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Mijas Costa
A Estepona KIN A D OF MAGIC ll about
April 2019
Estepona has managed to avoid the mass market tourism of the rest of the Costa del Sol, writes Charlie Smith
in her hands A WOMAN holding the world sea. above the blue Mediterranean Estepona and This is a fitting image for latest mural. is the subject of the town’s 49th work in the Called Atlantis, it is the art, located up town’s series of street de los Reales, the steep hill of Avenida views down to which offers unparalleled the sea (see page 20). Jose Fernandez But this new painting by Women’s Rios, unveiled on International a celebration Day, reveals more than just to society. of female contributions evolving natuIt captures the constantly global re of Estepona and its impressive a medium-sicredentials, despite being zed town. series alone, Within Estepona’s mural mural in you have the largest vertical braille mural Europe, and even the first pieces, to assist in Spain, using ceramic impaired. the learning of the visuallyunusual exammost the of Perhaps one appeal is ples of Estepona’s worldwide area in the earDisney’s discovery of the
Photo by Jon Clarke
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Vol. 13 Issue 316 www.theolivepress.es April 24th - May 7th 2019
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A town in bloom... Estepona special inside
Shop horror
We’re here to stay! HUNDREDS of new British residents have registered to live in southern Spain. The number of registered UK nationals in Malaga has zoomed up despite the spectre of Brexit. A sizeable 600 more people were registered at the end of last year compared to 2017. And the numbers are expected to have risen further over the last quarter, believe experts. “I think many people are worried, so that has increased registrations,” Anne Hernandez, president of national support group Brexpats in Spain told the Olive Press. “And a lot of Brits are currently moving to Spain, because they don’t want to leave their dream move any longer. “Some of them just say they ‘want to escape the UK’.”
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CRIME SPREE: At La Cala supermarket
Expats demand action after spate of robberies at Mercadona
Continues on Page 4
Opinion Page 6
SPAIN’S biggest supermarket chain has refused to up its security despite a string of British expats claiming they were robbed at one of its stores. It comes after half a dozen British shoppers told the Olive Press how
My Brexit vision The Olive Press meets British art genius Mat Collishaw at his new exhibition Brexit brushstrokes, Page 14
EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore
they had fallen prey to brazen thieves in the La Cala de Mijas branch of Mercadona. The group, who are appealing for action, warned that the same problem is occuring at various other branches of the store along the coast. One expat, Dee March, 55, from Portsmouth, claimed she was robbed a shocking TWO times in 10 days at the same branch. The mother-of-three, who lives near to the store, lost hundreds of euros alongside ‘priceless’ mementos of her dead daughter. “I was so upset yet they didn’t even take me to an office or offer to call the police,” she said.
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“The female manager simply couldn’t care less. I was appalled.” “The thieves took my purse with €180 and all my credit cards the first time and €30 the second time, as well as priceless mementos from my daughter who passed away three years ago. “One was a card from her funeral which I can never replace, it’s terrible.” She insists the supermarket should now erect barriers at tills, introduce more cameras and hire more security guards to deal with the problem. Another victim, 64, who has lived in Spain since 1972, added: “I was targeted in the same shop when two women stole a purse and my mobile phone. “I realised instantly what had happened and ran to an assistant who called a coBASED lleague for help. He watched two women stroll out of the shop and said it was them, but made no effort to stop them.
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“By the time I had gone out they had jumped into a waiting car and been driven off.” Another Brit, Laureen Pye, who splits her time between Mijas and the UK, said she was targeted in November last year. “My purse was tucked in right at the bottom of my bag,” said Pye, who works at the Lions Club charity shop. Finally a fourth victim revealed she was robbed at the same supermarket by two eastern European men while a third distracted her by asking her about ‘the sugar levels in the bread’. “I never take my bag into any store now, everything I need is in my pockets,” she said. Meanwhile, Teresa Jane Sykes, revealed she had been robbed at a Mercadona store in nearby Coin. But when she asked for the store for CCTV footage, it was refused, despite insisting she would be able to identify the assailant.
CCTV
“Even the Guardia Civil in Coin refused to let me see the CCTV. And Mercadona wouldn't look at the CCTV without police authorisation.” Despite the complaints, a spokesman for Mercadona insisted that current measures are sufficient. He added that the company would not be introducing more cameras, erecting barriers at tills or hiring security guards. “When we get a report of a theft we hand over CCTV to police to deal with,” he added. Dee March meanwhile has decided to vote with her feet and will shop elsewhere from now on. “I’m now going to Lidl and Carrefour, which are no dearer in any case, and with much better security,” she added. Have you been a victim at Mercadona? Contact newsdesk@ theolivepress.es Opinion Page 6
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NEWS IN BRIEF Unhappy Catholics COMPLAINTS by ultra-Catholic groups in Spain against artists and entertainers they deem ‘offensive’ have increased dramatically in recent years, according to civil rights groups.
Eye spy VENEZUELA’S former spy chief has been detained in Spain on drug charges after he fled the country to escape the government of President Maduro.
Plot thickens
April 24th - May 7th 2019
Time to pay up EXCLUSIVE
AN alleged bill dodger is being investigated by police after allegedly punching a British hairdresser in front of her daughter. Jyhane Hmittou (pictured right) is accused of attacking Rose Mitchell, 45, when she was confronted over an unpaid haircut and treatment a few days before. The Moroccan woman is due in court to answer claims over the attack and failure to pay at Glow & Bubbly, in Benavista, Estepona. It comes as the Olive Press discovered she has also been accu-
Bill dodger to face justice after allegedly attacking British mum after running out on salon bill sed of multiple failures to pay at different salons on the coast. “She ran up a bill of €200 and then disappeared,” explained Mitchell, 45, who has lived in Spain for 22 years. “But then I spotted her a few days later dropping her kids off at a bus stop and insisted she pay up only to be punched in the face.” She added: “She attacked me in front of my nine-year-old daughter who has been traumatised by it.”
It comes as Hmittou, from Casablanca, was accused of racking up bills and vanishing without paying at several beauty salons and restaurants between Estepona and Marbella. Stafford-born Mitchell, who was due to give evidence to an Estepona court doctor this week, claims she knows of scores of other victims.
Drag disgrace Bloody sunday
A FORMER US marine has been arrested in connection with an attack on the North Korean Embassy in Madrid after a mysterious dissident group broke in and assaulted staff.
A POPULAR drag queen has been attacked in the heart of gay-friendly Torremolinos. Satin Greco, one of the best-known performers on the Costa del Sol, was attacked by a group of ‘foreign men’ as he walked home on Saturday morning. The men reportedly shouted ‘fag’ at Greco before trying to rob him in La Nogalera, a neighbourhood deemed a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community. Luckily the commotion was heard by nearby staff from the Eden Copas bar, who all rushed over to help. Greco was taken to the local health centre where he was treated for scratches and bruises.
Nice try A JIHADI prisoner has set fire to his cell at a maximum security prison in Cadiz. Prison guards fought the blaze which is believed to have been started to destroy evidence.
POLICE have arrested two men after they found a pair of violently mutilated corpses in a well in Huelva. One of the bodies is that of 25-year-old Samuel Vizcaya, who disappeared at the weekend, before his car was found burnt out next to Huelva Cemetery. Police are treating his death and that of another 37-yearold man as a case of score-settling between gangs.
“We hope to finally get some justice,” she added. Policia Nacional in Marbella confirmed they had received several denuncias over Hmittou and that they had handed it over to an investigative judge. Glow & Bubbly owner Corrine Correa added: “She spent four hours in our salon and we were having banter. That’s how she gains people’s trust. And the whole time she knew she was going to do us over.” Another salon owner in Marbella said: “We have also been victims, she left without paying €180 and I found two more nearby salons where she did the same, we have put joint denuncias in.” Meanwhile three other hair salons in San Pedro, a pizzeria in Diana Park, a beauty salon in Banus and two other salons in Marbella have all claimed to have been scammed by Hmittou. She did not respond to our request for comment.
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Gran and grow A YOUTH has been arrested after installing a huge marijuana farm on his 85-year-old grandma’s property. The drug grower was nicked after police discovered 260 plants inside a ‘labyrinth’ greenhouse system featuring lighting, extractors and humidifiers in Jerez.
Airport scare
POLICE have arrested a man over a double knife attack at Madrid airport. One woman, 47, was stabbed in the ear, while another, 24, received a wound to the hand at the Ryanair check in area.
Devilish deed
AN IRISH expat was sprayed with date rape drug ‘devil’s breath’ during a robbery in Tenerife. David Nelson, 27,was forced to empty his bank account and lost his phone and €600 in cash after being attacked in Playa de las Americas. A woman approached the man and accused him of trying to seduce her, and then sprayed the drug in his face. “She emptied all my accounts until the cards declined,” said Nelson.
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Zooming in
CAR WHIZZ: Yianni and Harry Styles
Back together, arg-er than life THEY are two of the biggest stars of TOWIE. Now Gemma Collins and James Argent are forging ahead in their relationship in Spain The love-birds were all smiles at longtime friend Elliot Wright’s White Party in his restaurant Olivia’s, in La Cala. The Dancing On Ice star, 38, showed off her slimmer figure in a flamenco-style white chiffon dress with a diamond-cross necklace and gold hoops. Gemma was supporting boyfriend Argent, 31, who was performing with his band.
CELEBRITY supercar whizz Yianni Charalambou has announced an exclusive Grand Tour to London which will kick off in Marbella. The car customiser - whose clients include Harry Styles and Gordon Ramsay as well as a string of Premier League footballers - is calling on motorheads to join him on the road trip. Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches and Bugattis will make the seven-day journey in June
with drivers enjoying boozed up party pit stops along the way. You’ll have to have around €16,000 spare though - as that’s the price for just one of 100 spots available. The tour will travel through up from Marbella through Valencia, Barcelona, Geneva and Paris before ending in London on June 29. There will also be a film crew travelling with the tour and a movie will be made of the event.
ROCK THAT
Tommy in town
UK’s biggest boyband sensation to headline this years MTV Gibraltar Calling festival THE biggest boy band in British history are heading this way. Take That (right) are to headline this years MTV Gibraltar Calling, minus Robbie of course. By far the biggest show ever held in Gibraltar, they will play their string of hits on Septem-
ber 8 at Europa Point. They will be finishing the European leg of their Greatest Hits World Tour at the festival. “It’s going to be without any exception the biggest event ever held in Gibraltar,” festival organiser Richard Coram told the Olive Press. “And if you read the recent re-
views of their shows in the UK you will know it can only get better,”
Holywood ANTONIO Banderas has once again returned to Malaga to take part in the Semana Santa processions. The 58-year-old Malagueño film star was joined by his girlfriend Nicole Kimpel, 38, at his family church of San Juan. “It's my neighborhood, the neighborhood where I grew up,” he said on Palm Sunday, in the church where he was baptized and his parents were married. Banderas donned traditional white robes to take part in carrying the shrines, along with many of the congregation he grew up with.
Meanwhile, Scottish singer Tom Walker is also set to line up at the festival. Singer Walker (below) won the Best Breakthrough Act at this year’s Brit awards while his debut album What a time to be Alive was No1 last year. The event, which is being held at the earlier date of September 7 to 8 this year, will be aired to 220 TV stations globally. Tickets are already on sale on the festival website. The event is moving meanwhile to a new home at Europa Point which will have its ‘own challenges’, admitted Coram. These, in particular, include parking. New artists are set to be announced every two weeks.
PORTSIDE: Hilfiger in car FASHION megastar Tommy Hilfiger has jetted into Marbella to help launch a new collection designed by his wife Dee Ocleppo. The fashion power couple toured a boutique at El Corte Ingles in Puerto Banus where Ocleppo will market her exclusive clothes line. Ocleppo confirmed the clothes, bags, shoes and accessories will be marketed under the Hilfiger brand. “I’ve always been giving Tommy ideas for his collections until, one day, he encouraged me to launch my own brand,” said Ocleppo. “I love what I do, I love designing shoes and bags.”
LOVED UP: Tommy and Dee
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Grass is greener From Front
By the end of 2018 there were 47,193 British nationals registered in Malaga province, the first growth since 2013. That year, there were 76,000 Britons in Malaga - the highest of any year - while 10 years ago 63,000 Brits were accounted for in the area. The large drop of expat numbers mostly happened over the following couple of years due to the deep six-year recession, which was the worst in Spain’s history. This now looks to be in reverse, despite Brexit. “I know many British people who are continuing to move to Spain,” said British councillor in Manilva, Dean Tyler Shelton. “At the same time I think Brexit has been a factor in pushing more British people to register in Spain. Most have no intention of going back,” he added. Almeria had a total of 15,000 British expats registered by the end of 2018, making it the second-largest British population in Andalucia. Meanwhile, Alicante had 69,289 registered Brits in Spain in 2018, compared with 66,397 in 2017. There are 330,911 Brits registered as living in Spain, as of 31 December 2018. Last month, a royal decree was passed giving Brits living in Spain until December 31 2020 to apply for a Foreigner Identity Card, granting them legal status in the country after Brexit.
Bin coming AROUND 500 new high-capacity bins are to be installed in Marbella, it has been announced. The new waste units, which can take 120 litres of trash, replace those, that in some cases were 20 years old. A rotomolded polyethylene body, stainless steel ashtray and more slender mouth to prevent big bags being dumped, are some of the exciting features of the new models. It is hoped that these suped up disposal points will mean less rainwater entering bins, less frequent emptying, and more hygienic conditions for workers emptying them.
April 24th - May 7th 2019
Cashback
Final walk
A BRITISH tourist has praised a local man for returning €400 he left hanging out of a cash machine. Alistair Thomson, 72, was stunned when the man handed him the money, after he left the cashpoint thinking he had cancelled the transaction. “I thought I had cancelled it as the exchange rate with the pound was so low that day,” the Cheshire-born man, who has a home in Estepona, told the Olive Press.
A GRIEVING Irish widow has walked part of the Camino de Santiago with her husband’s ashes after he died on the famous pilgrimage route. Philip Dunlop, 53, collapsed from a suspected heart attack after completing a 250 km section of the walk on the way to the airport this month. The diving coach had planned to complete another leg to Finisterre, so his wife Joan decided to return on his behalf. “Phillip wanted to go to Finisterre next year so we walked a bit of the Camino to the beach
“I then walked into the port where a minute later a Spanish gentleman tapped me on the shoulder and handed me the €400 euros. “He very reluctantly accepted a token of my appreciation. What a gentleman!”
where we scattered some of his ashes. “Phillip phoned me every night and told me how beautiful the place was.” said Joan. The 46-year-old, who worked at the same leisure centre, in Bangor, as her husband, was joined on Philip’s journey by 18-year-old son Travis and daughters Taylor, 16 and Jordan, 15.
Expats unite! British community offer up homes and services to expat forced to sleep rough BIG hearted expats have rallied around a homeless man who has been forced to sleep on the streets, while an expat ‘lives rent-free’ in his home. Scores of readers sent advice and two even offered to put up Patrick O’Loughlin, 72, in their homes, while he fights the ongoing battle with his tenants. “Please give him my very best wishes that his situation will be resolved quickly,” wrote one of dozens of wellwishers. “My advice is do not delay, act today,” wrote another, “The Spanish justice system just does not seem to care.”
We probe the rise of the far right in Spain
Banderas and our guide to Semana Santa
SEE PAGE 6
SEE PAGE 9
PLUS don’t miss the coast’s coolest Property Magazine FREE INSIDE
Property
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Issue 28
April 2019
PLASTIC FANTASTIC: How this remarkable centre could win Spain important architectural prize, See page IV
WOAH: Emerging from the rock, this stunning home in Valencia is trademark Fran Silvestre, a Spanish architect who is continuing to make his mark in the architectural world. See Fran-tastic page XVI
ROCK STEADY
T
HE average property price in Spain has grown for two consecutive years for the first time in a decade. The national average house price rose from between 3.9% to 8.4%, according to various sources. Along the Mediterranean coasts and on the islands, where most foreigners buy, the average price hike has been 4.06%, according to Tinsa, Spain’s leading property appraisal company. But the figures have mostly not yet made up for the big drops during the long six year recession, with the exception of the
Prices rise for two consecutive years, while mortgage values continue to grow
Balearic Islands. “Prices have been rising most years since the recovery began, but nothing like they did in the boom years, and nowhere near enough to claw back the ground lost in the bust,” explained respected analyst Mark Stucklin, of Spanish Property Insight.
However, he added ‘at the very least, the data suggests that the Spanish property continued to grow last year.’ Mortgage lending to home buyers meanwhile was up 6.1% in January to 19,390 new loans, according to the Association of Spanish Notaries. The average new loan made in January had a value of €135,616, an increase of 0.9% in a year. As long as mortgage lending for residential acquisitions continues to increase, as it has done for the last few years, the Spanish property market is set to grow.
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Leisure island
Gibraltar has announced a major new £300 million development. Victoria up to 60,000 meters of new Keys will create land from reclamation. The project will be made up of housing, leisure, community, retail and commercial space.
Power grab
One lawyer meanwhile offered to translate all of Patrick’s documents into Spanish and English in time for a court date set for this Friday. A debt collection specialist, meanwhile, has offered to have the father-of-one’s home, in Fuengirola, vacated if the tenant refuses to move out. “The support has been fantastic thank you for your help,” Patrick told the Olive Press this week, “I am seeing a judge on Friday to try and prove my right to the property.” The British pensioner, from London, had been dossing TheOlivePress-256x170-BIKE-4.indd
1
SPAIN’S PP party has set out audacious plans for a power grab to take back control from Andalucia and the other autonomous regions. Leader Pablo Casado announced his commitment to strengthen the central government’s role in the run up to national elections in a fortnight. He insisted that such a move would prevent corruption and lead to a drop in taxes. It comes as the party attempts to see threat from an insurgent Vox Party, off the leader has described the Junta andwhose other autonomous parliaments the ‘cancer of Spain’. Under the plan, the PP wants to resources for regional governmentincrease delegations and paralyse any further transfer of power to the regions.
Supremacy
The supremacy of the National Police Guardia Civil over regional security and would also be enshrined under the bodies proposals advanced by PP. Casado insisted the move would see being administered ‘more effectively’. Spain The election hopeful stated that his would carry out a sweeping review party of how the regional authorities operate looking at ‘efficiency and equity.’ Spain’s quasi-federal political system of ‘autonomous states’ was added to the constitution in 1978. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose party drafted the constitution, strongly opposed the plan, insisting the PSOE would defend ‘tooth and nail’ the principal of regional self-government.
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GET OUT OF MY HOME
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AN expat has been made homeless his British tenant refused to moveafter EXCLUSIVE By Laurence Dollimore and allegedly ‘threatened to kill him’ out if he returned. been dossing down on benches Patrick O’Loughlin, 72, is appealing at train for stations and Malaga airport. help after being forced to sleep rough Despite having evidence after finding himself unable to afford that the property, the Londoner says he owns the cost of a hotel. he has had little help from the cops and The British pensioner, from London, has is making its way too slowly that his case through the courts. “My wife left me that home when she died eight years ago and I can prove it,” O’Loughlin - who
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suffers from high blood pressure - told the Olive Press. “My tenant agreed to move out in February but she is still there and now there is a huge man living in my bedroom and they won’t leave. “They both owe me at least €1,500 in rent.” O’Loughlin said when he calls po-
lice to the home in Fuengirola, his tenant, a British woman, manages to ‘sweet talk’ the cops with her fluent Spanish. He also believes the tenant - who the Press exposed several years ago in Olive a furniture scam - has used his bank account to pay for the internet and other items. “She has totally conned me,” the fatherof-one continued. “She under-paid her first month’s and asked me for my bank details rent to pay me the rest. “Stupidly I gave her them because ted her, and now there’s a string of I trusstrange charges on my account.” The Olive Press has seen bank ments which appear to back up stateO’Loughlin’s claims. The expat, who has lived in Spain for decades, has asked Olive Press readers for help. “If anyone can offer me a place to stay for a few days or can offer any legal aid it would be brilliant, I need all I can get to get. I just want them the help gone.” O’Loughlin’s son, who asked not named, showed messages to this to be from the tenant, threatening to paper, dad if he tried to enter his home kill his again. The Olive Press visited the property week but the tenant was not availablethis to comment. Email newsdesk@theolivepre ss.es if you can help
down on benches at train stations and Malaga airport after having nowhere to live after his tenant allegedly refused to move out despite receiving an eviction notice in February. Despite having evidence that
Taxi assault A BRITISH pensioner has called in police after being beaten up by Spanish taxi drivers. The elderly man, who has terminal cancer, claims he suffered a nasty beating after accidentally reversing his car into a taxi in Alhaurin el Grande. The bewildered expat was left with a
large cut on his forearm after cabbies tried to wrestle his key from the ignition to prevent him driving off. “They attacked him through the open window and knocked the key out of the ignition, breaking the fob into pieces,” said a friend, 50, who witnessed the attack. It is believed the ‘territorial’ taxi drivers flew into a rage after they mistook the pensioner’s actions for a hit and run attempt.
RESIDENTS of a town in Andalucia have set alight and shot an effigy of Carles Puigdemont. Townspeople in Coripe, Sevilla, attacked the model of the former Catalan leader, which was dressed in the Catalan flag and adorned with a yellow ribbon - a pro-independence symbol. The traditional ‘Burning of Judas’ ritual has been celebrated in the area for 100 years, but videos of the incident caused controversy on social media. “They did not want to shoot and burn me, they wanted to mock the struggle for freedom of prisoners and exiles,” said Puigdemont. The mayor of Coripe, Antonio Perez, dismissed the controversy as ‘satire’.
Don’t bank on it
BATTLE: (Above) For home and (right) Patrick with proof of ownership
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Mijas Costa
Homeless expat’s desperate plea refuses to pay rent or leave his after tenant home
Fanning flames
CUT UP: Expat’s arm
HOMELESS: Patrick grateful for help he owns the property in Fuengirola, the Londoner says he has had little help from police and that his case is making its way too slowly through the courts. “My wife left me the home when she died eight years ago and I can prove it,” O’Loughlin - who suffers from high blood pressure - insisted. Patrick’s home belonged to his Finnish wife, who passed away almost a decade ago. Under Finnish law, Patrick is permitted to live in the matrimonial home for the rest of his life. We visited the property again this week but the tenant did not answer the door. Anyone who can help Patrick contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es
OVER 150 towns and villages in Andalucia do not have a bank, it has emerged. Some 1.3% of the region has no direct access to banking facilities. However the national average for Spain stands at 2.1% of all settlements. Castilla y Leon is the worst-affected of Spain’s 17 regions, with 15.1% without one. The 2008 financial crash is cited as the main reason, with 19,651 branches closing in 10 years.
New bus app MARBELLA has launched an app which allows users to track where their next bus is at any given time. The Malaga Avanza Grupo app is part of the new free service available to anyone registered on the padron and which comes into effect on May 1.
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www.theolivepress.es Voted top expat paper in Spain
A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than 500,000 people a month.
OPINION Beef up your stores! IT’S shocking that Spain’s richest and most successful supermarket is refusing to even reconsider its security policy following a slew of reported robberies in its stores. One woman was robbed twice in 10 days and tens of others have complained of being targeted or at least knowing someone who has been. Within hours of uploading an original story online, we were inundated with tales of thieves working in groups to corner and steal from shoppers. It is clearly a widespread problem and there’s a reason rival supermarkets have installed better systems, including barriers, security guards, and extensive CCTV cameras. It is high time Mercadona started investing some cash into its security or better yet, some training for its staff, at least in the La Cala de Mijas branch, or else it might find a drop in customers.
Good news, at last! THE news that Brits are returning to Spain again, despite Brexit, is the best news we have had for six years. It emerged that more British nationals had registered on the Costa del Sol in 2018 than the previous year. The statistics, released by the Spanish Government, mark the first growth in Brit registrations here since 2013, when David Cameron promised an in-out EU referendum. And the increase was a sizeable 600, taking the total of Brits registered in Malaga province to 47,193. These numbers should be welcomed by all, because they show that Brits can continue to make the best of Brexit. One reason for the increase in registrations was that some were from those who lived in Spain undocumented. It may have taken the UK’s departure from the EU, but British nationals now have that little push they need. More and more Brits are sorting out their lives here and that can only be a positive thing.
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FEATURE
A guiri’s election guide Don’t know your PACMA from your PSOE? Join the Olive Press on the campaign trail for a whirlwind tour of Spanish politics
P
OLITICAL deadlock has led Spain’s embattled Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to go all-out with a snap election-scheduled for April 28. Politicians of all stripes are now out trying to woo voters across the country amid a backdrop of persistently high unemployment and out-of-control national debt. It comes as immigration fears and the Catalan crisis have deeply polarised Spanish society and birthed a resurgence of the far-right. Pre-election polls suggest Spain’s most important vote in decades is on a knife edge with no main party likely to emerge able to govern on their own. To better help our readers understand the electoral landscape, the Olive Press has provided a breakdown of each of the main parties running, the key issues on which they stand and, importantly, how expats can get their piece of the political action.
April 24th - May 7th 2019
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Spain is a parliamentary democracy with a ruling monarch who acts as head of state and a prime minister as head of government. ●● Women first won the right to vote in Spain in 1933, only to have it taken away by Franco. Universal suffrage was eventually restored in 1977. ●● In Spain the parliament is known as the Cortes Generales which consists of two chambers: the Upper House, which is the Senate of Spain and the Lower House, called the Congress of Deputies. ●● Under Spain’s proportional ‘closed’ list voting system, instead of putting a cross next a name, voters choose between lists of candidates put forward by their parties. ●● Blind people are able to vote without assistance in elections thanks to a system of Braille guides that Spain claims is a world first. ●● The size of the Spanish electorate is almost 35 million voters, 1.2 million of whom live abroad.
DID YOU KNOW?
PSOE
Partido Popular
Ciudadanos
Ideology: Social Democracy European Affiliation: S&D Predicted to get: 29%
Ideology: Christian Democracy European Affiliation: EPP Predicted to get: 20%
Ideology: Liberalism European Affiliation: ALDE + En Marche Predicted to get: 16%
The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party is Spain’s oldest political group. It traces its roots back to 1879, and forms the country’s current government. Once proudly socialist and overtly Marxist, the PSOE now clings to more of a centre left democratic socialist position. PSOE leader Pedro Sanchez became Spain’s Prime Minister by way of a ‘no confidence’ vote against the Partido Popular government of Mariano Rajoy in June 2018. Sanchez was forced to call the snap election for April 28 after smaller parties that propped up his minority PSOE government withdrew their support and voted down his budget. The PSOE proposes a socialist platform which looks to strengthen regional parliaments and nationalise water and energy ‘as services of public interest.’ It also seeks new taxes on financial transactions and digital services, alongside an increased rate for high earners. Sanchez is also considering banning prostitution in a bit to win over woman, who make up 40% of undicided voters.
Founded by Manuel Fraga, a prominent cabinet member under Spain’s longtime dictator Francisco Franco, the rightist PP is now the country’s largest conservative political party. A member of the European People’s Party, the federation of conservative parties from across Europe, the PP holds 16 of Spain’s 54 seats in the European Parliament. The party won a landslide victory in the 2011 elections under Mariano Rajoy who was eventually brought down by the massive Gurtel corruption scandal in 2018. Current President Pablo Casado has steered to the right in an attempt to manoeuver the party back to power. The PP manifesto includes plans to to lower the highest tax rate from 45% to 40% and reduce workers’ rights to make firing cheaper. The PP election platform also proposes mandatory life sentence for murderers and repeat rapists.
Offering voters a blend of social democrat and liberal policies, ‘Citizens’ is a secular centrist party which emerged out of Barcelona in 2006. ‘Citizens’ was founded by middle class Catalan intellectuals - university professors, writers, lawyers - who are opposed to independence from Spain. The party went on to shed its Catalan identity and expanded rapidly, setting up branches nationwide. In the European Parliament, Ciudadanos is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe alongside Britain’s Liberal Democrats. Under Albert Rivera, Ciudadanos defines itself as ‘the party of the centre, progressive, and liberal’ but rivals like PSOE and Podemos are quick to label it right-wing. The party has already said it would not be willing to form a coalition with the PSOE if Sanchez is in charge. Citizens go into the election with commitments to tackle corruption and support the middle class. Standout policies include decriminalising euthanasia and subsiding pet adoptions.
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espite being barred from voting in Spain’s general elections, expats seeking their political fix are welcome to vote, and stand, in the local and European elections. The path to the ballot box begins with registration in the local census, the padron municipal, which enables EU citizens to join the electoral register. A visit to the ayuntamiento, armed with proof of ID and address and a completed registration form, will secure you some well-earnt democratic rights. The entire process is free of charge and can be completed before residency papers are received. An electoral census form should promptly arrive at your door. If one fails to materialise, it can be obtained from the town hall in person or online. Once securely on the padron, expats are recommended to return
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IT has been another record-breaking month for the Olive Press website, which 1.31is regular81 41,8 1.20 ly getting 50,000 visitors A DAY. Take last weekend, which saw 50,388 visitors on Saturday and a massive 71,000 26.21% 00:03:46 visitors on Sunday, according to Google’s official stats. Readers from around the world logged in to read about robberies in Mercadona, floods in Alicante and a group of pesky British kids © 2019 Google who nearly died on a Manilva beach. All exclusive stories from our team of fully-qualified NCTJ-trained journalists not scared to put in a shift over the weekend when needed. Providing original content on an almost hourly basis, seven days a week, means that our Alexa ranking - created by Amazon. com, the world’s biggest online retailer - has continued to soar. As well as being in the TOP 10,000 In Spain, we are inside the WORLD’S TOP 180,000 © 2019 Google sites. 4. es-es Number of Sessions per User 5. nl-nl
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PACMA
Ideology: Left-wing populism European Affiliation: GUE/NGL Predicted to get: 12%
Ideology: Right-wing populism European Affiliation: NA Predicted to get: 11%
Ideology: Animal rights European Affiliation: NA Predicted to get: 1%
A patchwork coalition of left-wing parties, Unidos Podemos or United We Can originally formed to contest the 2016 Spanish elections on an anti-austerity platform. The largest party within the coalition is Podemos, a populist anti-capitalist party that grew out of the 2010-11 indignados protest movement under the leadership of Pablo Iglesias. Podemos’ junior partner is Izquierda Unida, ‘United Left’ which is itself a amalgamation of the Spanish Communist Party and the smaller Republican Left party. The other party to stand candidates under the Unidos Podemos banner is EQUO, a environmental group founded in 2010 by former Greenpeace Spain director Juan Lopez de Uralde. The coalition is seeking support for a progressive vision for Spain with 100% renewable energy by 2040 and expanded rights for LGBTQ+ groups.
The youngest kids on the political block and by far the most controversial, Vox - which means ‘voice’ - is a right wing party launched by disillusioned PP members in 2014. Controversial Vox leader Santiago Abascal has called feminists ‘bitches’ and expressed a desire to reverse gay rights. Abascal has also called for a new ‘reconquista’ - a reference to the violent expulsion of Jews and Muslims from 15th century Spain. The party ran a successful hardline anti-immigration platform in the 2018 Andalucian elections and emerged with 12 seats, tipping the balance of power in the region to the right. On a national level, Vox wants to recentralise Spain and eliminate the current system of devolved powers to the regions. The far-right party also supports the deportation of illegal immigrants and the construction of an ‘insurmountable wall’ in the Spanish African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.
Championing the rights of animals in a country with a rich culture of blood sports, the Partido Animalista has spent 13 years campaigning against animal cruelty. The party has been leading the fight to abolish bullfighting in Spain as well as the use of wild animals in circus acts. PACMA activists have organised protests against the practice of mutilating and abandoning hunting dogs, which occurs at the end of Spain’s hunting season each February. But the party has struggled to secure parliamentary seats, despite solid grassroots support nationwide. This is partly due to Spain’s electoral system which disproportionately rewards incumbent parties. PACMA’s policies look to strengthen the welfare and protection of animals with a call to ban hunting and sport fishing. The party also want to see a ban on animals in circuses broadened to include zoos and aquariums.
The top three most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are:
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- British expat fuming after chairs and tables don’t fit into tiny new terrace Mallorca town hall painted outside her cafe (46,827)
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- Level 1 emergency declared as largest Easter storm in 73 years hits the Costa Blanca (39,464)
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- Spain’s Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol to be hit by five days of rain, flash floods and strong winds (33,421)
- BREAKING: British and Spanish children almost die after dangerous game ends in fireball on Spain’s Costa del Sol (26,684)
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-British expat robbed twice in same Costa del Sol supermarket in just 10 days loses priceless personal mementos from dead daughter (25,218)
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Taking shape
THE BiBo Tarifa chiringuito involving celeb chef Dani Garcia has begun to take shape on Valdevaqueros beach. Previously slammed by environmental groups, the bar will have no foundations and is built on a wooden platform. The Junta rejected claims by green group Equo that protected species, including the osprey, would be threatened, giving the 43-yearold Marbella-born cook the goahead. It will open in June.
NEWS
April 24th - May 7th 2019
Stung!
Over 100 owners face compulsory purchases of land from pylon network
On the eve of Andalucia day, we look at the history of one its most famous group of residents, gypsies
Fight the power!
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Vol. 13 Issue 312 www.theolivepress.es February 27th - March 12th 2019
ELECTRIC SHOCKER Celebrities join furious expats and locals to stop ‘abomination’ of pylons set to ruin series of celebrated tourist valleys
POWER STRUGGLE: Christ
E
Stewart and Dr Robert (inset
Mijas Costa
POWERLESS: The Holdups
Black out
A BRITISH expat couple are facing a ‘disaster’ after they learnt one of the ‘monstrous’ electricity masts (left) is to be built in their back garden. Steve Holdup, 62, and wife Karen, 61, who live on a self sufficient farm near Orgiva, could ironically even lose their sole source of power from solar panels, which are in the way. The retired teachers, who moved from Cumbria a decade ago, claim they have been kept in the dark by energy company REE, and only found out about the pylon from a friend. Steve told the Olive Press: “From having a fantastic house we rebuilt from scratch ten years ago, we’ve ended up with a disaster. “We put all of our life saving into it and now we face having to live with a 220 volt tower directly behind our home.” If built, the tower and adjoining service road will cut right through their field of 13 solar panels. “So somebody in Germany gets a load of electricity from Morocco as a result of putting a tower at the back of our house and we end up losing the little electricity we have for ourselves.” He added: “It has been done in the most chevalier fashion you could imagine.
above) join long, snaking protest against pylon project Over Lemons novel made the EXCLUSIVE gion famous - added his name toreWhile supposedly necessary to take By Tim McNulty growing collective of campaigninga electricity from Morocco to Europe, Howard, who has lived in the Lecrin expats battling the proposal. it is set to ruin the untouched beauty Valley for two decades, told the Olive Press: “The These include former 80s star Doc- again private financial interests are of the area, enjoyed by tens of thou- massive pylonsproject to take these tor Robert, from the Blow Monkeys, riding roughshod over the will and sands of nature lovers across our valley is each year. an abomination. It will have devasthe rights of the people, leaving, as The Di No A Las Torres (Say No To tating who li- ever, a wake consequences ves in the tion,” Stewart of heedless destruc- The Towers) group argues high vol- lly and economically. environmentatold the Olive Press, tage towers would have n e a r b y this week. a ‘devastating effect’ on tourism and agricul- “It’s a magical place, a ‘Vale Of HaL e c r i n “One day the ppiness’, as the Moors called it, V a l l e y , reasonable, tide will turn and more ture, as well as health. place of natural beauty and conser-a which is prevail; but sustainable ways will A petition has been launched, while vation. also set to it’s back to seemingly not yet; so... a protest saw over a thousand peo- “These giant pylons will scar the ple march near the village of Conbe badly The outragethe barricades again.” landscape, could destroy the local a f f e c t e d vealed energycomes after it was re- char on Sunday. tourist businesses and ravage company Red Electri- The protest, which included the by the ca de España (REE) many environment. plans to install expats and children, is the start project. See pages 40 of “There are no benefits at all a network for local “ O n c e across the of some 211 giant pylons many to stop the scheme. two valleys. Blow Monkeys singer Robert people - we must fight to stop them.” Ecotourism is vital to the region, which was nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2017, mainly for having some of the world’s oldest oli*Offer ends 30/11/18. Not ve groves. valid for renewals. Subjec t to conditions. Some 245 businesses work in UK BASED rural tourism and the valley which is set to have 109 of the pylons - receives an estimated 8,000 visitors every weekend. Reliable private hire transfer The figures for the Alpujarras, 2/8/18 17:01 for any services occasion which will see pylons stretfor Spanish • Luxury vehicles ching all the way to the Alme• Door to door service ria border, are certainly much residents • Airport collections higher. • Weddings transport Scottish expat Teresa Mcwww.globelink.co.uk See page 2 • Sightseeing day trips Keon, 49, who has been at the • Restaurant shuttles forefront of the campaign, told the Olive Press: “The whole Find out more at: 96 626 5000 place is going to be destroyed www.simply-shuttles.com it is just awful... it really is aw+44 (0) 1353 699082 tel: 951 279 117 ful.” www.eliteglasscurtains.com X-GENESIS drummer Chris Stewart has joined the fight against a ‘motorway’ of power lines planned for Andalucia’s iconic Alpujarras region. The British author - whose Driving
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DOZENS of expat homeowners are among the hundreds who are set to lose land - and even property - due to a massive electrification project. It comes after the Junta published a list of over 100 properties, which will be affected by the new network of TheOlivePress-256x170-BIKE-4.indd 1
Brother where art thou THE brother of missing British tourist Daniel Poole who disappeared with his son Liam nearly a month ago has detailed the family's ongoing heartache. Laurence Poole said he is fearing the worst while Daniel's other two children are 'absolutely terrified'. "I'm beginning to fear the worst," he told the Olive Press. "It's been too long for them to be missing. Something's not right. "Daniel always makes sure to call his kids every day when
he’s away skiing or on lads holidays." He added that it was still a complete mystery as to what could have happened to his brother and nephew. "There's been so much speculation, people have told me he was there to buy a car and others said he was looking at a property on the Costa del Sol but we just don't know. "The police are remaining tight lipped." Can you help? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es
*Offer ends 30/11/18. Not valid for renewals. Subject to conditions.
WARNING: Legal expert Hillen (right) warns expats to fight compulsory purchase 2/8/18 17:01
362 pylons set to be installed across the Alpujarras and Lecrin valleys. The properties, between Berja and Orgiva, are to be sub-
Timber! AN Easter celebration almost ended in disaster after a 40-metre tree toppled into a crowd. The Tala del arbol de Mayo festival, geared around a giant tree being cut down, in Cornella del Terri. But dramatic footage showed the tree swing towards the crowd by
accident. It was described as an ‘Easter miracle’ that no one was hurt.
ject of compulsory purchase orders, the Olive Press has discovered. It comes after we launched a Fight the Power campaign to support expats in February. “The fact my house could be taken away from me is a pretty terrifying prospect,” said one 59-year-old expat Ian Jones, originally from London, but now living in Orgiva. “I am not sure how to take my case forward,” the former clinical psychologist added. The next step is for the Junta to declare the 182km route as a public utility and the process of expropriation will begin. Some of the homes will be sold at ‘justiprecio’ prices, which is usually lower than
a real market price, despite supposedly being compensation. Legal property expert Maura Hillen told the Olive Press: “Houses expropriated are usually bought for a fairly pathetic price. “But those affected should seek legal help to negotiate a better price.” It comes after a UNESCO World Heritage Centre spokesperson confirmed the Spanish government has yet to renew a stalled bid to have the nearby olive groves of Granada recognised. World heritage status could see the Alpujarras spared from the ecologically destructive pylons, as it would become an area of outstanding natural beauty.
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9
FIRETRAP: Entrance to tunnel was blocked by burining mattresses
Playing with fire
April 24th - May 7th 2019
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BURNT: Boy with mum
A GROUP of expat kids have escaped death after causing a huge fire at the opening of a sewer. One child got trapped underground and had to be hospitalised from breathing difficulties and burns to his face. The Bulgarian lad and two British kids had set fire to some mattresses at the beach end of the sewer tunnel, causing an underground fireball around Sabinillas. According to local sources, the kids lit some mattresses at the beach exit, causing a huge blaze.
9
While the two British children escaped onto the beach, the Bulgarian child did not get out in time. The flames and smoke forced him back into the sewers where he became trapped. He was luckily saved when locals heard his screams and a manhole cover was opened to let him out. “It was horrible,” one witness told the Olive Press, “there was smoke everywhere and it was so chaotic, we did not know if more children were down there. “They could have easily died.”
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NEW HOME: Selwo zoo
Island life A POPULAR zoo in Benalmadena has revealed plans to build an island for iguanas. The new habitat at Selwo Zoo will host a pair of breeding iguana rhinoceros, as well as five red-legged turtles. New arrivals to the island are treated to under-floor heating, as well as land allowing the reptiles to dig, burrow and take shelter at night. The new zone comes just in time for the iguanas mating season, which begins in May.
Green activists cause chaos in Madrid, while in London 1,000 Extinction Rebellion protestors are arrested CLIMATE change activists in Spain have joined those around Europe in staging a series of protests. Members of Extinction Rebellion blocked the main entrance of the Repsol headquarters in Madrid. Activists spilled fake blood on the ground and pinned up a large yellow banner reading, ‘no planet B’, blocking vehicles from entering the site. They claim the energy company ‘continues to
On the pill
SINGLE IMPLANT
Rebel action burn fossil fuels for the benefit of profit and the ruin of the planet’.
PIGEONS in Cadiz will be given contraceptive pills in a bid to control their numbers. The city council had initially planned to ship 5,000 of the birds to Valencia, but will now install two dispensers with contraceptive feed. Tourist hotspot Plaza de la Catedral is one of the worst-affected areas. Ecologists estimate that in Cadiz, a city of 115,000, there are around 10,000 pigeons.
April 24th - May 7th 2019
Till plastic do us part
Greenpeace activists also unfurled a 300-square-metre banner in Madrid on the Torres de Colon, listing the impact of politics on the climate. Speaking during a week of coordinated action with protesters in London, an Extinction Rebellion spokesman said the group creates ‘acts of direct peaceful action’ that provide ‘a wake-up call’. In the UK capital, around 1000 activists were arrested after forming blockades in Parliament Square, Waterloo Bridge, Oxford Circus and Marble Arch.
IMPLANT BRIDGE
Protesters even glued themself to the fence of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, as well as a train in the financial district of Canary Wharf.
Truth
ONE of Spain’s best-known supermarkets has ditched plastic carrier bags in favour of sustainable alternatives. Mercadona, which owns 1,636 supermarkets across Spain and Portugal, announced yesterday that single-use plastic bags will soon no longer be available at its tills. The Spanish family-run brand will instead offer three alternatives: paper bags, large raffia bags and longer-life plastic bags containing between 50-70% recycled material. A spokesperson for the company said that in support of the ‘circular economy’ the recycled bags use plastic packaging from their own supermarkets. Social media users hit out at the supermarket’s massive consumption of plastic in their products, including plastic gloves in the bakery section—something which Mercadona has said it is ‘working on’.
Extinction Rebellion’s three main demands are: For governments to ‘tell the truth’ about how deadly climate change is, for carbon emissions to be cut to net zero by 2025, and for a ‘citizen’s assembly’ to be set up to involve the public in climate change negotiations.
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Fire alarm SPAIN has announced a safety review of all its historic monuments in the wake of the Notre Dame Cathedral blaze in Paris. Security arrangements and electrical fittings will be checked at historical sites nationwide to ensure that the country’s cultural heritage is safeguarded. Culture Minister Jose Guirao said: “Obviously the Notre-Dame fire was an alarm bell and we will review all the installations. “The danger is with old electric installations which have to be surveyed.” Architectural treasures due for inspection include the Burgos and Santiago de Compostela cathedrals, the Alhambra Palace in Granada and the Basilica of the Sagrada familia in Barcelona.
Ronda-ful news RONDA’S iconic Arab baths will soon be back in business following the devastating floods last October. The 5th century treasure was almost completely destroyed when the outer wall caved in due to the overflowing Guadalevin river during serious floods six months ago. Following a €175,000 cash injection from the Junta, the wall is being restored under the watch of local architect Sergio Valadez, who is also overseeing the recovery of the Paseo de los Inglesas and the Santa Maria church.
April 24th - May 7th 2019
Send your informa newsdesk@theolive tion to press.es
Stroke of luck
what’s on Don’t miss Bob Folk fans should try getting the last tickets to Bob Dylan´s concerts. The legendary singer is coming to Sevilla on May 3 and to Fuengirola on May 4.
New work by Andalucian master recovered in US museum
THE Metropolitan Museum in New York has unearthed another painting by Diego Velazquez in its collection, bringing the total number of works it holds by the Spanish master to six. The moody oil painting known as Knight Marquand, donated to the museum in 1889 by Henry G. Marquand, was identified by Spanish
expert Javier Portus, head of Conservation of Spanish Painting pre-1700 at the Prado museum in Madrid. Previously the work had been attributed to Juan Bautista Martinez del Mazo, Velazquez’s son-in-law, who was also a painter. The museum is cautious but Portus says he is confident it is by Sevilla’s most famous
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Rise like a Phoenix
Experts also found eight skeletons in the monument which has been dated back to the 4th millennium BC.
and it deserves attention. “It is a portrait with quite remarkable qualities, and it seems plausible that Velazquez is the author,” he said. Portus believes the painting was completed in 1649 or 1650 during Velazquez’s second trip to Italy and that the subject may have been Juan de Cordoba, King Felipe IV’s business agent in Rome, who spent most of his time collecting classical sculptures for the royal household. Velazquez, born in 1599, was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV, and one of the most important painters of the Spanish Golden Age.
A
really get to know this Sixth Form College, after taking the decision, around this time last year, to leave the school where he did his IGCSEs. “I decided to move to Phoenix College Malaga because I thought the education would be more personal because we have small classes and the teachers are able to support us whenever we need them for instance if we have a query with homework we can immediately count on them to solve our questions, something which could be more difficult in larger schools.” Oxbridge hopeful Analia Cabello is studying A Level Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry, and wants to study Maths. She likes the fact that a college like Phoenix acts as a stepping stone between school and university. “We have study periods during the school day where we don´t have classes so we have to organise our own time. You can use that time to finish your homework, or do other things like voluntary work. I CHILLING: Sixth form students in common room am a member of
Go classical Get down to Clínica Buchinger in Marbella on April 27 to hear Alexander Kliuchko, this year's winner of the International Piano Competition María Canals.
Polo chic If you want to see horses and royalty, head to the Kempinsky Hotel in Estepona on May 4 and 5, for the Costa del Sol Polo Cup.
MATRICULATION OPEN – PLACES GOING FAST
Discover what it’s like at the only specialist Sixth Form College in Málaga LTHOUGH still celebrating the success of their first A level exams in January (100% A-B in 43% of the subjects taken, 72% A-B grades in Sciences and Maths), eight months after first opening their doors to students, Phoenix College is now revving up for the Summer A level exam season. “It’s hard to believe we’re at the end of our first year already,” says Co-Director Miss Ridyard. “Our students have worked so hard and deserve every success.” Students like Juan Gonzalez del Cid, studying A level Maths, Further Maths, Physics and History and planning to study Maths & Economics at university in the UK, have also had time to
Malaga is holding a Book Festival on the Plaza de la Merced. Dates are April 26 to May 5, from 11 to 1.30am and 5 to 9pm.
REVEALED: Knight Marquand is a Velazquez son. “I think it is a Velazquez. It is a work that has always caught my eye at the Met
Ancient runes THE mysteries of Andalucia’s very own Stonehenge have been uncovered by a joint team of Spanish and American archaeologists. Dolmen de Soto, a 6,000-year-old megalithic monument, was discovered in 1923 near Huelva, where excavations revealed carved and painted standing stones depicting figures holding weapons. An investigation by the universities of Alcala, Huelva, Sevilla, Castilla-La Mancha and Texas revealed an entire ancient complex buried beneath a 60-metre wide mound.
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April 24th - May 7th 2019
the Spanish Red Cross and give basic IT classes to adults once a week through their “Andalucia Compromiso Digital” Other students are Earlyprogramme. Bird Discount up until 15th April doing language classes such as Ger- Spain for university. “He encouraged The Only College in Málaga man andSpecialist FrenchSixth in aForm nearby academy. me a lot to keep on top of current UK teaching A-Level courses and PCE (Selectividad) subjects Therefore, we have more freedom and & Spanish political issues, and even Please contact us for more information this teaches you skills for university design my own Geography coursework life.” We are at: Calle Méndez Núñez 5, 1º D (junto a plaza Uncibay) Málaga 29008 based around Málaga city centre.” CallEmelie us on: +34 952 22 02 75 Email us info@phoenixcollegemalaga.com Gillestedt isat:hoping to study Pascual Polo, studying Maths, History, Maths or Mechanical Engineering Politics and Spanish, will most likely www.phoenixcollegemalaga.com though hasn’t yet decided where – her study in the UK but hasn’t decided current list includes which degree yet. But the UK, Australia or he is keeping his opthe USA! “At Phoenix tions open. “At Phoe‘A challenging, College we have a nix I’m also studying PSC (Personal, Social enjoyable learning Matematicas Applicaand Cultural) program das and Economia de environment which has motivated Empresa, two hours me to go outside of a week for each, our which pushes my comfort zone. I’ve teacher is very good students’ done as OCR (Obsand helps us a lot. This tacle Course Race) means I have the choicompetitions and also ce of applying to Spatriathlons, and am volunteering for the nish universities if I want.” Red Cross even though it has been a Arun Dave studying A level Maths, Furbit challenging due to the fact that I’m ther Maths, Physics and Chemistry, not a native Spanish speaker.” planning to study Chemical Enginee“I hadn’t studied History, Geography or ring or Cosmology at university in the Politics before, but Mr Riley is very pas- UK, possibly at Durham or Manchessionate about his subjects, so I enjoy ter: “Being a smaller school means we them now.” Lucia Mera is considering can all go away together on trips. We a degree in Derecho (Law) or Relacio- went to Madrid for a UCAS conference nes Internacionales, possibly in Ma- and in March we visited Manchester, drid but she isn’t yet decided, other where we saw Les Miserables at the than she knows she wants to stay in Palace Theatre and visited museums
AT WORK: Phoenix students in science class
and art galleries. Next year we’re going to CERN for a Physics trip.” Phoenix College Málaga aims to provide a challenging, enjoyable learning environment which pushes students to set and strive for their own targets, while providing support and guidance where needed. “We look for a minimum academic level of five GCSE passes (or equivalent) including Maths & English, but what we really encourage are applications from students who want to explore and fulfil their potential,” explains Mr Mitchell, Co-Director.
Enrollment for September 2019 is open. Call us on 952 22 02 75, see our website - www.phoenixcollegemalaga.com, or email us at info@phoenixcollegemalaga.com. Also find us on FB, Twitter and Instagram.
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Well done boyo!
LA
The Welsh Don Juan who believed a Welsh group founded America and helped a President strike the greatest land deal in history, writes Jack Gaioni
P
LOT INGREDIENTS: Take onepart ancient Welsh mysticism and mix thoroughly with one man’s enthusiastic sense of adventure. Add a dash of opium and a generous splash of whiskey. Stir well, then bake for 200 years at a low heat y está! You have the fascinating saga of ‘Don Juan’ Evans - a man who
PRESIDENT: Thomas Jefferson
never set foot in Spain, nor knew one word of Spanish yet remains a significant figure in the history of the Spanish New World. Although hardly anyone’s ever heard of him. He was born plain John Evans in 1770’s Wales under the shadow of Mount Snowdon, a mystical environment of otherworldly tales and legends. The son of a preacher, John was described as having a penchant for all things pious and patriotic. At 21 he moved to London and fell in with a group of radical Welshmen who were dedicated to preserving and maintaining their literary and cultural traditions. The group, known as the Gersedd, and led by the eccentric but infamous poet Iolo Morganwg (born Edward Williams), met to discuss elaborate mystical philosophies and celebrate ancient Druid, Celtic and neo pagan rituals, including spell-casting and sorcery, while heavily
CLUELESS: Welshman went in search for British ‘tribe’ he beleived landed in the Americas before Columbus
decided to give it a go: he would scalp. travel to America and settle the is- His trek was fuelled by rumours of a sue once and for all. ‘Either Madoc tribe living upriver (near present day or Death...God is my Shield!’, Evans Bismarck, North Dakota) with whiter proclaimed upon his departure for skin than other Indians who didn’t roam the plains like their nomadic America. He arrived in Baltimore in 1792, neighbours, lived in huts not wiworked for a year as a surveyor gwams and raised crops instead of (more about this later) all the while tracking buffalo. Surely if there were seeking advice on travel into Ameri- Welsh Indians out there, this was ca’s western frontier - an uncharted the tribe! Don Juan Evans believed and unsettled wilderness occupied he was on the brink of proving the by Indians. But young John was on Welsh myth. Or so he thought. Don Juan did indeed a mission. Crossing meet up with that mountain ranges and tribe. Known as the navigating America’s A British spy until Mandan, they did eastern river systems, he worked his way he cut a deal with seem quite fair-skinned but by now Evans west to St. Louis whehis captors to had already observed re the mighty Mississippi River meets the become Spanish, that Native Americans’ complexions Missouri. The city was contro- turn counter-spy varied as much as Europeans. He stalled by the Spanish yed with the tribe for Crown but with British and French interests close by, six months, learning their culture, Evans was thrown into jail as a Bri- studying their language and hotish spy until he cut a deal with his ping to find evidence of something captors to become Spanish, turn … anything … Welsh. But there was counter-spy and lead an expedi- no denying it - these were American tion up the Mississippi to chart and Indians with NO, repeat NO, Welsh characteristics. Linguistically their claim land for Spain. This suited John just fine as he was language had no Welsh sounds and convinced the white-skinned Welsh their housing, diet and way of life Indians roamed the vast prairie to was anything but Welsh. Don Juan the north. wasn’t just dejected; he was spiriHe agreed tually crushed. With his dreams of to the plea finding any Welsh Indians in shreds, b a r g a i n , he decided to return to St. Louis. became a Before leaving, he raised the SpaniS p a n i s h sh flag and claimed the land for the subject and Spanish crown. (The Mandan tribe changed his found this gesture highly entertainame officially ning!) to Don Juan Back in St. Louis, he turned in his Evans. He then crude map and notes to Spanish proceeded up officials, then turned to the whiskey the river with bottle and hit it hard! A broken man, a few men, a he wound up an alcoholic, unemplofew trinkets for yable and destitute as his health ratrading and some pidly deteriorated. Sadly, Don Juan died before his 30th birthday and Spanish flags. John proved to be was buried in an unmarked grave. indefatigable. Over Despite Don Juan’s perceived faithe next year he beca- lure and tragic demise, he did not me riddled with diseases, die in vain. Within a decade, seiswas perpetually hungry, mic geopolitical changes occurred temporarily blinded by the on America’s western frontier. In summer sun and nearly 1803, American President Thofrozen to death in the extre- mas Jefferson was able to purme winter of the great plains. chase (with Spain’s assistance) He walked a thousand miles, vast areas of land in the Mississilived with the friendly Omaha ppi/Missouri River drainage area. and Arikara tribes and was Known as the Louisiana Purchase, also chased hundreds of this notable achievement is viewed miles by the warlike Sioux by many as ‘the greatest land barIndians who wanted his gain ever made in human history’. American
under the influence of wine, whiskey and opium. One tale that held currency with the Gersedd was what has become known as the Madoc Legend. According to folklore, a Welsh prince named Madoc sailed west from Wales in 1170 and landed in America - 300 years before Columbus. After finding a ‘new world’ Madoc sailed back to Wales and persuaded 100 men and women to return to the western land. This group of intrepid pioneers was never heard of again. Yet, the legend of Madoc persisted. Stories of white-skinned Indians who spoke Welsh and had Welsh customs began to gain credibility with the Gersedd group. Did the Welsh really discover The world of sex, drugs and rock America? Could and roll is never a smooth path there be a tribe of Welshmen Daisy Jones & The Six by roaming the American frontier? Taylor Jenkins Reid Young impressionable John Evans ET in the seventies, Daisy Jones & The
Rock on S
Six is a story of sex, drugs and rock & roll, and the rise and fall of music legends. Written in a documentary style we meet Daisy Jones, a rock and roll tour de force who is paired with rock band The Six to become a sensationally huge group. However, the course of superstardom never runs smoothly and issues with addiction, infidelity and relationship problems bring the members of this group to breaking point. The characters are so dynamic and layered that despite knowing that it’s fiction, part of you wants to Google the band to see if they really existed! A riveting and evocative mocumentary that will leave you wishing there was an accompanying album.
€17.50, Available from The Bookshop San Pedro www.thebookshop.es TRIBAL: Native
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13
April 24th - May 7th 2019 ●● Technically, the Louisiana Purchase was a land deal between France and the United States. In a complicated series of political events, Napoleon had taken control and assumed all Spanish Crown lands in North America (except Mexico and Cuba) in the decade following Evans death. ●● Opium (also known as Laudanum) was rather fashionable during the late 18th and early 19th Century Great Britain. It was highly addictive, widely available and could be purchased in pubs and at food stalls. It was cheaper than alcohol and especially loved by artists and self-proclaimed ‘visionaries’
HISTORIC: The so-called Louisiana Purchase came about thanks to a Welshman
It effectively doubled the size of the young United States and provided much needed waterways and natural resources to the burgeoning country. Remember that Spanish flag planted by Evans upon leaving the Mandoc tribe? It turns out that it marked
the 49th parallel which became a legal and significant boundary specified by the terms of the Louisiana Purchase. Remember that crude map crafted by Evans and turned into Spanish officials upon his return? That same map played a major role in the in-
famous Lewis and Clark expedition which President Jefferson sponsored to chart the newly acquired lands in hope of finding a route to the Pacific. But it was the myth - the belief that Welsh Indians roamed the America West - that truly intrigued President Jefferson; to the
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point that he instructed Lewis and Clark to ‘find the descendants of the Madoc Welsh Indians’. Don Juan Evans efforts were not futile. He had an amazing adventure and his strong belief in the legend gained credibility with the President of the United States. RIP, Don Juan.
●● Iolo Morganwag, John Evans’ mentor in London, went on to become one of Wales’ most prolific poets. Later in life he was convicted and disgraced as being a literary forger. It could be that the opium got to him. His Welsh group, The Gorsedd, continues to this day (sans opium). They promote and preserve Welsh literary scholarship, music and language.
DID YOU KNOW?
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14
April 24th - May 7th 2019
Brexit brushstrokes
One of Britain’s leading conceptual artists speaks to the Olive Press as he opens his first solo Spanish exhibition about Brexit, the bible and Goya in Madrid
N
EXT door to the Prado, there is a 1,000-year-old tree that appears and disappears like magic depending on which angle it is viewed
from. Surrounded by bursts of colour from Madrid’s Royal Botanical Gardens, it is propped up by scaffolding as its trunk rots and it threatens to keel over. One tree, which really does exist in Sherwood Forest, has been converted into Albion, a work by the somewhat ghoulish artist Mat Collishaw while member
GHOULISH: Artist Mat Collishaw
By Heather Galloway in Madrid
of the late eighties movement known as the Young British Artists, along with Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin – a former girlfriend. Now in the turmoil of Brexit, Mat, 52, links the installation to his perception of the UK’s desire to be set adrift which is already affecting the UK artist as EU funded exhibitions are cancelled. “The tree is like the old mythical England and there is an illusion of taking back control of something that should maybe be left to die,” says the artist in a darkened corner of the Villanueva Pavilion. “Brexit is about getting back the empire, a lost time.” A contemporary of Hirst at Goldsmith’s College, Mat became the talk of the art world in 1988 when he exhibited Bullet Hole at the collective Young British Artists exhibition, Freeze. Bullet Hole was shocking, and fashionable, and snapped up by gallery owner Charles Saatchi. But its on-trend credentials pushed Mat in a different direction to focus on making connections – often between the past and the present. His favourite Spanish artist, for example, is Goya probably because he believes the artist spans the classical and the contem-
DEPRAVITY: Renowned British artist, Mat Collishaw’s latest work All Things Fall, which is inspired by the Bible porary. and Mat concentrated on drawing. curated by the Sorigué Foundation,are “He lifted the curtain to show the darker He drew a lot – footballers and soldiers those elevating death and violence to a side of human behabut now he is more likely higher plane. viour,” he tells me. “He to use technology to tea- Inspired by the Bible’s The Massacre of was a witness to the terri- Fat man flogging se out the morbidly fasci- the Innocents, All Things Fall is a carousel ble deeds that occurred nating elements of mate- of evil that shows tiny figures performing a naked woman rial otherwise mundane acts of outrageous depravity, such as a fat at the time and that were largely ignored by more and easily overlooked, man flogging a naked woman and people and people devotional and triumlinking not only the past hurling babies from balconies. phant painting. An inquiwith the present, but also As we watch mesmerised, Mat explains, “I hurling babies sitive and courageous nature with the superna- was exploring what draws us to violence. from balconies tural, and monstrosity It is as though we might learn something artist, champion of the underdog. “ with beauty. from it, as though we were drawn by some There was no TV in the But the pieces that leave primal instinct that might help us avoid religious household Mat grew up in in No- a lasting impression in his first solo Spa- death.” ttingham. Mat’s father made false teeth nish exhibition, Mat Collishaw Dialogues Similarly, the Seria Ludo zoetrope spins
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SHADOWS: Like Goya, Collishaw explores the darker side of life
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Saints and soldiers brave the rain
to animate miniaturefigures engaged in- Hailed as one of the most influential arorgies of debauchery, inspired by the pas- tists coming out of Britain, Mat has masage from The Book of Ecclesiastes, “Eat naged to carve himself a very different drink and be merry, for tomorrow you die.” niche from his contemporaries. While Death, is clearly something Mat spends he hasn’t deliberately distanced himtime brooding over, an self from the YBA moobsession one can only vement, he says: “Any assume is shared by his label is inherently a way partner, taxidermist artist Death, is clearly of generalising, which Polly Morgan who lives helpful for easy consomething Mat issumption, with him, their small son but not deep Cliff and Mat’s son Alex understanding. And I’m spends time from a previous relationsdefinitely not a ‘young’ hip, above his studio in brooding over, an anything I’m afraid.” Camberwell, London. At the end of the day, obsession But when I ask him what there is nothing giminspires his work, he tells micky or frivolous me, “It could be anything about Mat. He does not from a conversation on a bus, to a TV depend on shock tactics for attention show or a book. I am always looking for a and avoids the personal and confesconnection, matching subject matter with sional. form; and seeking novel ways to present “Like Goya,” he tells me. “I like to lurk in ideas – ethical ideas that are pertinent to the shadows.” the present day.”
THE Spanish Legion (top right) were among those marching during Holy Week up in Setenil, near Ronda. Soldiers took part in the Semana Santa processions and managed to avoid the rain which cancelled events in other areas. Meanwhile, processions in Malaga (top left) continued until 2am in the morning, and even featured Spanish Hollywood star Antonio Banderas (see page 3). Estepona also set a precendent during this Semana Santa by introducing the first all-female Los Pasos.
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PLASTIC FANTASTIC: How this remarkable centre could win Spain important architectural prize, See page IV
WOAH: Emerging from the rock, this stunning home in Valencia is trademark Fran Silvestre, a Spanish architect who is continuing to make his mark in the architectural world. See Fran-tastic page XVI
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HE average property price in Spain has grown for two consecutive years for the first time in a decade. The national average house price rose from between 3.9% to 8.4%, according to various sources. Along the Mediterranean coasts and on the islands, where most foreigners buy, the average price hike has been 4.06%, according to Tinsa, Spain’s leading property appraisal company. But the figures have mostly not yet made up for the big drops during the long six year recession, with the exception of the
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Prices rise for two consecutive years, while mortgage values continue to grow
Balearic Islands. “Prices have been rising most years since the recovery began, but nothing like they did in the boom years, and nowhere near enough to claw back the ground lost in the bust,” explained respected analyst Mark Stucklin, of Spanish Property Insight.
Readers react to news of ‘bonkers’ British expats flying from the UK to Spain to support Nigel Farage’s new Brexit party
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However, he added ‘at the very least, the data suggests that the Spanish property continued to grow last year.’ Mortgage lending to home buyers meanwhile was up 6.1% in January to 19,390 new loans, according to the Association of Spanish Notaries. The average new loan made in January had a value of €135,616, an increase of 0.9% in a year. As long as mortgage lending for residential acquisitions continues to increase, as it has done for the last few years, the Spanish property market is set to grow.
Government announce major new harbour basin development
THE Gibraltar Government has announced a major new development in the Harbour area with the creation of a £300 million reclamation project. The Victoria Keys development, situated inside the harbour basin next to Coaling Island, aims to create up to 60,000 metres of new
land. The project will be undertaken by entirely locally-based developers and will be made up of leisure, community, retail and commercial space. The Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said: “This deal represents yet another great vote of confidence in
The Government has also said the land will provide sustainable growth on the western side of the rock for the next 10 years. A No.6 spokesperson said: “Together with the Coaling Island site, the Victoria Keys development will complement the natural growth of our modern city for decades to come. “It will create significant recreational areas for the community and provide public access along new stretches of our harbour and mariLettings | Sales nas.” This continued reInvestments | Relocations quest for commercial
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space has a knock on effect on demand for residential accommodation. Picardo said: “A larger site would deliver the best future-proofed project for our community.” Spain has opposed land reclamations in the past on the grounds that Gibraltar has no territorial waters, making such projects illegal in Madrid’s eyes. Spanish authorities have warned London they could take legal action if similar construction projects infringed on Spanish ‘sovereign waters.’ Meanwhile, Picardo said it was essential the opportunities presented by the Victor Keys project were ‘exploited to the fullest.’ TM
our tiger-like economy, and the timing could not be any better. “It is with a huge sense of pride that we are able to announce yet another multi-million pound project at this important juncture.”
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HE average property price in Spain has grown for two consecutive years for the first time in a decade. The national average house price rose from between 3.9% to 8.4%, according to various sources. Along the Mediterranean coasts and on the islands, where most foreigners buy, the average price hike has been 4.06%, according to Tinsa, Spain’s leading property appraisal company. But the figures have mostly not yet made up for the big drops during the long six year recession, with the exception of the
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Balearic Islands. “Prices have been rising most years since the recovery began, but nothing like they did in the boom years, and nowhere near enough to claw back the ground lost in the bust,” explained respected analyst Mark Stucklin, of Spanish Property Insight.
However, he added ‘at the very least, the data suggests that the Spanish property continued to grow last year.’ Mortgage lending to home buyers meanwhile was up 6.1% in January to 19,390 new loans, according to the Association of Spanish Notaries. The average new loan made in January had a value of €135,616, an increase of 0.9% in a year. As long as mortgage lending for residential acquisitions continues to increase, as it has done for the last few years, the Spanish property market is set to grow.
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beleaguered CATALUNYA’S to fight on leader has vowed from abroad. PuigdeIt came after Carles in to mont handed himself a EuroBelgian police when was ispean arrest warrant sued. politicians He and four other of reare accused on charges misuse of bellion, sedition, disobedience public funds, and breach of trust. now has A judge in Belgium to decide if up to two weeks the group they will extradite to Spain.
Expats who lost millions rage at ‘unauthorised’ deals involving ‘worrying’ signing of blank sheets EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan
Confusion reigns
Pension peril
SPAIN’S prime minister has accused Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont of causing ‘confusion’ after signing a declaration of independence. Mariano Rajoy demanded he clarify if he had really declared independence following Tuesday’s nail biting address to the Catalan parliament. If so, Rajoy insisted he could trigger Article 155 of Spain’s constitution to allow Madrid to take direct control of Catalunya. “There is an urgent need to put an end to the situation that Catalunya is going through - to
who lost up BRITISH expats a failed pento €20 million in believe their sion advisory firm been phosignatures may have Fight docutocopied onto investment ments. extradition most living Given the whole up to 60 Around 300 Brits, to retrieve rying’. very essence process can take in Spain, are battling may have “This negates the are meant to they were days, it means he election their funds after Alicante-based of the service they “It is a blank me they knew what Wealth Manto run his entire firm Continental folded in Septhe Catalan offer,” said Flores. wherever, doing.” some of campaign for agement (CWM) Party in the cheque to invest He added: “I believe European Democratic were made tember, as first reported whenever. ago. the investments this is I think from Belgium. him to fight Olive Press a monthleft for Aus“If standard practice, without my knowledge.I do not His party wants of Boss Darren Kirby closure of very worrying. that is the case because documents for all the for continued leadership in half and I tralia following the Javea of“Signing blank recall signing sheets has gone down by to get it the regional parliament would be seen the company’s main elections. investments I had.” need compensation the December 21 by the Olive as irregular in a fices. he had An email, seen asking a clispread across back on track. Puigdemont denied court of law. The Victims, who are in Ibiza, Malto avoid jusPress, shows CWM “But some people with a blank fled to Brussels left because problem Spain, as well as France and ent to sign and return have lost everytice but that he these firms is that was lorca, Portugal, dealing instruction. thing and don’t fear illegal practices 55, who the Spanish government they were all inof oppres- Turkey, Another British expat, around have enough to asked to sign blank preparing a ‘wave vesting in highly against after being is trying to recover pensionlive on. One rePENSION risky investments sion and violence’ dealing instructions. were then €200,000, said some pots tired victim only the cliseparatists. OUTRAGE without assets convinced Their pension ers ‘have lost everything’. has €50,000 left “I’m absolutely preparing invested in high-riskout large that I sent ents knowing.” “My paper work my risk level from €480,000.” that the state was repression which promised to pay He claimed that has been altered, ‘medium’ to Andalucia-based a harsh wave of losses sustained have all commissions. pensioner was changed from lawyer Antonio instrucinvestors for which we would One 69-year-old by he whose he lost ‘high’ and my dealing Flores, been held responsible,” photocopied told the Olive Press would hopefully Lawbird tions have been firm after transferring and sellrecoverable said yesterday. be is com- €210,000 despite stating he BOSS: Kirby now in representrepeatedly for buyingauthorise,” are that failed “The Spanish state €470,000 aversion Australia repression… as the investments bust, were ing assets I didn’t ing some CWM mitting a brutal repression blank inhad a ‘low to medium to perform, or went policies. he said. investment. victims, said signing ‘very wormoney left if we don’t battle to risk’ attitude to you sign this he said. state linked to life insurance looking “I still have some enough to vestment sheets was Momentum together, the Spanish “I was asked, ‘Canwill fill in the “They should have been young Pension trustees now attemptwere just and I am still 15:36 may win this fight.” 16/06/2017 blank form. We trusting they 1 to the out for me but they nests. To get compensation, but my fund and Trafalgar are Untitled-1.pdf that clients’ their own In a show of supportaround details.’ I did interests,” feathering ing to recoup CMW deposed president, would act in my best losses. so far been 200 Catalan pro-indepentravelled to The Olive Press hasif CWM was dence mayors to stage unable to discover investBrussels on Tuesday registered to provide Spain’s offia rally. SPECIALIZING IN: ment advice with CNMV. cial financial regulator LAW
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CONFUSION reigns over who should foot the bill for Mallorca hotels hit by the collapse of airline Monarch. Balearic hotels are facing a €10million bill over the collapse that saw the emergency repatriation of over 110,000 back to the UK, many from Palma. Administrator KPMG told the Olive Press ‘the debt owed by Monarch to hoteliers will rank as an unsecured claim’ against the defunct airline. “They will have to file a claim to the joint administrators for all the money they are owed,” said a spokesman. “It has not been determined (yet) how much money will be available to creditors.”
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SPAIN’S prime minister has accused Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont of causing ‘confusion’ after signing a declaration of independence. Mariano Rajoy demanded he clarify if he had really declared independence following Tuesday’s nail biting address to the Catalan parliament. If so, Rajoy insisted he could trigger Article 155 of Spain’s constitution to allow Madrid to take direct control of Catalunya. “There is an urgent need to put an end to the situation that Catalunya is going through - to
Who’s paying us? EXCLUSIVE
CONFUSION reigns over who should foot the bill for Mallorca hotels hit by the collapse of airline Monarch. a Balearic hotels are facing €10million bill over the collapse that saw the emergency repatriation of over 110,000 back to the UK, many from Palma. Administrator KPMG told the Olive Press ‘the debt owed by Monarch to hoteliers will rank as an unsecured claim’ against the defunct airline. “They will have to file a claim to the joint administrators for all the money they are owed,” said a spokesman. “It has not been determined (yet) how much money will be available to creditors.”
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Expats lose millions in life savings through failed investment scheme
national and Momentum Pensions. “People are terribly disGranada-based tressed,” Brooks told the Olive Press. “They have lost large amounts of their retirement savings.” She added: “Some of these EXCLUSIVE people are going to end up By Joe Duggan back in Britain on benefits.” “I have nothing but praise for HUNDREDS of British expats Tony Barnett [Trafalgar MD] are battling to retrieve their and Stewart Davies [Momen(above) team at March pensions after losing up to OFF TO OZ: Boss Kirby and tum chef executive]. They £20 million in a failed pension charity bash have been magnificent in tryinvestment scheme. It is believed at least 300 of ing to recoup people’s money.” Spanish-based financial adviexpat remain anonymous. CWM’s 900 clients have had The Olive Press understands it kept telling me, their pension pots decimated, sory firm Continental Wealth One Marbella-based Press he sunk “The adviser it can’t go Management (CWM) folded told the Olive with victims shocked to later CWM, only ‘This is guaranteed, certain level’.” last month obliterating many £59,000 through discover the value of their inhad lost £39,000 below a that of others vestments had plummeted heartbroken Brits’ life savings. realising he trustees sent His money, and Many of them had transferred when his pension across Spain and France, was dramatically. high-risk ‘profession- However, a source close to their private UK pensions a statement. believe it. I have put into assets, it has the case insisted: ‘There are through the company, whose “I couldn’t of pounds,” al investor only’ is highly possible legal action boss Darren Kirby has now al- lost thousands been claimed. still many customers who are revealed the victim, asking to may be taken by some parties legedly moved to Australia. happy with their pension portagainst CWM, based out of folio.’ headquarters in Alicante, and Andalucia-based tax specialist its executives. Angie Brooks, a leading expert Both the office in Javea and on pension liberation schemes the website have recently shut. and the founder of Pension The group were pictured celLife, has now launched a fight ebrating at a charity ball as reto help get victims’ money cently as March this year. back. When the Olive Press spoke She is working alongside pento boss Kirby he ‘definitively’ sion trustees Trafalgar Interdenied responsibility over the crash. “I have lost my world,” he said. A close associate of Kirby’s said former CWM staff were all ‘very upset’. “It is still quite raw for them, and they are working out what to do next,” he said.
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director What do Fatboy Slim, Travolta, Paul Haggis, John Asbaek Dean Norris and Pilou They’ve have in common? all had links to the Balearics this week
Govt in exile
THE beleaguered boss of a failed wealth management company which allegedly lost expats morea than €20 million has ignored summons to court. Darren Kirby, of Alicante-based Continental Wealth Management (CWM), failed to turn up at Denia court on March 26. According to Olive Press sources he was due to turn up, alongside former business partners, who did turn up. The case involves a trio of investors, who lost substantial amounts of money when the company folded in 2017. Kirby allegedly fled to Australia following the collapse, finally returning to Alicante last year. “Darren has been sent a Burofax which he didn’t sign for, so the court will now have to pursue him in other ways,” a source said. “A judge is dealing with this and it’s under legal review,” he added. “We understand he is currently in England.” The Olive Press exclusively revealed how CWM abruptly folded in 2017,
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PENSION OUTRAGE
Expats lose millions in life savings through failed investment scheme EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan
HUNDREDS of British expats are battling to retrieve their pensions after losing up to £20 million in a failed OFF TO OZ: Boss Kirby pension investment and (above) team at scheme. Spanish-based finan- March charity bash cial advisory firm Continental Wealth Man- Many of them had agement (CWM) folded transferred their private UK pensions last month obliterat1 16/06/2017 Untitled-1.pdf through15:36 the company, ing many heartbroken Brits’ life savings.
whose boss Darren Kirby has now allegedly moved to Australia. One Costa-del-Solbased expat told the Olive Press he sunk £59,000 through CWM, only realising he had lost £39,000 when his pension trustees sent a statement. “I couldn’t believe it. I have lost thousands of pounds,” revealed the victim, asking to remain anonymous. “The adviser kept telling me, ‘This is guaranteed, it can’t go below a certain level’.” His money, and that of others across Spain and France, was put into high-risk ‘professional investor only’ assets, it has been claimed.
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It is believed at least 300 of CWM’s 900 clients have had their pension pots decimated, with victims shocked to later discover the value of their investments had plummeted dramatically. However, a source close to the case insisted: ‘There are still many customers who are happy with their pension portfolio.’ Andalucia-based tax specialist Angie Brooks, a leading expert on pension liberation schemes and the founder of Pension Life, has now launched a fight to help get victims’ money back. She is working alongside pension trustees Trafalgar International and Momentum Pensions. “People are terribly distressed,” Granadabased Brooks told the Olive Press. “They have lost large amounts of their retirement savings.” She added: “Some of these people are going
to end up back in Britain on benefits.” “I have nothing but praise for Tony Barnett [Trafalgar MD] and Stewart Davies [Momentum chef executive]. They have been magnificent in trying to recoup people’s money.” The Olive Press understands it is highly possible legal action may be taken by some parties against CWM,
based out of headquarters in Alicante, and its executives. Both the office in Javea and the website have recently shut. When the Olive Press spoke to boss Kirby he ‘definitively’ denied responsibility over the crash. “I have lost my world,” he said. A close associate of Kirby’s told the Olive Press former CWM staff were all ‘very upset’. “It is still quite raw for them, and they are working out what to do next,” he said.
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HOW WE TOLD IT: Our 2017 reports in Mallorca
losing hundreds of expats’ life savings in the process. The firm, which was based out of the Marriott Hotel, in Denia, had ‘eight to ten’ telesales staff and clients scattered around Europe, revealed a former member of staff. “It was a prestigious place but one day they just shut the door,” she said, asking not to be named. Victims had raised fears about being asked to sign blank dealing instructions and their pensions being invested in high-risk assets which paid large commissions. One pensioner based in Mallorca told the Olive Press he lost €210,000 after transferring €470,000 despite medium risk stating he had a low toUntitled-1.pdf attitude. “I was asked, ‘Can you sign this
2/8/18 17:01
blank form. We will fill in the details.’ I did that trusting they would act in my best interests,” he said. “They should have been looking out for me and they were just feathering their own nests. To me they knew what they were doing.” Lawyer Antonio Flores, whose firm Lawbird is representing a number of victims, said signing blank investment sheets was ‘very worrying’. “This negates the very essence of financial advisory services,”said Flores. “It is a blank cheque to invest wherever, whenever. “It is very worrying as they were investing clients’ money in highly risky investments as well as dubious funds just because they paid the higher commissions.” He added that losses sustained by investors should however, be recoverable as the investments that failed to perform, or went bust, were linked to life insurance policies. When the Olive Press finally got hold of Kirby in October 2017, he denied all responsibility. “I have lost my world,” he said. Are you a victim or former staff know more about the case? Contact the Olive Press at newsdesk@theolivepress.es
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Judge set to take further steps after expat boss of suspect investment company fails to turn up at court
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CATALUNYA’S beleaguered leader has vowed to fight on from abroad. It came after Carles Puigdemont handed himself in to Belgian police when a European arrest warrant was issued. He and four other politicians are accused on charges of rebellion, sedition, misuse of public funds, disobedience and breach of trust. A judge in Belgium now has up to two weeks to decide if they will extradite the group to Spain.
Fight
Given the whole extradition process can take up to 60 days, it means he may have to run his entire election campaign for the Catalan European Democratic Party from Belgium. His party wants him to fight for continued leadership of the regional parliament in the December 21 elections. Puigdemont denied he had fled to Brussels to avoid justice but that he left because the Spanish government was preparing a ‘wave of oppression and violence’ against separatists. “I’m absolutely convinced that the state was preparing a harsh wave of repression for which we would have all been held responsible,” he said yesterday. “The Spanish state is committing a brutal repression… if we don’t battle repression together, the Spanish state may win this fight.” In a show of support to the deposed president, around 200 Catalan pro-independence mayors travelled to Brussels on Tuesday to stage a rally.
Expats who lost millions rage at ‘unauthorised’ deals involving ‘worrying’ signing of blank sheets EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan
BRITISH expats who lost up to €20 million in a failed pension advisory firm believe their signatures may have been photocopied onto investment documents. Around 300 Brits, most living in Spain, are battling to retrieve their funds after Alicante-based firm Continental Wealth Management (CWM) folded in September, as first reported in the Olive Press a month ago. Boss Darren Kirby left for Australia following the closure of the company’s main Javea offices. Victims, who are spread across Spain, as well as in Ibiza, Mallorca, Portugal, France and Turkey, fear illegal practices after being asked to sign blank dealing instructions. Their pension pots were then invested in high-risk assets which promised to pay out large commissions. One 69-year-old pensioner told the Olive Press he lost €210,000 after transferring
Pension peril
€470,000 despite stating he had a ‘low to medium aversion BOSS: Kirby now in Australia to risk’ attitude to investment. “I was asked, ‘Can you sign this he said. blank form. We will fill in the “They should have been looking Untitled-1.pdf 1 16/06/2017 15:36 details.’ I did that trusting they out for me but they were just would act in my best interests,” feathering their own nests. To
me they knew what they were doing.” He added: “I believe some of the investments were made without my knowledge. I think that is the case because I do not recall signing sheets for all the investments I had.” An email, seen by the Olive Press, shows CWM asking a client to sign and return a blank dealing instruction. Another British expat, 55, who is trying to recover around €200,000, said some pensioners ‘have lost everything’. “My paper work that I sent has been altered, my risk level was changed from ‘medium’ to ‘high’ and my dealing instructions have been photocopied repeatedly for buying and selling assets I didn’t authorise,” he said. “I still have some money left and I am still young enough to get compensation, but my fund
SPECIALIZING IN: CRIMINAL LAW CIVIL LAW BANKING (FLOOR CLAUSE) FAMILY LAW
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A PALMA thief is facing 18 months in jail for stealingCY a leg of ham. Prosecutors are requesting CMY the lengthy term for taking the eight kilogram leg of 'CinK co Jotas' ¡ jamon from a shop in the capital. The Iberico ham is valued at €685, and has yet to be recovered.
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rying’. “This negates the very essence of the service they are meant to offer,” said Flores. “It is a blank cheque to invest wherever, whenever. “If standard practice, this is very worrying. has gone down by half and I “Signing blank documents need compensation to get it would be seen back on track. as irregular in a “But some people court of law. The have lost everyproblem with thing and don’t these firms is that have enough to they were all inlive on. One rePENSION vesting in highly tired victim only investments has €50,000 left OUTRAGE risky without the clifrom €480,000.” ents knowing.” Andalucia-based He claimed that lawyer Antonio losses sustained Flores, whose by investors firm Lawbird would hopefully are representbe recoverable ing some CWM as the investments that failed victims, said signing blank into perform, or went bust, were vestment sheets was ‘very worlinked to life insurance policies. Pension trustees Momentum and Trafalgar are now attempting to recoup CMW clients’ losses. The Olive Press has so far been unable to discover if CWM was registered to provide investment advice with Spain’s official financial regulator CNMV. New quality homes since 1958
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SEE PAGE 10
SPAIN’S prime minister has accused Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont of causing ‘confusion’ after signing a declaration of independence. Mariano Rajoy demanded he clarify if he had really declared independence following Tuesday’s nail biting address to the Catalan parliament. If so, Rajoy insisted he could trigger Article 155 of Spain’s constitution to allow Madrid to take direct control of Catalunya. “There is an urgent need to put an end to the situation that Catalunya is going through - to
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Who’s paying us? EXCLUSIVE
Expats lose millions in life savings through
CONFUSION reigns over who failed should foot the bill for Mallorca investment national and Momentum Penhotels hit by the collapse of airsions. scheme line Monarch. “People are terribly disBalearic hotels are facing a tressed,” Granada-based EXCLUSIVE €10million bill over the colBrooks told the Olive Press. By Joe Duggan lapse that saw the emergency “They have lost large amounts repatriation of over 110,000 of their retirement savings.” back to the UK, many from HUNDREDS of British expats She added: “Some of these are battling to retrieve their Palma. people are going to end up Administrator KPMG told the pensions after losing up to back in Britain on benefits.” Olive Press ‘the debt owed by £20 million in a failed pension “I have nothing but praise for OFF TO OZ: Boss Kirby and (above) Monarch to hoteliers will rank investment scheme. Tony Barnett [Trafalgar MD] team at March as an unsecured claim’ against Spanish-based financial advicharity bash and Stewart Davies [Momensory firm Continental Wealth the defunct airline. One Marbella-based expat remain tum chef executive]. They anonymous. “They will have to file a claim to Management (CWM) folded told the Olive It is believed at least 300 of have been Press he sunk “The adviser kept magnificent in trythe joint administrators for all last month obliterating many £59,000 through telling me, CWM’s 900 clients have had ing to recoup people’s money.” the money they are owed,” said heartbroken Brits’ life savings. realising he had CWM, only ‘This is guaranteed, it can’t go their pension pots decimated, The Olive lost £39,000 Press understands it Many of them had transferred a spokesman. with victims shocked to later when his pension trustees sent below a certain level’.” His money, and that of others discover the value “It has not been determined their private UK pensions a statement. across Spain and France, was vestments had of their in(yet) how much money will be through the company, whose “I couldn’t believe plummeted it. I have put into high-risk ‘professionboss Darren Untitled-1.pdf Kirby has now1 al- 16/06/2017 available to creditors.” dramatically. lost thousands 15:36 of pounds,” al investor only’ assets, legedly moved to Australia. it has However, a source close to revealed the victim, asking to been claimed. the case insisted: ‘There are still many customers who are is highly happy with their pension port- may be possible legal action taken by some parties folio.’ against CWM, based out of Andalucia-based tax specialist headquarters SPECIALIZING IN: Angie Brooks, a leading expert its executives. in Alicante, and C on pension liberation schemes Both the CRIMINAL LAW and the founder of Pension the websiteoffice in Javea and M Life, has now launched a fight The group have recently shut. CIVIL LAW to help get victims’ money ebrating were pictured celat a charity ball as reBANKING (FLOOR CLAUSE) Y back. cently as She is working alongside pen- When March this year. CM FAMILY LAW sion trustees Trafalgar Inter- to bossthe Olive Press spoke Kirby he ‘definitively’ denied responsibility over the MY crash. “I have lost my world,” he said. CY A close associate of Kirby’s said former CWM staff were CMY all ‘very upset’. “It is still quite raw for them, K and they are working out what to do next,” he said.
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Wealth agement (CWM) Man- Many of them folded transferred had last month obliterattheir priUntitled-1.pdf vate ing many UK 1 16/06/2017 heartbroken pensions through15:36 Brits’ life savings. the company,
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PENSION OUTRAGE
Expats lose millions in life savings
EXCLUSIVE
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whose boss Darren It is believed Kir- 300 at by has now allegedly of CWM’s least moved to Australia. clients have had 900 their One Costa-del-Sol- pension pots decibased expat told the mated, with victims Olive Press he sunk shocked to later dis- to end up back £59,000 through cover the value of their ain on benefits.”in BritCWM, only realising he investments had plum- “I have nothing but had lost £39,000 praise for Tony when meted dramatically. his pension Barnett trustees However, a source [Trafalgar MD] sent a statement. and close to the Stewart “I couldn’t believe sisted: ‘There case in- mentum Davies [Moare still chef execuhave lost thousandsit. I many customers who tive]. They have pounds,” revealed of are happy with their magnificent in been the pension victim, asking trying to recoup main anonymous.to re- A n d a l portfolio.’ people’s u c i a - b a s e d money.” “The adviser tax specialist Angie The Olive Press uning me, ‘This iskept tell- Brooks, guarana leading ex- derstands it is highly teed, it can’t go below a pert on pension lib- possible legal action certain level’.” eration schemes and may be taken by some His money, the founder of Pension parties against CWM, others acrossand that of Life, has now launched and France, was Spain put into a fight to help get vichigh-risk ‘professional tims’ money back. investor only’ assets, She it side is working alonghas been claimed. pension trustees Trafalgar International and Momentum based out of headquarPen- ters sions. in Alicante, and its “People are terribly executives. distressed,” Both the based Brooks Granada- and the office in Javea told the website have Olive Press. “They recently shut. have When lost large amounts of spoke the Olive Press their retirement to boss Kirby he sav- ‘definitively’ ings.” denied She added: responsibility over of these people “Some are going crash. “I have lost the my world,” he said. A close associate of Kirby’s told the Olive Press former CWM staff were all ‘very upset’. “It is still raw for them, andquite they are working out what to do next,” he said. Ave de
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NO SHOW: Darren Kirby
res. “It is a blank cheque to invest wherever, whenever. “It is very worrying as they were investing clients’ money in highly risky investments as well as dubious funds just because they paid the higher commissions.” He added that losses sustained by investors should however, be recoverable as the investments that failed to perform, or went bust, were linked to life insurance policies. When the Olive Press finally hold of Kirby in October 2017, got denied all responsibility. “I have he lost my world,” he said.
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MULTI-PURPOSE: Esparto blinds repel insects and preserve the ambient temperature of rooms
ROM rustic Andalucian kitchens to Insta-cool loft living in Manhattan, the traditional Spanish craft of esparto grass weaving is making a comeback in the most unexpected places. The material once used for Spanish peasant footwear and shopping baskets is enjoying a revival in high-end interior decor thanks to its versatility and vegan credentials. Business has never been brisker at the artisan workshops of Perez y Perez in the pretty historic village of Porcuna in northern Jaen province, where craftsmen have been making traditional esparto products since 1957. However of late the family-owned business has branched out into commercial designs with international appeal that run to a lot more than baskets, blinds and traditional bulls’ heads. Think furniture, curtains, aw-
nings, umbrellas and even TV set designs. “We’ve had the privilege of making products for important businesses, companies and television programs like Kitchen Nightmares, La Peste and Still Star Crossed,” enthuses Vicente Perez Jimenez who learnt how to collect and weave the grass from his parents and grandparents as a child during the school holidays. Perez y Perez also works closely with fashion designers and stores across the Iberian Peninsula creating eye-catching window displays with textured lamps and matting in pale earthy tones, perfect for achieving ‘a touch of the desert’ says Vicente. Esparto’s global revival is thanks in part to its Instagram appeal with pictures of six foot esparto cacti (above)
gracing homes from Santa Fe to Copenhagen popping up all over the social media channel. A playful bulls head sent design mavens into overdrive when it was featured as an ‘object of desire’ on Remodelista.com, a cult American website dedicated to luxurious, eco-friendly interiors. Esparto weaving is an ancient skill specific to Mediterranean areas where the grass grows abundantly. The technique is virtually unchanged from the Neolithic period. Esparto grass baskets of more than 7,000 years old have been found in caves in Granada, while the ancient Greeks and
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Grass weaving never went out of fashion (Grass with class, Issue 315, pgs 32-33). Now esparto is just very expensive if it is made here. Collecting the long reeds by rivers has been made illegal. There is licensing for everything. Alex Neate, Ardales
Robert Mackenzie, Loughborough
Democracy in action So a British couple return to their own country, to have a say in the democratic process that is dividing the country. What is so ‘bonkers’ about that? They are not anti-Spain, they are anti EU, just like the ‘majority of their country folk’. This couple choose to live, and spend their money in Spain, just like the millions of people for the last 40 years. Many people chose to live, work, and retire, in many European countries, long before the EU, and I’m sure plenty will continue to do so, when this unelected Mafia finally disbands. Viva España.
w
GET OUT OF MY HOME
Michael Bath, London
Mel O Gorman La Herradura
902 123 282
Get the hell out
Hench help
Really? Do these people even have a brain in their heads? Farage is a total fraud. He’s an MEP. He gets paid a lot of money for that. Now he wants to form a ‘Brexit’ party. This man has caused more problems for the British than anyone else in history. Seriously get a brain, and think for yourself. And if you really believe in Brexit, then get the hell out of Spain.
I guess you need to take the matter into your own hands, seeing as the police in Spain only seem to care or be concerned when it’s their own people (Get out of my home, Issue 315, pg 1). Spanish people are involved. Patrick O’Loughlin, if you need any assistance or help throwing your tenant out by claiming your home back, then me and a few henchmen will gladly help you.
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Ed Thank you for wr t ng to us Me We share your concerns a ong w th those of res dents Our s sue 314 h gh ghted the dangers of th s raw sewa ge be ng pumped nto the sea wh ch shou d app y pressure a ong w th the Guard a s nvest gat on
Are you a victim or former staff member? Do you know more about the case? Contact the Olive Press at newsdesk@theolivepress.es
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SPAIN’S prime accused Catalan minister has leader Carles Puigdemont of causing ‘confusion’ after signing of independence. a declaration Mariano Rajoy demanded he clarify if he had really independence followingdeclared day’s nail biting address Tuesto the Catalan parliament. If so, Rajoy insisted trigger Article 155 he could constitution to allow of Spain’s Madrid to take direct control of Catalunya. “There is an urgent need to put an end to the Catalunya is goingsituation that through - to
CONFUSION reigns through failed should foot the bill over who for Mallorca investment hotels hit by the collapse of airline Monarch. scheme Balearic hotels are facing a €10million bill over EXCLUSIVE the collapse that saw the By Joe Duggan emergency repatriation of back to the UK,over 110,000 many from HUNDREDS Palma. Administrator KPMG ish expats are of Britbattling Olive Press ‘the debt told the to retrieve their penowed by sions Monarch to hoteliers after losing up will rank to as an unsecured claim’ against £20 million in a failed the defunct airline. pension investment OFF TO OZ: Boss “They will have to Kirby file a claim to scheme. and (above) team the joint administrators at for all Spanish-based finan- March the money they are charity bash owed,” said cial advisory firm a spokesman. Continental
“It has not been determined (yet) how much money available to creditors.” will be
Pointing the way to two great Easter travel excursions from the hills of Javea to the wilds of Galicia
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April 11th - April 24th 2019
SPAIN’S PP party has set out audacious plans for a power grab to take back control from Valencia and the other autonomous regions. Leader Pablo Casado announced his commitment to strengthen the central government’s role in the run up to the national elections in a fortnight. He insisted that such a move would prevent corruption and lead to a drop in taxes. EXCLUSIVE Voted By Joshua Parfitt It comes as the party attempts to expat Voted REuse paper see REduce in Spain expat off the threat from an insurgent Vox REcycle paper REuse in Spain REduce Party, whose leader has described REcycle Govt in the THE beleaguered boss of exile autonomous parliaments as the ‘cana failed wealth management company which cer of Spain’. Confusion Under the plan, the PP wants to increa- allegedly lost expats more than €20 reigns se resources for regional government million has ignored a summons to delegations and paralyse any further court. Darren Kirby, of Alicante-based transfer of power to the regions. Continental Wealth Management Who’s (CWM), failed to turn up at Denia paying us? court on March 26. Supremacy According to Olive Press sources Casado insisted the move would he see was due to turn up, alongside Spain being administered ‘more effecformer business partners, who did turn up. tively’. The case involves a trio of investors, e Lions The election hopeful stated that Threpub Should Three Lions party would carry out a sweeping his who lost substantial amounts of have pub legged it re- money when the company view of how the regional authorities folded in 2017. operate looking at ‘efficiency and equiHOW WE TOLD IT: Our 2017 Kirby allegedly fled to Australia reports ty.’ foSpain’s quasi-federal political system llowing the collapse, finally retur- England.” ning to Alicante last year. of ‘autonomous states’ was added The Olive Press exclusively revealed former member of staff. to “Darren has been sent a “It was a prestigious place but the constitution in 1978. Prime MinisBurofax how CWM abruptly one ter Pedro Sanchez, whose party drafted which he didn’t sign for, so the court losing hundreds of folded in 2017, day they just shut the door,” she expats’ life sa- said, asking not will now have to pursue him in other the constitution, strongly opposed to be named. vings in the process. the ways,” a source said. Victims had raised fears about being plan, insisting the PSOE would defend The firm, which was ‘tooth and nail’ the principal of regio- “A judge is dealing with this and Marriott Hotel, in based out of the asked to sign blank dealing instrucDenia, had ‘eight it’s under legal review,” he added. nal self-government. to ten’ telesales staff and clients sca- tions and their pensions being in“We understand he is currently vested in high-risk assets which paid in ttered around Europe, revealed a large commissions. One pensioner based on the Costa Blanca told the Olive Press he lost €210,000 after transferring €470,000 despite stating he had a low to medium risk attitude. “I was asked, ‘Can you sign this blank form. We will fill in the details.’ I did that trusting they would act in my best interests,” he said. “They should have been looking out for me and they were just feathering their own nests. To me they knew what they were doing.” Lawyer Antonio Flores, whose firm Lawbird is representing a number of victims, said signing blank investment sheets was ‘very worrying’. See pages 26-29 “This negates the very essence of financial advisory services,”said Flo-
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WOAH: Emerging from the rock, this stunning home in Valencia is trademark Fran Silvestre, a Spanish architect who is continuing to make his mark in the architectural world. See Fran-tastic page VI
ROCK STEADY
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HE average property two consecutive years price in Spain has grown for Prices rise for two The national average for the first time in a decade. consecutive years, house price rose from 3.9% to 8.4%, according between while mortgage However, he added to various sources. ‘at the very least, the Along the Mediterranean values continue to Spanish property continued data suggests that the coasts and on grow Mortgage most foreigners buy, to grow last year.’ the average price hike the islands, where Balearic Islands. lending to cording to Tinsa, Spain’s has been 4.06%, acJanuary to 19,390 newhome buyers meanwhile was up 6.1% leading property appraisal “Prices have been rising in But the figures have loans, according to most years since the company. the Association of recovery began, Spanish Notaries. during the long six mostly not yet made up for the big drops but nothing like they did in the The average boom years, and nowhere year recession, with the exception of the enough to claw back the ground near an increase new loan made in January had a value lost in the respected analyst Mark of €135,616, of 0.9% in a year. As long as mortgage lending Stucklin, of Spanish bust,” explained residential acquisitions Property Insight. the last few years, the continues to increase, as it has done for for Spanish property market is set to grow.
On a beau u sp ng Sunday ecen y wh e padd e su fing n he bay o La He adu a was d smayed o see once aga n he v s b e po u on com ng om Ne a The e was a so ha n m ab e sme n he wa e n one o he spec a h dden coves ha a e so p ec ous o a o us who ve n h s e pa o pa ad se ve been a ound h s pa o he wo d o a ew decades now and am as pass ona e abou sw mm ng and sno ke ng n c ea wa e as eve m no bu s ng w h us a on o myse bu o a he e ch d en whose de ca e sys ems w be ge ng po soned by he uncon o ed sewage ha pou s n o he sea due o a ack o an e ec ve c ean ng p an n Ne a We a e pay ng axes o avo d po u ng he ove ness o hese coas s wh ch s he co ne s one o he economy bu Ne a us keeps on d sh ng ou he d shame ess y Wha needs o happen o a ow s sewage p an o fina y be fin shed? How can we move o wa d om h s mess?
INSTAGENIC: Eyecatching products like esparto cacti have generated a buzz on social media
Come and discuss your property with our friendly sales consultants at Avenida Espana 250, Estepona 29680. Or visit our website at www.thespanishestateagent.com Email info@thespanishestateagent.co m
I can see why they want to support Nigel Farage. It’s because he walked all those miles from Sunderland to London, and he cares a lot for working class people. Don’t forget how well he attended the EU parliament, and for such little money. A true hero, ha ha.
TM
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PROPERTY
XX
April 2019
Jill Handley, Marbella
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Ignorance is bliss This kind of behaviour is endemic in football and almost a societal norm within this sport (Diego Costa gets eight-match ban after swearing in referee’s face, online). The solution is simple but the money makers are too afraid (and greedy) to implement it. Jay Leach, Malaga
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Across 1 S onewo k 7 5 H su e 5 9 Reph ase 5 10 Once u ed by d Am n 6 11 La ges Japanese s and 6 12 Second sma es bankno e 6 13 Ex nc fl gh ess b d 3 14 Heaps 5 16 F w h h gh sp s 5 18 H ghes moun a n n C e e 3 20 ns u on o men a y 6 22 D ed s p o egg dough 6 24 Convex cy nd ca wooden con a ne 6 25 Wa y 5 26 E g Ta ka 5 27 S ugg e hand o hand 7
Down 2 Texan m ss on 5 3 Supe v se 7 4 H gh y ad oac ve me a c e emen 6 6 Once mo e 5 7 Bee o amb 3 4 8 A o ed quan y 5 15 Momen 7 17 E sa pe haps 7 18 Sugges 5 19 F she man 6 21 B g 5 23 Fa h u 5 Answers on page 46
That’s amazing (Leisure Island, Issue 315, pg 1). Where is all the backfill soil and rubble coming from? It wouldn’t by any chance be SpaL u and nish soil would it? I see regular Power lines of heavy transportgrab hauling tonnes of earth into Gibraltar from Spain.
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GET Ron Campbell, GibraltarOUT OF M Part way there HOM They a so need o address IVA on ow ncome au onomo s a us (F sca revo u on Issue 902 315 123 pg 282 4) The ncome ax we can cope w h bu s he IVA ha causes he b gges oss There shou d be a eve o wh ch you can earn be ore pay ng IVA Pauline Phil Lloyd Marbella
Estepona A kind of magic A
ll about
Vol. 13 Issue 316
www.theolivepress.es
April 2019
Estepona has managed to avoid the mass market tourism of the rest of the Costa del Sol, writes Charlie Smith
Photo by Jon Clarke
A WOMAN holding the world in her hands above the blue Mediterranean sea. This is a fitting image for Estepona and is the subject of the town’s latest mural. Called Atlantis, it is the 49th work in the town’s series of street art, located up the steep hill of Avenida de los Reales, which offers unparalleled views down to the sea (see page 20). But this new painting by Jose Fernandez Rios, unveiled on International Women’s Day, reveals more than just a celebration of female contributions to society. It captures the constantly evolving nature of Estepona and its impressive global credentials, despite being a medium-sized town. Within Estepona’s mural series alone, you have the largest vertical mural in Europe, and even the first braille mural in Spain, using ceramic pieces, to assist the learning of the visually impaired. Perhaps one of the most unusual examples of Estepona’s worldwide appeal is Disney’s discovery of the area in the earContinues on Page 18
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18
ll about
April 24th - May 7th 2019
Estepona
MUST SEE: The impressive orchidarium From Page 18
FLOWER POWER ly 1990s – although the town was the original choice for Eurodisney but it was pipped to the post by Paris. But away from the would-be theme park dreams of decades gone by is the real beating heart of this charming town. A short walk along the marble pavements of Estepona’s Calle Terraza brings you to the charming and aptly named Plaza de las Flores (square of the flowers). In this hidden hive of activity you will find the tourism office, with maps for all kinds of excursions, including the murals tour and a host of reasonably-priced restaurants and cafeterias. Also nestled among the flowers, and spilling out onto Calle Terraza, are a handful of stylish clothes shops, mixing independent and quirky stores with more famous brands such as Mango.
OLD TOWN: Paved streets with colourful flowerpots in Estepona
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Further into the historic centre and you will notice that the town has ramped up its appeal with a ‘hanging garden’ of geraniums sprouting from multi coloured pots on every wall of every street. And it went one better than the plant pots a few years ago with its exotic glass-domed orchidarium at the other end of Calle Terraza. The futuristic greenhouse (above) with more than 8,000 species of orchids and three waterfalls welcomes more than 250,000 people each year and they continue to arrive by the coach load. Lorena Cano Bedoya, 38, who moved to Estepona in 2008 from Colombia, lives just around the corner from the magnificent orchid house with her sevenyear-old son Diego, and treasures the greenery on her doorstep.
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19 April 24th - May 7th 2019
PORT PERFECT: Estepona’s working port is a hive of bars and restaurants
“Estepona is a town with a very special magic,” “We should be open she tells me, “starting with its climate, its sea, its by the end of May,” nearby mountains.” Erwin tells me, “It’s Sandwiched between the ocean and the high sie- going to be beautiful.” rras of Bermeja, Estepona does surf and turf in Originally from Amstyle. sterdam, he made “It is a town that gives you the most beautiful and the jump 17 years quiet places to discover,” she adds, from her hou- ago, swapping the se that is just a few minutes walk from La Plaza ‘mayhem of finance’ de las Flores. in London for the ‘auMost of all Lorena treasures the life here for her thentic feel’ of this active young son. Costa gem. “Diego is a child who likes sports and reading “The main centre for classical music,” she says. nightlife used to be “We dedicate days for those activities and I try to the port,” he says, educate him without screens, we prefer to spend “but now there is a time enjoying doing things together outside.” shift towards the centre, with new bars opening.” And its idyllic outdoor spaces and winding streets Playa del Cristo, the next beach along, is set on a are perhaps why Estepona is often described as sheltered bay with two pleasant watering holes. one of the last ‘authentically’ Spanish resorts on In fact, the fishy fare served by these chiringuitos the Costa del Sol. is surprisingly good. It has somehow managed to stave off the whi- After supper, pick up an ice cream on Calle Real tewash of celebrity yachts and or hit the bars: Louie Louie’s is designer brands of Marbella, always guaranteed for a good while also avoiding the takeover boogie or if you prefer to watch, Estepona was of ‘Little Britain’ in the likes of BeEl Patio puts on a colourful feast founded during nalmadena. of flamenco on Friday nights for Maybe that is in part thanks to its the golden age of €20. Mayor, José María García Urbano And although the centre of town of the PP, who has spent €100 the Caliphate of has seen a recent nightlife boom, million on public works since he Estepona’s bright young things Cordoba took over in 2011. still flock to the bars and clubs in During his eight-year tenure, he the port on weekends. has transformed EsteBartenders freehand-pour drinks pona into a green paradise for those according to ye old Spanish ‘say when’ system who live here, while still attracting a (hic) and will only turf revellers out towards 4am. steady stream of foreign tourists. After that you can freshen up with a quick swim The latest edition to the 700,000 before breakfast, then face up to a long hot day of square metres of new green spa- paying for the night before - face down on a beach ce, is a public park complete with towel. slides and wildlife up near the Alternatively, if you went to bed on time, there are hospital. four excellent markets to get up for. This is part of the ‘Estepona, Three are held on Sunday mornings: one at Garden of the Costa del Sol’ the port (9am-2pm) and a rastro in the bullring project, which is progressing (10am-2pm). in time for the flood of summer On Wednesday mornings (9am-2pm) Avenida tourists. Puerta del Mar market is the place to be. And the high visitor numbers are Or, why not head into the old town’s twisting uphill unsurprising, and not only becau- streets, which offer a glimpse of life as it used to se of Estepona’s 325 yearly days be in Estepona. of sunshine, 21km of coastline, While the paseo brings you right back to the pre17 beaches, dozens of chirin- sent with its lycra-clad joggers, giant chess sets guitos, eight golf courses and and intricate sand sculptures, beneath the cosmore spa hotels than you can mopolitan surface you’ll find a lady with a past shake a fluffy white towel at. who has been flirting with civilisation and repeFresh air fiends can sail in the lling invaders since neolithic times. port, go horse-riding, do high Her story is told through a scattering of watchtowers ropes at Selwo Adventure park, built to ward off the Moorish invaders, the Arab-built play padel in the poligono or clock tower and 16th century castle ruins. kick back with a cocktail and Estepona was founded during the golden age of their toes in the sand at one of the Caliphate of Cordoba in the 10th century. its glorified beach shacks. Destroyed by the conquering Christians in the 15th One chiringuito owner, Erwin century and rebuilt by Queen Isabella and King FerVanderdonck, 52, who owns dinand almost a century later, King Philip V granted Palm Beach on Playa de la the town a charter for 600 families in 1728. Rada, is already gearing up Compare that to the 65,000-plus residents tofor the summer. day – a figure that more than triples in summer This beach bar, where months. chart-topping girl group And rentals, by the way, do fill up quickly at this Las Ketchup recorded time of year, so book early if you want to discover their video for Asereje, why Estepona should be number one on your Coshas just undergone a ta del Sol bucket list. huge redevelopment.
HERITAGE: Festivals (left) and architecture reflects its history
A Spanish restaurant with a twist, located on the edge of historic old Estepona Town in a converted farm house dating back to the 1890 with many features retained.
Restaurante La Pampa is open from Wednesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner. Calle Sevilla 70, 29680, Estepona Phone: 952 795 545 email: reservas@lapampaestepona.es www.lapampaestepona.es
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April 24th - May 7th 2019
Estepona
Mural magic I
T’S quite literally the most off-the-wall collection of urban art on the Costa del Sol. Everyone from top international artists to creative prison inmates have contributed to Estepona’s amazing al fresco art gallery of 49 murals glamming up bleak concrete buildings around town. Every other high rise is bursting with colour and imaginative designs – from dancers and divers to optical illusions which deceive the eye from a distance. One of the latest additions to the ‘Artistic Murals Route’ is Atlantis by Jose Fernandez Rios, located on Avenida de los Reales, which was unveild on International Women’s Day.
RECORD: Fishing Day (above) holds the record in Spain , while (left) Jose Rios is inspired and Estepona’s newest mural Atlantis (right)
Another example of Rios’ work is the gardener cutting bougainvillea on the side of Victor de la Serna school. Likewise, the impressive Fishing Day mural occupies 1,000m2 across six separate buildings – and holds the record for the largest vertical mural in Spain. Artistic inmates of Alhaurin prison meanwhile created six-metre-long metal sculptures for one mural which recreates the sea floor as part of the Moraga Collective initiative. Erin Aman whose work is featured in San Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, is another of the famous contributors to the offbeat outdoor expo.
Floral tribute T
HE first seeds were sown back in 2012, when Estepona Mayor Jose Maria Garcia Urbano and his fellow councillors drew up the design for a green walking city dedicated to culture and art. The mural trail was born that year, an ongoing project that is transforming dowdy tower blocks with eye-catching frescos depicting local scenes The intention was to shine light on the town’s forgotten neighbourhoods and attract more foreign tourists. Ambling through the sinewy flower-laden streets of the old town, it’s clear to see how these efforts have borne fruit, and how well-deserved is Estepona’s nickname. Marielle Maulenberg, an MA student and English teacher, has watched the whole town blossom. “I'm really impressed with how they’ve done it up.” “Before, it was much quieter but the mural trail and street renovations have really transformed it,” she tells me appreciatively. Estepona’s flower pot-strewn pedestrianised streets and squares are some of the prettiest on the Costa del Sol. Its scented town centre is one of the reasons Michael Ventress, a retired bank worker from Basingstoke, chose it as his holiday destination. Michael, along with countless other tourists, come to admire the photogenic centre and wander around in search of the murals.
Because not only do they beautify the town, they provide handy landmarks to help navigate the streets. Head in any direction and your walk will take you on a floral trail graced with sculptures by local artists and poetic verses penned by Spanish bards showcased on ceramic plaques. Potted plants hang off whitewashed walls, scattering a confetti of crimson, lilac and magenta petals. You can see rarer plants at the Orchidarium, an indoor perfumed garden where 1,300 varieties are joined by the notorious Amorphophallus Titanum or 'corpse flower', named for its foul odour. Visitors have not yet had the dubious pleasure of taking a sniff as it hasn’t yet breached the soil's surface. When it does, it could potentially grow up to three metres high. Then there are the floral plazas, typified by Plaza de las Flores which lives up to its name, where you can get trail guides from the tourist office and study them at one of the pavement cafes. Others you'll happen upon while meandering through the streets, like Plaza de Begines which has a stage set up. Local resident Manuela Reinoso, 50, tells me it’s for the May Day celebrations. Let curiosity be your guide to discover these hidden treasures for yourself and you’ll understand without doubt why no other town can hold a petal to Estepona’s Garden of the Costa del Sol.
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Pirates and plants I April 24th - May 7th 2019
Hurrah for Jaula
T it is the hippest new clothes shop in Estepona old town. And womenswear store, La Jaula, has its roots firmly based in Estepona. The trendy shop is the latest launch from the Reinaldo stable of businesses, which includes restaurant Casa del Rey and upmarket Reinaldos in Estepona port. Run by hard-working half Dutch/half Spanish owner Liliana (pictured left with staff), it sits conveniently behind the Casa del Rey. Located just off the idyllic Plaza de las Flores, the fashion specialist also stocks a range of interior design pieces and homeware. But it is doing best for its collection of reasonably-priced dresses, business wear and jewelry, providing the backbone to their new range.
Find out how this booming seaside town is so much more than sun, sea and sand, writes Pablo Balbontin
D
ID you know pirates regularly attacked the coast of Estepona in the 1700s? Or that its bullring is the only asymmetrical structure of its kind in the world? This gem of the Costa del Sol is
packed full of history and amazing facts and those two are just for starters. Here are 11 stupendous Estepona assets that easily make it one of the coolest resorts on the coast.
A pirate legacy Back in the 18th century pirates were no strangers to Estepona’s shores and King Felipe II had seven watch towers built along the coast to protect it from attack by sea, known as almenaras, which still stand today.
A trend-bucking bull ring It’s own werewolf Among the many sculptures gracing Estepona’s streets, one soars above the rest: a creature that’s half wolf, half man. It’s a homage to the Spanish actor Paul Naschy for his contribution to Spanish horror films of the 70s, when he was cast in his most famous role as a werewolf.
A Disney connection If things had been different, Eurodisney Estepona would have been coining it in from millions of visitors around the world. The resort was the original choice for Eurodisney back in the early Nineties before the project was finally awarded to Paris for political reasons. But frankly we prefer it that way.
A ghostly past Estepona was once a ghost town like many of the depopulated pueblos in inland Andalucia today. After years of war, it was conquered and then abandoned by King Enrique IV of Castille
in 1461, when it became a wild and dangerous place to be. It was rescued from near extinction in 1502 when 30 families were encouraged back to reboot the town we know today.
Estepona’s plaza de toros isn’t the oldest, biggest or best in Spain but it’s one of a kind the only asymmetrical bullring in the world. Its clever shape was designed by Juan Mora Urbano to offer spectators more seating in the shade than under the hot Spanish sun, and it has hosted numerous sport and cultural events since it opened in 1972.
Independence One of the most valuable documents kept in the Historical Archive of Estepona is the Villazgo letter. Written and signed by Felipe V in 1729, it grants the title of independence to Estepona, which had been under the control of Marbella since 1552.
Professional picture and memorabilia framing... hundreds of mouldings to choose from.
Tombs intact The first traces of human existence in Estepona can be found in the mountains in the shape of the Corominas Necropolis, whose dolmen cave tombs and graves remain almost exactly the same as they were 5.000 years ago.
Europe’s Biggest Orchidarium Not only does it hold the size record at 15,000 cubic metres, this monster glass house houses an incredible 8,000 different species of exotic orchids.
Galeria 151 PICTURE FRAMING
Rare species The Sierra Blanca mountains backing Estepona and the rest of the Costa del Sol are the only place in the world to find forests entirely composed of rare Abies pinsapo Spanish fir trees.
A remarkable tower The Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 was the most devastating earthquake known in the history of southwest Europe, triggering a tsunami that spread to the Med. Estepona’s church didn’t make it, but the tower did and it’s still standing today, although it had to wait until the 20th century to get its famous clock.
A split personality Estepona has been inhabited by many civilisations down the centuries - Phoenicians, Romans Muslims - who all called it something different: Alextebbuna, Asttebbuna, Estebbuna and its present name, christened by Enrique IV.
Showroom and gallery at Arena Beach, KM151 on the A7, Estepona. Call mobile or WhatsApp
655 459 576
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Premier service
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OW in its 11th year on the Costa del Sol, Premier Bodyshops continues to provide excellent service, a quality product and real value to its customers. We have Approved Repairer status with all major insurance companies operating in Spain and in some cases we can commence repair of your vehicle immediately without prior estimates or inspections thereby cutting the time you are without your vehicle. In addition all of our customers enjoy the benefit of a free courtesy car and free valet upon completion. Our work carries a one year warranty. We cover an area from east of Malaga to Algeciras including Gibraltar and can usually arrange collection of your vehicle if you are not able to bring it to us. In addition, Premier specialise in the full restoration of classic vehicles, no job is too big. From bespoke sheet metal work to full customised trim, we can do it. Our portfolio of restoration projects is quite spectacular. Why not call in and discuss your specific restoration requirements. The main facility is over 700 m2, fully equipped to tackle the most demanding repair. There is a complement of five workshop staff and an overall total of eight personnel. We look forward to being of service.
Get in touch with Premier Bodyshops on 951 90 11 55
Estepona Life on the seas
VINTAGE: Estepona was once a quaint fishing village
Estepona’s seafaring tradition is the salt adding seasoning to its tourist offer
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TILL a working fishing town, much of Estepona’s cash flow surges from the port. The importance of the maritime trade is obvious at the Ethnographic Museum, which showcases the ancient craft of boat making and the cornucopia of marine life living off this golden coast. Museum guide Mariano Jobreas, who moved to the town from Madrid, shows off a wall displaying dozens of complicated knots. “To become a fisherman you have to learn to tie every single one of these. “You have to be prepared for all eventualities out at sea,” he says gravely. The models of fishing boats still in use look so real, he jestingly assures me that the working vessels are much bigger. On a trip to the port Miguel Ferrer Gonzalez explains his boat trips.
HUB: The port is still a hive for fishermen, but also offers a melting-pot of bars and restaurants these days “I came here because Estepona is more of a family town,” he beams, explaining that he spends his days sailing around in search of dolphins. It sounds like money for old rope as dolphins aren’t hard to find - beach goers often spot shoals of them frolicking offshore. “It’s not an office job, and if you like the sea, this is the job for you,” agrees Miguel. If you’d like a turn at the helm yourself, the Real Club Nautico houses a sailing and kayak school with a dry dock for sailboats and a nautically-themed restaurant for hungry sailors returning home from the sea. Estepona is still home to hundreds of working fishing families whose ancestors have been casting their nets here for centuries. Now this great maritime tradition is continued by their offspring who brave the elements to this day to put fresh fish on local dining tables.
OLD SCHOOL: Locals march in a procession at Easter (Semana Santa time)
WHITE-WASHED: The area surrounding the beautiful centre was once grazing ground for cattle
951 90 11 55
Vehicle repair and restoration specialists with FREE courtesy car and valet to all customers Especialistas en reparación y restauración de vehiculos con coche cortesía y valet GRATIS para todos los clientes Approved repairer for all major insurance companies Calle Juan de Herrera, 23, 29680 Estepona, Málaga
www.premierbodyshops.es
Located in the old town of Estepona you can find our historical house with a great variety of cold and hot pinchos, main courses, plates to share and much more... And for wine lovers, you can find more than 75 different wines from different places and types of grapes. We offer a trio of dinning areas: outside terrace, large dining area and our lovely interior patio. CALLE RAPHAEL no7 29680 Estepona - Costa del Sol www.lacasadelreyestepona.com info@lacasadelreyestepona.com
We would like to invite you to know our new concept store. A new space in the center of Estepona, where you will find different products to find what you need: fashion, accessories, jewellery, footwear and why not... a variety of wares to make a variety of differents gifts. CALLE REAL no93 29680 Estepona - Costa del Sol
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Estepona
How the Holy Trinity of Brucie, Tarby and Lionel Blair helped Estepona’s longest-running expat company, the Experience Group, make it to 50 years, writes Jon Clarke
CELEBRITY LINKS: (Top to bottom) Bruce Forsyth, Jimmy Tarbuck, Lionel Blair and Ronnie Corbett
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TANDING on the runway of Malaga airport, Alan James needed to do a double take. Parked up around him was a phalanx of planes - 20 in total - and most of them looked familiar. “It turned out they were all our planes, all of them chartered to bring tourists from all around Europe,” recalls the boss of Estepona’s Experience Group, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. That was 1988 and a time when the company had over 300 staff (three permanently at the airport) and thousands of tourists and property buyers coming to the Costa del Sol every month. Very much the heyday of the coast, Alan would rub shoulders with global captains of industry on the local golf courses and socialise at night with the likes of Jimmy Tarbuck, Bruce Forsyth and Lionel Blair. “It was an amazing time and I was literally flying all the time and POWER COUPLE: Alan James with everywhere,” explains the persona- wife Carol ble businessman, who at 81-yearsold still works most days at the ships and helped to launch one company HQ, in Benavista. of the first cruises in the Med; a “We had offices all over the UK and four-country trip, which went from one in Brussels and brought in 20 Malaga to Gibraltar, then on to the charter flights a week from every Algarve and finally Morocco. UK airport,” he conti“It had 85 suites and nues. made its way right up Something of a miGuadalquivir river ‘You can’t build the litary operation, the to Sevilla, before reExperience Group set turning to Malaga via homes like up 17 different comTangier,” recalls Alan. panies to take care sheds, you need “Tourists loved it and of every aspect of its we would normally tag proper design clients’ visits to Spain. on a week on the CosEach had its own dis- and construction’ ta del Sol before or tinct purpose, one after the cruise.” dealing with travel, But tourism, of couranother with property sales, while se, was only a half of the comothers dealt with furniture and en- pany’s business, which grew to betertainment and the setting up of come one of the key construction golf clubs and restaurants. companies along the coast. One of Alan’s favourites handled “We built 5,000 homes from Torrox
Top 10 Experience Group projects
ge over the main 1. Centro Comercial Bena Vista – 50 Shops and offices and the footbrid 1985 ted construc and d designe ed, road. Develop ed, designed and 2. Urbanisation Bena Vista, 100 Apartments and Townhouses. Develop constructed - opened 1983 Developed, designed 3. Las Palmeras de Bena Vista, 400 Apartments and Townhouses. 1985 opened ted and construc and designed -opened 4. Benamara Pueblo, 100 Apartments and Townhouses. Marketed in 1974 5. Jasmin Villas, 15 Villas. Marketed and designed - opened in 1981 in 1979 6. Benamara Gardens, 80 Apartments. Marketed and designed - opened rcial Zone Marketed and designed Comme and villas and uses Townho nts 7. Dos Hermanas, 300 Apartme opened in 1983 designed - opened 1985 8. Rincon Del Paraiso, Exclusive villas. Developed , constructed and rs. membe the by owned now 1983 ed Purchas Club. Golf 9. El Paraiso Developed, constructed and opened in 10. Bena Vista Lawn Bowls Club. One of the best facilities on the coast. 1984
For more info call 617403103 or visit www.experiencegroupspain.com
Expe c
LEGACY: Benamara was built by the Experience Group back in the 1970s
to Sotogrande between 1970 and 1990,” he tells me proudly, as we walk around the leafy, low-density urbanisation of Benamara, one of his earliest and favourite developments. The Experience Group built everything from great value two-bedroom apartments to stunning
front-line golf course villas. These include many around El Paraiso golf, as well as others built for his many golfing friends, including Gary Player and Nick Faldo, as well as Fred Trueman and showbiz pals including Lionel Blair and Jimmy Tarbuck. At Benavista alone he built the sho-
GRAFTER: Alan left school at 15 before later setting up the Experience Group and building Bena Vista (here) while on a plane in the 1970s (below)
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erience counts FIELDS OF GREEN: Experience organised many tournaments at El Paraiso
Golfing paradise
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he Experience Group helped to turn the Costa del Sol into a 12-month resort. “I didn’t want empty planes and decided the best way forward was to attack the golf market. “Heading up the team was Nick Faldo and with some clever marketing we were soon bringing in tens of thousands of tourists every winter. “Prices were cheaper in the winter which was a big draw. And punters could have an all-inclu-
pping centre, the bowls club, the footbridge and most of the houses nearby. “By 1973 we had built 400 homes and in the 1980s built and sold over 4,000 homes,” he explains. “So much of it was knowing what the clients wanted. And we used a good team of architects and worked
Building roots Born in 1938, at the age of 15 Alan left school to work in the timber industry in London’s East End. Working for the UK’s biggest importer of timber into Portsmouth and Canning Town he got to spend a lot of time thinking and talking about construction. This naturally led to working in quarries and he eventually headed up one of the biggest concrete companies in the Midlands. “I ended up with six quarries, most of them limestone,” he says. At the same time he trained as an accountant and even built his own accounting systems, which he still uses today. “You always need to know what’s happening in your company and we have over 2000 movements a month so it’s important that the system works,” he explains.
on the basis of letting in sunshine and light and offering big terraces and pools. “You can’t build homes like sheds, you need proper design and proper construction. “We didn’t cut corners and built to a high spec with cavity walls, copper pipes and proper electrics and the clients appreciated it. “We also liked to use old fashioned Andalucian pantile roofs and classic local style, not modern box-like stuff,” he adds. Alan’s links to the Costa del Sol began in 1969 when already wealthy from a UK quarrying business he made his first foray down to Malaga.
sive holiday with flights, golf and buggies for about £100 all in. “We also started the Tarbuck Classic golf tournament to boost the image of the Costa del Sol and brought in 25 teams each year, captained by various England stars and managers such as
While here, he met a Swiss builder in La Cala de Mijas who asked him to help him with a project there, before being introduced to a wealthy landowner, who was also conveniently a minister in dictator Franco’s then government. The following year he started working with both - plus two local architects - to develop his first project in Benamara, Estepona, and moved to Spain permanently with his wife Carol, now 72. The main architect was his friend John Littlejohn, while they also used local planning svengali Jose Maria Santos Rein, an architect, who ‘made things work with the town halls’.
A TRIBUTE TO MY DAD!
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ad became an entrepreneur while still at school, so he always expected us to work too. Both myself and my sister Allyson started at 10/11 years old in his office, filling mailshot envelopes after school, then answering phones and booking holidays for clients of Bena Travel and using one of the many terminals linked to the huge mainframe computer - in the mid 70’s it was one of the first of its kind. Holidays were spent helping couriers shepherd clients in and out of their accommodation along the coast and handling the manual check-in at Malaga airport, a much less security-cons-
cious affair in those days. The Celebrity-Am golf weeks and other tournaments we organised, including the Jimmy Tarbuck Classic and the Les Dawson Trophy, made for a colourful childhood. My Dad and Carol became firm friends with many celebrities such as Frank Carson and Fred Trueman. Having the opportunity to work backstage on charity galas over the years, it was a logical step for me to go on to work backstage at concerts, Stage Managing in theatre and then in Production and Art Directing in TV and film. Our father taught us to be fearless and resilient. His drive and optimism in business gave us courage and the ability to adapt to changing DAUGHTER: circumstances. Claire James
Matt Busby and actors such as Robert Powell. “We took over four courses, including the famous Valderrama and did around four tournaments a year. It was a must-attend for so many celebrities and really helped to raise the profile of the coast.”
MEMORIES: Les Dawson played in a 1982 tournament, while (left) Matt Busby and Nick Faldo
Charity work A strong believer in charity, Alan has raised thousands of euros for various organisations including the Aspandem handicapped children’s charity in Marbella. As well as running golf tournaments to raise money, he brought in famous singer Petula Clark (left) for a big concert at the Don Carlos Hotel, as well as comedian Ronnie Corbett the following year.
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ife is a confluence of time and place, and right now Estepona is the place to be on the Costa del Sol. For years it stood in the shadow of its larger, glamorous neighbour Marbella and was known for its rustic charm and good value for money, but increasingly Estepona is becoming a star in its own right. This process is the product of a variety of factors coming together at a particular point in time, and it started with the election of Mayor José María García Urbano, a local notary who took office a few years ago at a time when Estepona’s fortunes were at their lowest. The financial crisis had exposed years of waste and mismanagement, and the town’s finances were in a mess. The mayor rejected his salary, taking an official token sum of €1 per year, and set about reorganising the town’s finances, slashing costs amid a war on waste and ensuring that all municipal staff and resources were productive.
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town on the up Estepona has bounced back from financial ruin and neglect to become a flourishing cultural and business hub, with the community spirit to match
A lot has changed in ten years What followed was an intensive beautification of the town centre that had become a little rundown. You might think this an odd thing to do for a cash-strapped town, but the mayor and his team knew that this was an investment in future development, and set about getting as much done with as much creativity and as little financial investment as possible. Instead of big glory projects, streets were fixed and cleaned, homes and façades painted, and the now famous flowerpots arranged in all the pedes-
trian streets of the historic centre. The fact that each street has its own colour and pattern makes them all the more distinct, and the floral beautification is a fine example of a simple, cost-effective measure that has had a great impact. The impact has been visual as well as on morale, as the town hall also involved the local community in the beautification of parks and squares, the addition of artwork by local artists – who also contributed to attractive murals that now form the basis of a growing art route within the town – and even the placing of cryptic poems in spots throughout Estepona. It has all enlivened this charming Andalucian resort, which is more
popular than ever. A new hospital, as well as a community, conference and theatre centre and one of Europe’s finest orchidariums, are reflections of the town’s upbeat feel, Estepona is clearly a town on the up. A new real estate destination Though it has always enjoyed a certain popularity among property buyers from abroad, Estepona is now becoming a new mid to higher end destination for second and permanent home seekers from across Europe and beyond. This is partly aided, of course, by the fact that unlike Marbella the town does not suffer from any planning issues, so the processing of building licences is an efficient process. This has led to a lot of investment in increasingly exclusive property deve-
lopment in and around the town, which ranges from beachside, city and hillside apartments to luxurious townhouses and villas. Estepona’s coastal extension, now named the New Golden Mile, is fast catching up with Marbella and together with areas such as El Paraíso, Costalita, Atalaya, Cancelada and Estepona Golf creating a true alternative to buying in Marbella. All this is reflected in property sales within the Estepona municipal boundaries, which in 2017 and 2018 surpassed 2,500 transactions per year – almost double the level of 2012. With a good and growing choice of modern properties, plenty of opportunities to upgrade existing homes and an expanding range of quality services available, it is fair to say that the feel-good factor that Estepona currently enjoys provides an excellent platform for strong, sensible development now and in the future.
Terra Meridiana, 77 Calle Caridad, 29680 Estepona • Tel: +34 951 318480 Office Mob: +34 678 452109 • Email: info@terrameridiana.com • Website: www.terrameridiana.com
Estepona boasts two of the Costa del Golf’s founding courses, and a whole lot more
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WO of the genuine grandes dames of the Costa del Golf are found in Estepona. Both El Paraiso and Atalaya rank with the oldest courses on the coast and were established in the days when you could build a golf course just about anywhere you liked. As a result, the quality of the courses is fantastic, built on wonderfully flat land with the mountainous backdrop of the Sierra de las Nieves. It means you don’t lose so many balls and the courses are easy to walk around. El Paraiso caters for every kind of golfer, boasting seven different types of membership and up to eight competitions a week for varying abilities. It also has an active ladies section, with more than 200 members. Atalaya Golf Club proudly dates back to 1968, when the design of the course was more important than fitting it between apartment blocks. Eucalyptus trees, cacti and palms line the club’s two 18-hole courses - Atalaya Old and Atalaya New - whose wide, easy-walking fairways pass fountains
PITCH PERFECT: Estepona courses
Greens are go! and flower beds. As a members’ club that is open to guests, the course has a lively community feel and there is always a buzz around the clubhouse. Although a younger course, dating from 1989, Estepona Golf is famous for superb putting surfaces and sea views. Featuring strong par 3s, it provides an excellent round for players of all standards.
“Estepona has the best golfing temperatures in Europe, with over 320 days of sunshine a year and an average of 22 degrees,” explains Jason Callow, of Estepona Golf. Contact El Paraiso on 952 883 835 or email info@elparaisogolfclub.com For Estepona Golf, call 952 937 605, or email information@esteponagolf.com
THE ESTEPONA GOLF CARD HALF PRICE GREEN FEES €249 A YEAR WWW.ESTEPONAGOLF.COM (+34) 952 937 605
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WHERE TO EAT
Classic act There’s no place else on the Costa for vintage cars and repairs
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LASSIC cars have been a long-time passion of Andreas Ullstein, owner of Coast Classics in Estepona. His love affair started several years ago when he bought his first - a quintessential Ford Mustang. Fast forward a few years, his friends questioned why Andreas hadn't used his knowledge and expertise further. So, 10 years ago, the award-winning Coast Classics workshop was born. Walking into the showroom in the Estepona Poligono, customers are greeted with a salon in the style of a 1950s american diner before being shown the array of collectible motors. None of the cars on show are younger than 30 years. Andreas and his team are so good that a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 won the Gold Award from the Mustang Club of America in 2013. "It's the stories behind the cars that drive the projects," says German Andreas, who has been living on the coast for over 26 years. "Whether that be that the classic car, one of only five made in the world, or a grandparent that needs restoring to its original glory." The team can fix up any classic car and provide any service imaginable, including maintenance, repair, restoring, consignments and sales. Using the latest technology, the workshop has made a name for itself in being among the best mechanics in the country. "Most importantly we are extremely passionate in what we do," adds Andreas, "We love the work and take pride in every job, and that shines through." Contact Coast Classics on 619 270 000 or email classics@coast-classics.com
Location, location Estepona has a great collection of top places to eat if you can only locate them, writes Dining Secrets of Andalucia editor Jon Clarke
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OQUITO a poco Estepona is developing a food culture to go with its rapid growth as an upmarket resort. While still lagging behind Marbella there are now plenty of reasons to head into town to check out its fast burgeoning restaurant scene. Little by little, more exciting places are opening up than the usual fried fish and tapas joints. Indeed, you can find most types of cuisine now, from Japanese to Venezuelan and Goan to Peruvian. Driven by an influx of wealthy and more demanding expats, particularly Scandinavians over the last few years, the town’s chefs have had to up their game. Between the two squares of Plaza Ortiz and Plaza de las Flores and the two streets of Calle Real and Calle Caridad you will now find, perhaps, a dozen good places to eat. One of the nicest is the excellent Argentinian Sur, in Plaza Ortiz, where well tra-
velled owner Juan is never standing still, always trying new things in terms of decor, wines and dishes.
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A classic family affair, you often find father, wife, son and daughter, not to mention son-in-law serving up juicy empanadas, lamb tagines and, of course, the best steaks imaginable. Up on Calle Caridad don’t miss the just-opened Galpon, an atmospheric place run by a group of Argentinian friends who have been storming it on the Costa del Sol for years. Cooks Natalia and Nadia do a splendid job from their open-plan kitchen, particularly with an excellent sea bass ceviche, a fabulous mushroom risotto and extremely tender noisette of lamb, which cooks for 24 hours. Maitre Martin is friendly and has a good knowledge of wines, particularly the bespoke section from Argentina, ranging in price from 15
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“We love wine, we love meat... What if you combine the two?”
CREATIVE EYE: Juan is constantly evolving his restaurant Sur (left)
NEW BROOMS: Nadia and Natalia at Galpon with dish (left) and sala (below)
to 50 euros. Heading up from here, you might want to grab a tapa in La Para, while a superb place for a cocktail is the recently opened Vibes, run by Syrian, Sam. It is a great place to chill and you can even order a hookah pipe. One place you certainly must not miss is fabulous Casa del Rey (below), which opened half a decade ago at one corner of Plaza de las Flores. Completely changing the fabric of Estepona old town when it opened, it is a stylish spot with a fantastic collection of nearly 100 wines by the glass. It has brought a new style of diner to the centre and gourmets keen to experiment with wines and tapas will love the ambien-
tel: 617 27 84 91 Caridad 91, 29680 Estepona
La Alcaria de Ramos is an Andalusian countryside stately mansion located high above the Mediterranean, with wonderful views
La alcaria de Ramos
Continues on Page 30
Traditional Mediterranean cuisine and creative cuisine merge to create a new concept and exquisite sensory experience
tel: +34 952 88 61 78 jare.1970@hotmail.com Ctra. de Cádiz, km. 167, 29688, Urb. El Paraíso, Estepona Close to Hotel el Paraíso, (junto al Hotel Paraíso) www.laalcariaderamos.es
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Brilliant Benavista Home to a thriving bowling club, Benavista is so much more than just fantastic views
From Page 29
Gourmet Tour
BENAVISTA is one of the most popular places for British expats to put down roots on the Costa del Sol. Less developed and lower rise than many of its neighbours, Estepona’s ‘east end’ is aptly named - you get a better vista in Benavista! The beautiful area between Estepona and San Pedro is home to a thriving community of foreign residents that has shaped it into what it is today, and there is always something going on. “We are so spoilt for choice,” says Hughie Holgate, 71, who runs the popular Benavista Bowls Club and its Green Bar. “We have many members who play in leagues up and down the Costa del Sol.” With the club membership going from 50 members to over 150, the Green Bar is a thriving bar which serves tapas, daily specials and an extensive lunch menu. The club also has free WiFi connection. Large sunny terraces at the club are ideal for enjoying the Green Bar’s renowned Full English at €3.95. Happy hour is from 4-6pm. Benavista Bowls Club is the only bowls club on the coast to offer live streaming of matches. It is fully open to public and instructors are on hand to provide tuition for beginners. For those after even more fun there are quiz nights, and plenty of more laid back events throughout the year, where people don’t have to wear bowling whites.
PARADISE: Sea bass in salt and monster dessert from Alfonso (right) at El Pescador
ce and attractive tables outside, always square is Dona Jeronima, which is beaufull on warm evenings. tifully designed with a living The waiters know a lot plant wall and stunning naabout wine and the Reinaltural lighting inside and a An international great terrace. do group (which also runs Reinaldo in the port as well Another interesting place to restaurant, it as Bar Don Ronaldo nearby) look for in the old town is also runs the Wine Room has a charming well established La Pampa, next door. in Calle Sevilla, which sits in Friendly owner Liliana (who courtyard with a a building dating back to is half-Dutch and half-Spathe 19th century. fountain nish) is often around and A very international restauhappy to chat, when not rant, it has a charming courPlease call the club to enquire about the different busy keeping the group of tyard with a fountain and a events, on +34 952 88 51 48 or visit www.benavistasix businesses ticking along. roof terrace which is a great place to eat. bowlsclublive.com If full, another place to check out in the When it comes to seafood, there can only really be one place worth visiting. Run by Alfonso for years - and very often found in its kitchen - El Pescador is Estepona’s seafood stalwart. Sitting slap bang on For holiday rentals near the bustling the main beach, few Puerto Deportivo, look no further than places have developed Marina Harbour Holiday Apartments as quickly and as stylishly in the town over the last decade (and STEPONA now has a whole range of holiday rentals available for the summer season, he has just opened right by the port. another one in MarbePOPULAR Costa del Sol Estepona Apartments, the successful renlla). club, Groo-V is going throutal firm behind some of the town’s most sought Through sheer hard gh some exciting times, afafter dwellings, has now expanded to include work and a clever eye ter launching its first ever ‘Marina Harbour Holiday Apartments’. for quality and panalive jam session. A stone’s throw from the beach, the company’s che, he has turned this Run every Wednesday from new portside properties are located among the place into the must vi10:30pm-late, the nights hustle and bustle of Estepona’s nightlife scene, sit fish restaurant. encourage local musicians whilst offering unparalleled ocean views. You sit by the prometo come together through And with the Mediterranean on your doorstep nade overlooking the the power of music. you would be forgiven for thinking these holiday sea and eat only the “It was a great night,” says homes come with a hefty price tag, but not at Es- And with the port’s amazing crop of restaurants best fresh fish from Vincent Neale, owner of tepona Apartments. serving some of the coast’s best seafood, as the nearby port. My tip the live entertainment vePrices start from as little as €33 a night for a well as international cuisine and British dishes,
Port of call
is the sea bass in salt, an absolute joy. Another excellent chiringuito right on Estepona’s main beach is Africa Beach, run for four years by the talented team from well established inland restaurant La Alcaria de Ramos. An excellent place to spend the day, you can lay back and enjoy a superb fish lunch enjoying prawns and sardines cooked on espeto skewers, then hang out on a sunbed for the rest of the day, enjoying cocktails at night. Just up the road you will find the chiringuito Palm Beach, one of the best on the coast for quality, and due to reopen again shortly. Set up by talented former Dutch broker Erwin Vanderdonck, it has a range of tasty dishes including prawn pil pil samosas and crab spring rolls, which are melt-in-
Groo-V times
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one-bedroom apartment, while a two-bedroom stay can be found for €35, and three bedrooms for €45. These homes make the perfect getaway for families, golfers, or those who just want to enjoy one of the Costa del Sol’s most beautiful beaches. All apartments have an outdoor terrace area, heating, air-conditioning, fresh towels, WiFi and a fully-equipped modern kitchen for self-catering.
you really will be spoilt for choice. For those dining at home, there are several late-night shops and supermarkets nearby too. The La-Fragata urbanization hosts the one-bedroom apartment, which comes with a pool, one bathroom, and can sleep up three people. For two-bedroom and two-bathroom apartments, there are a whole host to choose from. Guests at the Puerto-Blanco rentals have access to the famous Cristo beach, with a market every sunday in the port. Meanwhile the Puerto-Alto and El-Faro residences, which both have pools, can sleep up to four guests, and are very close to an abundance of bars and restaurants. Three-bedroom and two-bathroom options are also available at Edificio-Montemayor and El-Faro. Both these homes, which comfortably sleep six, offer sea views, and are just a short walk in to the cultural heart of Estepona’s Old Town. With a range of quality holiday rentals to choose from, if you are planning a trip to Estepona, you had better choose Estepona Apartments.
Get in touch with them at www.estepona-apartments.com or ring 34 628 133 548
nue in El Paraiso. “We play everything from Clapton to Spanish stuff and from opera to reggae.” Groo-V are also launching an X-Factor competition for the Costa del Sol, with auditions beginning mid-May. “First prize gets €2,000, second €1,000 and third €500, with all of the top three getting a gig contract with us,” Vincent explains. Despite opening less than eight months ago, Groo-V has even made it onto TV, appearing on Channel 5’s Bargain-Loving Brits in the Sun. Vincent is excited for the future and encourages the public to visit Groo-V for karaoke nights on Friday and Sunday, and live gigs every Saturday. Visit Groo-V’s Facebook page at @groovbenavista
HISTORIC: La Pampa dates back to 1890
31 April 24th - May 7th 2019
BBQ, Fish, Cocktails, Sunbeds, Beach...good times...
TALENTED: Jose Antonio Ramos (left) runs Africa Beach and La Alcaria de Ramos
the-mouth amazing. Another superb chiringuito, just outside the port, up on the ‘secret’ Playa del Cristo you will find chiringuito Lolailo, where a friendly team serves up the freshest fish that one would expect from a good beach restaurant. A bit further afield a must visit for anyone wanting to find one of those true dining secrets of
the Costa del Sol is La Alcaria de Ramos. Run by Jose Antonio Ramos for over three decades, it sits beside an inland crossroads, between the two famous golf courses of El Paraiso and Atalaya. An ancient coaching inn, it is charm personified and has wonderful views of the coasts sitting up in an enviable posi-
tion. For many years in the Spanish Michelin guide, it mixes up traditional Mediterranean cuisine with international fare and has a superb wine list. Last, but not least if you find yourself up in Benavista, check out the excellent Green Bar, which is always busy and has a great menu del dia as well as some superb tapas.
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BUSINESS
33
Eyes in the sky
Bedding Success A BRITISH medical furniture business is set to supply beds and trolleys to hospitals and care homes across Spain. Suffolk-based Seers Medical secured a five-year contract for more than 120 items with support from the British Department for International Trade. The firm agreed the deal with Hidemar, a medical distributor based in Madrid, after showcasing at MEDICA - the largest medical trade show in the world. “We are an ambitious business and know that there’s demand for our products worldwide,” said Matt Clarke, Seers Medical marketing manager. “The Spanish market was one of the few countries in Europe we were yet to do business with.” Seers Medical is a market leader in manufacturing medical furniture for the healthcare sector and counts the NHS as a customer Clarke said: “If we can export our equipment worldwide, other British brands can, too.”
Army drones deployed to fight drug dealers and human traffickers MILITARY drones will be patrolling the coasts this year after Spain signed a huge €216 million deal with the US. Four MQ-9 Reaper drones are to carry out surveillance in the Straits of Gibraltar to tackle illegal immigration and drug trafficking. The unmanned aircraft will soon be arriving at their new base in Talavera la Real in Badajoz, ready for action later this year.
It comes as the Guardia Civil has struggled to tackle the surging drug trafficking epidemic which has seen outbursts of violence along the coasts over the past two years. It has been suggested this summer will see even more drug activity than last year. The military deal includes a state-of-the-art camera system for surveillance and a powerful long-range radar. The drones have the capacity to be armed with missiles
COMING SOON: Drones above southern Spain
but Spain’s will not be carrying any. Weighing in at two tonnes,
Cu-ban THE Government has rallied behind Spanish firms in Cuba in the face of renewed US sanctions. The sanctions will harden the trade embargo around Cuba and make it possible for American courts to claim for properties confiscated during the country’s revolution. Government spokeswoman Isabel Celaa said:
the wings span 20 metres and allow the aircraft to fly up to speeds of 400km/hr for around 14 hours, meaning they can cover distances of around 2,000km.
Patrol
“The Government of Spain will be supporting Spanish companies in Cuba and we understand that Europe will support,
together with Spain, companies with legitimate and well-organised commercial activities in other countries.”
The drones will work on surveillance missions alongside the ‘P.3 Orion’ maritime patrol aircraft that the army has been using in the Straits for years. The ‘P.3 Orion’ is able to fly for more than 12 hours and has a network of sensors capable of locating a small boat from miles away, even at night or in extreme weather conditions.
April 24th - May 7th 2019
‘Stop ignoring us!’ TRAFFICKED Moroccan women have accused the authorities of ignoring widespread exploitation and abuse in the strawberry fields of southern Spain. Women make up a large percentage of the seasonal workforce in Andalucia and harvest 400,000 tonnes of strawberries, destined for the UK, France and Germany. It comes despite Morocco and Spain downplaying widespread reports that seasonal workers suffer abuse. But one worker named Samira said: “Before I left my home I was like a hero to everyone. Nobody in my village had ever had the chance to go and work in a rich country like Spain. “But it has turned out to be the worst decision of my life.” Alicia Navascues, of the women’s rights group Mujeres, said: “Moroccan women working as temporary workers in the field have described to us dehumanising and harsh working conditions.” The women claim to have been racially abused, denied food and forced to live in squalid shipping containers with hundreds of other workers. Alicia said: “In Morocco they are deliberately looking for cheap and vulnerable women who cannot understand their contracts written in Spanish or claim their rights.
34
April 24th - May 7th 2019
BUSINESS
Top tips
Three snippets of car advice from Linea Directa and why we should be the insurance company you choose
Mad about motoring? Whether you’re a car enthusiast or rely on your car for just about everything, keeping your vehicle on the road is a costly endeavor. Prices for car insurance can vary greatly between providers depending on different risk factors. While reducing your annual mileage and keeping your car in a secure location will help keep your preOlivePress-256x170-CAR-4.indd 1 miums down, Línea Directa recommend shopping around for insurance quotes to get the best possible price with the best possible cover. Minor car problems At this time of the year in the early morning sunshine, condensation is particularly troublesome especially in older vehicles. Motorists and other road users are at risk. Accidents can be caused when drivers try to wipe down the windscreen. Here are some handy tips to help you tackle condensation. Wash your car regularly as dirt and dust attract moisture and early morning dew. Remove any damp items like towels or coats from inside the car. When safe to do so, leave the windows open for a few hours. Switch on the air conditioning and wipe down the inside of the
A major Spanish solar farm company has seen its profits soar thanks to an unprecedented boom in renewable energy. Grenergy Renovables SL posted a net profit of €13.1 million for 2018, more than doubling its initial forecast for the year. The rise is almost triple the amount attained in 2017. The company saw total revenues soar by 16% to €55 million thanks the construction and development of solar farms in Chile and wind farms in Argentina and Peru.
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windows. Finally, you can fill a sock with cat litter and place it in your car to help absorb excess moisture. But what if it doesn’t start? A flat battery is a great inconvenience, jump-starting your car from the roadside can be hazardous and new batteries are expensive and can be troublesome to fit. These tips can help pro-2/8/18 long the life of your battery. Keep the terminals clean of residue that builds up over time. And remember to turn off air conditioning, lights, radio and other battery draining systems whenever possible.
* Fu l l y co m p re h e n s i ve o f fe r va l i d fo r n e w c u s to m e r s o n l y. G u a ra nte e s u b j e c t to cove r, re p a i r at a p p rove d g a ra g e, a n d co u r te s y ve h i c l e ava i l a b i l i t y. S u b j e c t to co n d i t i o n s. O f fe r e n d s 3 0 / 1 1 / 1 8 .
Help is at hand Línea Directa offers service, support and 24hour roadside assistance to over 3 million customers in Spain. Should you break down or your car won’t start, they will immediately dispatch an approved mechanic to help get you back on the road again as soon as possible. And with their new GPS Geolocation service Línea Directa can pinpoint your exact location and send breakdown recovery even faster.
We hope the information provided in this article is of interest. If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 952 14 78 34 More information about Linea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com
17:01
Turning sour
Trump threatens Spain’s booming citrus exports
SPAIN’S booming citrus market is facing a rocky future after Donald Trump threatened to impose harsh tariffs. The US president included Spain’s citrus exports on a list of products in line for more than €9 billion worth of tariffs as part of an ongoing feud with the EU. Growers are now fearing for the future after betting on the US as one of the key markets for growth. THREE of the five most prolific speed cameras in Spain are in Malaga, new figures reveal. A camera at kilometre 246 on the A-7 in El Palo, heading towards Almeria, is the third most active in the country. The latest statistics from the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) show that the camera issued almost 50,000 penalties in a year. This was followed by a camera on the same motorway, in Rincon de la Victoria, which caught 47,000 speedsters. Completing the top five was the notorious came-
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UNDER THREAT: Spain’s lemons and (right) Trump
Last year saw a significant increase in lemon shipments to the US, with figures showing Spain exported 6,315 tonnes in 2018/19. This was a 71% increase on the 3,700 tonnes shipped the previous year. “The US is indeed an export
Caught! ra just before the Carlos Haya tunnel entrance heading from Malaga towards Torremolinos, which flashed 36,741 times. The three Malaga cameras are all in areas with 80km/hr limits, and handed out a total of 133,261 fines in a year. They were surpassed only by two machines located on the A-44 of Jaén (76,300 fines) and on the N-VI in Segovia (59,200). The DGT collected €70 million from such cameras in Spain.
market with potential for growth for Spain and is framed as a key destination within our strategy to increase our sales outside the EU,” Citrus export body Ailimpo’s Raul Alcazar said. “Evidently this news is not positive and generates concern but at the moment we do not have any more information about the additional tariff that would be established or about the date from which it would be applied.” Spain exported more than €50 million of fruit and vegetables to the US in 2018, with stonefruit, citrus, apples, pears and avocados among the main products.
Brexit fear MORE than a third of Spaniards fear Brexit will have a ‘very negative’ impact on their country’s economy. A survey by El Cambio en Europa found that 37% thought the UK’s departure from the EU would have a direct impact on their economic well being. Meanwhile, 45% believe the negotiations have not been carried out effectively and that Spain’s national interests were not defended enough. The survey also revealed many people do not know what the European Parliament does (63.5%), while even more see the European Commission as a mystery (66.3%). The UK has until October 31 to find a solution to Brexit.
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36
April 24th - May 7th 2019
PROPERT Y OF THE WEEK
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ANDALUCIA’S remarkable property boom may have slowed down over the winter, but not for one unlikely province. Huelva, best known for its strawberries, saw home sales soar by 56% year-on-year in February. That’s 29% ahead of its closest rival Murcia, which saw a 27% increase in sales during the same period. But regions that are typically a favourite among the foreign market did not fare so well. The Costa del Sol saw a 3% drop year-on-year while the
the dead
PLACE TO BE: Pinta Ballena in Huelva Costa Blanca saw a 10% fall in the same period. Overall, Andalucia still enjoyed a 4% increase thanks to the boost in inland property sales. “The rate of expansion this Fe-
Real deal MADRID is no stranger to superstar footballers and another could be about to move in. Chelsea ace Eden Hazard has reportedly been looking for property in the Spanish capital, as speculation grows that he will move to Real Madrid this summer. The Belgian forward is said to be looking at homes in La Finca, one of the most luxurious and expensive postcodes in
CAPTION the capital. It is also where many of the Real Madrid players reside, including Welshman Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos and manager Zidane.
bruary was the second lowest on record since the real estate recovery began,” explained Mark Stucklin of Spanish Property Insight. “The Spanish property market appears to have run out of steam, for the time being at least. This may be due to the current period of political uncertainty, with a General Election due later this month.” Meanwhile, following controversial rental restrictions, the Balearics saw a drop of 12% in sales. Other foreign favourites such as the Costa de la Luz and Costa Tropical in Granada saw a 9% and 4% drop respectively. The worst performers in February were the Canary Islands and Las Palmas, suffering drops in year-onyear sales of 19% and 29% respectively.
A MAJOR repair project on the historic Maria Barrabino house in Torremolinos is set to be completed within the next two months. The town hall is spending more than €135,000 on the beautiful 19th century home, which will form part of the new pedestrianised town centre. Built around 1862, the Maria Barrabino house reflects the tastes of the then Malaga bourgeoisie, and still retains much of its original design and structure. Builders are currently restoring the original roof, while designers are renovating the inside. It was acquired by the town hall for €1 million in 2017 after being abandoned following the death of its last tenant two decades previously. Once opened to the public, the home will house a museum telling the story of Barrabino, who donated land to the poor, set up soup kitchens and helped to eradicate tuberculosis in Torremolinos.
Clueless THE Junta’s vice president has been living in an illegal home for two decades, it has been revealed. Documents show Juan Marin’s house in Chipiona, Cadiz, was built without a licence on land designated for intensive irrigation. However, Chipiona Town Hall has no plans to demolish the property despite razing at least three homes on the same plot of protected land. Marin’s home, which he bought with his wife and sister in 1999, features a 34 metres-squared pool. The politician said it was given legal protection in 2012 on the grounds it cannot be expanded further. The demolition of homes built on protected land has been a major point of controversy in Andalucia over recent years. Former Cadiz mayor Antonio Peña (PP), opted to resign instead of carrying out 30 similar demolitions. Successor Isabel Jurado has said the town hall is seeking legal advice on how demolitions can be avoided as they are ‘very hard and difficult situations’.
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL Pluck of the Irish AN Irish expat has made her debut in the wine world with the release of a vwonderful rose. Lynne Coyle, who holds the Master of Wine qualification, launched the first vintage of ‘Rós’ just in time for summer. “We wanted to make a wine that reflected the area, the vintage and the grape variety,” Coyle said of her collaboration with Alicia Eyaralar of Bodegas Tandem in Navarra (both above). She describes the wine as having ‘a delicate, pale colour, with quite a strong raspberry and strawberry aroma profile.’ “On the palate it is dry, but has ripe fruit mid-palate, and refreshing acidity, which is important for balance and helps the wine to work well with food,” she added. Just 1,000 cases of the wine were made, and although Coyle has received interest from the UK, Australia and Hong Kong, and says that a few cases may make their way there, the majority of the wine will be sold in Ireland, with a retail price of €16.95 a bottle. “Rós means rose in both Scottish and Irish Gaelic,” Coyle told the Irish Times, and it is a reflection of her Scottish heritage.
37
April 24th - May 7th 2019
Angel of Cadiz
restaurant | lunch and dinner restaurant | lunch and dinner
MichelinStarred chef dazzles judges to win gong for exporting home city around the globally
ANGEL Leon has won an award for helping improve Cadiz’s brand around the world. The so-called Chef del Mar, 42, who runs three-Michelin starred Aponiente in Chiclana, received the first ever La11Mil Award at a ceremony in Madrid this month. The gong has been set up by entrepreneurs from Cadiz and will each year award the prize to the local talent who best shines a positive light on the Andalucian region. Leon, who was born in Jerez de la Frontera, was recognised in the inaugural award thanks to his ‘invaluable foreign promotion of the province’. “His restaurants serve travellers from more than 60 countries,” the judging panel noted. “The Chef del Mar is many things: a businessman, visionary, researcher, creator, tenacious worker and an invaluable ambassador of Cadiz,” added Daniel Romero-Abreu, head of Thinking Heads, which presented the award
ICONIC: Aponiente and (below) Angel and award
alongside the president of the Confederation of Employers of Cadiz Javier Sanchez Rojas. “La11Mil helps us to project the values of the Cádiz brand,” said Rojas. “Ángel León is one of the many people who make us feel proud of Cadiz.”
Figure
The prize is a figure created by artist Antoni Gabarre, which symbolizes the number 11 and the letter M in the Phoenician alphabet - an homage to the civilization which founded the city of Cádiz (while the 11M represents the local postcode). Aponiente, in El Puerto de Santa María, has become one of the hottest restaurants in the country after being awarded its third Michelin star last November and has been host to a variety of celebs, including the Game of Thrones cast last May.
Taking it to the MAX MAX Beach has reopened following a huge refurb. The popular beachfront haunt in Mijas now boasts a new food and drink menu, huge 25-metre swimming pool, terrace and gym. The relaunch comes after the much-loved eatery at Playa Riviera on Mijas Costa was taken over by the Metro Group earlier this year – the company behind Jacks Smokehouse, Mumtaz and Metro Italiano Ristorante. Metro Group Executive Chef Lawrence Otterburn joined forces with new Head Chef, Geoffrey Sacchi from Nikki Beach,
with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com
PLACE TO BE: Max Beach in Mijas
in the takeover. A beautiful redesign it features ‘stunning views, whether you sit inside with the air conditioning, or on either of our terraces’. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and a comprehensive international menu, resident DJ Aaron Phillip will be a daily fixture while in early June Max Live will open a live music venue with nightly entertainment from a ‘superb team of local and
international artists.’ The bar, nightclub and music venue will open from 9pm till late. Meanwhile the new adjoining gym, Max Fitness, has been built on the upper level of the site. It will be headed up by David Segorbe, World Powerlifting Champion and world record holder in deadweight. A sushi bar, cocktail bar and sunbeds galore are other highlights.
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FOOD,DRINK
38
April 24th - May 7th 2019
Biowars Spain’s fruit and veg is facing its biggest threat since Brexit and this new nemesis also involves pests and parasites – but local science has found one solution, writes Charlie Smith
B
REXIT spells much uncertainty for Spanish fruit and veg on its way to the UK. Import tariffs, working restrictions, border queues - the list goes on. But this year alsobegan with Spain’s fresh produce facing down a series of threats much closer to home. Pests and parasites. Not the Westminster or Moncloa kind but the insect, fungal and animal varieties. In March came news from the north of Spain that olive harvests had decreased by as much as 50% in some areas. The olive fly was behind the devastation in Aragon, one of Spain’s worst-hit regions. Meanwhile the Balearics announced it was flying 46 people out to California to study the Xylella bacteria, another pest which attacks olives. The pathogen has decimated crops in Mallorca, since it was found on the island for the first time in November 2016. But it isn’t just olives, Mallorca and Ibiza’s almonds are also under threat. In Palma, a study of Xylella was conducted on 17 almond and 29 olive varieties to test which are the most resistant. Balearic nuts also face an assault by the Asian wasp ‘Vespa velutina nigrithorax’, which has brought significant economic damage to the region. Another big concern is bees after it emerged that the Costa Blanca had seen its bee hives on the decline by 13.5% over the past decade. Now it’s emerged that a small mite called the ‘Varroa destructor’ clings to bees and slowly kills them. In February more bad news broke that Malaga was beginning to import prickly pears - or chumbos - which usually doesn’t happen until the end of summer when stocks run low. The reason: cochineal beetles. A plague sweeping through Spain saw some plantations totally wiped out. Now avocado harvests are firing up and set to keep growers busy until mid-May - that’s if the avocado’s arch nemesis - the ‘Rosellinia necatrix’ fungus - doesn’t wreak its usual havoc. But there is hope on the horizon. Recently Andalucian researchers discovered that a unique fungus is able to surround an avocado tree, fighting off Rosellinia necatrix while leaving the plant unharmed. ‘EnHV1’ is the name of this heroic pathogen. But while there may be an answer to ensure the continuation of the avocado boom, not all Spanish crops are created equal. Here we look to Spain for the fruit and veg most under threat from pests.
Chestnuts
At this time of year pests pose little threat to chestnuts but come October, all hell looks set to break loose in Andalucia again. Last Christmas, the chestnut gall wasp from China was responsible for plunges in the crop’s production of up to 30%. The tiny Asian creature was behind a trail of destruction in Ronda’s Genal Valley where chestnuts bring in €10 million annually. The female of this wicked wasp (below) lays eggs in the buds of the tree, disrupting the fruiting process and reducing the yield of a tree by up to 70%.
EARLY: Chumbos imported to Malaga, while (right) the cochineal beetle
Prickly pears The cochineal beetle is farmed and bred to produce the ‘carmine’ dye that colours red food and many other products. But in Spain it is the enemy of the prickly pear, locally known as the ‘chumbo’ and the fruit this bothersome beetle likes to call home. In February a beetle plague devastated crops in five Andalucian provinces: Cadiz, Huelva, Malaga, Granada and Almeria. Only Cordoba and Almeria are still growing prickly pears with each province having just 14 hectares of dedicated land.
The fruit you can often pick up from a roadside seller for next-to-nothing had to be imported early on in the season from as far away as Sicily, with prices oscillating between €2.40 and €3.50 a kilo.
Honey PARASITES: ‘Varroa destructor’ and (right) zoomed in
Almonds Ibiza saw a devastating 65% drop in its almond harvest last year, while neighbouring Mallorca experienced a 40% drop. As well as bad weather, the Xylella bacteria was largely responsible for this nut slump. The Balearic Islands are famous for almonds, producing most of Spain’s 60,000 tonne total last year. Bees pollinate about 80% of the Balearics’ cultivated and wild plants, including almonds but they also have a nemesis: the Asian wasp ‘Vespa velutina nigrithorax’, which wreaks significant economic and ecological damage on the insect’s populations. The threat from this pest to the region is so real that an app Vespapp - was even designed at the University of the Balearic Islands in order to detect Asian wasps.
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For honey-lovers bees are man’s best friend but the ‘Varroa destructor’ is definitely not the best friend of bees. This parasitic mite feeds on the bee’s fat reserves by latching on to its abdomen and slowly killing the insect. And the Costa Blanca is one of the areas where honey production is most at risk from this pest. It emerged in February that 13.5% of Valencia’s hives had disappeared since 2008, while bee organisation Asaja Alicante said it was at a ‘clear disadvantage’ to other communities. Meanwhile Jose Luis Herguedas, secretary of the Apicultural Fair Foundation, said: “At the moment, it is the disease that is causing the greatest number of bee deaths in apiaries.”
with DINING SECRETS of ANDALUCIA.com
& TRAVEL
39
April 24th - May 7th 2019
Avocados
Olives Aragon in northeastern Spain has just rounded off the olive season from hell - largely thanks to its foe, la mosca del olivo - the olive fly. Some areas in the region have seen downturns of 50% compared to last year thanks to the pesky insect. But Mallorca too faces an olive threat, namely the ‘Xylella fastidiosa’ bacteria, which can be carried by 309 different insects. This pathogen can cause so-called ‘olive quick decline syndrome’, which can cause the fruit to whither and drop from the tree prematurely, or cause fungal infections. Female flies can also lay larvae in olives which can lead to a 30% decrease in yield.
The ‘green gold’ is Alicante’s most important crop, yielding a bumper harvest of over 600,000 kilos in 2017 - 50% up on the previous year. It is also very important to Malaga’s Axarquia region. S p a niards devoured 19 million more avocados than they ate in 2017, a 35% increase, according to the World Avocado Organisation. But avocado amor could be nipped in the bud if ‘Rosellinia necatrix’ has its evil way. This fearsome fungus rots the plant’s roots, an affliction that could prove fatal to the Spanish avocado sector. The Hass avocado - the common bumpy kind, which accounts for 70% of national production - is particularly susceptible to this predatory pathogen. So despite scientists locating a ‘counter fungus’ in the EnHV1, to rely so much on one variety of avocado could spell trouble for Spain in the future.
RONDA + 10 MINUTES If you’re visiting Ronda or just deserve a break in the mountains, why not stretch to an extra ten minutes of journey time to visit, and maybe stay at, a watermill hotel that’s been established for 32 years with the same owners? “YOUR MENU IS AMAZING – WHAT A DISCOVERY” Molino del Santo is the Ronda area’s most well-loved small hotel and restaurant offering exceptional food and service in a wonderful rural setting. Nestled by a mountain stream with flower-filled terraces, Molino del Santo welcomes thousands of people every year, many of them returning over and over again. “WE NEVER EXPECTED TO FIND THIS QUALITY AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL IN THE MOUNTAINS” English-speaking staff available from 9 am to 8 pm every day to help you plan your visit. Always best to book in the restaurant and usually essential in the hotel.
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL Holy caracole! 40
April 24th - May 7th 2019
Snails are blazing a trail in Spanish foodie circles (well, they are gastropods!) writes Claire Leibovich
IF you thought snails were only a French thing, think again. Caracoles are a huge tradition in Spain, and Snail Season - mid-April to late June - is upon us. Spain consumes around 16 million kilos of snails each year, which makes it the second largest consumer in the world after France. The gastropods are so popular in Spain that the country
hosts the largest snail festival in the world in Lleida, Catalunya. Every spring, around
12 tonnes of the slimey shell-dwellers are consumed in three days in the Catalan
Caracoles are easy to prepare at home, so give it a go! RECIPE for 4 servings: 200 caracoles ½ kg tomato 2 Catalan sausages 2 garlic Parsley Salt Pepper Aromatic herbs ½ glass White wine ½ glass of brandy
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Preparation: Place the snails in a pot of water until it boils. Wash them several times until they are completely clean and then leave them boiling in a season of aromatic herbs and salt till well cooked. Fry in a pan the onion, tomato and the sausages. Add the white wine and the brandy; salt, garlic and parsley; pepper and aromatic herbs. Add the boiled snails and cook it all till it is ready (1/2 hour approx.).
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town. This year, the festival will be held from May 31 to June 2. And according to Josep Marcelo, president of the ANCEC (National Association for Cultivating and Rearing Snails), their offspring is also a delicacy. “People are rediscovering snails and especially their eggs,” he says. Spaniard’s love of snails goes way back. A 2014 study found that Palaeolithic humans in Spain started eating them 10,000 years before their french Mediterranean neighbours. Much later, snails became a delicacy for wealthy Romans who bred them in protected spaces called cochlearia. In his Naturalis Historia, Pliny the Elder tells us that a certain Fluvius Hirpinus started that trend, in between the reigns of Julius Caesar and Pompey. Nowadays, Spain imports most of its snails from Morocco, Mauritania and Eastern European countries.
Expanding
However, according to data from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, snail breeding is expanding in the country, with the number of snail farms rising from 26 in 2000 to 614 in 2018. Traditionally sold at a cheap price by street vendors, you can now buy them by the kilo in markets, street stalls and even supermarkets throughout Andalucia. The average price for a kilo of snails is €7.50. Bars serve them as tapas, typically with tomato and garlic sauce. Snails are also the main component of numerous dishes such as rice and rabbit. And athough Spanish gastronomy usually avoids spices, snail recipes will include aromatic herbs, peppers, and even saffron and hot paprika. Snails are also good for your health, as researchers from the Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía have recently highlighted. They are low in calories (about 90 kcal for 100 gms) and are a source of protein, iron, Vitamin B12, magnesium, selenium and omega-3. Additionally, snail slime is used in cosmetics for its supposed anti-inflammatory, anti-ageing and moisturising agents. Caracoles are easy to prepare at home, so give it a go!
41
April 24th - May 7th 2019
Spring into action
S
Walk
the
walk
Unlock the secrets of the Rock with three walks offering visitors a journey through art, history and culture
COLLECTION: Art by international artists
V
isitors to Gibraltar who thought that all there was to see was a Rock and monkeys will be mistaken. Three different walks give visitors a unique and entertaining point of view of the British territory few people know about. The first is the art walk, which starts at the Fine Arts Gallery in Casemates. Paintings and sculptures from local and international artists are often on display there. Keep on walking along Line Wall Road to the GEMA Gallery. This collection of modern art includes Gibraltar’s very own international portrait artist Christian Hook. End this walk by taking the quieter Irish Town to the City Hall. The Mario Finlayson National Art Gallery within the building holds work from its namesake as well as other top artists from Gibraltar’s history. For those interested in British history on the Rock, the letter box walk is a great option. A map downloaded from the Visit Gibraltar website shows a number of different sites where they are situated. They range from Victorian to Elizabeth II time periods after the Gibraltar postal service was set up in 1749. Starting as an occasional trickle of letters via passing ships, it became the only overseas territory to be given the ‘royal’ title in 2005. Gibraltar is full of historical monuments which are hard to miss.
History, adventure and romance. That’s just the setting.
The American and British War Memorials along Line Wall Road recall those who gave their lives in the First World War. Down Main Street, opposite an imposing cathedral there is a chunk of limestone with a bronze statue of a soldier. It is dedicated to the Royal Engineers who had a connection with Gibraltar since it was captured in 1704. Finally, at the end of Main Street is the Trafalgar Cemetery, so-called after Nelson’s famous sea victory over Napoleon. Ironically, only two of those buried here took part in the battle, but there are a number of other interesting tombs to discover at this site.
MONUMENT: Memorial to US and UK war dead
PRING is not only a good time to visit Gibraltar because of the great weather, but because there is so much to do. The Spring Festival is a two month feast of activities put on by the Ministry of Culture on the Rock. It all kicks off with May Day where dancing, choir singing and music will keep everyone entertained all day long at Casemates Square. There will then be a sequence of dance, music and art throughout May and June. From Art Dance on May 4 to pictures of comic book characters the following May 7-17, there is so much to do and see around Gibraltar. Saturdays are especially jam-packed with activities. There is the traditional musical drama called a Zarzuela on May 8 at the John Mackintosh Hall (JMH) theatre. The same day will see artists compete in the Gibraltar Heritage Trust painting competition at Coaling Island and Gibraltar Forces will put on display a field gun at Casemates. The following week sees the annual flower show, a Mediterranean steps fitness challenge and a classic car rally. A photographic exhibition, piano recital and visual art exhibition are next on the agenda. These are just some of the activities throughout May and there will be much more in June, culminating in the Celebration of Opera at the Convent ballroom on June 20.
Join us for a celebration of history, art, heritage and pageantry in a unique part of the world.
With a UNESCO world heritage site offering 120,000 years of human history and only short drive from the Costa del Sol, enjoy the warmth of the British Gibraltarians and splash out VAT-free in Sterling. Gibraltar. Sun, sea and history served with a very British twist. PROUD
BRITISH
For further information call: Gibraltar Tourist Board +350 200 74950 Or to download a brochure go to: www.visitgibraltar.gi
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42
April 24th - May 7th 2019
Best advice Dr Nigel Best of Specsavers Opticas reveals the best ways to tackle hay fever for Allergy Awareness Week
M
OST of us welcome the arrival of spring, but the warmer weather often heralds the start of symptoms such as sneezing, headaches and itchy, red or watery eyes for hay fever sufferers. That is why Specsavers is providing advice on how to handle hay fever this Allergy Awareness Week (April 29 - May 3). Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen and is usually worse in the summer months. As well as sneezing and a blocked or runny nose, hay fever can also cause red, itchy or watery eyes, which can be particularly problematic for contact lens wearers. Specsavers clinical spokesperson, Dr Nigel Best says: “Hay fever sufferers who wear contact lenses may notice the vision through their lenses can appear smeary and eyes can generally feel uncomfortable. “However, there are some things contact lens wearers can try to help reduce the
irritation. “Contact lens-friendly eye drops can help to calm down any itchiness and wearing prescription glasses (particularly wraparound sunglasses) can prevent pollen from getting into your eyes. “Those suffering with hay fever could also try daily disposable lenses during the summer months.” Dr Best also recommends: “While it’s not always possible, staying inside when pollen count is high will help to avoid irritation or showering and changing your clothes when you get home will also help to remove pollen from skin and hair.” Your eyes can reveal a lot about your general health and so it’s important to have regular eye tests – once every two years, or more often if recommended by your optometrist. Specsavers Opticas are located in Marbella and Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol.
To book your next appointment, or find your nearest store visit www.specsavers.es
HEALTH
Beard bugs Human face fuzz is dirtier than dog hair … or is it just a case of pogonophobia? It’s ‘ruff’ justice for hipsters but men with beards harbour more germs in their whiskers than dogs carry in their fur, scientists say. The astonishing news follows a study that found every sampled beard was crawling with bacteria, and nearly half had bugs that were hazardous to human health. By contrast, a number of the dogs tested proved to have lower levels of microbes. Now men have been left bristling with fury, with claims that the results stem from pogonophobia – the irrational fear of beards. Ironically, researchers had set out to discover whether humans were at risk from picking up a dog-borne di-
sease from an MRI scanner that was also used for examinations by vets. They took swabs from the beards of 18 men and the necks of 30 dogs, across a range of breeds. The startling results give paws for thought. All the bearded men, aged from 18 to 76, showed high microbial counts, but only 23 out of 30 dogs had high counts. The remainder had moderate levels. Seven men were even found to harbour microbes that posed a threat to human health. After the MRI exams of the dogs, the scanners were disinfected and showed a ‘significantly’ lower bacteria count compared with levels seen
Death by food
POOR diets claim more lives than smoking, a new medical study has revealed. Junk food is responsible for one in five deaths a year or 22% of the world’s adult population, according to The Lancet medical journal. While tobacco kills seven million people a year, pollution 4.2 million and traffic accidents 1.3
million, fast food, red and processed meat and sugary drinks are more lethal than smoking. In the 195-country study, Uzbekistan headed the rankings for poor diet, followed by Afghanistan and the Marshall Islands. At the other end of the scale, Israel, France and Spain are the three countries with the healthiest eating habits.
GROSS: Beards dirtier than dogs
when used by humans. “On the basis of these findings, dogs can be considered as clean as bearded men,” said Professor Andreas Gutzeit, of Switzerland’s Hirslanden Clinic. But Keith Flett, founder of the Beard Liberation Front, which opposes discrimination against the hirsute, the results are barking. “I think it’s possible to find all sorts of unpleasant things if you took swabs from people’s hair and hands and then tested them,” he said. “I don’t believe that beards in themselves are unhygienic.” “There seems to be a constant stream of negative stories about beards that suggest it’s more about pogonophobia than anything else.”
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43
April 24th - May 7th 2019
The stronger sex
Carry on doctor
Fake diets FAD diets are ‘fairy tales’ that could have an unhappy ending for your health, says Spain’s consumer watchdog. Trendy new weight loss regimes like the seawater diet, the starvation detox and the baby food diet are ‘absurd and without any kind of basis’ says the Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios (OCU). They may promise short term weight loss which makes them appealing but the physical exercise factor is what really makes them effective, says OCU. Diets focused on one element, like the artichoke or blood type diets, or only eating food of certain colours, have huge nutritional deficiencies which can even be dangerous ‘if maintained through long time periods.’ As the beach season approaches, OCU advises consumers to forget the quick fix fairy stories and talk to a specialist before making radical changes to your daily diet.
BRITISH expats will still be able to use Andalucia’s health services as normal post-Brexit. The regional government will be spreading the good news throughout the Costa del Sol and Campo de Gibraltar in a series of meetings over the coming weeks. The Andalucia Junta will be filling local municipalities in on
their preparations for the UK’s departure from the EU. According to economy minister Rogelio Velasco: “The British will be able to continue using the Andalucian Health Service (SAS), which through the central government will send the invoice for the costs to the UK government.”
Euthanasia wars Husband facing jail after helping suffering wife end her life A HUSBAND who helped his chronically ill wife to die because ‘she had suffered enough’ is to stand trial in Madrid for gender violence. The controversial ruling has put euthanasia right back at the top of Spain’s political agenda. The case against Angel Hernandez was justified as the
action of ‘a man against a woman, without considering intention’ Hernandez’s wife Maria Jose Carrasco had suffered from multiple sclerosis since she was 32 years old and up to her death at 61. “She was tired of her situation, because she had already suffered enough and
SPAIN’S top oncology scientist has found a cure for pancreatic cancer in mice that could offer hope for human sufferers in the next five-to-10 years. Multi-award winning molecular biochemist Mariano Barbacid and his team in Madrid achieved the modern ‘miracle’ by suppressing two genes during the disease’s embryonic phase that have a major influence on cancer development. ‘Tumors’ were not only stopped from spreading, they completely disappeared within weeks, with no secondary effects. But Barbacid is ‘worried about creating
TRAGIC: Hubby who helped wife die wanted to commit suicide, “Hernandez told the court. His defence council will appeal the case on the
Mice work
false hopes’. “I want to make clear that our discovery won’t be useful for the people who are currently suffering pancreatic cancer”, he said, adding that the medical application would only be available “in the next five or ten years, at best”. Although pancreatic cancer represents just 2.2% of all cancer cases in Spain, a staggering 95% of patients don’t live beyond five years of diagnosis. Surgery is usually the only ‘cure’ and it depends on early detection.
grounds that it was ‘an act of love’. Euthanasia is regarded by Spanish law as murder i and can carry a six-to-10-year jail term although assisting in another’s suicide in cases of ‘a permanent and unbearable illness’ usually carries a reduced penalty. The Partido Popular recently took a stand against euthanasia while rivals like Podemos have attempted to decriminalise it. Pablo Iglesias has promised a pardon for Hernandez if his party gains power in the General Elections, as an ‘act of humanity that I’d like someone to offer me if I were in the same circumstances’.
WE’VE always known it but now the World Health Organisation has published the first ever stats to prove it: women top the longevity league table, outliving men by 4.4 years. A report that separates figures by gender for the first time shows that men have less healthy habits than women, see their doctors less frequently and smoke and drink five times more.
Biology
Pointing out that greater consideration must be given to gender differences in creating health policies, the WHO says: “In many circumstances, men are less healthy than women, and although biology plays a big part, gender roles amplify this”. The study also showed that men are 75% more likely to commit suicide and have double the risk of death from traffic accidents since they have more driving-related jobs than women. However Alzheimer's affects more women than men since they live longer. The report also highlighted a shocking 18.1-year longevity gap between first and third world countries.
STRONGER: Women
44
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46
April 24th - May 7th 2019
COLUMNISTS
Writer’s blog
I
’M sat in front of the silent laptop, fingers hovering expectantly over the keys, willing the phrases I use so freely on a daily basis to transport themselves from body to technology. I promised myself I’d write a witty account of our relocation but unfortunately, my aging grey matter has other ideas. I close my eyes, trying to recall how it felt as we took our first steps into our New life in the Sun all those months ago. I rub my forehead and look out towards the mountains through the window, seeking divine inspiration from my elasticated smalls which are currently wafting themselves dry on a hastily erected rotary line, but they offer no words of wisdom, not even an opening pun.
SEND HELP: Paula with writer’s block
New wife in the sun
Blogging can be more time-consuming than you think, especially when you have an upcoming audition, writes Paula Leskovitz I sigh and get out of my seat. I may as well bring the washing in while awaiting the cascade of witty one liners to take up residence in my currently uninhabited brain. Letting myself out onto the balcony I kick an unidentifiable chewed dog toy along the tiles for ‘Brian the brave’ who hurls himself along the slippery surface, performing a skater’s turn before his head makes contact with the back wall. I pick up a couple of dead leaves from a potted plant and then saunter back indoors to the welcoming glare of the empty computer screen. A clap of thunder echoes overhead. I catch a glimpse of several T shirts still waving at me on the line and let out an audible sigh. How the hell am I going to recreate our adventures onto Spanish soil from over four months ago if I can’t even remember to bring
in my clean cottons when I’m standing right in front of them! Slamming the laptop lid resolutely shut I get up and mumble profanities all the way to the biscuit tin and consume several sponge fingers before I’ve even made it to the comfort of the sofa. Brian does his best Paul McKenna death stare, willing the sugary treats to fall in his direction while shadowing me from room to room. “If I give you a digestive will you go and write my Blog for me?” I enquire to the salivating hound but the canine one is too busy drowning in his own expectant dribble to adhere to my pleas. My husband ambles into the lounge, scratching his early morning shadow while simultaneously breaking wind, takes one look at my thunderous expression and crumb laden torso and promptly leaves the room again. “Don’t forget you have that audition today for KES at the theatre at 3pm,” he yells from the safety of the kitchen. “You’ll be good in that role, the mother in that is a right misery, you can do some method acting!” Within two hours I am transformed from Ena Sharples into Ivy Tilsley with makeup and hairspray applied and kitten heels adorned. Standing outside the theatre bar I feel a nervous flutter of excitement, armed only with the prospect of standing on an
CLASSIC: Kestrel for a Knave unfamiliar stage with just a script and lines into my diet coke. my ego to hand. “Paula Lesk….lesch…lasch….skovitz?” People of all ages are milling around I lift my hand uncertainly and rise from tables, comparing characters and per- my seat and head towards the theatre fecting Yorkshire accents. doors. I sit on the outskirts watching the An elderly lady places a number on my women my own age blouse and I look down. chat good naturedly to Number 13, just my soeach other before their dding luck. name is called and Straightening my shoulI toy with the they head towards the ders and fluffing up my idea of having stage, the heavy doors hair I place a nervous closing behind them, hand onto the velvet a swift vodka their rendition of this clad door and enter the Northern classic to be unknown. beforehand to heard only by the direcmen are sat waicalm my nerves Two tors in charge. ting by the stage, I toy with the idea of hahands outstretched ving a swift vodka befoand smiles adorning rehand to calm my nerves but then their confident faces. decide ‘Karaoke Kes’ may not be what “Ah, I take it you are lighting guy’s wife, they are looking for. we’ve heard all about you,” they laugh I see a few familiar faces sat on the conspiratorially. table opposite and smile uncertainly Taking a deep breath I look them diin their direction, but I am not invited rectly in the eye and in my best Yorksinto the inner sanctum, I have as yet hire accent reply to earn my stripes, I look down at the “Yeh, I bet you bloody ave!” script before me and mumble random To be continued...
The Feng Shui shuffle The office can make a life-changing difference, as can a move to Marbella, writes Giles Brown
I
’VE been busier than normal over the past If I was giving off negative energy, then Jockey, couple of weeks. who was about five feet tall and five feet round, The radio station moved to swanky new unshaven and looking like he hadn’t slept sinstudios, which led to the Human Resources ce Friday night – when the team got paid – was department asking me if I had any preference a veritable black hole of negativity. where they put my desk. The consultant turned ashen grey. I think that I may have spooked them a bit “Get HIM away from the window,” she stuttewhen I came over all Hannibal Lecter in Silen- red. ce of the Lambs and replied, ‘I want a window I am not sure if the Feng Shui actually worked. I can look out of Clarice’. I left the company soon afterwards – so maThey have since put me in the centre of the ybe it did – and, after a pair of rather large room. Facing the wall. (ED: I remember the and imposing Yardies turned up one Monday basement I was once offered by Martin morning with a quivering salesperson who had some years ago). been unable to pay his tab in When I was working in publithe crack den he had spent the shing in London and the comIt was a Monday weekend in – the Managing Dipany was taken over, the new rector called in a drug raid on morning, there his own company. management team employed a Feng Shui consultant to impro- might have been The City of London water auve the energy of the building or thorities allegedly reported a some such. 400% drop in the water table in a rugby game I am not sure how you realign a Farringdon, as the entire sales that weekend five-story office block on Great floor rushed to the toilets and Sutton Street but I digress. flushed whatever they were caThe new age consultant type rrying. wafted in and shook her head as she surveyed I ended up working for Reader’s Digest Group, the basement editorial department, which she ensconced in Canary Wharf where the old days declared to be full of negative energy, shooting and ways of Fleet Street, with liquid lunches a withering look in my direction. at El Vino and a thin strata of cigarette smoke To be fair, it was a Monday morning, there mi- permanently hovering three feet above the ght have been a rugby international that wee- subs’ desk was a thing of the past. kend, and I was probably looking pretty withe- Looking out over the Thames one afternoon, red myself. I decided to do my own bit of Feng Shui and Worse was to come when she visited the sales moved back to Marbella for six months, ‘just to team on the first floor. see how it worked out’. One of the top salespeople was a Glaswegian Those six months turned into 20 years this ex-miner, who went by the name of Jockey (Sur- month. prise, surprise). Funny how time flies when you’re having fun!
Across: 1 Masonry, 5 Hairy, 9 Amend, 10 Uganda, 11 Honshu, 12 Tenner, 13 Moa, 14 Piles, 16 Elate, 18 Ida, 20 Asylum, 22 Noodle, 24 Barrel, 25 Leery, 26 Otter, 27 Wrestle.
Down: 2 Alamo, 3 Oversee, 4 Radium, 6 Again, 7 Red meat, 8 Quota, 15 Instant, 17 Lioness, 18 Imply, 19 Angler, 21 Large, 23 Loyal.
SPORT
47
April 24th - May 7th 2019
Super hoop
RAFAEL Nadal has revealed he was very emotional while watching fellow sporting great Tiger Woods win the Masters. The 32-year-old said: “What happened during the last year for Tiger is an inspiration for everyone.” The 17-time Grand Slam-winner also said the American is probably his ‘favourite sportsman in the world’. Nadal is currently defending his title in the Rolex
CELTIC legend Billy McNeill has passed away shortly after he was honoured in Spain for only playing at one club during his entire career. McNeill, 79, was to be presented with the ‘One Club Man’ award by Athletico Bilbao but died before he could collect the prize after a long battle with dementia. During his 19-year career, McNeill played all of his club matches and broke the club’s appearance record. The centre-half captained the team, dubbed the ‘Lisbon Lions’, to their first ever European Cup in 1967 by defeating Inter Milan 2-1.
BIKE OFF: Marquez
King of Texas SPAIN’S reigning MotoGP world champion has crashed out of poll position - only to be replaced by his fellow countryman. Defending champion Marc Marquez arrived at the Americas Grand Prix in Austin, Texas in search of a record-equalling seventh win. But disaster struck the Catalan halfway through the race when he spun off the track, allowing fellow Spaniard Alex Rins to snatch a career first victory. “This is racing, it’s disappointing as I was riding a very smooth but mistakes were there,” said Marquez. But Rins said: “I can’t explain my emotions, they are just exploding.” The next race is set to be held at the prestigious Jerez circuit.
Wolf pack
SOME things are easily replaced, but Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane says Cristiano Ronaldo is certainly not one of them. Los Blancos’ manager is currently eyeing up Chelsea’s Eden Hazard to help fill the gap left by Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus last summer. But he said: “He [Ronaldo] is gone, but we can bring any player, and the player who comes will not do the same as Cristiano.” Madrid, who are third in the league, could spend up to €115 million on Hazard. The Belgian, whose contract at the London club runs out in 2020, is top of Zidane’s list of transfers.
Monte-Carlo Masters, a competition he has won 11 times.
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Expat family track down footy heroes in Marbella AN expat family from Wolverhampton have managed to track down their football heroes at a secret training camp in Marbella. Wolverhampton Wanderers FC had jetted out to the Costa del Sol for some warm weather training ahead of their next Premiership clash - but the cameras were kept at bay. However, Wolves fan Kay Fellows, 37, her husband Ben, 39, and their two boys Hayden, 10, and Sonny, 9, managed to spot the stars. “The security guard at the ground wouldn’t give anything away, just that Wednesday was their last day,” said Kay. “We saw all the players,”she added, “except Neves who had just had a baby.” Goalkeeper John Ruddy, defender Conor Coady and forward Raul Jimenez were
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among the Wolves players pictured with Kay and her family before the squad flew back on Thursday. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo is hoping that the break at the Marbella Football Center will provide a boost to his side’s hopes of FANZONE: Kids meet Wolves qualifying for the Europa League. Despite losing in the FA Cup semi-final, they can still qualify by finishing seventh in the league. They are currently sitting in eighth. “We had a good week of training sessions and, at the same time, some social time together,” said Santo. The team’s last Marbella trip Vacancy - SaleS in February saw them dining at celeb hangout La Sala in Puerto Banus. Mix Media Group, home of
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ON TOUR: Lads visit La Sala
Karate Wonderkid A KARATE black belt from Malaga has narrowly missed out on a gold medal after losing to the world number one in Morocco. Damien Quintero failed to add his first gold of the karate world circuit after he finished second in Paris, Dubai, Salzburg and now Rabat.
Despite the defeat to Japan’s Kiyuna Ryo, Quintero has chalked up twenty-fourth medal and looks to have secure a place at Tokyo 2020. Quintero, from Torremolinos, was awarded a ‘Star of Sporting Merit’ in 2018 by Malaga Council, which described him as a ‘source of joy and pride.’
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Radio Mix 106, is looking for a Sales Manager for their audio/ visual productions department based in Manilva, Malaga. The successful candidate will be responsible for building and maintaining a client base for the Group’s audio/visual productions, podcasts, and services. We are looking for an experienced Sales Manager who can operate as a positive, pro-active team member, bringing energy, harmony and focus to the business, and make a positive contribution to the team. A background in media sales is an advantage but not essential as full training will be given. A knowledge of CRM systems is essential. Attractive basic salary plus commission on offer to the right applicant. Send your CV to studio@radiomix106.com
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Toy out of pram
FINAL WORDS
TOY Story fans in Spain were left disappointed when the man who dubs over the voice of the character of Woody quit over working conditions.
Paella to go KITCHEN workers fell foul of gravity when trying to maneuver a giant paella dish through a narrow doorway in Valencia, the results being a large mess and a viral video.
All laid bare ANTI-FASCIST protestors in Coruna greeted Vox leader Santiago Abascal with their bare backsides, dropping their trousers to reveal bare cheeks painted in Spanish colours.
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Vol. 13 Issue 315 www.theolivepress.es April 24th - May 7th 2019
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Love at first sniff
Doggy couple can’t bear to be separated AN animal shelter in southern Spain is appealing to expats and locals to home an ‘inseparable’ doggy couple. Escobar and Judith arrived at the pound in Los Barrios in 2017 and it was love at first sniff.
“From the moment they set eyes on each other, they bonded immediately, becoming the Romeo and Juliet of the pound,” Victoria Vasquez, from Spanish Stray Dogs told the Olive Press, “They cannot bear to be apart
Doggy shower
A BEACH in Marbella is now home to a new stateof-the-art dog shower. The Ventura del Mar beach, which has a clearly marked doggy area, now features a circular shower which can clean your messy pooch in record time. A drinking water fountain to fill your dogs water bowls or bottles has also been erected next to the shower. In announcing the new ad-
ditions the Mancomunidad Municipios Costa del Sol Occidental reminded dog owners to ensure they pick up after their pets and that they’re up to date with their jabs.
and when together Escobar is constantly touching Judith to ensure she is happy. “Their love story ensures that their time at the pound is a little less bleak, but also has a dark side, we cannot break their bond to get them adopted separately. “We need a special adopter willing to adopt them both together and be part of this love story.” Vasquez added that the pound in Los Barrios is struggling with the high volume of abandoned dogs arriving every day, many of them in ‘terrible condition.’ “There simply is no space to house one more single dog, and help is needed urgently in terms of adoptions and fosters as well as donations to move the more vulnerable dogs onto boarding
kennels to keep them safe,” she added. “Overcrowding raises the dogs stress levels causing the dogs to fight with each other with sometimes terrible consequences.” Anyone interested in adopting Escobar and Judith please email adoptions@spanishstraydogs.org. If people wishes to donate they can do this via paypal@spanishstraydogs.org.
THIS is the moment a cow caused a terri-bull traffic jam on the A-7 at the weekend. Cars came to a standstill in Alcaidesa, Cadiz, when the large brown mammal was spotted on the busy motorway on Sunday. Authorities had to be called to the scene to safely remove the animal and return it to its nearby pasture.
Craicpack AN Irish company has come up with the perfect solution to beat your hangover. CraicPack has just launched the ‘Hangover Box Care Package’. The lifesaver, which can be shipped to Spain and around the world, arrives in a box emblazoned with Irish sayings and contains some well-known local cures. The package includes Brennans Bread, Lyons, Barry’s Tea, Tayto Crisps and more.