoaks 10:00 Rules of Engagement 10:30 Rules of Engagement 11:00 Melissa & Joey 11:30 Melissa & Joey 12:00 Charmed 13:00 Charmed 14:00 How I Met Your Mother 14:30 How I Met Your Mother 15:00 The Big Bang Theory 15:30 The Big Bang Theory 16:00 Melissa & Joey 16:30 Melissa & Joey 17:00 Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD 18:00 How I Met Your Mother 18:30 How I Met Your Mother 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 A to Z 21:00 The Big Bang Theory 21:30 The Big Bang Theory 22:00 Empire 23:00 The Sitter 24:40 The Big Bang Theory

wednesday 2nd December BBC1

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Fake Britain 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Oxford Street Revealed 12:45 Rip Off Britain: Food 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News at Two 14:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries 16:10 Escape to the Country 17:15 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News at Seven and Weather 19:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 20:00 The One Show 21:00 Cuffs 22:00 The Apprentice 23:00 BBC News at Eleven 23:25 BBC Regional News and Weather 23:35 Live at the Apollo 24:05 Film 2015 24:35 The Road

BBC2

07:30 Homes Under the Hammer 08:30 Oxford Street Revealed 09:15 See Hear 09:45 Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 12:30 Daily Politics 14:00 Live Snooker: UK Championship 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals 22:00 This is Tottenham 23:00 The Apprentice: You’re Fired 23:30 Newsnight 24:10 Weather 24:15 Snooker: UK Championship

ITV1

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:55 ITV News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 1000 Heartbeats 16:59 ITV Regional Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News 19:30 ITV Evening News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:30 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 23:00 ITV News at Eleven 23:30 ITV News 23:40 Sports Life Stories 24:40 River Monsters

07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:10 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:30 Undercover Boss USA 12:30 Come Dine with Me 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Deal or No Deal 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Posh Pawnbrokers 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 The Supervet 22:00 The Murder Detectives 23:00 Peep Show 23:30 Toast of London 24:05 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

07:00 Childrens TV 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Paw Patrol 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Toot the Tiny Tugboat 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Christmas in Conway 14:10 5 News Lunchtime 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS: Los Angeles 16:15 Lost Letter Mysteries for Christmas 18:00 5 News 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Secrets Of 21:00 GPs: Behind Closed Doors 22:00 Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away 23:00 Suspects 24:00 Capital One Cup Highlights

itv2

07:00 The Hot Desk 07:10 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 07:35 Psych 08:20 Emmerdale 08:50 You’ve Been Framed! 09:50 Dinner Date 10:50 Psych 11:40 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 13:10 Emmerdale 13:40 The Cube 14:40 Dinner Date 15:40 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:50 The Jeremy Kyle Show 17:55 The Jeremy Kyle Show 19:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 20:30 You’ve Been Framed! 21:00 Two and a Half Men 21:30 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Tricked 23:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 24:05 The Vampire Diaries

07:00 Revenge 07:45 Charmed 08:30 Charmed 09:30 Hollyoaks 10:00 Rules of Engagement 10:30 Rules of Engagement 11:00 Melissa & Joey 11:30 Melissa & Joey 12:00 Charmed 13:00 Charmed 14:00 How I Met Your Mother 14:30 How I Met Your Mother 15:00 The Big Bang Theory 15:30 The Big Bang Theory 16:00 Melissa & Joey 16:30 Melissa & Joey 17:00 Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD 18:00 How I Met Your Mother 18:30 How I Met Your Mother 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 A to Z 21:00 Unstoppable 23:00 Supernatural 24:00 The Big Bang Theory 24:30 The Big Bang Theory

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

THURSDAY 3rd December BBC1

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Fake Britain 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Oxford Street Revealed 12:45 Rip Oﬀ Britain: Food 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News at One Weather 14:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries 16:10 Escape to the Country 17:15 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News at Seven and Weather 19:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Watchdog 22:00 Doctor in the House 23:00 BBC News at Ten 23:25 BBC Regional News and Weather 23:35 Question Time 24:35 This Week

BBC2

07:00 Fake Britain 07:45 Oxford Street Revealed 08:30 Bargain Hunt 09:15 MasterChef: The Professionals 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Live Snooker: UK Championship 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 Live Snooker: UK Championship 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals 22:00 The Last Kingdom 23:00 Russell Howard’s Good News 23:30 Newsnight 24:10 Weather 24:15 Snooker: UK Championship

ITV1

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:55 ITV News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 1000 Heartbeats 16:59 ITV Regional Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News 19:30 ITV Evening News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Tonight 21:00 Emmerdale 21:30 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 23:00 ITV News at Eleven 23:30 ITV News Central 23:40 Travel Guides 24:40 The Chase

CHANNEL 4

07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:10 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Frasier 11:00 Frasier 11:30 Undercover Boss USA 12:30 Come Dine with Me 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Come Dine with Me 13:35 Come Dine with Me 14:05 Come Dine with Me 14:35 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Deal or No Deal 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Posh Pawnbrokers 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 The Secret Life of 22:00 24 Hours in A&E 23:00 First Dates 24:10 Gogglebox

CHANNEL 5

07:00 Childrens TV 08:20 Bob the Builder 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Paw Patrol 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Toot the Tiny Tugboat 10:15 The Wright Stuﬀ 12:30 The Heart of Christmas 14:10 5 News Lunchtime 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 A Christmas Promise 18:00 5 News 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Secrets of Great British Castles 21:00 Alex Polizzi’s Italian Islands 22:00 Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild UK 23:00 At Christmas 24:00 Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Hawai

ITV2

07:00 The Hot Desk 07:10 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 07:35 Psych 08:20 Emmerdale 08:50 Coronation Street 09:50 Dinner Date 10:50 Psych 11:40 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 13:10 Emmerdale 13:40 Coronation Street 14:40 Dinner Date 15:40 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:50 The Jeremy Kyle Show 18:00 You’ve Been Framed! 18:30 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 20:00 The Xtra Factor 21:00 Two and a Half Men 21:30 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Scorpion 23:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 24:05 Celebrity Juice 24:50 Two and a Half Men

07:00 Revenge 07:45 Charmed 08:30 Charmed 09:30 Hollyoaks 10:00 Rules of Engagement 10:30 Rules of Engagement 11:00 Melissa & Joey 11:30 Melissa & Joey 12:00 Charmed 13:00 Charmed 14:00 How I Met Your Mother 14:30 How I Met Your Mother 15:00 The Big Bang Theory 15:30 The Big Bang Theory 16:00 Melissa & Joey 16:30 Melissa & Joey 17:00 Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD 18:00 How I Met Your Mother 18:30 How I Met Your Mother 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 A to Z 21:00 The Big Bang Theory 21:30 The Big Bang Theory 22:00 The Inbetweeners Movie 24:00 The Big Bang Theory 24:30 The Big Bang Theory

YouTube videos of the week

DAYTIME USTV cooking firstly and keep an eye on Drew Barrymore and you´ll love this to bits ‘Martha Stewart Cooks with Ellen and Drew’ then with the writers of ´Porridge´ being asked to produce a new series, watch Ronnie Barker excel in ´Fletcher knows best - Porridge - BBC classic comedy.´

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #people

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Public lighting of Menorah by PATRICIA THOMPSON

THIS YEAR will be the 3rd public lighting of a Menorah at Playa Flamenca. Chanukah is a Jewish festival that dates back to the year 165 BCE. At that time Jerusalem was ruled by a Syrian king called Antiochus. He looted and damaged the Temple in Jerusalem and stopped the Jews from practicing their laws and religion. This upset the Jews so much that they rebelled. The rebellion was successful and the Temple was restored to its former state. A new altar was consecrated but there was only enough oil for the altar lamp to burn for one day. However, the lamp burnt for eight days and a miracle was declared by the Jewish leaders. To celebrate this miracle

Chatters Christmas magic

an eight-day observance is created ever year by lighting one candle each day in a Menorah (a special candelabra) until all eight candles are burning. The Menorah is placed in public places to remind people of the miracle. This year the Southern Costa Blanca Jewish Community will be lighting the Menorah on the steps of the esplanade opposite the Lobster Restaurant at Playa Flamenca Beach at 7.30pm on Sunday 13th December. Following the lighting ceremony there will be wine and do-nuts. Everybody is welcome, Jews, Christians, people of every religion and those of none. For further information please e-mail alan201150@hotmail.com.

THE DECEMBER Meeting of Chatters will take place at The Pasty Shack in Río Nalón near to the Mercadona Supermarket in Los Alcázares on Wednesday 16th December, starting at 10.30am for 11am. All are welcome. As well as the usual free refreshments there will be a Christmas themed quiz and picture quiz, and other fun and games. Instead of the regular guest speaker slot there will be entertainment by a local magician, Billy Aviles. After the meeting, at 1.30pm, ticket holders will be able to stay and enjoy a Pasty Shack traditional Christmas carvery. Booking for the lunch is essential and the few remaining tickets can now be purchased directly from the Pasty Shack. Chatters is sponsored by HAH Help At Home – a Mar Menor based charity who provide help in their own homes to expats and others who, for whatever reason, need a little extra temporary help. They do not charge for their help and rely entirely on donations and fundraising. Find out more about HAH by visiting www.helpathome.es.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, November 3 2015

life&leisure ask Sara //////////////////////////////////// by Sara

Bell

Life Coach

WITH A background in family and matrimonial mediation, Life Coach Sara Bell helps Readers with their daily worries. If you are having difficulties with relationships, family, work or any other aspect of your life, then help is at hand.

Lost our spark My wife and I have been married for 9 years. We have three children and life is very demanding. There is no time for ourselves, outside of our children’s lives with all their hobbies and interests. We have considered splitting up, but acknowledge that we still love each other, and are still friends. What can we do? When children come along, it is all too easy to focus on them, and in doing so, you lose sight of yourselves as a couple. You have acknowledged that you both still care about each other, so you now need to work on getting things back on track. Why not go on a weekly date night with your wife, (and no kids) - dress up and go dancing or have a meal together. You could also ask family to occasionally help out with the children, and plan the odd weekend away. You are great parents, but you also need your relationship with your wife to be loving and solid, otherwise ultimately there may be no family.

Too much invested I have lived with my partner for 20 years. We are unhappy and want to separate. I own the house and its contents - we have joint savings etc. I worked while my partner raised our children, and kept the home. She hasn’t contributed financially to the relationship, and it doesn’t seem fair that she should get half of everything, but she argues that she has contributed to the household. The thought of losing all my money has prevented me from leaving many times,

but we are both so miserable.

Your first port of call should be your Solicitor. Although you are not legally married, your partner may have certain cohabitation rights, and you need to be fair to the woman who has worked hard looking after the house, and bringing up your children. Regarding how you feel about staying because you’ll lose out financially -that depends on what value you place upon your happiness.

Write to Sara in confidence. A pseudonym will be used if you wish. Sara reads all letters and can give a personal reply. Email your question to agonyaunt@roundtownnews.com or Sara is available for private consultations, telephone 650 054 467.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #advertising feature  

Make Europes no.1 tourist destination yours this Christmas! ROUND TOWN Travel have put together a fabulous festive break in the heart of Benidorm’s Rincon de Loix, so pack your bag, leave the car at home and Ho Ho Hop aboard the Christmas express. DEPARTING ON the 24th Dec, you will be collected from one of the various, convenient locations along the Costa Blanca, by one of Round Town Travel´s luxury coaches and whisked to your Christmas wonderland and home for the next 4-days at the 3* Rosamar Hotel & Spa. Once you have checked in, you can unwind and let the party begin. Benidorm being Benidorm, you can guarantee lots of festive fare with every bar oﬀering a bursting schedule of entertainment, spectacular shows & live music that will have you dancing the night away.

And all right on your doorstep! You can rock around the clock and be waited on hand & foot before being returned home on the 27th stress free from the usual Christmas frenzy. Resident on a “full board” basis all of your eating requirements will be catered for, to include an extravagant 6-course Christmas “Gala Meal” with all the trimmings. This fantastic festive mini-break including return transport can be yours for just 249€ per person (based on 2-sharing) Price includes 3-nights stay checking in on the 24th Dec, check out on the 27th, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Christmas Gala Meal.

For further information and to book contact our reservation hotline on 966 811 123.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #people

Cucaracha Club actor on Bond set JUST 48 hours after flying back to the UK, having completing his scenes as the CIA boss in the Costa Blanca’s first crowd-funded feature film, The Cucaracha Club, actor Dennis Baer AKA Dennis Hewitt, found himself alongside Daniel Craig on the set of Spectre, the latest James Bond outing. Dennis, who has become a regular on TV and in a host of feature films, is currently appearing in the latest ITV epic Beowulf, shot in his native North east. Dennis is expected to return to Spain in March 2016 for the much anticipated première of The Cucaracha Club. Meanwhile, he will be meeting up with writers Philip Stephen Routledge and Billie Anthony Gaddess to discuss the prospect of part two of the trilogy, exploring the lives of a bunch of ex-secret service agents who retired to Torrevieja only to be recalled to active duty with MI6 and change their lives forever. Additionally, the ladies who portrayed the caricatures on screen have teamed up to shoot a saucy calendar in the same vein as the WRVS did. For just 5€, you too can get a glimpse of these wonderful, scantily clad actresses. The calendar is available from: Venture Fleet, Bar Spangles, Kennedys British Supermarket and La Campaña in Los Montesinos, Da Vincis, Reflections, Luz da Luna and Bar Kens in San Luis, The Card Shop Benimar, The Post Room Benijófar and The Bog Road, Aquamarina, Cabo Roig.

Crescendo Christmas Concert

Dennis Hewitt

FOLLOWING ITS successful concert, raising money for La Siesta church rewiring fund, Crescendo International Choir is to perform its own annual Christmas Concert on Sunday 6th December, 4pm, at El Paraiso Bar/Restaurant, Torrevieja. As usual, the music will be varied to suit all tastes and will include Christmas carols as well as surprise fun numbers. Tickets are only 3€, available from any choir member or by telephoning Elly 966 71 60 16. Go along and enjoy the wide repertoire of this excellent choir under the leadership of its talented young professional Spanish musicians, Irene Oliva, musical director, and Antonio Guillén, accompanist. The choir will continue its Christmas season with a concert at Benijófar Church on Saturday 12th December at 8pm. Part of the choir have been invited by Casas Espania, La Siesta, to sing carols as part of their Christmas charity evening.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #horoscopes

Kenny Corris kennycorris@hotmail.com 686 361 594

 Mercury squares with Jupiter and luck is on your side in what would seem to be a hectic week. Make sure that you take advantage of an offer that you seem to have not taken up so far. It was meant sincerely and designed to give you a helping hand just when you need it; but you may feel there is an underlying ulterior motive, when there really isn’t. With Venus opposing and about to make a move on your opposing sign of Scorpio, you may feel as if you have somehow been dealt a double blow. The way forward should be one of clarity and transparency, and yet you shouldn’t have to consider making an apology. When all is said and done you have to move on, but you are not running away. Communications take on a precedent this week when Mercury takes on mighty Uranus, planet of Technology and Enterprise. The result is, for certain, the telling of some highly necessary home truths to those who may choose not to hear them. However the odds are on that things can only get better and you have much bigger fish to fry right now. Subtle energies are in force to awaken your psychic senses in a week when you will find that your loyalties are to be tested. You do not have to make any decision that you do not want to, but it is high time that your own views and opinions were aired and those who need to can eat some humble pie whether they want to or not, for the sake of all Three actions of the Sun bring a blessing this week. As Ceres sextiles, Neptune squares and Saturn conjuncts with the Sun....you get the break that you have been long awaiting. Someone gives you the thumbs up as the green light brings you enhanced security for the immediate future and thankfully helps to eke out your finances one more time. Look at something as being a blessing in disguise even though you had high hopes. Far from blowing the wind out of your sails it should be a time to feel free to take on new responsibilities, as it is time now. Jupiter beguiles Mercury and lets you see beyond a smoke screen that was there only because you had to find out the truth for yourself this time. Your sensitive balance goes out the window when there is a new method in your madness. Weighing up the pros and the cons may seem to bring you the equilibrium that you need but someone has been economical with the truth, and that should stick out like a sore thumb. Venus veers close to Scorpio in a bid to back you all the way. Gone are those minor irritating niggles that meant that you were in danger of taking things out on the wrong person. The wisdom of the Sun in Saturn brings illumination where there was darkness; and lights the way forward for positive future ventures. Whatever you do, just be yourself right now, and then you should hit the ground running. Lucky Jupiter paves the way for the success of future events by taking on Mercury midweek. Now that clearand receptive channels of communication are open and willing there should be more takers signing up with you. Often you do your very best work under pressure, and therefore the vigours of a busy month work well for you. Someone finally steps up to be a real friend this week and your relationship takes on a new dimension. You are so independent and stubborn that sometimes you do not see that others are doing their very best to help you in any way that they can. Time to reward those who love you for the wonderful and inspiring gift of their enduring friendship. Uranus trines Mercury and it seems that not only is there magic; but it appears to be working right for you for a change. Positive energies have been hard for you just lately, but your routines and your determination have served you well, and you never lost focus. This week however it is someone’s loss that is, thankfully, very much your gain. Check your finances because a corner is developing and you need to check even your change. Your money has to work for you, not you for it, and for sure there has been some necessary but non planned expenditure just lately. You might also check out who is not paying their way. Neptune squares with the Sun midweek so economic help is well on the way.

If It’s Your Birthday This Week

You are made of stronger stuﬀ! What has happened has been sent to test your good intentions, and you will pass with ﬂying colours. Aim high,because this astrological year amply rewards those who help themselves!

Old soul

OLD SOULS of the World unite..... and heaven knows there are many of us.

We all know that it is the information coded and stored in our souls that releases all of our spiritual energies for any future lives we are able to participate in. The Old Soul has already made several appearances on this Earth and we carry with us a host of lives that we have experienced in our past times right here on this Planet. Where are we going and where did we come from much is etched in that malleable soul within us, and the information we can give out that appears to come from nowhere can actually come from somewhere. Of course we do meet those people from time to time who do not know that they have had more than one life and do not fathom or even wonder why? When Spiritual energies connect with us there comes sometimes, often, a reveal, and we have been those people at those times and here we are together in the here and now; with always one foot in the past and a focus on the future to spur us onwards. New souls are born daily, and each life of each new born just may be their opening gambit in the Old Soul’s journey through life, bringing what it will. Old Souls are reborn daily too, and we never seem to know when we have had enough, as we keep coming back. Are we aware of each and every life? Well I thought I knew all of my lives but I guess we do also get surprises. I was responding once to a question from a friend whose daughter was knee deep in English Tudor history and studying for an exam, and my reply shocked me, and her, because it gave replies not normally revealed in the history book and showed that I had an intimate connection with the Court of King Henry the Eighth. It took me ages to conﬁrm the truth in what I said that day, but even then there were comments made by me that could only have been possible because I was actually there. I have lived a life as a woman too. I think this re conﬁrms the reason why I do not always take on an automatic male view of things, and why my profession was my choice because divination has always been a female dominated genre, and it has been my World. If you have the slightest inkling for bygone times you too may be an Old Soul. It emphasises too that the process of reincarnation is a real one. If your belief system makes it hard for you to accept the concept of rebirth, then get over it. Home into the past history that maybe stands out for you in some way, any way, and know that there are many walking the face of this Earth that have been around before. Old Souls are survivors who just keep on keeping on and we are born again with triggers that can take us right back when, whenever. Have you ever met someone who very quickly gets right in there, under your skin? I have found that there could be a connection from a past life and that maybe you just have met before! If history leaps out at you so that too can be explained by your being there and then, wherever and whenever that may be. Many Old Souls will take you back to Egypt where so much of our civilised World, as we know it, began. Some are revealing past lives that maybe originated in other Worlds on other planets; travelling Earthbound as starseeds. Anything is possible, especially since we know that this present World needs some help in moving on sometimes, and so many have chosen to be here in the Present Now to face the uncertainties of the future. I love to look at the most recent fresh crop of newly born babies; and whether they are new or old Souls I can’t help but to wonder what they will experience in their lifetime, and then, wonder if they will be able to enjoy another, like me!

Kenny‛s Postbag

Email your letters to me at: kennycorris@roundtownnews.com

KENNY, I ﬁnd it hard to ask for what I deserve, as you rightly pointed out to me recently; but then I ﬁgure out that there are those who need things more than I do. Jane P. Jane if you deserve it you should have it, right? There is nothing whatsoever wrong with asking for that which you deserve, especially since you could maybe use it to help others. If you give then you should always get your share. If nobody asks nobody gets anything so be very unafraid to ask; even if maybe it is true that others deserve it more. Why not ask on behalf of other people who deserve too?

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #puzzles /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Last weeks crossword answers can be found on page 60.

Sudoku

Doodle box

ACROSS 1. Vigorous (9) 8. Wonder (3) 9. Abstainer (11) 11. Go before (7) 12. Additional (5) 13. Majestic (6) 15. Blow (6) 17. Collier (5) 18. Balcony wall (7) 20. Communication (11) 22. Anger (3) 23. A plant (9) DOWN 2. Born (3) 3. Small wood (5) 4. Merchant (6) 5. Accumulate (7) 6. Airborne soldier (11) 7. Lasting (9) 10. Crises (11) 11. Practical (9) 14. Extend (7) 16. Coil (6) 19. Spacious (5) 21. Dry (of wine) (3)

Cryptic Crossword

Quick Crossword

ACROSS 1. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right for top actor to join the directors (9) 8. Strange ring worn by learned divine (3) 9. Approach the lamp so as to be revealed (4,2,5) 11. Got out of the way with theologian coming round quite deceived (7) 12. Frequently mollify missing skinhead (5) 13. Amused a female who wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t nice to know (6) 15. Some of the side let everybody down - get rid of them! (6) 17. It takes a cool head and continuous pain to find a hiding-place (5) 18. Make a ripping removal (4,3) 20. Not well and inclined to be not at all friendly (3-8) 22. Bill may take it as lovers do (3) 23. Fell back and received medical attention again (9) DOWN 2. Also in the direction of nothing (3) 3. Restrained Edward the graduate (5) 4. Refer to everybody with due order (6) 5. Wild flower came up under animal (3-4) 6. Visit the greyhound stadium and be ruined (2,2,3,4) 7. Mend a torn decoration (9) 10. Curse the way men talk! (11) 11. Popular government production of funny comedy about over-turned car (9) 14. All rest of stars in disturbance... (7) 16. ...restrictions are precisely defined in part (6) 19. The fruit of temptation... (5) 21. ...by a woman the night before (3)

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leis ure #people ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Legion’s spreads the word

OFFICERS OF the Royal British Legion were “delighted” with the success of an Open Day as they recruited new members and answered crucial welfare questions. by JACK TROUGHTON

The Posh Club in La Marina hosted the event aimed at reaching out to British residents and visitors and informing them of the work of the Legion in District North of Spain. The local branch is Gran Alacant and La Marina – which covers Gran Alacant, La Marina, Santa Pola, Guardamar, and inland to Dolores. And a spokesman for the charity told RTN: “We were delighted with the numbers attending this local event which gave us the opportunity to talk to a lot of people; those who came in from other areas were given details of their local

Legion Branches. “The Legion welcomes anyone to become members – they do not need to have an Armed Forces connection.” He said the Legion actively campaigned and lobbied the British Government over issues affecting veterans; including the Insult to Injury Campaign, where those injured on active service can lose compensation to cover the cost of social care; and helping those suffering Asbestos Cancer, who can be left thousands of pounds worse off than civilian contemporaries. The charity is also “custodians of Remembrance”, which involves organising annual services taking place around Remembrance Day on 11th November – and the highly visible

Poppy Appeal. The Legion’s website www.britishlegion.org.uk shows the different facets of its work and contact details for all the branches of District North of Spain can be found at www.britishlegion.org.uk/counties/spain-north. Call 676 451 780 for welfare inquiries and for all other queries, call 648 860 251. Pictured are (from left, back row) Robin Hargrave, Chairman of Gran Alacant and La Marina Branch, District Welfare Coordinator Pamela Twissell-Cross, and Peggy Wyatt, Principal District Recruitment Officer; and (front row) Derek, Ron and John, all members of Gran Alacant and La Marina.

life&leisure #aunty virus //////////////////////////////////// Email auntyvirus@ roundtownnews.com

Windows 10

Hi Aunty, may I ask your advice once again. I use Internet Explorer and Windows 10. Recently I’ve been plagued with a black screen when I open up, and, when I click on almost anything, the screen stays black for anything up to 10 seconds. It is continuous, and it is driving me nuts. Can you help? Tom. Aunty says, Not too sure what your issue is. If the problem is with Internet Explorer, or Edge as it is in W10, perhaps try a different internet browser like Chrome or Firefox. Perhaps running cleaners like Antimalwarebytes and Adaware will help, if some unwanted programs are causing issues with your internet browser. Have a look at the installed programs, via the control panel, and see if there are any suspicious ones in there, or look at what programs are loading on start up, and eliminate or stop those that you do not want to run all the time.

Interrupted by the message Dear Aunty Virus, My screen is frequently interrupted by the message, “A script on this page may be busy, or it may have stopped responding. You can stop the script now, open the script in the debugger, or let the script continue.” I am then given 3 options, Continue, Debug script or Stop script. At the same time, at the top of the screen there appears the message “Mozilla firefox (No Responde). If I choose ‘continue’ I can carry on with my task for a short while before the message reappears. If I choose ‘debug script’ a panel appears at the bottom of the screen with a series of letters/numbers/symbols, but nothing appears to develop. If I choose ‘stop script’ again I can continue with whatever I am doing, but the message eventually reappears. Can you help, please? Alex

Aunty says, It sounds as if a file in an extension or add-on is not working, or is corrupted, so you´ll need to try to find out which extension or add.on is causing the problem, and then uninstall and reinstall it. Alternatively, you can simply restart firefox with no add-ons, and add the add-ons as and when you need them. That way, you should see which add-on is causing the problem. 1. Click the menu button and then click help . 2. From the Help menu choose Troubleshooting Information. 3. Click the Reset Firefox button in the upper-right corner of the Troubleshooting Information page. 4. To continue, click Reset Firefox in the confirmation window that opens. Reply: Rock on, you’ll do me Tommy. Thank you for your patience and help.

Can’t log on Dear Aunty, I use Windows 10 on my laptop, but recently cannot log on to various websites eg Facebook, Hotmail, most Windows sites, anything with a HTTPS in the title. I can log onto Round Town News, Elche football club, etc. Any ideas? Terry

Aunty says HTTPS is a secure website that requires some form of user name and password to access. As you say, it happens on Hotmail and Facebook, but not other sites, so something in your browser settings is blocking the access. Of course, this depends on which browser you are using, “Edge”, Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox. For example, in IE, you click the Tools menu > “Internet Options.” Click the Advanced tab > Security section. Check the boxes for “Use SSL 2.0” and “Use SSL 3.0”. You could try another browser instead.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #travel 

Exploring an Islamic castle THE CASTELL de Forna at Adsubia was explored by history lovers during a trip with archaeologist Emili Moscardo Sabater acting as guide. by JACK TROUGHTON THE FRIENDS of Javea Museum – or Amics del Museu de Xabia (AMUX) – recently held an exhibition featuring local Islamic castles – and the Castle of Forna is one of the best preserved and most accessible of fortifications in the Marina Alta. The day started with coffee and a short walk around the historic centre of Pego with Ximo Bolufer, the Director of the museum and ended tasting local delicacies; including Arroz con Costra, baked rice with an egg crust. The castle’s largest tower was probably a military or refuge watchtower – or ‘atalaya’ – during Almohad Islamic times in the 12th or 13th Centuries. The village of Forna was taken from the Muslims by King Jaume I in 1258; but the first records of the castle are not until the middle of the 14th Century. The extensions and conversion into a

feudal palace apparently took place 100 years later when the village was owned by the Cruilles family. The castle was excavated in 1981, revealing ceramics dating back to the 14th to 16th Centuries and in 2003 it was restored by Adsubia Town Hall with technical assistance from MARQ, the provincial archaeological museum of Alicante. And a particular piece of fun was a set of medieval or renaissance graﬃti drawings on the wall of a room in the North West tower – one of the best collections in the province. AMUX is a society of people of all nationalities with an interest in the history and archaeology of Javea and the Marina Alta. It supports the activities of the town museum and organises talks and excursions – annual membership is 10€. More information is available from the museum or the blog http://amuxabia. weebly.com.

Inside the castle walls

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leis ure #food ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Creamy Chicken Casserole WINTER MAY not be as cold as in Britain, but there’s still nothing better than a hearty casserole to warm the long winter nights.

Here’s a recipe for a quick and easy casserole that will make you glow inside, serve with a jacket potato, plain boiled rice or simply with chunks of fresh bread to mop up the juices. 4 chicken legs or 8 chicken thighs, boned and cut into bite sized pieces. 2 medium red peppers, cut into chunks. 2 medium courgettes, cut in half lengthways and sliced. 1 large onion, roughly chopped. 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped. 300ml chicken stock. 4 tsps Dijon mustard. 4 tbls thick cream or crème fraîche. 1 tsp fresh thyme, stalks removed (or ½ tsp dried thyme). Olive oil for frying. Salt and pepper. 1 tsp cornflour mixed with a little water 1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. 2. Fry the chicken pieces in a little oil over medium heat until lightly browned (about 5 minutes). Remove and place in a medium sized ovenproof casserole. 3. Fry the peppers and onion in the same oil until they take on a little colour, then add the courgettes and fry for a further 4-5 minutes. Add to the casserole. 4. Add the chicken stock to the pan and heat while scraping

of any burnt bits (these will add to the flavour). 5. Pour the stock over the chicken and vegetables, add the thyme and season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. 6. Cover the casserole and place it in the oven. Cook for 40 minutes. 7. Remove the casserole from the oven and stir in the mustard, cream and cornflour. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Tips Dijon mustard is best for this recipe because of its mild and creamy texture. You can use grain mustard if you prefer, but it may add a slight hint of vinegar. Ready-made English mustard is fine but you may need to use a little less. Serves 4 Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #advertising feature

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Reflections

A breath of fresh air wafted over San Luis in the summer when Reflections, Bar and Restaurant in Calle Aviles when Craig McCarthy and Chris Frydenlund took over as new owners. Some of us will remember when the venue was called the Lakeside going back six years, or so, and was a hub for the finest entertainmentso Craig and Chris are re-creating that very successfully. Craig is the chef and with many years of experience in restaurants is adding his own personal favourite dishes to the menu, which is unique and extensive. Reflections boast a superb 5 euro meal deal served from midday until 5pm from then on the evening and a la carte menus are offered. Chris is front of house and after many years in select hotels in Norway brings superb customer service along with vast knowledge of fine wines, cocktails, liquors and spirits.

The aim of Reflections is to offer customers many daytime activities which include Zumba, Slimming Club, Line Dancing tuition, bingo, Musical bingo and, very soon, all televised sport. Regular evening entertainment includes Monday night Country live music, a firm favourite with line dancers and a General Knowledge Quiz on Tuesdays. Sunday afternoons, Reflections is home to the Big Jam Session at 4pm where musicians and vocalists are invited to have their 15 minutes of fame with likeminded musicians. Reflections are delighted to offer and work alongside many charitable organisations for fundraising events and is available for all private parties, functions, companies or social club meetings. Why not join Reflections Facebook page Reflections Bar/Restaurant for all the up to date programme of events or visit the website reflections-bar.yolasite.com. Or simply pop in and meet the crew, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be given the warmest of welcomes.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #Spanish

Basic Spanish for everyday needs by Jane Cronin



Introduction to Past Simple Festive THE TIME has come to learn the “past simple” tense in Spanish.

I know we learnt another past tense only recently, but that was the “imperfect” or “continuous” tense, and it’s not the same thing at all. The Spanish language has more past tenses than the English language, and herein lies a problem for us, especially those of us who like to translate everything word for word. The past continuous tense has a number of possible translations, and therefore we have to be clear about the concept it represents. Today’s “past simple” tense is actually a little easier for us in this respect. It is used to describe finished events in the past. For example, things I did yesterday – I got up, I had breakfast, I went to work – these are all events that would be described in the past simple tense. This would be the same for things further back in the past – last year I went to Italy on my holidays, ten years ago I lived in Asturias, twenty-one years ago I was born, etc. (yes, that is a joke!) These are all events of varying durations, but the important thing is that they are over and done with. That essentially sums up the use of the past simple tense. You will find that grammar books may give you a range of other uses, but they can probably be summed up by the ones I have explained above. So, that’s the good news – it’s easy to know when to use the tense. The not so good news is how it is formed, which has its difficulties, particularly because there are quite a lot of irregular verbs in this tense. However, first things first, let’s look at the formation of regular past tense verbs, which after all do form the majority. We will look first at “ar” verbs, and go back to one of our

most straightforward ones “mirar” to look. Here are the endings for “-ar” verbs. As usual we place them on the end of the root, in this case “mir”. -é -amos -aste -asteis -ó -aron

I will set out the verb in linear form to avoid problems in the way it comes out on the page and to allow room for the translations. Miré – I looked Miraste – you looked (familiar) Miró – he, she looked. You looked (formal) Miramos – we looked Mirasteis – you looked (familiar plural) Miraron – they looked. There are a couple of things to point out straight away. Firstly, notice the accent on the first and third person endings, which are important when saying the word. If we remove the accent from “miró”, that will give us “miro”, meaning “I look” in the present tense. Notice, on the other hand that “miramos” is the same as the present tense form – so it can mean “we look” or “we looked”. We would only distinguish the difference between these two words by being aware of the context in which they are used. If you think this is confusing, just think of the words “put” or “cut” in English which are exactly the same in past and present, or even more confusing, the word “read” which is spelt the same but pronounced differently in the present and past. Well, we’ve made a start. There will be quite a few more articles on this subject, but at least you now have something to think about between now and next week! See you then.

season boost THE ANNUAL HELP of Denia and the Marina Alta Christmas Fair raised over 3,500€ to support its ongoing work in the community. Saturday shoppers arrived at the Los Arcos Restaurant at Pedregeur throughout the day to enjoy all the usual charity stalls, and buy cakes, bric-a-brac, books and toys. There were also stalls selling cacti, jewellery, rugs, Christmas cards and calendars – Santa was also present, running a ‘play your cards right’ prize challenge. The charity has thanked everyone who supported the event and the organisers and volunteers for their “tireless” eﬀorts. To ﬁnd out more about HELP or to join its team of volunteers, visit the website www.helpofdenia.com or its Facebook page ‘HelpDAMA’.

Crossword Solutions for Last Week CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS Across: 7 Primer; 8 Search; 10 Receded; 11 Maxim; 12 Seen; 13 Knell; 17 Plump; 18 Pare; 22 Sloop; 23 Elector; 24 Eleven; 25 Patron. Down: 1 Oppress; 2 Pitched; 3 Wends; 4 Sea-mile; 5 Proxy; 6 Thyme; 9 Odd number; 14 Clipper; 15 Pasture; 16 Wearing; 19 Asset; 20 Rowed; 21 He-man. QUICK SOLUTIONS Across: 7 Repair; 8 Damage; 10 Verbose; 11 Agree; 12 Road; 13 Tally; 17 State; 18 Moor; 22 Tramp; 23 Tension; 24 Fluffy; 25 Rugged. Down: 1 Bravery; 2 Spartan; 3 Pilot; 4 Manacle; 5 Harry; 6 Sever; 9 Devastate; 14 Stupefy; 15 Foliage; 16 Grenade; 19 Stuff; 20 Vague; 21 Annul.

Suduko Answer

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #pets

Dog language IN THIS article Im going to try to teach you how to become more at ease within your family home and that directly means teaching you how to understand your best friends language. Dogs do not understand ours. by MARTIN JAMES

ITS A very complex understanding that requires both time and patience on the both parties. The objective being that your lifestyle will change forever, an for the better I can assure you. My family and I have been living like this for over a decade now and the results are minding blowing. Life will become easier and your sense of pride and conﬁdence will most certainly grow. Personally seeing people walking with their four legged friends while under the utter most control is a pleasure. It shows commitment an respect to the animal. From day one you will notice a diﬀerence between yourself and your dog. Now its not going to be plain sailing and it will be be frustrating to say the least. But I assure you it will be worth it. There is a couple things that you will need to purchase yourself and I can help with those items along the way. You will need to be focused on the changes coming. For now I would like you to really consider

this. Upon your return to the family home, oﬃce or workshop. How does your dog react? Do you instantly pet your furry friend. Is that the only way you can reach the front door before being subjected to harassment. Did you nip to the loo and got harassed upon your return. Between now and the next time, try to ignore your dog until they settle down and relax. This is when they are lying on their side and not looking at you. it will be hard to start with, this is when your patience will be tested. And only once the animal has relaxed and totally lost interest in you should you recall back to you. This is the start of the balance of leadership within the home changing. Depending on the individual animal this may take a few minutes or hours. My own experience in this stage was hard, an it took hours. This is a change of lifestyle from the start. This now needs to be implemented every time you return to your dog. Good luck to you all and until the next time. woofpad@gmail.com

Shelter’s progress ANIMAL CHARITY AKIRA proudly invites everyone to view the new purpose-built shelter currently nearing completion in Benissa.

It is hoped to ﬁnish construction soon but the charity hopes supporters might wish to see progress on the dog shelter for themselves at the Polygon Industrial Estate, Benissa, near to the Eco Park. The charity, backed by its fund raising team and people’s donations, is supported by Teulada Moraira and Benssa town halls in building a rescue and re-homing centre to serve the two municipalities. The open day has been organised on Thursday 1st December between 2pm and 4pm and there will be signs to the site from the main road – with volunteers looking forward to explaining the facility.

BRONCO - He is a bright and intelligent Pastor Alemán 4 years old - He loves to please you. Bronco is a good boy but would also protect your home. He is full of fun and loves the lady doggies - Bronco needs Somebody to love and take care of him Castrated- full passport - negative of lishmania. 96 5878284 info@doggieangells.org

Alma Blanca rescued

FINCA SAN Miguel de Salinas has managed to rescue another horse. Alma Blanca, whose name means White Soul, had been neglected, and not fed properly, and it is thought her owner wanted to have her put down because of her age. She is about 20. Finca San miguel de Salinas will do all they can to give Alma Blanca the love and care that she needs, to give her a good retirement, but they need some help. Every donation is welcome! Their bank details are: Banco Popular oficina 1055-14, IBAN ES 80 0075 1055 4806 0035 0496 or Paypal happyanimalesspanien@gmail.com. They are having an open day on Saturday 28th November from 1pm, and also a special Christmas open day on Sunday 13th December from 1pm with music and a raffle. Take along some carrots, apples, old bread, dog-food , or dog-biscuits, and have a drink and a bite to eat in a nice atmosphere. All money raised goes to the animals for food, hay and vet’s bills. You can also sponsor an animal from 5€ or 10€ a month, or be a member for 10€ a year. Finca San miguel de Salinas is on the canal road between Villamartín and San Miguel de Salinas. For more information see www.happyanimalesspanien.com, become a member of the FB group finca san miguel de salinas or email nicosolm@hotmail.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leis ure #health /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Facts about pneumonia

PNEUMONIA IS swelling of lung tissue, usually due to an infection, but can also be caused by breathing in corrosive chemicals, or toxic smoke from a fire. Rarely, pneumonia can result from breathing in something to which you are allergic, eg “farmer’s lung”, caused by breathing in dust from mouldy hay. Pneumonia commonly affects: babies, young children and elderly people. smokers. people with lung conditions or weakened immune systems. people who have had their spleen removed. alcoholics. Seek medical advice if you have any of: shivering and fever. a cough, possibly with yellow, green, brownish or bloodstained phlegm. fast and shallow breathing. bluish tinge around lips and nails. pain on breathing or coughing. acute confusion. herpes (cold sores). If you experience rapid breathing, chest pain or confusion, seek urgent medical attention. Mild cases of pneumonia can usually be treated at home with antibiotics, rest and fluids. For people with other health conditions, pneumonia can sometimes be severe and should

be treated in hospital as complications can be fatal. If somebody has recently been abroad, they should tell their doctor as foreign bacteria may require a different treatment. In repeated cases of pneumonia and where the condition fails to respond to a series of different treatments, further investigations will be necessary to rule out more serious conditions such as lung cancer. Even following successful treatment, the patient may feel tired, get short of breath, and have a persistent cough for a few weeks. A pneumococcal vaccine protects against the most common kind of pneumonia, All adults over 65 years. of age, and those with chronic conditions, should consider having a pneomococcal vaccine. If unsure, contact your health centre for advice. Unlike the flu vaccine which needs to be given every year, the pneumonia vaccine is usually a ‘one off’

injection. Around five years after the vaccination, your doctor can take a blood sample to see if it is still effective. Failure to get vaccinated means you run the risk of catching pneumonia.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #people

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The Samaritans need you! by patricia thompson

DO YOU have what it takes to be a Samaritan in Spain? Are you curious about the work of Samaritans in Spain? Would you be interested in becoming a duty “listener” on the 900 52 51 00 freephone help line which offers a 24 hour/365 days a year service, or do you have a few hours a week to helpin a charity shop, fundraising or admin? In 2016 Samaritans in Spain will be expanding their network and are currently advertising for new volunteers to come forward not only for their headquarters at Punta Prima, but also for new listener teams planned in the Gran Alacant - Alicante, Javea and Mazarrón areas. Samaritans in Spain welcome applications from fluent English speaking adult volunteers of any nationality. Due to the confidential nature of their work offering impartial emotional support, listener volunteers are asked to provide references for some background checks and undergo a period of training and mentoring. It is a thoroughly rewarding yet demanding rôle and hence there is constant support and focus on team welfare and back-up. Some listeners at Punta Prima also volunteer for the charity shop and are on call during shop hours and for face-to-face consultations at the newly opened drop-in centre.Other shop volunteers are happy tobeengaged solely forthe retail side of things but have awareness training and are fully briefed to handle people in distress and direct them to the duty listening team. Many callers make a first tentative approach for help by browsing in the shop and getting to know the staff and stopping for a friendly chat.Extra hands are always welcome even if only one day a week. The duty rosters are drawn up as far as possible to suit everyone´s needs. All volunteers are unpaid, but expenses may be claimed. Samaritans in Spain would also love to hear from volunteers who might like to assist at headquarters with general office admin., delivering publicity material, running errands and so on.It might suit a recently retired person with their own transport who would welcome joining an established group for social contacts and an opportunity to get out and about and meet other people. Samaritans volunteers also attend shows, fairs and exhibitions and help with organising fun day events etc. All volunteers receive a monthly newsletter, invitations to group social occasions, AGM and other team meetings. For those who do not feel they can commit to a listener role orregular workat the centre, there is also a new group called Friends of Samaritans (they have their own Facebook page) who organise numerous fundraising events.For more information please visit www.samaritansinspain.comand, to register your interestas a volunteer for Alicante, please contact the GeneralManagerstephenrbaker@ outlook.comand help play an important part inyour local community. Remember, ifanyone in distress needs someone to talk to, lines are always open: Call free 900 525100.

Moraira Teulada monthly general meeting details THE VENUE for the meeting, on Monday 7th December, is Salón de Banquettes, Avenida Mediterráneo, Teulada.

The doors will open at 9.30am in order for the committee to prepare the room. The formal meeting starts at 10:30am. Those attending are welcome from 9:30am until 10:30am to join groups and also find out about travel and cultural events. Once the meeting has started at 10:30am these desks will be closed. The membership desk will not be open at this meeting for renewals nor for new member applications. These will have to wait until the first meeting in the new near, on Monday 4th January 2016. Whilst there is no speaker at this meeting, the committee have made arrangements for the U3A Band to play between 10am and 10.30am, before the meeting. The photograph group will display some of the photographs that were exhibited in an exhibition held in the Art Hall in La Senieta in Moraira in October, and Pauline McGough will sing some Christmas songs. The writing group, which has enjoyed recent successes, will present a Christmas reading and the drama group, who recently gave a special performance to the local children of Teulada and Moraira of “Alice”, will present a comical sketch. All this, along with coffee, mince pies and Christmas goodies, plus the free raffle with three prizes, one of 50€ and two of 25€, will take place after the formal business.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #people

Christmas comes to town CALPE’S HOSTS a Christmas Fair next month that is planned will become an annual event – and the largest in the region.

THE HISTORIC centre of the Old Town will become a winter wonderland packed with attractions for all the family from Saturday 6th December until Tuesday 8th December.

And Calpe Town Hall has brought in specialist festival organisers La Fragua de Vulcano to run the event – with market stalls being given free to local businesses and associations. Councillor Carole Saunders said: “It is the first time the organisation has been to Calpe. Apparently they are very good and run different events throughout the year. “They bring everything to turn the streets into Christmas. There will be lights, inflatables, and a whole host of people dressed up in costume. “There is music and workshops, large

The Ritz

Gift shopping THE RITZ Restaurant in Albir will be holding a Christmas gift fair on Wednesday 2nd December.

Christmas.

Nativity scenes, and, obviously a chance to visit Santa in his Grotto,

or as the Spanish say ‘La Caseta de Santa Claus’.”

In the build up to Christmas many of us struggle to buy that “something special” gift for our loved ones or friends, so stalls at the Ritz seasonal fair will be offering a wide variety of present choices, ranging from Guess watches to perfumes and beauty products, as well as items that may make the finishing touches to your decorations or outfits. The restaurant is on Passeig de les Estrelles, Playa del Albir, and starts at 12 noon. For further information please telephone 966 86 74 48 or go to their website www.theritzalbir.com.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leis ure people /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Humanists of Murcia easy rambling by PATRICIA THOMPSON

TWENTY HUMANIST members and friends met at the harbour in La Azohía for a gentle stroll up the rambla to Campillo de Adentro. There was a stop at the edge of the pueblo for a short talk on Christopher Hitchens’ interpretation of the 10 commandments. Another stop was made at the Campillo bar and social

centre for drinks and then the group set off to the old Guardia Civil barracks. There are several differing explanations of the original use of the building. The walk returned down the rambla and some walkers who had not expected to complete the walk excelled themselves by doing just that. The morning’s discussions during the walk centred, as expected, to the French murders and how society could

cope with such incidents. Lunch was held at La Chara Restaurante in Isla Plana for their usual excellent menú del día. The next easy rambling walk may be on Boxing Day depending on the numbers. For more information about the Humanists of Murcia activities, go to the new web site at humanistsofmurcia.com.

Dog shelter to host Christmas fair THE LA Nucia dog shelter, Protectora de Animales de La Nucia, is hosting an open day with a Christmas theme on Sunday 6th December.

The shelter, which houses unwanted and abandoned animals, is hoping that as many people as possible can join them in celebrating the festive time whilst raising money to help maintain the shelter. From 9am until 2pm visitors will be able to enjoy a market, bar, music and of course see many of the animals looking for “forever homes.” The shelter can be found at the Polígono Industrial de l´Alberca, Parcela 51, 03530 La Nucía. Further information can be found at www.protectoraanimaleslanucia.com.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure people

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ramble through the New Chaplain in Torrevieja Apine forest

Eleven members of the rambling group headed north on the N322 to Guardamar Del Segura, next to the mouth of the River Segura overlooking a long beach boarded by a large expanse of sand dunes and pine forest.

ON A warm Costa Blanca November day, members of the Anglican Chaplaincy of St Peter & St Paul, Torrevieja, celebrated and welcomed their new Chaplain, The Venerable Richard A Seabrook SSC. The Eucharist was celebrated by The Venerable Geoffrey S Johnston, Archdeacon of Gibraltar, as the President. The Los Balcones Church was full to capacity with members from the congregations across the chaplaincy, their families, friends and guests, together with many clergy and representatives from the various religious denominations in the area and representatives from local associations and groups. Passages of scripture were read by Stephen Treseder, a

reader, and The Reverend Canon Terence Sampson, a clergy member of the chaplaincy. The Los Balcones’ organist, Wendy Sharpe, provided the music. A poignant Homily was preached by Father Geoffrey Before the Commissioning and Blessing Father Richard took the opportunity to address those present, with the congregation responding with a tumultuous round of applause! After the service Father Richard was joined by his mother Beryl, who had travelled from the UK, along with Father Geoffrey, at a sumptuous buffet provided by members of the Chaplaincy’s congregations; an ideal opportunity for those present to continue the fellowship on this very special celebration.

The “Dunas De Guardamar” forest parklands, running parallel with the coast, are covered with pine and eucalyptus. The 4.5 mile circular walk was alongside the smaller of the two Segura Rivers, popular with English anglers for wild carp. Man-made irrigation canals run into the Segura, controlled via sluice gates by local farmers. Sadly most of them are poorly maintained and full of debris and plastic bottles. A loop through the Dunes Pine Forest gave good views of the surrounding forest and the Mediterranean. A small track led back down to the River Segura and the open sea. Crossing the smaller river via one of the bridges, the group had fantastic views of the larger river, and sightings of herons, flocks of cormorants, little egrets, many types of ducks, and kingfishers. After walking parallel with the main Segura for about twenty minutes , they turned inland on a circular path through agricultural land, fruit orchards, olive trees and irrigation canals.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #people 

Up the Legion - another successful poppy appeal

by KEITH NICOL

THE ROYAL British Legion’s annual Poppy Appeal has once again been raising funds for ex-servicemen and their families. In fact, all year round, as well as in the run up to Remembrance Sunday, volunteers work hard, either helping with fundraising or doing something else to help the cause.

Members of the Torrevieja Branch

At the Gran Alacant and La Marina Branch, the Branch Treasurer, Brian Hunt, was keen to point out that all the funds raised in Spain stay in Spain to help beneficiaries who live here, with 91% of all the monies going directly to help ex-servicemen and women, and just nine cents in the euro going toward administration. The Torrevieja Branch raised 18,000€ in 2014, although Chairman Gerry Lynch explained that local efforts took a major knock recently with the closure of the municipal theatre and the cancellation of the planned Armistice Show. However, he was hopeful that this year’s end result will be pretty similar to 2014. Similar efforts have also been taking place at the Orihuela Costa Branch where the new Poppy Appeal Coordinator is Eddie Coleman. The branch had raised 10,666€, to the end of October, from a variety of different events and functions. Following the Poppy Appeal count, the total sum raised by the Orihuela Costa Branch currently stands at 31,000€, with a number of benefactors still to hand in their monies. Here in Spain the funds collected are consolidated by the District North offices, from where they are allocated to the support and welfare of veterans and their families living in Spain. This can include vital medical equipment, hearing aids, wheelchairs, glasses, mobility scooters, food or anything else required for their immediate support. All applications for help are income and savings related, to ensure the neediest are dealt with first, but the RBL will reply to any call for assistance within 3 days. Branches are also training more welfare case workers, with volunteers who generously give up their time to work with the many brave souls who gave, and continue to give, so much for us all. Contact details of all the branches in District North (Spain) are available on the website: www.britishlegion.org.uk/counties/spainnorth. For welfare enquiries please ring 676 45 17 80 and, for all other queries, ring 648 86 02 51.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #people 

HELP on the road VOLUNTEERS OF Jalon Valley HELP are now mobile after the charity purchased a much-needed van to ferry people, equipment, and furniture to sell in its shops.

Van

by JACK TROUGHTON VOLUNTEERS OF Jalon Valley HELP are now mobile after the charity purchased a much-needed van to ferry people, equipment, and furniture to sell in its shops. The Masonic Home of Valencia Association donated 5,000€ to help buy the second hand vehicle; and HELP was also supported by a 1,500€ from La Caixa Bank, and 1,000€ each from Premier Villas Spain, Ansteel, and S&S Building Services. And SR Print and Design completed all the graphics for the van – which lists the supporters’ names on the coachwork – while mechanic Steve Barnsley from Benichembla will keep it on the road. The can bears the charity’s mottos: “Together we can make a difference” and “Jalon Valley HELP, in time of need”. The van – which is already in use – was officially unveiled at a cava reception outside the Moraira Charity Shop. It was described as being “worth its weight in gold”. Charity President Elaine Horton told RTN: “It’s a lovely van and I cannot begin to tell you what a difference it has already made for are team of volunteers. “The money arrived within a month of me saying ‘we need a van’. As soon as the Freemasons heard of the appeal, the money just fell in – the van is second hand but it looks very good.” She said it was felt the Jalon Valley charity was now getting the recognition larger good causes attracted. “This is a huge leap forward for us and we are very grateful for it. “As a charity, we cannot do it on our own. We need volunteers and the community putting its hands in its pockets to support us.”

Date change for carol evening

DUE TO totally unforeseen circumstances, the date of the Vivace Carol Evening has had to be changed and will now be on Thursday 3rd December at 8pm. Once again, San Miguel based choir Vivace is inviting everyone to join with them in a gentle start to the Christmas season. A programme of community carols, seasonal items and a short Christmas cantata sung by the choir, make up the evening’s entertainment. Admission is free, and carol sheets will be provided, so why not go along to the Casa de Cultura in San Miguel for an hour or so, and get into the spirit of Christmas. Remember the date! Thursday 3rd December at 8pm. For any further information, telephone 965 72 09 19.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #motoring

Tim Saunders Independent unbiased car reviewer

Peugeot 5008 MPV

TRANSPORTING SEVEN people in comfort can present a problem, unless of course you don’t mind Transit vans. PEUGEOT HAS a solution though in its 5008 MPV (multipurpose vehicle). Unlike the earlier Peugeot 807 people carrier the 5008 is more compact, making it more enjoyable to drive but this does mean that if there are seven passengers there’s not a huge amount of room for luggage. Importantly for the driver it’s not too diﬃcult to reverse or manoeuvre. This style of vehicle is quite van-like in terms of appearance but it is very much like a car to drive and driver appeal is one of the advantages of the Peugeot. The test model, a two-litre diesel Allure – top-of-the-range - is equipped with a six-speed automatic gearbox but it can also be driven like a manual. At low speeds, typically up hill, this gearbox is a little indecisive, not sure whether to go for third gear or second, which does make for the occasional uncomfortable jolt. It is quite frugal for a vehicle of its size, returning over 40mpg on average. I put it through its paces over a long weekend to Pembrokeshire where we experienced a variety of roads. On the motorway (the M4, over the Severn Bridge) it was very capable, happily cruising at 70mph, even though it was heavily laden with ﬁve passengers and luggage. Cruise

control makes life so much easier on such travels and the electric child lock engaged by the click of a switch on the driver’s door is easy to operate. The one-way streets, invariably up sharp inclines in this part of the world, certainly cause the tired motorist some confusion but thank goodness I’m driving the 5008 because the auto box makes light work of the hills. I’m not usually a fan of electronic handbrakes but the one fitted to this vehicle is quick and simple to engage and disengage. Inside, the Allure benefits from an enormous panoramic glass roof (with electric sliding cover), which makes the vehicle really light and airy as you can see in the video at testdrives.biz. The front passengers get captain style seats with pull down armrests that can be adjusted to the desired height. The driver’s seat is certainly comfortable, hardwearing and supportive although I do find that when my daughter’s baby seat is in place behind I cannot push my seat back quite as far as I might desire. There are all the gadgets the modern day motorist could dream of including sat nav, a useful head-up display showing the speed and ensuring the driver doesn’t take their eyes off the road.

Air conditioning and a good quality sound system are all part of the package. New price range: 22,223€ - 30,892€ Power: 163bhp 0-60mph: 10.2secs Top speed: 118mph Economy: 40mpg Watch the video at www.testdrives.biz

Advanced motorist Tim Saunders is the former Business and Motoring Editor of the Bournemouth Daily Echo. His regular test reports appear in numerous newspapers, magazines and websites throughout the UK, Ireland and Gibraltar. For more independent unbiased car reviews and videos visit www.testdrives.biz

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #teams 

Jaguars – the big cat burglary

A JOINT meeting between The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club, Spain, Costa Blanca and The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club, Spain, Costa Del Sol by PATRICIA THOMPSON AFTER A splendid dinner, there was a request for donations partly towards club funds but mostly for a most worthy cause, and a total of 700€ will be donated to Help For Heroes. At some time during that evening a “Cat Burglar” stole the club mascot, a one metre long Jaguar Cat, from the hotel reception. With the help of the CCTV in reception and the tremendous efforts of the staff and management of the hotel the mascot was recovered the following day. The following day 43 shining Jaguars headed off into the mountains of Andalucía, to Lake Viñuela, where the Hotel Viñuela hosted lunch. If you live in Spain and own a Jaguar you should be a member of The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club. JEC Spain has regular meeting through the year with a few special events spread across the year. For details of these events go to www.jec-spain.com and select events. Something very special is planned for April 2017, “the Big One” at the fabulous Hotel Parador De Leon, the flagship Parador 5 star hotel. Details are on the web site and, as this event is proving to be extremely popular, register your interest now.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #teams /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Torrevieja lose 1-0 to Paterna by Keith Nicol

CD TORREVIEJA lost again on Sunday and now sit just above the relegation zone. Before kick off a minute’s silence was also held for former Genral Secretary of the International Supporters Club, The Torry Army, Brian Phillips. The Torry Army said: “It is with great sadness we have to report that Torry Army member and big sports fan and avid follower of CD Torrevieja and Southampton, Brian Phillips, passed away. I am sure that all your thoughts at this sad time are with his wife Pat.” We here at the Coastrider also pass on our condolences to Pat and the family. Sadly, it is also becoming an easy exercise to predict what’s going to happen in a standard Torrevieja game. They start well, even superbly at times, and usually control the first half hour playing deep and repeatedly from the back. When these moves are not transformed into goals, sadly, the picture darkens, and with inaccurate passes, poor judgement, passes to the opposition, and usually a momentary loss of concentration when the defence

should simply clear the ball up-field but instead fails and that cost is a goal. After that, they push and push and have an urgency that they seem to miss until they go a goal behind, and, on Sunday, this pattern repeated itself yet again, in a new episode of a cyclical nightmare that leaves Torrevieja fighting to get away from a relegation play-off spot. As half time approached, yet another moment of indecisiveness allowed Paterna’s David

CD Montesinos news

Gil to convert a nothing of a chance into a goal that would give the visitors all three points and leave Torrevieja four from bottom in the league with 13 points from 15 games and yet another one nil defeat. This was their fifth defeat by a solitary goal this season. The club’s only home game in December will also be played at the Nelson Mandela Stadium on December 13th against UD Rayo Ibense.

CD MONTESINOS football team travelled to San Miguel last weekend to visit one of their biggest rivals and play their first game at the newly designed ground, in glorious sunshine but with a cold wind. Being the first time of playing there, the game was announced with the sound of rockets and fireworks. Racing San Miguel responded well to those fireworks, leaving Montesinos in their wake and coming out winners three goals to nil. For a full match report and additional information about CD Montesinos and their International Supporters club, The Full Monte’, take a look at the club’s website www.cdmontesinos.com, email thefullmonte2011@hotmail.com or check-out CD Montesinos on Facebook. Next Sunday, 29th November 2015, CD Montesinos will be at home against San Isidro with kick-off at 4pm.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

Classifieds

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

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Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

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FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY Own your own lingerie, clothing and swimwear boutique. Prices from 10,000 Euros including stock and shop fittings. Full help and support given throughout. Established company with over 10 years trading in Spain. Call Peter on 660 170 355 without obligation.

STRICTLY SOCIAL CLUB Why not come and join us for an afternoon of entertainment, fun, quizzes and games. We also have speakers, and arrange meals out and coach outings. We meet on the top floor at The New Asturias Restaurant, Punta Prima between 2.30 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each Month. Open to all age-groups. For more info call Margaret on 966730569 or Brian on 678807159. Looking forward to meeting you.

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Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

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Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

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Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

I BUY RECORDS, LP´S, SINGLES AND CD´S Anystyle, Jazz, Blues, Pop, Punk, Rock, ect... Top cash paid 622 750 117 I BUY RECORDS LP´S SINGLES AND CD´s ANY STYLE, JAZZ, BLUES, POP, PUNK, ROCK, ETC... TOP CASH PAID. 622 750 117 RECORDS AND CDS WANTED Pop,Rock,Jazz,Blues. Top Cash Paid. 630665363

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

TORREVIEJA & SURROUNDINGS - LADIES enjoy a sensual spanking and much more. The Headmaster visits you at home. Details: headmaster@live.co.uk GENERIC VIAGRA Blue Pill Spain supplies all your generic Viagra at the best prices. Buy Super Kamagra, Kamagra, Kamagra Polo, Super P-Force, Aurogra, Tadalafil/Cialis or weight loss pill Sibutril. email bluepillspain@gmail.com or call 660 332 803. Nationwide Delivery Service SOPHIE ESCORT Slim elegant naughty lady. Hotel/home visit available. Tel: 693 357 526 CASA ANGELA TORREVIEJA Luxury Private Chalet, parking. Drinks invitation. Feeling alone? Just want some company? Exotic girls from South America. Call us, come and enjoy! Also Escort Service. Full discretion. Street: Avenida Asociacion Vistimas del Terrorismo. 609-573-468 or 639-832-118

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

life&leisure #sports

CF Torrevieja receive award THE PRESIDENT of CF Torrevieja, Joaquín Sala, and coach of the Under 18 ‘A’ team, Helios Martínez, collected the Champions’ trophy that the team obtained last season. by KEITH NICOL AS IS tradition, the trophies were awarded at the gala organized every year by the Valencian Football Federation. Last season the team had a brilliant regular season in which they took first position, being one of the top four clubs in the regional category, which is divided into six groups in the region. This path even served them to be exempt from the first round of play offs for promotion, but they were eliminated in the second round by the Celtic Elche, who came second to Torrevieja in the league standings. Although there was an expectation for promotion to National League, which has not been achieved since the late 90s, the group lost against Elche 2-0 at home and had a goalless draw in Torrevieja. CF Torrevieja’s Youth ‘A’ team are currently second in their league and, this year, will be hoping to once again reach the play offs, which will allow this season’s ‘B’ team, who next year will become the ‘A’ team, to play in the top category, if they are successful.

Ruben Suarez, one of CD Torrevieja’s new signings

Cricket España National Finals El Plantio Golf Society monthly medal

19 MEMBERS turned out for the monthly medal together with a guest couple from Belgium, the female part of the duo coming a very creditable second. LAST WEEKEND three Spanish Cricket teams met in a contest to decide who would be crowned the Spanish National Cricket Champions. The splendid Woodbridge Oval at Alfaz de Pi was the venue where Cataluña Cricket club, champions of the Cataluña league, St Georges cricket club from Lanzarote, champions of the Spanish Islands and the Eastern and Central league champions, Sporting Alfas Cricket Club came together on Friday 13th November to battle it out over three days. Many spectators had come to watch the finals take place. Even the famous duck pond seemed to have more feathery friends than usual. They flew in from everywhere. First up was Sporting Alfas CC hoping that home advantage would see them into Sunday’s final. Their opponents for Friday’s clash over a forty over contest was St Georges CC, who finished their innings on a healthy 172 for 7. In reply, Sporting Alfas batted to a comfortable victory in the 32nd over, and they were into Sunday’s final. The Island champions had to be at the very top of their game if they were to beat the impressive Cataluña CC on Saturday, knowing the winners of the game would play the home team in

Sunday’s final. Having won the toss, Cataluña CC decided to bat, but disaster struck when in the first ball of the second over A. Ali was back in the pavilion for a first ball golden duck. The ducks in the pond quacked him off, with the team score on 8. However the second wicket fell some 229 runs later setting St Georges CC a massive 367 to win, which was just a step too far. Not many grounds would look better than the Woodbridge Oval, soaked in sunshine, clear blue skies and surrounded by a beautiful landscape, a perfect setting for Sunday’s final. As spectators tucked into their bacon baps and sipped their tea, the captains started proceedings with the toss of the coin. Cataluña CC won the toss and decided to bat first. Cataluña CC finished on 243 for 9. The game come down to the last over. Sporting Alfas couldn’t add more drama to this thoroughly entertaining final, with the last wicket falling with 2 balls to go, finishing on 232, and so the cup and the title of the National Champions went to Cataluña Cricket Club. It was a marvellous 3 days of entertaining cricket and all the players, officials, helpers and supporters should be praised and thanked for the spirit in which the games were played.

The results were:- NTP hole 1 Lawrence Wanty, hole 8 Ian Henderson. In 3rd place, handicap 7, Ian Craig Net 58, in 2nd place, handicap 14, Mereille Net 57, and in 1st place, handicap 9, Ray Housley Net 55. The society plays at El Plantio Golf Club on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, using both courses, the Par 3 nine hole course and the main 18 hole course, catering for all abilities. The membership rates are very competitive, and anyone who wishes to play in the society as a guest or join as a new member, should contact Ian Henderson on 966 71 66 16 or 636 11 62 30.

Friday, November 27 - Thursday, December 3 2015

CF Torrevieja receive award

THE PRESIDENT of CF Torrevieja, Joaquín Sala, and coach of the Under 18 ‘A’ team, Helios Martínez, collected the Champions’ trophy that the team obtained last season. Read the full story on page 87.