News

B_TWEEN BENCH INCLUSIVE SEATING

The Minister for Equality, the Hon Samantha Sacramento, MP, was proud to join representatives of the International Commercial Centre (I.C.C.) and GAMMA Architects at the unveiling of the first ‘wheelchair inclusive’ public bench on Thursday 5th March outside the I.C.C.

The B_Tween Bench, designed by local company Gamma Architects, took third place at the Street Seats international design challenge in 2018 and the Department of Equality and the I.C.C. were two of the sponsors of this design at the competition stage.

This particular bench has been purchased by the I.C.C. The Department of Equality has also already purchased another bench, which will be revealed in coming weeks at another location.

Furthermore the Minister for Equality has arranged for Government to purchase further benches to be installed throughout Gibraltar going forward. B_Tween Benches will soon be seen in the new park at Governor’s Parade

Ruth Massias Greenberg, Director at Gamma Architects, said: “We hope our bench will positively impact the lives of those with disabilities who live within our communities - but we feel that the positive impact is in both directions - both for the disabled person and anyone else sitting on the bench around them. The bench embraces those who may sometimes sit on the margins of society - we no longer want people to be on the side but rather in our epicentres - the bench is an expression of this. We are also delighted to launch our website where people can find out more: www.btweenbench. com

“We believe that it is not people who are disabled but rather buildings and places that are not equipped or inclusively designed to be able to accommodate. We are delighted to be able to use design as a mechanism for positive change.

“We are really grateful to all the sponsors who helped us get here; Hyperion, ITEK, Eroski, Montagu Group and AmCham. We are really grateful to the Department of Equality for their support, sponsorship and encouragement. We are also delighted that the

ICC as primary sponsor has also invested in placing a bench in a primary spot where we hope the exposure will help raise awareness of important issues of inclusivity.”

A representative for the ICC said: “We are very proud to be invited to join this amazing initiative that we hope will make a difference to people using the benches. As part of our ongoing development we are always eager to explore new approaches to accessibility for all. Our aim and goal is for the ICC, with our planned improvements, is to be a champion and example of inclusivity for everyone. The B_Tween Bench is an expression of this and we are delighted to be a part of it.”

Minister for Equality, the Hon. Samantha Sacramento, MP, said: “Projects like this are fundamental in an inclusive society. This bench is truly inclusive, not only because the wheelchair user is not on the fringes, but also because, as an end user, a wheelchair user has been fully consulted at the concept and design stage. The importance of this cannot be stressed enough. I look forward to see more of these benches appear around Gibraltar.”

COVID-19

As the news is changing rapidly by the hour and we are a monthly magazine, and because you are all probably overloaded and overwhelmed with with coronavirus-related news, we have purposefully left out all related updates in this magazine. However, you can keep up to date via the news section on our website (thegibraltarmagazine. com/category/news) which we are updating multiple times per day.

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50 wines by the glass 40 small dishes of Mediterranean cuisine

RESTORATION OF ANTIQUE MIRRORED SIDEBOARD BELONGING TO THE LARIOS FAMILY

The Department of Environment and Heritage recently commissioned the restoration of a unique piece of antique furniture that once belonged to one of the most well known families in Gibraltar’s history, the Larios.

This ornate mirrored sideboard dating from the late 1800’s once adorned the dining room on the first floor of the current City Hall when it was the property of the Larios Family. The City Hall was originally constructed in 1815 by one of the Rock’ leading merchants, Aaron Cardozo. Over the years the building changed hands a couple of times, being occupied by the Gibraltar Garrison Club in 1833 and becoming the Club Hotel from 1839 until 1875. It was then purchased by Pablo Antonio Larios y Tashara, one of the leading business men and property owners of the City. He was the scion of an old Castilian family who had acquired a right of residence in Gibraltar.

Larios carried out an in-depth renovation and refurbishment of his new acquisition with a new storey being added along the west face of the building, crowned with a white marble balustrade. There was extensive refurbishment, which included the dining room, situated to the south of the building; the main features of the room was the fireplace with panels of carved alabaster and a massive richly-carved sideboard.

This sideboard was subsequently moved to other premises. It was re-discovered years later in a private property in Main Street and the new owner kindly donated it to the Government via the Gibraltar Heritage Trust who were instrumental in liaising with the developers in the build up to the conservation work.

This piece is carved from walnut wood in the Victorian Rococo style (also known as Late Baroque) which was highly in fashion into the 1870s. Highly embellished furniture of this period often features themes inspired from nature such as fruits, seeds and nuts as well as Greek inspired imagery – in this case goddesslike carvings on the posts and ornamental urn finials along the top. It is likely that this piece was made to order by a cabinet maker in nearby Spain where Walnut Wood is easily available. Note the monogram ‘PL’ on the shield centre, top of the piece which confirms ownership of this statement piece by Pablo Larios himself.

The piece was restored by Robert Sanguinetti and took three months to complete and can be viewed in the lobby of the City Hall.

Minister John Cortes said, “We have such a rich heritage in Gibraltar. Sometimes it turns up in unexpected corners in unexpected ways. The Larios dresser is a work of art and I am so pleased that it has been so expertly restored and found its place back home in a place where it can be seen and enjoyed by all”.

GIBRALTAR TOURIST BOARD ROAD SHOW IN EDINBURGH

The Gibraltar Tourist Board (GTB) held a successful road show in Edinburgh, Scotland on 3rd March.

The event was held specifically to promote the start of flights on 31st March from Edinburgh to Gibraltar, operated by easyJet.

The event, held at the Balmoral Hotel, attracted forty one agents from the Edinburgh area. During the evening agents were able to meet with Gibraltar’s industry partners from the UK and The Rock in order to learn more about the destination.

Working alongside the GTB were easyJet, Blands, the Rock Hotel, the Elliott Hotel, Sunborn Gibraltar, M H Bland, Edinburgh Airport, Fred Holidays and Osprey Holidays.

Minister for Tourism, the Hon Vijay Daryanani MP, who was not able to travel to the event due to important Government business said, “The start of flights from Edinburgh is excellent news for Gibraltar as it will deliver business to the hospitality, tourism and retail industry. This event follows on from three other successful shows in London, Manchester and Bristol a few weeks ago. I am particularly grateful to those industry partners from the UK and Gibraltar who make the effort to work alongside the great team at the GTB at these events.”

Gibraltar Risk and Compliance Professionals Join with CISI to Raise Professional Standards in Global Financial Markets

The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) and the Gibraltar Association of Compliance Officers (GACO) are delighted to announce a collaboration aimed at strengthening the culture, integrity and professionalism of financial services markets and practitioners.

The confirmation will mean that reciprocal arrangements will be in place for members of both organisations to access mutual qualifications, membership and continuing professional development (CPD) content.

Formed in 2004, GACO is a nonprofit membership body with 180 members. It aims to enhance the role of compliance, providing educational programmes, acting as a forum for discussion for compliance professionals and an industry consultative body. GACO’s training and

qualifications cover areas including anti-money laundering and cybersecurity.

The CISI is the global membership professional body encompassing financial services sectors including wealth management, financial planning and capital markets. With over 45,000 members in over100 countries, CISI’s 40,000 exams last year were sat in 81 countries and its qualifications are recognised by 61 global regulators.

Helena Wilson Chartered MCSI, Assistant Director, CISI Global Business Development said: “We are extremely pleased to enter into this agreement with GACO which will support our respective memberships in the important dynamic, global financial services areas of professional

development, compliance, risk, integrity and ethics.”

Mr Carlos Martins, GACO Chairman (right in photo with Richard Bennett, CISI Head of Membership) said: “In the space of only a few months we have been successful in achieving an arrangement which will no doubt be mutually beneficial to both parties. We very much look forward to developing this for the advancement of professional standards in all applicable fields."

CISI launches Gibraltar National Advisory Council

The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) is delighted to announce the launch of its National Advisory Council (NAC) for Gibraltar.

The new CISI Gibraltar NAC President is Ian Woods, Chartered MCSI of Bank J. Safra Sarasin (Gibraltar) Ltd and Committee members are:

• Mary Boyd, ACSI, Group Head of Risk at Blacktower Financial Management (International) Limited, CISI NAC Vice-President

• Michelle Walsh, Head of Compliance, Risk & Regtech at Ince Gibraltar, CISI NAC Committee Member • Tyrone Vinet, Policy & Risk Manager at Turicum Private Bank, CISI NAC Committee Member

• Alvaro Lopez, Legal and Compliance Officer, Altarius Capital, CISI NAC Committee Member

The NAC (right: Mary Boyd NAC Vice-President (centre) with the Committee members Alvaro Lopez and Michelle Walsh) will support CISI membership in Gibraltar and steer CISI’s activities in developing professional standards across the finance profession.

For more information on our work in Gibraltar, visit cisi.org/gibraltar

Ian Woods, Chartered MCSI

Tyrone Vinet, Policy & Risk Manager