Olive Press Costa Blanca South - Issue 29 by Olive Press Newspaper Spain

The

OLIVE PRESS

THE Joy of six!

VALENCIA / COSTA AZAHAR FREE Vol. 1 Issue 1 www.theolivepress.es

The

COSTA BLANCA SUR / MURCIA

FREE

expat

November 26th - December 9th 2020

LOCKDOWN LOCK-IN EXCLUSIVE

COUNTDOWN TO BREXIT

Don’t forget The new rules allowing you to drive in Spain until next summer Page 6

UNABLE to have his regular Friday night down the boozer during lockdown, expat Conor Wilde hit on novel idea for this one - to build a his own pub! The Irish expat, 46, got his mates over and converted his garden shed into what he claims is Spain’s smallFORGET THE DRAUGHT: Conor est watering hole. and pals at makeshift local Measuring 2.4m by 2.5m, it counts

VALENCIA remains open for visitors, with COVID restrictions more relaxed than most other regions, insists tourist chiefs. The city has been praised by businessmen and tourists alike for its

See page 7

on a cornucopia of Emerald Isle collectibles… and it even has Guinness on draught. “After being cooped up like a man in solitary in March I came up with a plan,” the Valencia-based real estate consultant told the Olive Press. “I had an old shed in the garden. got the lads over – Tuejar, El Gal-I lego & Champ – and we set about

turning it into Spain’s smallest pub. And if I say so myself, we’ve done a grand job.” Called El Irlandes, after his favourite Martin Scorsese film, it happily fits his closest pals in for the usual Friday night Blarney. Wilde, from Skerries, near Dublin, has run the Found Valencia agency

Valencia is open!

The Olive Press launches its SIXTH edition in Valencia

OLIVE PRESS

Your voice in Spain

By Eugene Costello

‘sensible’ approach, which has kept the economy running as best as possible.

Back to Blanca

“Life goes on and we must move forward,” insisted Antonio Bernabé, director of the Turismo Valencia Foundation, to the Olive Press, this week. “We have struck a good balance be-

How Amy’s guitar-maker from Valencia won over the world Page 15

for two decades.

tween keeping life normal and keeping it safe.” While tourism is down 80% on last year, the tourist boss says all activities, including cinemas and museums, are open. Best of all, unlike much of Spain, locals and tourists must only stay in between midnight and 6am. “It’s a great time to discover the city as there are no queues,” adds Bernabe.

“We take the pandemic seriously, but we also believe in the right to have a full life.” Currently few places in the Comunidad face tough restrictions due to high infection rates. The city meanwhile, has developed an activity card called Valencia an app anyone can download, On, not just aimed at tourists.

Blueprint

Palace con

A bunch of crooks tried to sell my hotel for a song Page 16

Your

THE WORD ON THE STREETS

BEST FOOT FORWARD: The Olive

expat

Lifting the Val

147 834 voice952in Spain * O f f e r

v a l i d

TheOlivePress-256x170-HOME02.indd

f o r

n e w

c u s t o m e r s

Is Baqueira really Spain’s top skiing resort? Page 20

Oh la landing Brexit!

Tel: 952 147 834 See pages 24 & 11

o n l y .

S u b j e c t

t o

c o n d i t i o n s .

E n d s

Press Valencia team getting the message

A TRADE deal between the EU and is on the verge of being finalised, Britain EU looked set to cave in on fishingafter the An MEP broke ranks to say that itrights. likely the French would have to looked compromise with Boris Johnson’s demands over UK waters.

out around the city this week By Dilip Kunar

promise in order to get an agreement. France had previously been refusing to back down on any fishing deal, demanding near-parity to the UK’s coastal waters. Christophe Hansen said the EU have to meet the UK’s demands to would It comes as the governor of the Bank of Enclinch gland warned that a no-deal an agreement. "There will be compromisBrexit be more economically damaging would es to be made on fisheries. The status than quo, COVID to the UK. that is somewhere we're not going to land,” Andrew Bailey said he told an event. failure to get a deal signed would create a massive cross-border French fishermen are understood to have trade blockage and damage backed the compromise despite losing goodwill beon access to certain fishing grounds. out tween Brussels and the UK for years. Meanwhile, Ireland leader Micheal It came after the EU’s chief negotiator Martin Mi- said on Monday he was hopeful chel Barnier demanded the need that a Brexto com- it deal would be completed this week.

Run by Visit Valencia it offers a huge range of discounts for museums, events, restaurants, transport and even hotels. You can find it at www. valenciaon.com, and it is completely free. Roland Wareham, 55, a company director from Andalucia, was impressed by how well the city was handling the pandemic. On a business trip from his native Mijas this week, he said: “I was struck by how normal life seemed. In Ruzafa, all the bars and restaurants were open, and the terraces were crowded with families and friends enjoying the al fresco lifestyle. “In Andalucia, meanwhile, bars and restaurants must close by 6pm, and my town is like a ghost town at night. “Valencia should serve as a blueprint for the rest of Spain.” Opinion, page 6 Taoiseach Martin said ‘by the end week we could see the outlines of a of this He said it would come down to deal’. will, both in the United Kingdom ‘political clear the political will is there fromand I’m the European Union’. EU ambassadors were told over the end that a trade deal with Britain weekis on the verge of being finalised. They were told the majority of the 11 main negotiation issues have ‘joint legal texts with fewer and fewer outstanding points’. The European commission president, sula von der Leyen, struck a positive Ursaying: “After difficult weeks with very,note, very slow progress now we have seen in the last days better progress, more movement on important files. This is good.”

3 1 / 1 2 / 1 9 .

21/6/19 13:30

Vol. 2 Issue 29 www.theolivepress.es December 10th - December 23rd 2020

CAN’T BEAR IT Nativity Double LIKE buses, Alicante has bagged two world records in one fell swoop. The city has been handed the Guinness World Record award after building the tallest and largest nativity scene in history. The display features a record-breaking 18-metre high statue of Joseph alongside a smaller Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. Created by Jose Manuel Garcia its giant statue easily beats the old 1991 height record set in Mexico. The display is also now the world’s largest-ever static nativity scene occupying an area of 56 square metres. Some local political parties

have criticised the cost of the enterprise, including €123,000 for the sculptures. There is also the bill of €14,000 payable to Guinness World Records for certification. Councillor Manuel Jimenez justified the expense saying: “The visitor numbers justify it and we are seeing business being stimulated by the display.”

Dinner with destiny BRITAIN’S Prime Minister had a date with destiny last night in Brussels. Boris Johnson was having dinner with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to see if there was any chance of salvaging a so-called soft Brexit trade deal with Europe. It came after Johnson insisted a deal with the EU was looking ‘very very difficult’ on Tuesday. The frustrating news came after weeks of claims that a deal was close to being finalised. “We’ll do our level best, but I would just like to say to everybody - be in good cheer, there are great options ahead for our country,” Johnson insisted. No News is Bad news, p22

Destination Relaxation

Properties to rent and buy in the sunny Costa Blanca

We have beautiful homes for sale and luxury villas to rent Commission fee is only €2500

2 147 834

tel: (+34) 965 074 546 | email: info@azul-homes.co.uk www.azul-homes.co.uk

Environmental groups unite after hunters kill two protected brown bears on ‘dark day’ for Spain SLAIN: Female brown bear Sarousse was shot by a hunter who claimed it was an act of ‘self defence’ AN investigation has been launched after a pair of brown bears were gunned down in a ‘dark day’ for efforts to protect the endangered species. The adult females were shot dead by different hunters, with one claiming to have fired at the bear in self defence. In what has infuriated environmentalists, both animals were killed in conservation zones, in the week a law banning hunting in Spain’s National Parks came into force. The first bear was shot in the Palencia mountains, in Castilla y Leon, by a hunter who claimed he thought the creature was a wild boar. A second bear, named Sarousse, was killed during a

By Kirsty McKenzie

hunt in the Aragon Pyrenees. The 21-year-old animal - one of just 350 in Spain - was shot dead in the Bardaji valley. The hunter, who claimed he was acting in self-defence, gunned her down at pointblank range when she acted in an ‘aggressive manner’ after being disturbed by his dogs. Sarousse, who had originally been captured in Slovenia before being released in 2006, is the third bear to be killed in the Pyrenees this year. Spain’s environment minister Teresa Ribera slammed the deaths and said efforts were

Tel: 952 147 834

See page 19

underway to determine what led to the killings on November 29. It comes after six green groups, including Ecologistas en Accion, SEO Birdlife and Friends of the Earth, united to demand immediate action. The Guardia Civil’s wildlife unit Seprona confirmed this week that an investigation has now been launched.

Heritage

The deaths came just 10 days after police in Catalunya arrested a local environmental official over the death of a third bear, a six-year-old male called Cachou, who was killed in the Val d’Aran area in April. The Spanish Brown Bear Foundation described the killings as a ‘dark day for conservation’. The group warned that deliberate hunting carried penalties of up to three years in prison. “This is enough. These bears were everyone’s heritage,”

said spokesman Garcia Paloma, who insisted the laws needed to be strengthened. Bears, once critically endangered in Spain, are now considered ‘high priority’ by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Brown bears became a protected species in 1973 as part of an attempt to grow numbers in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. The deaths came as sport and commercial hunting became illegal in Spain’s National Parks on December 5. The law was actually passed in 2014, but the then-ruling party, the PP, granted a six year extension, which came to an end last week. Hunters described the ban as ‘ecological disaster’ that will lead to job losses and overpopulation of the species. Environmental groups called for Aragon’s regional council to suspend all wild boar hunts in the areas where the presence of bears is known. Opinion Page 6

CRIME

www.theolivepress.es

NEWS IN BRIEF Illegal Booty POLICE have uncovered a 7.5 kilo marijuana stash in the boot of a rental car driven by a Swedish man on the AP-7 in the Torrevieja area.

Tumble A 44-year-old Torrevieja resident suffered multiple injuries after he accidentally fell from his second-floor flat balcony.

Jealousy AN ELCHE man faces 25 years in jail after he was found guilty of stabbing his ex-wife to death in July 2019, just 12 hours after seeing her with another man.

Railing ELCHE and Orihuela rail stations will see the first high-speed AVE train links to Madrid next month, according to Transport Minister, Jose Luis Abalos.

Car-jacked

December 10th - December 23rd 2020

Rape probe continues

British couple robbed by ‘good Samaritan’ gang as they leave Spanish port A BRITISH businessman and his wife have been robbed in a car-jacking incident by criminals posing as ‘Good Samaritans’. Company director Chris Ogilvie-Taylor and his wife Linda were forced over by motorbike robbers in Barcelona during the broad daylight attack. The couple, 65 and 64, were en-route from their home in Portugal, to their holiday home in Palma, Mallorca, via ferry, when they were attacked. The couple had decided to drive into the Catalan capital for lunch with three hours to spare

EXCLUSIVE before their ferry. “I guess we looked like wealthy targets with the car being on Portuguese plates,” said Ogilvie-Taylor, from London, who was driving a Mercedes GLC. “I’m pretty certain we were tailed as we left the port. “We were apprehended as we drove near the zoo by Parc de la Ciutadella when someone on a scooter tapped on my window, pointing to my rear tyre. “And at that moment the onboard computer indicated the

tyre had deflated rapidly,” he continued. Naturally, he pulled over to inspect the tyre, while the rider explained to his wife, who speaks good Spanish, that he had seen the tyre blown. “He said not to worry as he knew a mechanic who would be able to bring a spare and then he drove off, promising to return with his friend.” It was then they suddenly realised that the man had been distracting them while an accom-

New evidence in Maddie probe GERMAN police are gathering new and ‘interesting’ evidence as they prepare to question the chief suspect in the Madeleine McCann disappearance case. Chief Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters revealed he is following up new information on Christian Brueckner, who spent over a decade travelling around Spain and Portugal. This includes new photos from holidaymakers at the time of Maddie’s disappearance, in 2005, in Portugal. He also says Brueckner may have assaulted ‘two or three’ other children.

“There are quite good leads we are following up,” said Wolters. It comes as Brueckner, 43, was moved to a notorious high security jail once used by the Gestapo as an execution centre. The German pervert is serving a 21-month sentence for child sex offences as well as seven years for the rape of an American, 72, in Praia da Luz, where Maddie went missing. He had an application for parole turned down last month and will be in prison until at least 2026.

VICTIMS: the OgilvieTaylors and Mercedes plice had opened the rear door and snatched two expensive designer handbags, which contained their passports, credit cards and some cash. “A haul of over €10,000,” added Ogilvie-Taylor. It emerged the tyre had been slashed by a long knife – suggesting the hijack could have got very violent if they had tried to stop it. “It’s a classic ‘Good Samaritan’ theft, which I call the modern equivalent of lawless 18th-century highwaymen,” continued Ogilvie-Taylor. “The fact it can take place in broad daylight in a modern, European city like Barcelona, is amazing.” Last year, Spanish police warned tourists about a migrant gang who were slashing car tyres, then robbing owners by posing as Good Samaritans when they were forced to pull over. The gang from eastern Europe preyed on tourists on a 450mile stretch of the AP-7 motorway, running from Catalunya’s border with France to Murcia.

A judge has refused to drop the case of three Afghan students accused of raping three American sisters in Murcia City last New Year’s Eve. Responding to a defence plea for the case to be filed, the judge ruled that ‘the assaults could have taken place’ and the legal process has to continue. The men were arrested after the women from Ohio said that they were sexually assaulted by the trio after meeting in a bar.

Swedes Stopped A SWEDISH drugs and arms trafficking gang has been broken up on the Costa Blanca and Murcia. The criminals had resorted to kidnapping the brother of a cocaine specialist to force him to ‘cook’ and ‘cut’ supplies of the drug. Five people, four of them Swedish, have been arrested after the gang resurfaced following the arrest of their former leader in 2012. He was detained in Torrevieja after spending seven years on the run. The gang was based in the Levante area and sold drugs across Spain and Sweden, as well as indulging in gun running.

NEWS

www.theolivepress.es

TOP: Letizia Ortiz, Isabel Diaz and Elena Ochoa

No kidding around NINE-year-old Solea Fernandez Moreno from Sevilla, the youngest contender at this year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest, has done her country proud by taking third place. Born into a family that is part of the famous flamenco clan Farrucos y Fernandez, Solea proved that musician’s blood runs in her veins by interpreting Palante, a catchy number that fuses flamenco and urban pop. Her performance earned her 470,000 online votes – over 10% of the total share – and proved that Spain may well have a new Rosalia in the making, as many have suggested. The winner was France’s 11-year-old Valentina, with J’Imagine who burst into tears at the result.

FORBES has done what it’s known best for and made another list that ranks society’s elites. But the twist in this tale is that all of Spain’s ‘most influential people of 2020’ are women. Clocking in at number one is the Reina de España herself, Letizia Ortiz. A public sweetheart, Queen Letizia has presided over numerous important events this year when her husband, King Felipe VI, has had to self-isolate.

Girl power

The rest of the list is largely dominated by politicians, presidents and CEOs. Ana Botin, President of Santander bank, is the silver medallist, while the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayudo, comes in at third. Other famous faces on Forbes’ list include psychologist and gallery owner, Elena Ochoa Foster.

Top e of th

pops

Love is blind LOVE ISLAND’S Theo Campbell is suing an Ibiza beach resort after nearly going blind from a flying fizz cork. The reality star, who rose to fame after appearing in the third season of the hit ITV show, was partying at a champagne spray party hosted by Wayne Lineker when tragedy struck.

TV star sues swanky Ibiza beach club after champagne cork blasts in face and leaves him partially sighted By Kirsty McKenzie

While enjoying the celebrations at O Beach Club one of the party’s official bottles

PAIN: Theo partying and, right, recovering

Baring All SPANISH on-screen superstar Penelope Cruz is set to reveal the most intimate details of her life in a new documentary TV show, Pongamos que Hablo de, available on Atresplayer Premium this December. The detailed series will track the actress’ life from Alcobendas to Hollywood to Madrid, through over 30 interviews with the star herself and those closest to her.

TENNIS star Rafael Nadal has raised over €20,000 in the fight against coronavirus. The world number two donated one of his prized match winning shirts, worn at the prestigious Roland Garros tournament in France last year The donation formed part of the #LaMejorA-

December 10th - December 23rd 2020

popped in his direction and penetrated the cornea of his right eye. Theo required 11 stitches after surgery in Ibiza and the UK, but is still suffering severe sight issues. The 29-year-old Great Britain runner says the incident has significantly reduced his ability to work, and wants answers as to why his sight has never fully recovered. “The last 15 months or so trying to come to terms with what has happened have been hard,” he said. “I’m a positive person and try and remain upbeat but as time goes on the chances of my sight getting back to normal become reduced. “I’m speaking with doctors about what may or may not be possible but I also have a number of questions about what happened to me. “I don’t know what the future may hold with regards to my sight but I feel that the least I deserve is answers to what happened and why. “Bringing this case was something that hasn’t been done lightly but I feel that at present it’s the best opportunity for me to get the answers I deserve.”

POPULAR: Bad Bunny

LATIN rapper Bad Bunny has been named as Spotify’s most-streamed global artist of 2020 with fellow reggaeton singer J Balvin (pictured below) trailing close behind. Bad Bunny, 26, born in Puerto Rico, shot to stardom after collaborating with Cardi B on her single I Like It in 2016 and went on to become one of the best-selling Latin music artists in the world. Famous for performing Latin trap and reggaeton, Bad Bunny - real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio - has garnered millions of fans in Spain, the UK and beyond. In 2020 he hit more than 8.3bn streams, beating out the likes of Drake and J Balvin for the global top spot. His second album YHLQMDLG was the most streamed release of the year, ahead of After Hours by the Canadian singer The Weeknd, Hollywood’s Bleeding by Post Malone and Fine Line by British singer Harry Styles.

Getting shirty sistencia, or The Best Assistance auction to raise much needed funds for the Spanish Red Cross. Organised by Liga ACB, Spain’s premier bas-

ketball division, Nadal’s shirt proved to be a big seller, bringing in a whopping €20,500 Before the auction opened, Nadal shared a video to social revealing that he would be donating a ‘precious object’. He said: “I wanted to donate the shirt with which I won Roland Garros in 2019.

SPANISH NUMBER PLATES Vehicles re-registered in Spain

For the re-registration of cars, motorbikes, motorhomes and caravans, as well as the transfer of ownership of Spanish registered vehicles, contact:

p shi ts We resenbring p r st youou. Julist!! r y for you

Leigh Blann who, after re-registering over 3,000 vehicles, will put you on the right side of the road

671 608 503

www.spanish-number-plates.com info@spanish-number-plates.com

EXCLUSIVE DESIGNER ACCESSORIES necklaces - earrings - rings - eyewear - bracelets

Calle Santa Isabel, 13B - Santa Pola Tel: 633 428 537 - www.riodesign.eu

In it for the long run... At Blevins Franks we have a wealth of tax and financial planning experience gained from advising families in Europe for over 40 years, with advisers living in Spain since 1988. Such longevity provides peace of mind to our clients, not only that we are very experienced, but also that we will be around for the long-term, to advise you and your family for however long you need us.

To make an appointment for advice tailored to your specific situation... CONTACT US BY EMAIL, PHONE OR THROUGH OUR WEBSITE

965 705 502 gerald.turner@blevinsfranks.com

A long-term relationship is important to us and our clients – it enables us to relieve any concerns you may have over time and review your arrangements as your needs and those of your family change. And we hope it gives you the comfort that, unlike other firms who may come and go from time to time, we have been here in the past and are here for today and tomorrow.

064-es

I N T E R N AT ION A L TA X A DV IC E • I N V E S T M E N TS • E S TAT E PL A N N I NG • PE NSIONS Blevins Franks Financial Management Limited (BFFM) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK, reference number 179731. Where advice is provided outside the UK, via the Insurance Distribution Directive or the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II, the applicable regulatory system differs in some respects from that of the UK. Blevins Franks Trustees Limited is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority for the administration of trusts and companies. Blevins Franks Tax Limited provides taxation advice; its advisers are fully qualified tax specialists. This promotion has been approved and issued by BFFM.

www.blevinsfranks.com

www.theolivepress.es

NEWS

December 10th - December 23rd 2020

Christmas cheer But while bars and clubs can open from 5pm there’s still no dancing allowed

Top spot EXPATS have named Valencia the best city to live in, a new survey has revealed. The city pipped Alicante to second spot, while Malaga, Barcelona and Madrid all came high in a list of 66 global cities. As well as coming top overall, Valencia ranked as Number One for quality of life and for cost of living. It also came in third for finance and housing, fourth for getting settled, and achieved a 92% happiness level from expats. While Alicante came second and Malaga and Madrid also made the top 10, expat residents in Valencia told the Olive Press it was also great for socialising, finding new friends and health. “Health and culture are great in Spain,” the boss of InterNations, Malte Zeeck, who conducted the study told the Olive Press. “However, it has always been difficult regarding em-

ployment,” he added. “Spain’s performance was really exceptional this year and out of the five Spanish cities in the ranking, four have made it into the top 10,” he said. “Expats love the wonderful climate and find it fairly easy to get settled in. They are also fairly happy with the good cost of living,” Zeeck continued. “Last but certainly not least, expats report very high happiness levels in all five Spanish cities, which I think says a lot about the country.” Notably, it was only Barcelona that has not scored a spot in the top 10 list. However, the city still ranked 25th in a list of 66 locations. In second place, Alicante has proven a retirees paradise, with 81% of expats happy with their financial situation and ability to get settled in their new home. Over 15,000 expats participated in the survey.

BARS and restaurants in the Valencian Community will be able to stay open until 1am over four nights of the festive season. The holiday rules are based on national guidelines agreed between all Spanish regions. The night-time curfew will be delayed by 90 minutes to a 1.30am start on December 24, 25, and 31, as well as on January 1. Those are the same evenings as the extra hours for the hardpressed hospitality industry with service ending at 12.30am ahead of a 1am closure. Tables at bars and restaurants can accommodate up to six people but the Valencian government says that can be extended to 10 people consisting of family members and people who live together under the same roof. The same quotas will apply for

NEWS IN BRIEF Ice time AN ice skating rink has been installed in Torrevieja’s fairground area by the port and will be open until January 10.

Fishy COMPLAINTS from residents led to San Javier police removing a pile of illegally-caught rotting sea bass dumped by the Gran Via de La Manga.

Draining

By Alex Trelinski

domestic gatherings on December 23, 24, 25, 31 and January 1. The Valencian border closure has been extended until January 15, but will be relaxed between December 23 to 25, December 31, and January 1 in

Flood solution

WORK costing almost €1 million to eliminate a Torrevieja flooding blackspot is set to finish in mid-March. The Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas is one of the key routes in and out of the city, and has frequently got flooded on the back of heavy downpours.One major area of concern has been the roundabout with the turning to the Casa Grande Industrial Estate.New drainage links and wider pipes have been laid down across the area in a two-phase operation.

cases where travellers can prove they are going to a home of a close relative. No mention was made as to what relaxations are planned, if any, for the Three Kings holiday period on January 5 and 6. The Andalucia region, in contrast, has refused to follow the Madrid guidelines, insisting that locals will only be able to travel to see family over the festive period. In a further boost for the hospitality sector, nightlife businesses are set to reopen in the Valencian Community. Late bars and clubs have had their licences altered to allow them to open during the day and are expected to be able to trade between noon and midnight with club opening hours running between 5pm and mid

A €5.5 million plan to revamp the Orihuela Costa’s sewage network has been backed by the local council, subject to final approval from the Valencian government.

Anti-social AN Elche man was jailed for five years after he was convicted for raping and robbing a woman on a 2017 date.

No Charge ORIHUELA and Torrevieja councils have suspended terrace taxes for bars and restaurants ‘for the foreseeable future’.

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 two million people a month.

OPINION Fair game? EVEN before last week’s gruesome shooting of two bears at the hands of swaggering hunters in Spain, we’ve been worrying about the fate of the creatures that roam the country’s national parks. The number of Cantabrian brown bears has steadily grown since the 90s, from a record low of 60 to the current 350 living in the Cantabrian Mountains and an additional 40 in the Pyrenees. But they are still an endangered species and the senseless death of two females is a particularly hard loss. Supporters of hunting may argue that their expensive activities provide job opportunities but that shouldn't be at the expense of the animals. It would be far better to boost the economy by creating jobs in National Parks that allows us to enjoy life alongside the animals instead of working against them.

Animal Farm AS Brexit negotiations are taken down to the wire, the final sticking point for Johnson and his cohort is, bizarrely, fish. Like school children scrapping over who has the bigger piece of birthday cake in their party bag, each side has fought hammer and tongs over EU quotas in UK waters that quantify for a minuscule 0.01% of trade. It bears consideration then that, as the powers that be fight for fish, this fervour hasn’t been shown for people hoping to be saved by the same governments. A fish that crosses an invisible borderline into our waters automatically becomes ours— we are willing to fight, to the detriment of international relations, for their citizenship. Yet when people cross invisible lines, on desperate and dangerous nighttime voyages, they far from automatically become our people. Often, we simply send them back where they came from. As the refugee and migrant crisis rages on at Gran Canaria’s Arguineguin harbour, thousands of people from Western Africa have been left to wait for aid and shelter. While some asylum seekers are vulnerable, most are highly skilled workers, as demonstrated by Spain’s thriving refugee restaurant industry (see right). It’s important to acknowledge that these people are monumentally more significant and, on an unsentimental economic level, more profitable for the EU in the long run than cod, bass or haddock.

Publisher / Editor

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Eugene Costello eugene@theolivepress.es

Kirsty McKenzie kirsty@theolivepress.es

Laurence Dollimore laurence@theolivepress.es

Isha Sesay isha@theolivepress.es

Lydia Spencer-Elliott lydia@theolivepress.es

Simon Wade simon@theolivepress.es

Alex Trelinski alex@theolivepress.es

Office manager Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@ theolivepress.es

Admin Sandra Aviles Diaz (+34) 951 273 575 admin@ theolivepress.es

Distribution ENQUIRIES (+34) 951 273 575 distribution@ theolivepress.es

Newsdesk: 0034 951 273 575 For all sales and advertising enquiries please contact 951 27 35 75 Head office

Carretera Nacional 340, km 144.5, Calle Espinosa 1, Edificio cc El Duque, planta primera, 29692, Sabinillas, Manilva Deposito Legal MA 1650 - 2019

AWARDS

2016 - 2020 Best expat paper in Spain and the second best in the world. The Expat Survey Consumer Awards.

2012 - 2020

Named the best English language publication in Andalucia by the Rough Guides group.

NEWS FEATURE

The healing taste of home Could Spain’s restaurant industry be the answer to its refugee crisis? Lydia Spencer Elliott reports on the asylum seekers whose home cooking skills are ‘building appetites, not walls’

S BOMBS rained down from the sky in Syria, all 38-year-old Wesal could think of were her children. In terror, she fled the civil war-torn country with her twoyear-old in her arms, leaving behind her home and a successful medical career for a safer life in Spain. Arriving in Madrid but not speaking Spanish, she was unable to use her qualifications as a phlebotomist (blood specialist) and her employment prospects looked bleak. But what she did have was a talent that crossed borders and communicated without language: she could cook. “Chicken and rice with mint, parsley and Middle Eastern spices, Wesal was an amazing chef,” remembers Natalia Diaz, founder of the Madrid charity Chefugee whose slogan is, ‘Build Appetites, Not Walls’. “Syrian food is delicious and, when we started, nobody in Madrid was serving hummus or tabbouleh. Now Wesal has her own catering company and hummus is in every restaurant.” Set up by a group of volunteers in 2016, Chefugee’s mission is to provide refugees and asylum seekers with the opportunity to

TOGETHER: Hala with her team at the Refusion Restaurant and creation (right)

earn fair wages and share their The smells, the scents, it’s like cultures through their culinary recreating your childhood.” skills. Elsewhere in the capital, Hala Funded and promoted through Dondieh discovered food’s culinary events in Madrid, in- healing powers working in the cluding a week-long Refugee refugee-run restaurant RefuFood Festival, today the team’s sion alongside chefs from Venproteges are working all over ezuela and Sudan. the Spanish capital, everywhere “I’ve grown as a person, as an from pizzerias and artist and as pop-ups to upmara chef since I ket eateries. started workRefugee run “It was actually ing here,” says quite hostile when the 29-year-old restaurants we started in who left Syria 2016,” says Diaz. are becoming a in 2013 after “Restaurants in her mother was Madrid didn’t want trend all around persecuted for to hire refugees. criticising Presthe world “But food is a great ident Bashar cultural bridge and al-Assad. “I’m refugees are proud learning how to to talk about their culinary cul- make Sudanese food and I’m ture. It’s good for people to see sharing my recipes, which is the them in a positive light, rather most beautiful thing.” than just pity what they man- “We have a moral, rather than aged to escape. a paper and ink, contract be“Food is healing,” adds Diaz. “ cause we’re trying to build a It always reminds you of home. platform for people in the future,” says Hala. “That future for a project like this is a beautiful kitchen with people from all over the world,” she says. “We have chefs from three continents now, but why not have all of them? Food will always gather us together.” says Hala. But as coronavirus restrictions continue to damage Spain’s restaurant industry, not everyone shares Hala’s multi-cultural enthusiasm. This month, over 1,000 Spaniards took to the streets of Gran Canaria to protest the soaring number of arrivals from Africa to the Canaries, with many demonstrators brandishing ‘stop invasion’ placards. “I have nothing against the immigrants,” one unemployed protester told reporters. “But if there isn’t enough to go around for us, how can there be enough for them?” “It’s not all like a happy ending,” confirms Diaz. “Wesal still struggles with paperwork and rent payments and a lot of our chefs were furloughed or let go at the start of lockdown.” LEARNING: Students at the Mescladis cooking school and dishes

“But everything that we make from our events goes to the salary of the chef and a fund for refugee businesses in the future. So, when this whole thing happened we used that to buy groceries for refugees who were out of work and money.” Despite pandemic and prejudice, refugee-run restaurants are becoming a trend, popping up everywhere from Lebanon to London and Brooklyn to Berlin. While mostly private initiatives, the appeal of the food industry for asylum seekers has been noticeable in government-funded projects too. Throughout this year’s European Commission enterprise, which found over 1,000 refugees jobs tailored to their interests in Spain, the most popular job after farm work was waiter or chef. Barcelona Restaurant owner Martin Habiague is convinced food could be the answer to the refugee crisis. “The hospitality sector in Spain is very strong,” he says. “Even though we are suffering with the pandemic on top of us, it’s a good sector to create inclusion and gain social, economic and political rights for people.” Habiague’s not-for-profit cafe, Espai Mescladis in the El Born barrio, currently employs 16 migrants in chef and server roles, as well as students from Venezuela, Honduras, Guatemala, and multiple African countries learning how to cook professionally. “Historically, we have three ways of dealing with people we consider ‘other’,” he says. “We go to war and kill each other, which is what we’ve done for centuries, we build walls around us so people can’t meet or interact, which is what we’re currently doing, or we promote dialogue, which brings positive results.” Gastronomy is a great equaliser, he affirms: “Geography, history, culture, social habits, even politics or economics, these are all things we can talk about when we talk about food,” he says. “We are the only animal on the planet that modify the elements to feed ourselves, it’s how we define ourselves as human beings and it’s something we all have in common.”

December 10th - December 23rd 2020

www.theolivepress.es

BREAK OPEN THE BUBBLY: It was smiles all round as the Olive Press editing and production team celebrated the paper’s sixth edition in Valencia. It came after a superb Autumn saw our online visitor numbers for November double on last year’s figures. While the number of unique visitors and visits doubled to 750,000 and 1.8 million, the numbers of pages read went over three million for yet another month.

Hit for six! Sometimes five times a fortnight is just not enough, as Olive Press prints new sixth edition in Valencia

v a l i d

f o r

n e w

c u s t o m e r s

The

Your expat

voice in Spain

VALENCIA / COSTA AZAHAR 9th 2020 ress.es November 26th - December FREE Vol. 1 Issue 1 www.theolivep

LOCKDOWN LOCK-IN EXCLUSIVE UNABLE to have his regular Friday night down the boozer during locka down, expat Conor Wilde hit onhis novel idea for this one - to build own pub! The Irish expat, 46, got his mates over and converted his garden shed into what he claims is Spain’s smallest watering hole. FORGET THE DRAUGHT: Conor Measuring 2.4m by 2.5m, it counts and pals at makeshift local

COUNTDOWN TO BREXIT

Don’t forget

The new rules allowing you to drive in Spain until next summer Page 6

* O f f e r

ALL SMILES: Juan Carlos at Lia restaurant

The Oliv launches ite Press proudly s SIXTH ed ition

OLIVE PRESS

ELL we did it again. In the midst of one of the toughest times in recent years, with your help we have managed to expand to a new and exciting region. Despite the spectre of Brexit and COVID-19, the Olive Press now has a SIXTH edition in Valencia and the Costa Azahar. Our fortnightly mix of news and features, experts and entertainment went down well in the sophisticated city, Spain’s third biggest. Delivered to over 100 spots around the city and up the nearby coast, it is most easily found on stands at Mercat Central or at the car park entrance of El Saler shopping centre. It is also well sited at the excellent Paris-Valen952 cia bookshop by Corte Ingles in 147 Plaza834 D’Alfons and at the popular Bear Club Irish pub. “It’s certainly been flying off the stand outside our office,” said Chris Solomon, manager of HomeEspana estate agency. “It’s obviously convenient being next to an Irish pub… but we’ve noticed quite a few Spanish also taking it.” Meanwhile, you’ll also find it up the coast in town’s like Castellon, where restaurants Puerto del Sol, el Faro Industrial and L’Antigua Valenciana all stock it. Meanwhile golf clubs like Escorpion, in Betera, and the four star Porto Cristo hotel in Peniscola welcomed it with open arms. “It is great to have an English newspaper launching in the area,” said chef Isaac Sidro, owner of the el Faro Industrial restaurant, in Castellon. TheOlivePress-256x170-HOME02.indd

o n l y .

colon a cornucopia of Emerald Isle lectibles… and it even has Guinness on draught. “After being cooped up like a man in solitary in March I came up with esa plan,” the Valencia-based real Press. Olive the told consultant tate I “I had an old shed in the garden. got the lads over – Tuejar, El Gallego & Champ – and we set about

Valencia is open!

VALENCIA remains open for visitors, with COVID restrictions more inrelaxed than most other regions, sists tourist chiefs. The city has been praised by busiits nessmen and tourists alike for

By Eugene Costello

‘sensible’ approach, which has kept the economy running as best as possible.

“Life goes on and we must move forward,” insisted Antonio Bernabé, director of the Turismo Valencia Foundation, to the Olive Press, this week. be“We have struck a good balance

Back to Blanca

How Amy’s guitar-maker from Valencia won over the world Page 15

tween keeping life normal and keeping it safe.” last While tourism is down 80% on year, the tourist boss says all activities, including cinemas and museums, are open. Best of all, unlike much of Spain, in locals and tourists must only stay between midnight and 6am. city the discover to time great “It’s a as there are no queues,” adds Bernabe. “We take the pandemic seriously, to but we also believe in the right have a full life.” Currently few places in the Comuto nidad face tough restrictions due high infection rates. The city meanwhile, has developed On, an activity card called Valencia not an app anyone can download, just aimed at tourists.

Blueprint

Palace con

HAPPY: Readers including chef Isaac Sidro found the new paper at one of over 100 locations, including the El Saler centre and WORD ON THE STREETS Home EspanaTHE office A bunch of crooks tried to sell my hotel for a song Page 16

BEST FOOT FORWARD: The Olive

Lifting the Val Is Baqueira really Spain’s top skiing resort? Page 20

Oh la landing Brexit!

Tel: 952 147 834

See pages 24 & 11

S u b j e c t

t o

c o n d i t i o n s .

E n d s

Press Valencia team getting the message

Britain A TRADE deal between the EU andafter the is on the verge of being finalised, rights. EU looked set to cave in on fishing looked An MEP broke ranks to say that itcomprolikely the French would have to over mise with Boris Johnson’s demands UK waters. would Christophe Hansen said the EU clinch have to meet the UK’s demands to an agreement. "There will be compromisquo, es to be made on fisheries. The status to land,” that is somewhere we're not going he told an event. to have French fishermen are understood out backed the compromise despite losing on access to certain fishing grounds. MiIt came after the EU’s chief negotiator to comchel Barnier demanded the need

out around the city this week By Dilip Kunar

promise in order to get an agreement. to France had previously been refusing back down on any fishing deal, demanding near-parity to the UK’s coastal waters.of EnIt comes as the governor of the Bank would gland warned that a no-deal Brexit than be more economically damaging COVID to the UK. a deal Andrew Bailey said failure to get signed would create a massive cross-border betrade blockage and damage goodwill tween Brussels and the UK for years.Martin Meanwhile, Ireland leader Micheal a Brexsaid on Monday he was hopeful that it deal would be completed this week.

Opinion, page 6

of this Taoiseach Martin said ‘by the enddeal’. week we could see the outlines of a‘political He said it would come down to and I’m will, both in the United Kingdom the Euclear the political will is there from ropean Union’. weekEU ambassadors were told over the on the is end that a trade deal with Britain verge of being finalised. 11 main They were told the majority of the texts negotiation issues have ‘joint legal points’. with fewer and fewer outstanding UrThe European commission president,note, positive a struck sula von der Leyen, very saying: “After difficult weeks with very, the last slow progress now we have seen in on days better progress, more movement good.” is This files. important

NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON’T: Our stand full of papers at Mercat Central a fortnight ago and again last week

3 1 / 1 2 / 1 9 .

21/6/19 13:30

Honorary consul

And lawyer at Swan Partners also the UK honorary consul - Martin Hayes welcomed us saying: “It’s great to finally have your excellent paper here in Valencia.” It has been a busy few years for the Olive Press group, having launched three new editions in just two short years, starting with the Costa Blanca north and Costa Blanca south editions last year and now Valencia. Backed by our website and strong social media presence, most expats already knew of the Olive Press before we launched in each region. Since our inception 15 years ago the Olive Press has built up a loyal readership in all of our regions, that also include Andalucia, Gibraltar and Mallorca.

We have long known that the large expat community – of ALL nationalities – in Spain see the fortnightly publication of their local edition as one of their highlights. They are a huge mix of nationalities and around 10 to 15% of our readers are actually Spanish. Packed full of well researched news and features we have continued to produce an exceptional read through the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic. And we are sure that we will attract a whole new set of fans with our latest edition. Our team, led by distribution chief and logistics expert Jamie Gantley, got the papers out during the worst storms of the year a fortnight ago. They will be doing it every fortnight from now on. Meanwhile our team of journalists - who include Alex Trelinski and Simon Wade, both based in the Valencia region - will be sniffing out the best exclusive stories and look behind the headlines to bring our readers the news that matters. Olive Press editor Jon Clarke said: “I have long been aware that there is a whole section of the coast north of Valencia and in the city with a large expat community that has been poorly served by English language titles. “I am delighted to be able to rectify this. We

Olive Press online ‘Spain’s best English news website’ The top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks are: TOP LOCATIONS: In central locations such as the Bear Club and Saint Martin’s pub will bring our readers the very best local news – and offer our advertising clients a fantastic platform to publicise their businesses.” Print day meanwhile, was a hectic affair as the entire team pulled together to produce a fantastic launch edition. While sales manager Charlie Bamber and local rep Melissa Boer brought in business right up to the final hour, our head office staff of editors and designers pulled all the stops out to hit print deadlines. No small task when considering that all the existing five newspapers had to be produced as well! And there were no less than SIX unprecedented power cuts that left the team kicking their heels for an hour-and-a-half in the dark in Malaga. The number was perhaps prophetic.

gets a much-need live entertain1- Benidorm ment boost on Spain’s Costa Blanca (27,485 views) predicted to give Spain’s Costa Blan2- Storms ca a big drenching (21,705 views) You will not be permitted to travel to meet 3-close friends in Spain’s Andalucia this Christmas (21,517 views) British-led drugs gang ran marijuana busi4-ness out of restaurant on Spain’s Costa Blanca (21,436 views) Benidorm’s bars and restaurants issue 5- ultimatum to top politicians in Spain’s Costa Blanca (20,153 views)

Get in touch today at sales@theolivepress.es or call us at 00 34 951273575 for a special quote

LA CULTURA

December 10th - December 23rd 2020

CrowNing glory

Malaga has a starring role in the new Netflix series of The Crown

DIG: Secrets unearthed

CASTLE find

A PREVIOUSLY unknown medieval fortress has been discovered on Mount San Paio, in Vila de Cruces (Pontevedra). The site was originally catalogued as another Galician castro, but has now yielded a unique find for the Iberian Peninsula. The ancient fortification is a motte-and-bailey type fortification, characteristic of northern Europe, dated between the 9th and 10th centuries and which has come to light at a site in Vila de Cruces. A motte-and-bailey castle is a fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte. Windsor Castle, in England, is an example of such a construction, as are many others in the UK. However, until now, nothing like this had been documented on Spanish soil.

MALAGA was transformed into the Australian outback to provide the set for the most recent season of the hit Netflix show The Crown. The largest city in southern Spain had a starring role in the royal drama, with spots including AC Hotel Malaga Palacio featured in the fourth season. The big-budget series, rumoured to be one of the most expensive TV shows ever to be made, cut costs by filming scenes set in Oz in the Andulucian city. Scenes for Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane were all shot in the city of Malaga while Uluru, the landmark formerly known as Ayer’s Rock, emigrated to the des-

By Kirsty McKenzie

erts of Almeria. The brief appearance of a well-known city in the episode - named Terra Nullius - also had Spanish fans pretty excited. One Twitter user joked that Brisbane ‘was filmed in the most Spanish city you’ve ever seen in your life’. Another spotted that one scene was captured from the top of AC Hotel Malaga Palacio. Shooting for the special Australian episode which follows Charles and Diana on their 1983 tour down under, took place last year. Emma Corrin and Josh

Grave discovery CINE MAGIC: O’Connor and Corrin on location... in Malaga, which doubled for Sydney and Brisbane O’Connor, who play the young royals, were also spotted filming in Almería

Bank-sy-ing on art SOME of the works of British street artist Banksy will be on show in Spain in the coming months. An exhibition called The Street is my Canvas has just started in the Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. It marks a return to the capital for work by the anonymous artist, after the BANKSY: Genius or Vandal exhibition at the IFEMA centre last year. Fans of his art will - coronavirus restrictions permitting – have until May 9 to see some of his most notable works.

, where Clint Eastwood filmed many of his famous spaghetti western films.

Substitute

Actor Richard Roxburgh, who plays Bob Hawke in The Crown, said the spot had ‘a desert kind of light’ that was the perfect substitute for the Australian Outback. Netflix added that they relied on ‘a little cinematic magic’ and used special effects to superpose iconic famous Oz landmarks like Uluru and The Opera House onto the background.

A MASS grave in northeast Spain could shed light on the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. Workman in Tauste, near Zaragoza unearthed the ancient Islamic necropolis, which is said to contain more than 4,500 skeletons. Archaeologists say the 400 tombs across the five-acre site are likely to date back from the 8th century. By 711, Arab forces had invaded Spain after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar and conquered most of the Iberian peninsula in just three years. y remained in power for the next seven centuries until 1492, when the area was totally reconquered by the Christian kingdoms. The discovery of the graves is viewed as highly important because it is one of the few pieces of evidence that Muslims lived in the area.

Panicking never helped anyone.

We know that times are uncertain. With UK high street banks leaving the finances of their EEA clients hanging and the ever-nearing possibility of a no-deal Brexit, many people are unclear on how best to navigate the unpredictability. The Blacktower Group has been established for over 30 years Blac and we pride ourselves on giving outstanding expert advice to our clients in Spain. If you have any questions about residency, investments, pensions or your finances in the wake of Brexit then contact us for a no obligation discussion with one of our qualified experts.

www.blacktowerfm.com All companies under the Blacktower group are regulated/licenced in the locations they are positioned. For full details of how and who we are regulated by please visit www.blacktowerfm.com

COSTA BLANCA +34 965 058 212 Avinguda d'AusiĂ s March 9, Local 7 (Esquina Joan Fuster), 03730 Javea Alicante, Spain COSTA CALIDA +34 657 684 094 120 Avenida Dr. Artero Guirao 2C San Pedro Del Pinatar, 30740 Murcia, Spain COSTA DEL SOL +34 952 816 443 Centro Idea, Carretera de Mijas km 3.6 S 29650, Mijas, Spain

Schengenbound

Agreement

Your

LOCKDOWN LOCK-IN EXCLUSIVE UNABLE to have his regular Friday night down the boozer during locka down, expat Conor Wilde hit onhis novel idea for this one - to build own pub! The Irish expat, 46, got his mates over and converted his garden shed into what he claims is Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smallest watering hole. FORGET THE DRAUGHT: Conor Measuring 2.4m by 2.5m, it counts and pals at makeshift local

The new rules allowing you to drive in Spain until next summer Page 6

colon a cornucopia of Emerald Isle lectiblesâ&#x20AC;Ś and it even has Guinness on draught. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After being cooped up like a man in solitary in March I came up with esa plan,â&#x20AC;? the Valencia-based real tate consultant told the Olive Press.I â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had an old shed in the garden. got the lads over â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tuejar, El Gallego & Champ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and we set about

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Life goes on and we must move forward,â&#x20AC;? insisted Antonio BernabĂŠ, director of the Turismo Valencia Foundation, to the Olive Press, this week. beâ&#x20AC;&#x153;We have struck a good balance

Back to Blanca

How Amyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guitar-maker from Valencia won over the world Page 15

THE SKY DOCTOR

952 147 834 Palace con

v a l i d

f o r

n e w

a huge Run by Visit Valencia it offers b j e c t S u museums, for o n l y . discounts events, restaurants, transport and even hotels. You can find it at www. valenciaon.com, and it is completely free. Roland Wareham, 55, a company imdirector from Andalucia, was pressed by how well the city was handling the pandemic. On a business trip from his native Mijas this week, he said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was In seemed. life normal struck by how Ruzafa, all the bars and restaurants were open, and the terraces were crowded with families and friends enjoying the al fresco lifestyle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In Andalucia, meanwhile, bars and restaurants must close by 6pm, and my town is like a ghost town at night. bluea as serve â&#x20AC;&#x153;Valencia should print for the rest of Spain.â&#x20AC;?

m e r s of c u s t o range

A bunch of crooks tried to sell my hotel for a song Page 16

t o

BEST FOOT

Lifting the Val

Is Baqueira really Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top skiing resort? Page 20

Oh la landing Brexit!

Tel: 952 147 834

E n d s

The

We examine the coming motoring revolution Page 11

f o r

n e w

c u s t o m e r s

o n l y .

S u b j e c t

t o

c o n d i t i o n s .

TALKS: Michel Barnier and PM

LOADED UP: The Merc was put on a transporter set for the UK

How we caught up with the attempted escape route of Ulrichâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s killers

See page 2

ELECTRIFYING! 96 649 1883 www.moraira-hamiltons.ne

Energy giant sent packing after campaigners and Olive Press win long battle against â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;destructiveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; pylon plan

GOOD HAUL: Compromise with

On the eve of Andalucia day, we look at the history of one its most famous group of residents, gypsies

who, after re-registering over 3,000 vehicles, will put you on the right side of the road

SAVED: the stunning Andalucian countryside and how it would have looked

* O f f e r

A bunch of crooks tried to sell my hotel for a song Page 16

GREEN campaigners are rejoicing after plans to erect over 100 giant pylons were effectively sparked out this week in Andalucia. In a shock win, they thanked the Olive Press for its year-long campaign to stop the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;motorway of power linesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; through two iconic Granada valleys. Our Fight the Power campaign, launched in March 2019, strongly opposed the long lines of pylons and a giant electricity substation in the Alpujarras and Lecrin Valley. We were joined by celebrated writer Chris Stewart and pop star Dr Robert of the Blow Monkeys to oppose the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;crazy abominationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The battle had erupted when locals unearthed energy giant Red Electricaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s state-funded plan to erect the 80m high structures, mostly on private land. In the case of British expat Steve Holdup, 63, the REE scheme would have seen a pylon going up in his back garden. Ironically, the tower and service road would have been installed right in the middle of the retired teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own solar panel project. Grassroots movement Di No a Los Torres (Say No to the Towers) was quick to argue the high voltage towers would have a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;devastating effectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on tourism, agriculture and health. After probing the shady interests

v a l i d

See page 12

Vol. 13 Issue 312 www.theolivepress.es

Voted BEST

expat paper in Spain

(Free or paid for)

February 27th - March

12th 2019

POWERLESS: The

f o r

By Laurence Dollimore

1 behind the project, we managed to get the story printed in the national newspapers in the UK. Robert Howard, singer of the Blow Monkeys, who has a home in the Lecrin Valley, described the scheme as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ravagingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for the region saying it would â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;have devastating consequences environmentally and economicallyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Driving Over Lemons writer Chris Stewart added it was â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;heedless destructionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and showed private interests â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;riding roughshod over the will and rights of the peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Now the Junta has effectively ruled that REE cannot build its second substation, which would connect the long lines of pylons the region. TheOlivePress-256x170-BIKacross E-4.indd 1 A subsequent appeal by the electrical giant has also been rejected, according to campaigners this week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great news,â&#x20AC;? Teresa McKeon told the Olive Press. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank you so much for all your articles and the campaign you launched. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We continue to work behind the scenes to try to safeguard the natural beauty of our landscape from this and other threats.â&#x20AC;? McKeon explained that REE's megaproject included two lines crossing the valley. The first had been published in the BOJA in November 2017 and was subsequentSee pages 11 & 24 ly approved by the Junta before locals were able to raise public 1

Holdups

Black out

Celebrities join n efurious w expats

c u s t o m e r s o n l y . S u b info@spanish-numberplates.com A BRITISH expat couple â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;disasterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; after they learntare facing a one of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;monstrousâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; electricity masts to be built in their back garden.(left) is Steve Holdup, 62, and wife Karen, 61, who live on a self sufficient near Orgiva, could ironically farm even lose their sole source of solar panels, which are inpower from the way. The retired teachers, who moved from Cumbria a decade they have been kept in ago, claim energy company REE, andthe dark by out about the pylon from only found a friend. Steve told the Olive Press: â&#x20AC;&#x153;From having a fantastic house from scratch ten years we rebuilt ended up with a disaster. ago, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve â&#x20AC;&#x153;We put all of our life saving into it and now we face having a 220 volt tower directly to live with behind our home.â&#x20AC;? If built, the tower and adjoining vice road will cut right through sertheir field of 13 solar panels. â&#x20AC;&#x153;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 POWER STRUGGLE: the little electricity we have up losing Christ Stewart and for ourselDr Robert (inset above) ves.â&#x20AC;? He added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has been join long, snaking X-GENESIS drummer protest against pylon the most chevalier fashion done in project you could Stewart has joined Chris Over Lemons novel made the imagine. the fi- gion famous reEXCLUSIVE ght against a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;motorwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; - added While supposedly necessary of growing collective his name to a By Tim McNulty power lines planned of campaigning to take Howard, electricity from Morocco daluciaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s iconic Alpujarras for An- expats battling the proposal. to Europe, Valley forwho has lived in the Lecrin it is set to ruin the untouched two decades, told the These include former The British author - whoseregion. Olibeauty 80s star Doc- again private financial interests are of the area, Driving tor Robert, enjoyed by tens of thou- ve Press: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The project to take these from the Blow Monkeys, riding roughshod over the TM massive pylons across the rights of the people, will and sands of nature lovers each year. who an abomination. It will our valley is leaving, as The Di No A Las Torres li- ever, have devas(Say No To tating consequences ves in the tion,â&#x20AC;? a wake of heedless destruc- The Towers) group n e a r b y this Stewart told the Olive Press, tage towers would argues high vol- lly and economically. environmentahave L e c r i n â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oneweek. ting effectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on tourism a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;devasta- â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a magical place, a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Vale day the tide will turn and and agricul- ppinessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, Of V a l l e y , reasonable, more ture, as well as health. as the Moors called Hasustainable ways it, a TM which is prevail; place A but seemingly not yet; will a petition has been launched, while vation.of natural beauty and conseralso set to itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s protest saw over a thousand so... peo- â&#x20AC;&#x153;These giant be badly Theback to the barricades again.â&#x20AC;? ple march near the village pylons will scar the outrage comes after it of Con- landscape, a f f e c t e d vealed was re- char on Sunday. could destroy the local energy by tourist businesses and the ca de EspaĂąa company Red Electri- The protest, which included ravage the (REE) plans to install expats many environment. See pages 40 project. and children, is the start a network of some 211 of â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are no benefits â&#x20AC;&#x153; O n c e across giant pylons many to stop the scheme. at all for local the two valleys. people - we Blow Monkeys singer Robert Ecotourism must fight to stop them.â&#x20AC;? is vital to the which was nominatedregion, UNESCO World Heritageas a site in 2017, mainly for having some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest olive groves. Some 245 businesses rural tourism and the work in which is set to have 109valley of the pylons - receives an estimated Reliable private hire transfer 8,000 visitors every weekend. 2/8/18 17:01 for services any occasion The figures for the Alpujarras, for Spanish which will see pylons â&#x20AC;˘ Luxury vehicles residents â&#x20AC;˘ Door to door service ching all the way to the stretria border, are certainly Almeâ&#x20AC;˘ Airport collections much www.globelink.co.uk higher. â&#x20AC;˘ Weddings transport Scottish expat Teresa â&#x20AC;˘ Sightseeing day trips See page 2 Keon, 49, who has been Mcâ&#x20AC;˘ Restaurant shuttles at the forefront of the campaign, 96 626 5000 Find out more at: the Olive Press: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The told whole www.simply-shuttles.com +44 (0) 1353 699082 place is going to be destroyed tel: 951 279 117 it is just awful... it really is awwww.eliteglasscurtains.com info@simply-shuttles.com ful.â&#x20AC;?

and locals to stop â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;abominationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of pylons set to ruin series of celebrated tourist valleys

j e c t

NEWS: Start of the Olive Press Tel: 902 123 282 902 123 282 campagin awareness and fight it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Technically this line can still be constructed,â&#x20AC;? she explained, â&#x20AC;&#x153;However, there is no substation to connect to. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So we continue to question the legality of a proposal which included a *Offer ends'fictitious' 30/11/18. Not valid for renewals. Subject substation, and of the Junto conditions. ta's approval of such a project.â&#x20AC;? Olive Press publisher Jon Clarke said last night: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is amazing news and a great win for2/8/18 the environment. 17:01 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m proud that the Olive Press has been able to help achieve this victory, showing that the press still has relevance and can put pen to power. This is what a genuine peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paper does.â&#x20AC;? It comes after REE reportedly ignored prohibition orders slapped down by town halls in Orgiva and Lanjaron which were designed to prevent work starting back in July last year. Councillors had issued the bans over â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;environmental fearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, but REE sent in diggers and dump trucks regardless, to begin preliminary groundwork. Now, for the time being at least, the electrical giant will have to find somewhere else for its electrical pylons.

902 123 282

*Offer ends 30/11 /18. Not valid for renewals. Subject to conditions. UK BASED

TRAVEL INSURANCE

E n d s

Costa Blanca NorthIssue 44

t o

THE SKY DOCTOR

ALL AREAS COVERED

of this Taoiseach Martin said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;by the enddealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. week we could see the outlines of aâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;political He said it would come down to and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m will, both in the United Kingdom the Euclear the political will is there from ropean Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. weekEU ambassadors were told over the is on the end that a trade deal with Britain verge of being finalised. 11 main They were told the majority of the texts negotiation issues have â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;joint legal with fewer and fewer outstanding pointsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. UrThe European commission president,note, sula von der Leyen, struck a positive very saying: â&#x20AC;&#x153;After difficult weeks with very, the last slow progress now we have seen in on days better progress, more movement important files. This is good.â&#x20AC;?

4G UNLIMITED INTERNET IDEAL FOR STREAMING TV ALSO IPTV, SATELLITE TV

952 147 834

tel: (0034) 952 763 840 info@theskydoctor.com www.theskydoctor.com

Tel: 952 147 834

* O f f e r

v a l i d

f o r

n e w

c u s t o m e r s

o n l y .

S u b j e c t

t o

c o n d i t i o n s .

E n d s

expat

3 1 / 1 2 / 1 9 .

21/6/19 13:30

3 1 / 1 2 / 1 9 .

Opinion Page 6

LANDING BREXIT

Rewards system for recycling bottles and cans is on the way to Barcelona and Spain

21/6/19 13:30

Future perfect

We examine the coming motoring revolution Page 7

Opinion Page 6

Andalucia - Issue 357 + + REJOICE: Chris Stewart

Your voice in Spain

FREE Vol. 4 Issue 94 www.theolivepress .es November 27th BRITS arriving in Mallorca December 10th 2020 proof of a negative PCR without result for coronavirus will be sent This warning was laid home. down by Balearic government president Francina Armengol on the day PCR tests became required for international travellers flying to Spain. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have the power to repatriate anyone who does not comply UNABLE to have his mandatory measure,â&#x20AC;? said with this regular Friday on a cornucopia Armengol. night down the boozer As the first flight jetted during lock- lectiblesâ&#x20AC;Ś and of Emerald Isle col- turning it into into the island down, expat Conor Wilde on Monday, six passengers it even has Guinness Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smallest hit on a on draught. pub. And if I say so myself, failed to novel idea for this one present their â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;fit to flyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve - to build his â&#x20AC;&#x153;After being cooped documentadone a grand job.â&#x20AC;? own pub! tion. in solitary in March I up like a man Called El Irlandes, after The Irish expat, 46, got All were ordered to take came up with ite his his mates a plan,â&#x20AC;? the Valencia-based Martin Scorsese film, favourover and converted his test by contracted airportan antigen it happily real esgarden shed tate consultant into what he claims slapped with a â&#x201A;Ź600 fine. staff and told the Olive Press. fits his closest pals in for the usual FORGET THE DRAUGHT: Friday night Blarney. Conor est watering hole. is Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s small- â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had an old shed in the garden. Meanwhile, local business and pals at makeshift I Wilde, from Skerries, got the lads over â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tuejar, local Measuring 2.4m by 2.5m, have criticised the enforcementunions near Dublin, El Gal- has it counts lego & Champ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and of the PCR test in belief that they we set about for run the Found Valencia agency two decades. pensive and will put off are too extourists from travelling. In collaboration with Confederation of Hotels the Spanish and Tourist Accommodation, the Mallorcan Hotel has launched hopeful thatAssociation a Brexit deal would be a campaign requesting completed this week. the government to instead ask travellers take Taoiseach Martin an of antigen test. said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bytothe end In a letter sent to Prime this week we could see the outlinesMinister Peof a dealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. dro Sanchez they said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;PCRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will generate tremendous He said it would problems for down to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pomany come theyKinglitical will, both are excessively inbecause the United expensive and not available dom and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m clear the political will in some countries.â&#x20AC;? is there from the European Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Earlier this month, the Spanish EU ambassadors govtold over ernment were announced the weekend fines of up to that a trade with â&#x201A;Ź6,000 for anydeal traveller arriving to Britain is on the verge of being finalised. Spain by sea or air. applies countries deemed They were It told the to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;at riskâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; majority of the and includes most European nations, 11 main negotiation issues have with a requirement â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;joint legal texts TALKS: Michel Barnier the test to be fewer andfor fewtaken with and PM Johnson up to 72 hours er outstanding before the trip. pointsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The measure came despite studies revealing that only 0.08% Progress nated from internationalof cases origiarrivals. The European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, struck positive note, saying: â&#x20AC;&#x153;After difficulta weeks with very, very slow progress now we have seen in the last days better progress, more movement on important files. This is good.â&#x20AC;?

Landmark trade deal is within being signed after fishing rightsdays of issue appeared solved

It came after the EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief negotiator Michel Barnier told them to compromise in order to get the trade talks if there is to be an agreement. France had previously been refusing to back down on any fishing deal, demanding near-parity to the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coastal waters. It comes as the governor of the Bank of England warned that a no-deal Brexit would be more economically See page 17 - 24 damaging than COVID to the UK. Andrew Bailey said failure to get a deal signed would create a massive cross-border trade blockage and damage goodwill between Brussels and the UK. JĂĄvea / Altea c o n d i t i o n s . Meanwhile, E n d s Ireland 3 1 / 1 2 / 1 9 yorkshirelinencostabla leader Micheal Martin nca.com . said on Monday he was TM

Mijas Costa

ELECTR 671 608IC 503 www.spanish-numberSHOCKERplates.com

TheOlivePress-256x170-HOME02.indd

TheOlivePress-256x170-BIKE-4.indd

FREE

set up a Brexit deal says MEP

Tel: 952 147 834

Leigh Blann

952 147 834

French fishermen could help

A TRADE deal between the EU and Britain is on the verge of being finalBy Dilip Kuner ised, after the EU looked set to cave in on fishing rights. An MEP broke demands over UK waters. ranks to Christophe Hansen said the EU say that would have to meet the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deit looked mands to clinch an agreement. likely the â&#x20AC;&#x153;There will be compromises F r e n c h made on fisheries. The statusto be w o u l d that is somewhere weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not quo, going have to to land,â&#x20AC;? he told an event. c o m p r o - French fishermen are understood to mise with have backed a compromise despite B o r i s losing out on access to certain fishJohnsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ing grounds.

SPANISH NUMBER PLATES Vehicles re-registered in Spain FIGHT THE POWER!

For the re-registration of cars, motorbikes, motorhomes and caravans, as well as the transfer of ownership of Spanish registered vehicles, contact:

Palace con

GOOD HAUL: Compromise with French fishermen could help set up a Brexit deal by this A TRADE deal between weekend hints MEP Christophe Hansen and Britain is on the verge the EU of being By Dilip Kuner finalised, after the EU Landmark trade deal looked set is within days of to cave in being signed after fishing on fishing mands over UK waters. rights issue r i g h t s . Christophe Hansen said the EU appeared solved An MEP would have to meet the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deFrance had previously b r o k e mands to clinch an agreement. been refusranks to â&#x20AC;&#x153;There will be compromises to be ing to back down on any fishing He said it would come down to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;political will, both say that made on fisheries. The status quo, deal, demanding near-parity to Kingdom and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in the United it looked that is somewhere weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not going the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coastal waters. clear to cal will is there from the the politiland,â&#x20AC;? he told an event. It comes as the governor likely the European of F r e n c h French fishermen are understood Bank of England warned thatthe Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. a EU ambassadors w o u l d to have backed a compromise de- no-deal Brexit would be more eco- the weekend that were told over have to spite losing out on access to cer- nomically damaging than COVID a trade Britain is on the verge deal with to the UK. c o m - tain fishing grounds. of being finalised. p r o m i s e It came after the EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief nego- Andrew Bailey said failure to get They were told with Bo- tiator Michel Barnier told them a deal signed would create a masthe majority of the ris John- to compromise in order to get sive cross-border trade blockage 11 main negotiation issues have sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s de- the trade talks if there is to be an and damage goodwill between â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;joint legal texts with fewer and agreement. fewer outstanding pointsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Brussels and the UK. Meanwhile, Ireland leader Micheal Martin said on Progress Monday he was hopeful that a Brexit deal The European commission presiwould be completed dent, Ursula von der Leyen, struck a positive note, saying: See page 7-10-16 this week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After difTaoiseach Martin said ficult weeks with very, very slow â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;by the end of this progress now we have seen in the week we could see the last days better progress, more movement on important outlines of a dealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. files. This is good.â&#x20AC;?

Mallorca - Issue 94

www.theolivepress.es 952 147 834 * O f f e r

v a l i d

TheOlivePress-256x170-HOME02.ind

f o r

d 1

n e w

c u s t o m e r s

o n l y .

S u b j e c t

t o

c o n d i t i o n s .

E n d s

3 1 / 1 2 / 1 9 .

21/6/19 13:30

Finally

Tel: 952 147 834

HOME02.indd 1

RECYCLE: New scheme

OP QUICK Crossword

An eco-disaster

Across

1 Hunkers down (8) 2 Very widespread (8) 3 Leaped (6) 4 Wordsworth words (4) 5 Mountains (4) 7 Branch of Islam (5) 12 According to some ... (2,2,4) 13 Set off (8) 15 Uproar (6) 16 Three bright stars are his belt on high (5) 18 Increases (4) 19 Narrative songs (4)

All solutions are on page 22

THIS refund system (Olive Press Online) has been working in Finland and France for more than 40 years, and all glass and plastic bottles and cans are recycled at a rate of 98%. So finally it is coming to Spain too. Maybe in 10 years this system will be in operation in the whole of the country.

Dear Olive Press,

6 Loses signal strength (6,2) 8 Hogwarts posties (4) 9 Load (6) 10 Close, but no cigar (6) 11 Together, they're a charm (12) 14 Ghostly cop is incoherent expert on how we tick (12) 17 Small settlement for a Shakespeare character (6) 20 Coordinated (2,4) 21 Indolently (4) 22 Meets up with (4,4)

Kirsi Oras, Fuengirola

YOU state that electric cars are the future (Motoring supplement all. editions). This simply is not true Electric cars are the most horren-r dous thing to happen to the moto industry, let alone the environment. Millions of tons of precious minerals are taken to build the cars and batteries, minerals that are mined by young children ranging from seven years upwards. The batteries canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be recycled, andare second class due to their limitd ed life. The minerals are only foun in China, Russia and the Congo. I could go on, but there is nothing good about very overpriced carst that no one can afford, with shor mileage ranges. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an eco-disaster just waiting to happen. Europe needs to think again, before we are drowning in unusable batteries.

Down

OP Sudoku

Waste not

MALLORCA

EXCLUSIVE

TRAGIC: Ulrich, his shrine and the British-plated car linked to his death SALES & RENTALS SPECIALISTS

21/6/19 13:30

OLIVE PRESS

December 10th - December 23rd 2020

LOCKDOWN LOCK-IN

Moriaraâ&#x20AC;˘Calpeâ&#x20AC;˘Jalonâ&#x20AC;˘Javeaâ&#x20AC;˘Deniaâ&#x20AC;˘Alt ea

3 1 / 1 2 / 1 9 .

Johnson

No entry!

EXCLUSIVE

TheOlivePress-256x170-HOME02.indd 1

v a l i d

Future perfect

voice in Spain

Vol. 14 Issue 357 www.theolivepress.es November 25th - December 8th 2020

Check out our most recent issues online at

See pages 24 & 11

2 147 834

Britain By Dilip Kunar A TRADE deal between the EU andafter the is on the verge of being finalised, rights. EU looked set to cave in on fishing looked promise in order to get an agreement. An MEP broke ranks to say that itcompro- France had previously been refusing to demanding likely the French would have to over back down on any fishing deal,waters. mise with Boris Johnsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demands near-parity to the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coastal the Bank of EnUK waters. would It comes as the governor of Christophe Hansen said the EU clinch gland warned that a no-deal Brexit would than have to meet the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demands to be more economically damaging an agreement. "There will be compromisquo, COVID to the UK. to get a deal es to be made on fisheries. The status to land,â&#x20AC;? Andrew Bailey said failure cross-border that is somewhere we're not going signed would create a massive goodwill behe told an event. to have trade blockage and damage understood are fishermen years. French out tween Brussels and the UK for Martin backed the compromise despite losing Meanwhile, Ireland leader Micheal on access to certain fishing grounds. Mi- said on Monday he was hopeful that a Brexthis week. It came after the EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief negotiator to com- it deal would be completed need the demanded Barnier chel

expat

c o n d i t i o n s .

LETTERS

Your

Tel: 952 147 834

Opinion, page 6

out around the city this week

FREE

expat

ANDALUCĂ?A

Future perfect

Valencia - Issue 1 THE WORD ON THE STREETS team getting the message FORWARD: The Olive Press Valencia

Page 6

OLIVE PRESS

Your voice in Spain

LOCKDOWN LOCK-IN

LANDING BREXIT

Why Spain is suffering a spate of earth tremors

All shook up!

I Gibraltar Issue 136

Blueprint

* O f f e r

TheOlivePress-256x170-HOME02.indd

COSTA BLANCA

Vol. 2 Issue 44 www.theolivepress.es November 26th - December 9th 2020

EXCLUSIVE

Shocking news for us all

OLIVE PRESS

UNABLE to have his regular Friday night down the boozer during lock- ness on draught. est pub. And if I say so myself, down, expat Conor Wilde hit on â&#x20AC;&#x153;After being novel idea - to build his own pub! a in solitary cooped up like a man weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done a grand job.â&#x20AC;? The Irish expat, 46, got his mates a plan,â&#x20AC;? in March I came up with Called El Irlandes, after his fathe Valencia-based real vourite over and converted his garden estate consultant Martin Scorsese film, told the Olive it happily fits his shed into what he claims is Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Press. closest pals in for the usual Friday night smallest watering hole. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had an Measuring 2.4m by 2.5m, it counts garden. I old paellero shed in the Blarney. Wilde, from Skerries, on a cornucopia of Emerald Isle El Gallegogot the lads over â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tuejar, near Dublin, has run the Found & Champ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and we set Valencia collectiblesâ&#x20AC;Ś and it even has Guin- about turning agency for two de- FORGET it into Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s small- cades. THE DRAUGHT: Conor and pals at makeshift local

All shook up!

OPInIOn

FREE

WWW.JAVEABLINDS.COM

Pandemic claims five victims in a fortnight on the Rock as Picardo warns of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;vicious virusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

By Eugene Costello

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sensibleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; approach, which has kept the economy running as best as possible.

See page

Such an agreement would even see the airport being included as part of Schengen. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The arrangement we are looking at would solve the mobility conundrum and the ability of persons to move goods with them,â&#x20AC;? Picardo told the lords. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It would permit the wholesale and commercial movement of goods into Gibraltar without Customs friction. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It would be a common travel area between Gibraltar and the Schengen travel area. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It may be that we have a different legal form in coming weeks which is more acceptable to the European Commission, UK, Gibraltar and Spain.â&#x20AC;? Picardo revealed it was unlikely to mean Gibraltar would have full membership of both Schengen and the Customs Union treaties. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whether it is full or associated battling coronavirus membership of Schengen or DEATHS: St Bernardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s has been extension of Schengen or simrelatives in the future. about our daily lives.â&#x20AC;? ply treating the entry points at sadly lost to CoVID-19 were Since the outbreak, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;In just 11 short days, GiGibraltar, the port and airport FIVE people have died from of the generation who lived homes run by Elderly Res- braltar has sadly mourned By John Culatto as Schengen entry points, is the coronavirus on the Rock in through the hardships of the idential Services have been the deaths of five members subject of our final consider- the past two weeks, includof our community to this viEvacuation. and too soon.â&#x20AC;? locked down to prevent any ations,â&#x20AC;? said Picardo. ing a school friend of Chief youngvictims over 90-years- â&#x20AC;&#x153;They endured the long further infection of the most cious virus,â&#x20AC;? said Picardo. Two ago, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to find a way that is Minister Fabian Picardo. years of a closed frontier, all communi- â&#x20AC;&#x153;less than two weeks agreeable to all the parties and Four of the deaths were di- old were the other casual- the while keeping up the un- vulnerable in the we had lost nobody.â&#x20AC;? doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cross any of the sover- rectly caused by CoVID-19 ties from the pandemic. go shakable Gibraltarian spirit. ty. hinted In contrast, the neighbourcontrol smallest jurisdiction Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sand eignty, died from â&#x20AC;&#x153;our deepest sympathies of â&#x20AC;&#x153;We should all remem- The Chief Minister is being ing Campo region is regit into turning to the while another us bring weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve family and friends that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a new protocolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of myself, eachso red lines if I say pub. And ber their sacrifices now as arranged to allow the public istering an average of five another condition while suf- to the the deceased,â&#x20AC;? said Picardo. important and increasgrand job.â&#x20AC;? done atable.â&#x20AC;? fering with the virus. of our we make vitally way we go to visit their elderly family deaths per day, Called El Irlandes, after his favour- They are the first fatal vic- â&#x20AC;&#x153;Three members es of more than 100 new have changes to the Scorsese film, it happily tims connected to the dis- community who we ite Martin Advantages cases every 24 hours. had pals in for the usual which Gibraltarians Gibraltar, fits his closest in Meanwhile, Gibraltar would not ease said Blarney. night FridayHe entering Spain cannot travmarket until now avoided fatalities. in the single part near Dublin, Why Spain a spate of Skerries, linea until lasuffering from two Gibraltar of is Wilde,take el outside this, Valencia agency The first despite earthDecember tremors 10. the Found occurred on the has run at least added that even if the UK deaths of november 21-22 Hedecades. to rules the after for two comes It Page 6 leaves the EU without a deal, weekend first was a man over 65 fight CoVID-19, which intalks with Spain could continue The also suffered from uncludes closing the perimewho after December 31. now health conditions. ters of all municipalities in deaths ty of personal responsibility Gibraltarians â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think anybody will gain derlying N a tight-knit community where talked have to realise is in their hands, often literally. the region, were extended â&#x20AC;&#x153;The patient died on novemwith a no deal,â&#x20AC;? said Picardo. and marriages are some of the mostcasual- Though these might in fact be coping strate22 from respiratory failthis week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Life will be very different and ber as a result of CoVID-19 stress, about subjects, the recent COVID-19 As borders are still open, gies to lighten the load on emotional we will lose a lot of the mobility ure confirmed a must in fact be a ties have been a shock to the system. Gib residents have been althan two these deaths of real people and a lot of the other advantag- pneumonia,â&#x20AC;? With five deaths reported in less lowed to pass through the hospital spokesman. that the pan- wake-up call. es. have indeed second victim was a weeks, it is no longer a question frontier but can only remain The way that whole economies of the most â&#x20AC;&#x153;The essentials we are provid- The under 50 who died as a lives demic is lethal. in neighbouring la linea. that man will always shut down to preserve the ing for would only ensure and keepEven if the latest wave of cynicsthat disturbs vulnerable in the community shows the oppoThe only exception would be to result of multi-organ failure life normal can continue keeping tweenthe essentials as anything of pneusign registered the are at CoVID-19 by wolf cry if people caused safe.â&#x20AC;? that site is true. ing itflow.â&#x20AC;? caring last monia and sepsis. the norm, it is now no longer in question having their primary home It has shown that the state is indeed While tourism is down 80% on deceased peris not the only COVID-19 kills. in another town. year, the tourist boss says all activ- â&#x20AC;&#x153;I knew the ones who for the people and that money our school Often they are the most afraid, the These new restrictions on ities, including cinemas and muse- sonally from find ways to priority. to need they recently explained have much were so more economies death and fear movement days ums, are open. conspir- Countries that have put their grief engulfof Spain, from my role in governinoculate its danger with improbable more clearly by Picardo. suffered the consequences, with Best of all, unlike much COVERED AREAS acy theories. only stay in ment,â&#x20AC;? revealed Chief Minâ&#x20AC;&#x153;A resident of Gibraltar enALL must tourists locals and victims were ing them like a tidal wave. Gibraltar Campo While it is true that most of the tering Spain is subject to ister Picardo. between midnight and 6am. the fact Just across the bay in the to elderly or had underlying conditions, passing around five deaths have been recorded every exactly the same constraints time to discover the city â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am deeply saddened too greatUNLIMITED â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a 4G motoring over la linea,â&#x20AC;? of coming residentthe that the virus has quickened their asWea examine are no queues,â&#x20AC;? adds Bern- hear of his passing, day, as people swear by their normality as there revolution away can no solidarity. INTERNET explained to GBC. he abe. be- 11 FOR longer be de- There is hope on the way, though. IDEAL â&#x20AC;&#x153;They cannot then go Page pandemic seriously, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;We take boundlives TVin the right to save municipal nied. likely the STREAMING yond The vaccine programme will but we also believe The politics of through the power of science and the research aries of la linea unless their full life.â&#x20AC;? have aALSO IPTV, a hidden agen- that keeps humanity charging onwards. the Comutravel is in keeping with the few places Currently See page 7-10-12-16 TV in SATELLITE to da are always The detractors to this change are part of the Spanish rules or they are nidad face tough restrictions due escape humanity is an registered beyond it.â&#x20AC;? rates. problem too, and probably why high infection 840 tel: (0034) 952 763 from the reali- more in crisis than ever before. has developed The city meanwhile, info@theskydoctor.comOn, an activity card called Valencia not www.theskydoctor.com can download, an app anyone just aimed at tourists.

Valencia is open!

VALENCIA remains open for visitors, with COVID restrictions more inrelaxed than most other regions, sists tourist chiefs. The city has been praised by busiits nessmen and tourists alike for

killer of teen Ulrich

Mijas Costa

expat

voice in Spain

VALENCIA / COSTA AZAHAR November 26th - December 9th 2020 FREE Vol. 1 Issue 1 www.theolivepress.es

COUNTDOWN TO BREXIT

tel: 966 46 38 45

EXCLUSIVE The hunt for the Brit 2

The

OLIVE PRESS

The Rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only free local paper

november 25th - December 8th 2020 Vol. 5 Issue 136 www.theolivepress.es

DEaDLy tuRn FREE

GIBRAlTAR could have a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;common travel area with Schengenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and be part of the Customs Union if a deal is reached between the UK and the EU before December 31. The proposed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;free-standing EU-UK treatyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, as the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo (pictured) called it, was explained in full to the House of lords European Union Committee on november 24.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget

GIBRAlTAR

The

OLIVE PRESS

The

Martin West, Leeds

Not going to last THE recycling machines will be vandalised and obsolete in months, just like the hundreds of pop-up basura bins that must have cost tens of thousands to install and the so-called water dispensers that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t last a summer. Who pulls these ideas, from whose arse? Michael Bath, London

Too little, too late WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;VE had these recycling machines and this scheme in Norway since 1972, and we recycle over 90% of our bottles and tins. Earlier on, we only got money back for recycling, but now thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an option to either get the money or to donate to the Red Cross. These machines should have been all over Europe decades ago, in my opinion. Rune Jamne, via FB

Has anything piqued your interest in this weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Olive Press? Have your say on the matter by emailing letters@theolivepress.es or message us on at www.facebook.com/ OlivePressNewspaper or Twitter @olivepress

Stupid world

he world is falling apart from corruption that all governments are involved in, so in some regards this is the most important period in human history, and yet people are complaining that shops are empty on Black Friday (Olive Press Online). What is going on in this stupid world? Aleksander Keltanoski, via FB

Those Christmas shopping blues Open then shut

Stay inside

DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T do shopping! Because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the time of the year when governments earn extra money! Christmas will be the same. They open the gates for two weeks, then lock you up after that!

Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t people just stay inside for a little longer? Black Friday seems like a terrible idea with the virus and is generally awful anyway - just another scheme to make our consumerist society even more addicted to brands.

Reena Merkel, via FB

Jack Riggs, Valencia

A Vol. 2

The ll about

Issue 29

errania de Ronda

www.theolivepress.es

December 10th - December 23rd 2020

City of dreams Inspirational to novelists and poets, its Moorish history, Renaissance architecture and excellent cuisine make Ronda an irresistible destination for a winter break to Andalucia

‘

NICE promenades, good wine, excellent food and nothing to do…’ Thus Ernest Hemingway wrote off the town where he spent numerous holidays drinking the local wine and carousing at corridas, no doubt disappointing many of Ronda’s proud residents with his puzzlingly lacklustre review. Most of today’s travellers - including Britain’s last two prime ministers and an American First Lady - would certainly disagree with him. Ronda has been crowned Andalucia’s third most-visited town and it’s not hard to see why. The so-called ‘City of Dreams’ is a true wanderlust gem and somewhat of a celebrity hang-out. Theresa May, Anne Hathaway, Ricky Gervais, Jodie Whittaker, Gordon Ramsay, Kristin Scott Thomas and Spain’s ex-premier Mariano Rajoy have all allegedly visited the stunning mountain town... so say locals in the know.

Obama

Michelle Obama also made headlines when she visited in 2010, touring the old town and discovering the Moorish dynasty with her daughter Sasha. Celebrity chef Jean Christophe Novelli went house hunting in the town after falling in love with it in 2009. With its spectacular high sierra setting, leafy parks, cobbled lanes and atmospheric ventas it’s no wonder Ronda has stolen the hearts of so many travellers. Over the centuries a slew of writers have waxed lyrical about its timeless character, stunning views and charming locals. The German poet Rilke baptised it the ‘City of Dreams’, Orson Welles took a shine to its bullfighting scene and COLOURFUL: Hemingway, Michelle Obama, Anne Hathaway, Jodie Whittaker and Ricky Gervais have enjoyed Ronda’s sites

Continues on Page 11

tel: 952 87 89 85

Calle Virgen de los Dolores 11 29400 Ronda, Málaga, España Tropicanaronda@gmail.com

12 December 10th - December 23rd 2020

ll about

errania de Ronda

From previous page

Hemingway himself capitalised on its culture of bullfighting for two of his own works. Ronda’s legendary torero Pedro Romero who slew more than 5,600 bulls was the muse for his noble matador in The Sun Also Rises; while the fierce rivalry between Luis Miguel Dominguin and Antonio Ordonez, the city’s other most famous bullfighter, is chronicled in The Dangerous Summer. But it seems the good people of Ronda overlooked the Nobel Prize-winning author’s slight on their hood. Instead, they paid homage to him with the Paseo de Ernest Hemingway, a pathway that teeters along the top of Ronda’s crown jewel – El Tajo gorge – which offers up gorge-ous views across the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park. This 120-metre-deep chasm slicing the city in two is bridged by Ronda’s most photographed structure. The magnificent Puente Nuevo is anything but new, having been completed in 1793. As you cross the cloud-touching bridge, it’s like stepping into a medieval fairytale. The backdrop of soaring mountains crowned with traditional Andalucian white villages is equally dramatic. Taller than London’s Centre Point tower, the structure took a staggering 40 years to complete, claiming the lives of some 50 builders who died bridging the gap. They left behind an awe-inspiring fusion of na-

Picture by Geoff Scott Simpson

City of dreams

Trailblazers IRISH novelist and poet James Joyce (1882-1941) “Ronda with the old windows of the houses, the eyes which spy out hidden behind the latticework so that their lover might kiss the iron bars.”

The word on the street from some of Ronda’s famous visitors…

Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) “It is here, in Ronda, in the delicate penumbra of blindness, a concave silence of patios, leisure of the jasmine and the light sound of water, which summoned up memories of deserts.”

ture and architecture connecting the new town of Mercadillo with the old quarter, La Ciudad.

Syrian prince Abu’l-Fida (1273-1331) American author Orson Welles “Elegant and lofty city in which the (1915-1985) clouds serve as a turban and its towers “A man is not from where he is as a sword belt” born, but where he chooses to die.” German poet Rainer Maria Rilke (18751926) “The spectacle of this city, sitting on the bulk of two rocks rent asunder by a pickaxe and separated by the narrow, deep gorge of the river, corresponds very well to the image of that city revealed in dreams.” REGULAR VISITOR: Orson Welles

A chamber above the bridge’s central arch was used as a prison during the Spanish Civil War. Legend has it

that Republican and Nationalist prisoners were tortured and thrown from the windows to the deadly rocks be-

low. Later it housed a bar, today it’s a museum dedicated to the history of the bridge and its skyscraper jail.

At the heart of nature F INCA La Donaira is a luxury eco-retreat, organic farm and equestrian centre with Lusitano horse breeding. The hotel is a nine-bedroom farmhouse designed and decorated with the simplicity of the traditional Andalucian vernacular and the uniqueness of the contemporary. The retreat in the Serrania de Ronda includes a state-of-the-art spa and an infinite list of tailor-made activities ranging from horse riding, paragliding and ‘bee bed meditation’. There are numerous home-grown products including organic wine, extra virgin olive oil, honey, almond milk, as well as eggs from free-range chickens. You are bound to find yourself in good company, with conversations around the table continuing late into the night under starry skies, with one or two glasses of good biodynamic wine. La Donaira counts on stunning custom suites and two international award-winning yurts, and guests wake up to birdsong, before swimming in the infinity pool. Take a walk around the 1,700 acre estate, which counts on over 50 mares that live in freedom with their foals as a backdrop.

Horse whispering, bee bed meditation and more at Andalucia’s finest 1,700 acre eco-retreat

Finding a sanctuary, a place separate from time, is not so different from finding faith - Pico Iyer All your five senses will be awakened at an altitude of 1,000 metres during the four seasons of the year. Everything is designed to help guests feel good, from the healthy, eco-friendly food designed by chefs each morning with the

STUNNING: Views towards the Grazalema Natural Park greet guests at the luxurious finca

fresh produce they harvest in the garden, to places for meditation, the outdoor swimming pool powered by spring water or the yoga platform. Interested in riding? The equestrian activities are designed for beginners and advanced riders, while you can learn natural horsemanship with a horse whisperer, or practice grounding, a way to connect with the horse through breathing exercises. Guests can also visit the organic farm and orchards and even be a farmer for a few days and collect their own free range eggs. They might also like to visit the medicinal garden with over 350 varieties, or meditate on one of only four bee beds to be found around the world. There are a variety of hikes and guests can take a bike to go for a cycle. Then again you might just want to do nothing more than relax under a 700-year-old holm oak and enjoy the peace and views across beautiful mountain meadows towards the soaring peaks of the Grazalema

Natural Park. La Donaira grants one of the most precious gifts - it allows its guests the simple and forgotten luxury of enjoying nature and time.

For more information call (+34) 951 39 00 59 or email info@ladonaira.com

13 December 10th - December 23rd 2020

Gateway to history

It’s been a key nerve centre since the time of the Romans and back in the days of Al Andaluz, Ronda was a key stopping off place for travellers. Today, it is famous for its old doorways and will definitely feel like you are stepping back in time.

BIBLICAL: Shepherd pats his sheepdog under the walls, while (right) Mandragon Palace and Almocobar gate For a picture-perfect view of the historic settlements and was a key Moorish occupation, it was on these bridge, hike down to the bottom of military bastion in the Roman Em- vertiginous steps that chain gangs El Tajo. You can access the scenic pire. of Christian slaves formed a human walking routes from either side of It was completely transformed by conveyor belt to pass up containers the bridge. Take the old town side for the Moors, who were responsible for of water from the river Guadalevin. a more challenging hike or the new many of its tourist-magnets today. The heart of the new town is the bustown side for the easier route. The banos Arabes is one, originally tling main shopping street, Calle EsRonda’s bullring, poised between built in the 13th century and operat- pinel - known as ‘La Bola’ by locals. new town and old, also gets huge ed by a water wheel, bringing water It’s bursting amounts of attention for being the up from the River Guadalevin below. with handicraft oldest and most beautiful in Spain. A stroll around the immaculate cham- shops, local proThere’s a museum inside and you bers, arches and columns conjures duce and infinite can take a tour. up images of the lavish lifestyle en- places to stop Despite bullfighting’s alleged wan- joyed by travellers in what was then off for churros ing popularity, this famous arena is the Kingdom of Granada. A fantastic and chocolate or mobbed in September for the annual reconstruction film brings it all to life. Ronda cheeses Goyesca bullfights, a homage to Ron- Another Moorish highlight is the and wine. da’s two most famous matadors and Casa del Rey Moro, the palace where Another way to the Spanish artist Goya. Michelle Obama surprised onlookers explore Ronda Ronda is a tale of two cities. Its old in 2010 when she descended the is via its exquiand new towns each have their own 300 perilous steps down to La Mina site wine tours. distinctive styles with Roman and - the water mine – an experience Since PhoeniMoorish influences. many tourists choose to pass on. cian and ancient Built in 9 BC, it’s one of Spain’s most Built in the 18th century during the Grecian times, wine has been produced here and probably transported to the great cities of the Roman Empire. Take a visit to any of the 20 or more bodegas and you’ll be filled in well. If you’re spending more than a couple of days in Ronda, the cave art at the Cueva de la Pileta is another mustsee. Nestled in the village of Benaojan some 20 kilometres southwest of the city, the belly of the cave reveals Stone Age paintings of horses, goats and fish which can be marvelled at by torchlight with a guide. A trip to Ronda, whether it be for a day, a week or even a month has the uncanny ability to transport any visitor to another time. HISTORICAL: Alleyway leads up to Spain’s oldest bullring

Pictures by Jon Clarke

CAPTION

14 December 10th - December 23rd 2020 THE historic Roman town of Setenil de las Bodegas is a real eye opener and amazing for p h o to g r a phy. Nestled in the rolling landscape, 20 minutes out of Ronda, it was built around a series of caves, w h i c h served to keep the wines of the Romans cool in summer, hence its name. It is best to leave your car outside the town, wander up to the old fortress before heading down to the famous overhanging cave for a fine tapas lunch.

Cavemen colony

ll about

errania de Ronda

Secret Serrania

REPUBLIC OF FUN FRIENDLY Arriate sits just five minutes outside Ronda, but is a completely different world. This charming village of nearly 5000 souls is a bustling place and fiercely independent of big sister Ronda, from whom it officially broke free some 400 years ago. It has a warm, homely feel about it and a great mix of local shops, restaurants and places to stay. Pick of the bunch to eat is El Muelle, a converted train station, while you must spend the weekend at either Hotel Arriadh or finca Alcantarilla. Its Fiesta en el Aire festival in early Autumn - hopefully back next year after COVID - is now legendary and attracts nearly 20,000 punters over a long weekend.

From bandit hideouts to Roman wine cellars, there is so much to see and do close to Ronda, writes Jon Clarke

Preaching the blues

ONDA is surrounded by two natural parks, the Sierra de las Nieves and the Sierra de Grazalema, not to mention its very own breathtaking Serrania. These surrounding hills are creaking with wonderful walks and pretty towns and villages to visit, all easy to reach in the car and most with their own excellent places to stay and eat. Here are a few top picks for a trip out of Ronda.

WHILE it’s about as stunning as any of the pretty villages around Ronda, there is one big difference with Juzcar… it’s blue. This is thanks to the Smurf movie that in 2011 decided to use the tiny village as the ‘mythical ‘base of the tiny creatures. It has been used a handful of times since and voted to stay blue some years back despite the film-makers’ offer to return it to a more traditional white. But apart from the many attractions for kids, based around the movie, it is also the perfect place for a walk and to see Griffon vultures and crag martins.

Bandit territory THE Serrania was once a major stronghold for bandoleros (bandits) and the tiny towns of Benaojan and Montejaque were famously where many holed up. But there is much more, such as the Cueva de la Pileta, near Montejaque (left), which has the oldest cave paintings in Spain, while Benaojan is the centre of the ham and sausage industry. There is also a fabulous walk from Benaojan Estacion down the river to Jimera de Libar, from where you can get the train back. At each end is a great lunch spot, with hotel Molino del Santo, when open in season, the obvious pick.

OUTDOOR VIBES: Visitors to Fiesta en el Aire festival

Fanning its fortune

Prehistory kept alive FOR anyone wanting an idea of what life was like in Ronda 5,000 years ago, head to Algaba, a short drive out of Ronda. This wonderful estate has recreated a prehistoric village showing clearly how the area’s forefathers lived, how they ground their bread, decorated their homes and what they did with their dead. There are also lots of rare breeds of cows and goats and you can even stay in the nearby finca if you fancy it. Visit www.algabaronda.com

Roman Ronda A 15-minute drive from Ronda takes you to the ancient city of Acinipo, where the Romans built another ancient settlement. The highest hill for miles around, it still has much evidence of their skills with a large part of its amphitheatre intact and a lot more to look at, not to mention the views. The visitor centre is only open for the morning, but one can always climb up to the amphitheatre out of hours.

AN hour walk from Ronda will take you to one of the most stunning natural sites, the Cueva de Abanico (the Fan Cave). Near here celebrated flamenco star Estrella Morente, and husband bullfighter Javier Conde were planning to build a hotel and it is no surprise why. This is one of the most beautiful walks imaginable, with bits of Roman road to discover, ruined towers and then the amazing cave and river at the end, perfect for a picnic.

AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE AT AN ORGANIC VINEYARD IN RONDA Guided visit of the Kieninger bodega and vineyard, plus a tasting of four distinct wines, alongside a range of delicious local quality tapas from the Serrania. RESERVE: Tel: 952 879 554 Mob: 618 685 152 Email: araceli@bodegakieninger.com VIDEO PRESENTATION:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL3VdNftgUE&t=13s

www.bodegakieninger.com

Money Matters

with Tracy Storer, Senior Partner, Chorus Financial.

Pension problems

Money Matters answers all your questions on finance, tax, pensions, investments and more

Dear Tracy, I am in the process of becoming a Spanish resident and have a question about my savings and investments. I have several ISAs, premium bonds and fixed rate bonds in the UK and wondered whether I will still be allowed to keep these when I become a Spanish resident? They are all with NS&I. Sandra W. from Altea Hi Sandra, Great question and one that I get asked a lot! The short answer to this is yes, you can keep these products open, however typically you cannot add to them and in most cases make any changes to them. Another question is, should you keep them? ISAs and Premium bonds are tax free products in the UK so the growth you make on your ISA or the coupons you win from your premium bonds are tax free, however the minute you become a Spanish tax resident, all gains or wins become taxable. If your returns are modest then this might not appear to be too problematic, you’d add it to your tax return and comp lete a Modelo 720 (if the value is above €50k). The bigger the investment the larger the p o te n t i a l

returns, so paying tax on the gains could mean that an ISA is no longer the best tax solution for your investments. The other consideration is that if you are unable to make changes to the investments within your ISA, then essentially you are stuck with the investments you have on the day you become a Spanish resident. This might not be a massive problem right now, but we live in a world where change is happening every day and the investments you hold need to reflect this. The classic example is if you looked at a portfolio from 5 years ago, it would probably have large exposure to some of the big oil companies and high street chains, if no changes had been made to that portfolio, then I would be concerned about the opportunity for growth. It’s one thing being invested, it’s another making sure that those investments are making the most of current opportunities, so not being able to make changes to your investment could be very detrimental. Thankfully, there are solutions here in Spain where you can invest in a tax efficient manner, which allow you, working with your adviser, to make appropriate changes as and when necessary.

If you have any questions about finance, tax or money matters here in Spain, call +34 965 641 163 or please email them to me on t.storer@chorusfinancial.es with subject ‘Money Matters’. All emails will get a response, and some may even appear in our column!

Money Matters answers all your questions on finance, tax, pensions, investments and more here in Spain.

PROPERTY

December 10th December 23rd 2020

House for €3 A BRITISH couple are offering potential buyers the chance to purchase tickets for their €400,000 home complete with a swimming pool - for less than €3. Gina and Wayne Ironside have lived in the luxury pad worth nearly half a million for seven years but have decided to make the decision to move from Tenerife to be closer to family in the UK. The pair are selling their pad on the website Prizevillas, where potential buyers can purchase a ticket for just €2.80. The family are selling 23,0000 tickets to raise the sum of €440,000 - just a little over the estimated asking price if it was sold on the open market. Once all the tickets are

Expats put luxury home up for raffle

BARGAIN: buy a ticket and take your chance

sold one lucky winner will be chosen at random and given the keys the incredi-

Rental concerns

RENTAL home prices have fallen in Spain in tandem as defaulting tenant numbers rise. With the economy contracting due to the pandemic, the average price of rental housing reached just over €10 per square metre between July and September this year. That’s a fall of 8.4% over the first three months of 2020, with Barcelona, Madrid, and Palma hitting above average figures, according to the real estate platform, BrainsRE. Figures taken since mid-September show that the number of people unable to pay their rents has risen from 3.5% to 5.9%, according to contracts monitored by the File of Defaulting Tenants. A combination of job uncertainty during the second wave of COVID-19 cases along with economic concerns is said to have caused the spike in non-payments.

Holy goal EIGHT Spanish neighbours have made it their duty to rescue a crumbling Gothic church in their village, and are succeeding. Founded in the 16th century, the iconic San Lorenzo Martir church in Fuenteodra, northern Spain, is blessed with awe-inspiring architectural features. However, its grandeur is marred by patches of mould on the columns and numerous cracks that zigzag through its walls and ceiling – defects that both lend the building a haunting beauty and put it at risk of imminent collapse. Now locals are taking matters into their own hands and have already raised €40,000 of the €300,000 needed. “We are obliged to future generations to preserve this unique legacy of our ancestors, which they raised together, with a titanic effort,” they said on their Crowdfunding page.

HOME buyers are looking for out-of-town properties and more space due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to one of Spain’s major real-estate valuation firms, Tecnitasa. Its report says that buyers are trying to shun high-rise apartments in cities and want properties on the edge of centres that have good road and transport links. Tecnitasa says that between July and September this year, purchases of more ‘isolated’ homes have risen by over 10% compared to a year earlier. In contrast, apartment sales in the same period are down by over 16% over 12 months. The report lists a number of pandemic-related factors like larger rooms and windows offering better ventilation. That’s in addition to a

ble home that boasts three bedroom, stunning hillside views and a jacuzzi. Set in the picturesqu Adeje area of Tenefife, the villa has three double bedrooms on the first floor with two having en-suite bathrooms and each with their own private balconies.

Spacious

Downstairs there is another double bedroom and a large study, playroom or store room. Additional features include a high spec kitchen, living room and spacious gardens complete with a terrace and a communal pool.

Pandemic Movement demand for better internet and phone services as home teleworking continues to increase. City and town based apartments and properties are more expensive than more rural areas and with reduced purchasing budgets, buyers are happy to cast their net further afield. Technitasa president, Jose Maria Basañez said: “There is definitely a drop in demand for apartments coupled with a significant increase in people looking for family homes.” “We put this down to all of the restrictions on mobility implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic combined with the consequent rise in teleworking.”

San Juan Rules ALICANTE’S San Juan area is continuing to be the city’s hot spot for new property builds. A survey by real estate firm, Activum, shows that of the 2,500 homes built in Alicante over the last three years, almost half of them have been on San Juan area urbanisations.. San Blas comes a distant second on 23% followed by the Benalua area on 10%. Prices around San Juan hit an average price of €300,000 for a three-bedroom family home, some €22,000 more than a city-centre three-bed apartment. The report says there are around 11,000 listed second-hand properties in Alicante, roughly five-times more than new builds. 26.5% of the resales are in San Juan with the city centre accounting for 17.6 %.

LIBERTYCASHBACK Until

When

23rd

DECEMBER

2020

YOU need it most

ALREADY A CUSTOMER?

A NEW CLIENT?

€60 CASHBACK

€30 CASHBACK

on each new policy

on your first policy & €60 from the second policy onwards

Take out a new Car, Life, Home or Funeral policy NOW to access our Cashback offer – because tough times deserve little treats!

There’s no limit on the number of policies you take out, so there’s no limit on Cashback!

preferred expat insurer

Visit your agent or go to www.libertyexpatriates.es Offer valid from 27th August 2020 to 23rd December 2020. Policies must be paid by direct debit. Applies to new car, life, home and funeral policies only. Not for renewals or replacements. Conditions and minimum premiums will be applied in all cases. Visit our website or ask your broker/agent for full details.

The Olive Press all editions FP (342mmx256mm) December 9

More than 500 customers can’t be wrong

The Covid Friendly Store!

Replace just your kitchen cupboard doors or install a complete kitchen

English Speaking 200+ different models available

BUSINESS

Huge range of sinks and taps

Investor cries foul

A British businessman who spent €800,000 on a Spanish football team is taking legal action after his money was banked and he was then thrown out of the club. A judge is investigating ex-La Nucia (Costa Blanca) sports councillor, Jose Antonio Benavente over fraud and falsifying a document. The angry investor is Stanley Yu who owns Sockaytyes, which makes sports equipment and has international agreements for advertising at sports venues.

New collection of bathrooms and wardrobes available Impressive glass splashbacks Complete revamp (tiling, electrics, plumbing service) all in one stop, save your time

By Alex Trelinski

It also runs soccer academies for youngsters, including the first one that was set up in the Benidorm area. Just 10 kilometres up the road, the financially-struggling CF La Nucia was desperate for investment and it tapped up Yu and Sockaytyes for some help. Yu opened talks with La Nucia council and a deal was struck in October 2019 for a takeover worth €800,000. The new owner and his rep-

Business Hours: Monday-Friday: 9.00 to 14.00 Home visits in the afternoon

ASK FOR A FREE HOME VISIT, DESIGN AND 3D VIEW MADE WITH THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY Av. Artero Guírao, 30, San Pedro del Pinator, Murcia Find us on the AP7, exit San Pedro del Pintar, 200 yards past LIDL on the opposite side

968 184 235 info@kitchensplus1.com

December 10th December 23rd 2020

British businessman takes legal action over football club deal

Porcelain, quartz, granite and laminate worktops

See more examples of kitchens fitted on our Facebook page www.kitchensplus1.com

RED CARD: Yu (inset) was thrown out of La Nucia

resentatives were removed from the CF La Nucia board on January 23, which was the very day that Yu’s money was transferred into the club’s bank account. He issued a denuncia against Benavente which accuses the former La Nucia sports councillor of dissolving a ten-year deal over an agreed board of directors. The previous board was then simply restored but with €800,000 to play with. Yu alleges that Benavante appeared at the ground at 2.00pm on January 23, accompanied by council officials including the mayor, Bernabe Cano, as well as police agents, and a notary. His statement says: “The police and officials were there to back up the notary who told me and the new board that my signed contract was being unilaterally ended, and we were forced to leave, despite being a legally and constituted board of directors.” Yu’s declaration also makes it clear that though he is taking legal action against Jose Antonio Benavente, he regards long-standing Partido Popular mayor, Bernabe Cano, as having taken all of the decisions behind the scenes.

It’s fair

t o say that 2020 has been one of the most challenging years in recent memory. We at Telitec are proud to have played our part in keeping workers at home connected, children connected with their schooling, and above all else keeping friends and family connected during this very difficult year. It’s even clearer to us now how much people need and value a fast and reliable internet connection. 2021 will see our biggest deployment of fibre 600 connecting even more people in the community. On behalf of everyone at Telitec we wish you and your family a healthy and Happy Christmas and together we hope we can make 2021 a much better year for all.

Tel: 965 743 473 sales@telitec.net www.telitec.com

H A P P Y CHRISTMAS from us all at Telitec

Tel: 965 743 473 sales@telitec.net www.telitec.com

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL All aboard

TRAIN: Being trialled

High speed future

SPAIN’S latest high-speed electric train is currently undergoing tests throughout the region, with plans to link much of the Costa Blanca and Murcia. The section between Monforte del Cid (Elche) and Murcia has seen the unusually-designed train going through its paces, passing through a number of Vega Baja towns. Routes between Alicante and Beniel, and Beniel to Villena are mooted. Train company Renfe admits the commissioning of any highspeed section or any new train is complex and requires many tests to satisfy safety protocols. Background Renfe says that standard class seats are just as spacious and comfortable as those on their Ave trains.

CANFRANC train station, situated in the Pyrenees between Spain and France, is set to reopen next month after being shut for half a decade. A historical landmark, the terminal was where many Jews fled Nazi Germany, including the painters Max Ernst and Marc Chagall. Originally opened in 1928, the station was used to transport goods - including Swiss gold.

Chateau

Once called the ‘Titanic of the Mountains’ the terminal boasts a French chateau design and the second-largest high-speed rail network in the world. The gargantuan building that’s ten times the size of St. Pancras in London -had its services brought to an abrupt halt in 1970 when a derailment destroyed a bridge on the French side of the line. But thanks to a collaboration by France, the European Commission and the Aragon government, the railway will be restored to its former glory. “Canfranc [station] is part of the memory and our identity, of our DNA, of our most intimate feelings as a people,” José Luis Soro, Regional Minister of Mobility for Aragon, told reporters.

Takes the cake!

Spanish lesson for Italians as Valencian panettone scoops awards

By Alex Trelinski

A SPANISH bakery has won a major Italian award by showing the locals how to make the world’s best panettone. The sweet bread was originally created in the Milan area and has spread around the globe as a treat that is especially popular over the festive season in countries like Spain. Fartons Polo sent off some of their special bakes to Rome and got a gold award in a contest organised by the Italian Federation of Pastry, Ice Cream and Chocolate. The 60-year-old Alboraya

TASTY: Spain beat Italy at its own game (Valencia) based company has been baking panettones for over a decade, both in a traditional version and one with

Bottom of the class SPAIN could lose out on tourism because of poor language skills. The nation ranks worst among all EU countries when it comes to learning English, a new report has found. The country has swapped bottom place with Italy, which climbed three places in the annual table. Only a handful of Eastern European countries, including Albania, Ukraine and Turkey, fare worse. The Dutch came top of the survey, with many of the Lowlanders speaking better English than those from the UK.

chocolate chips. They started work last year on creating an artisan panettone made with homemade sourdough. Fartons Polo thought they had come up with something special and decided to see how good it was by entering the competition, which featured over 300 international rivals. They are keeping the exact baking process under their hat, but besides the fresh sourdough, the Fartons blend includes vanilla from Tahiti, orange and lemon zest, and cream.

19 Passenger friendly FOLLOWING Easyjet’s controversial change in luggage allowance, Jet2 has pledged to keep passenger-friendly policies. The Leeds-based firm claims it will not change its on-board baggage rules after Easyjet recently emulated Ryanair’s charging policy. The Irish airline has long had additional charges for second carry-on bags, but Jet2 has promised it has no plans to introduce similar policies, when flights resume later this month. With 10 UK bases and destinations to many holiday destinations, it hopes to reintroduce some services in time for Christmas, following COVID-related cancellations. It says passengers will not be charged for a large cabin bag and will continue to benefit from two pieces of free hand luggage, whether the service is flight-only or part of a holiday. In addition to a piece of hand luggage weighing no more than 10kg and no larger than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm (including wheels and handles) customers can carry a small personal item that can be placed underneath the seat in front of them.

952 147 834

*Based on third par ty. Offer valid for new customers only. Subject to conditions. Ends 31/12/20.

TheOlivePress-256x170-CAR0720.indd 1

20/7/20 13:08

HEALTH

December 10th - December 23rd 2020

Emergency service THE army was called in to disinfect a nursing home that suffered 40 coronavirus infections. Members of the UME (Military Emergency Unit) wearing full protective equipment movid in to sterilise the home in Los Palacios, part of Formentera del Segura. The alarm was raised when tests showed that 30 residents and 10 workers were infected. The site has been put on strict lockdown with very little movement in or out of the premises allowed. As of yet, no deaths have been reported but several residents have been sent to the Vega Baja Hospital in nearby Orihuela, said the local director of Public Health, Jose Cano.

FREE ASSESSMENT WEEK

Health kick

SCIENTISTS in Spain are studying how exercising twice a week for 50 minutes can help boost recovery from socalled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Long-COVIDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Exercises used in the study include a programme of strength and aerobic exercises to help people return to full health post-coronavirus. Understanding the best rehabilitation methods is becoming increasingly important as people continue to report â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;long COVIDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; symptoms - such as fatigue and dehydration - that have continued for many months after first contracting the virus.

FERNANDO Diez, general director of Elix Pharma, has announced that the first models of the pharmaceutical companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s COVID-19 home testing kit will arrive in Spanish pharmacies â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;between December 10 and 15.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Priced at â&#x201A;Ź25.50, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Primacovidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; home test is much more affordable than the PCR tests and, according to Elix Pharma, is 95.7% reliable. It works with a simple prick of the finger, detecting the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies

Testing time

against SARS-COV-2 in the blood, and produces results within 15-20 minutes. Currently under manufacture in Switzerland, Primacovid bears the CE authorisation mark, meaning it has been approved by the EU. Elix Pharma hopes to distribute the first 500,000 models within the next three months.

Jungle fever

FOUR lions have tested positive for coronavirus at Barcelona Zoo. Zala, Nima and Run Run, all females, and male Kiumbe underwent a COVID-19 test after displaying mild symptoms. Two staff members also tested positive for the virus and an investigation

Work in the UK. Live in Spain. Live-in Carer ÂŁ83 - ÂŁ105 per day.

We are a highly awarded care provider looking for experienced carers for nationwide opportunities. So, if you are a carer with at least six monthsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience and want to keep your Spanish lifestyle while working in the UK, please get in touch.

For more information call Jayne on +34 634345685 or email Jayne.Nuttall-Blake@thegoodcaregroup.com

Your body deserves the best. Put your mind at ease by taking care of your body to the best with our innovative treatments.

is now under way to establish how the infection spread. Zoo officials said the risk of the virus spreading to visitors or other animals was low since no one gets â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;close enoughâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to the pack. The lions, all aged 16, and have had no contact

with other animals at the Barcelona facility. Zala, Nima, Kiumbe and Run Run are responding well to treatment, and aside from a minor cough are almost back to full health.

Care

They are being treated with anti-inflammatory drugs and monitored closely. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The lions were given veterinary care for their mild clinical condition - similar to a very mild flu condition - and [they] responded well,â&#x20AC;? the zoo said in a statement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Zoo has worked with international experts such as the Veterinary Service of the Bronx Zoo, the only one that has documented cases of Sars-CoV-2 infection in felines.â&#x20AC;? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only

CRYOLIPOLYSIS

Yes, we sometimes do wonders and make dreams come true! Permanent result already from the Ă&#x17E;rst treatment.

Our treatment will cool off the fat cells. As a result they will be destroyed permanently. Already from the Ă&#x17E;rst treatment there is a permanent result.

New in Spain! 90 â&#x201A;Ź

CRYOLIFTING

Our treatments make your skin tighter and Ă&#x17E;rmer wherever you want it.

BEFORE

F A C I A L T R E AT M E N T S

Softening and removal of wrinkles. Tightening of neck and throat. Acne - Pigment spots Lifting

No surgery, no pain, no side effects

120 â&#x201A;Ź

Treatments are for men and for women

MORE RESULTS ON OUR WEBSITE

C Richard Wagner 2 blq 5 03189 Orihuela Costa (Villamartin)

Call us for an appointment or more information:

+34 699 500 734

đ&#x;&#x2021;Şđ&#x;&#x2021;Şđ&#x;&#x2021;Şđ&#x;&#x2021;Ş

đ&#x;&#x2021;łđ&#x;&#x2021;łđ&#x;&#x2021;łđ&#x;&#x2021;ł

đ&#x;&#x2021;§đ&#x;&#x2021;§đ&#x;&#x2021;§đ&#x;&#x2021;§

đ&#x;&#x2021;Ťđ&#x;&#x2021;Ťđ&#x;&#x2021;Ťđ&#x;&#x2021;Ť

đ&#x;&#x2021;Šđ&#x;&#x2021;Šđ&#x;&#x2021;Šđ&#x;&#x2021;Š

đ&#x;&#x2021;Źđ&#x;&#x2021;Źđ&#x;&#x2021;Źđ&#x;&#x2021;Ź

info@institutocarmenmaria.com www.institutocarmenmaria.com

It’s no picnic!

T’S really sad driving by Palma airport and seeing all the planes parked up. The airline industry is suffering probably worse than most, and it’s the main reason I’m here. My partner and I came to live in Mallorca at the start of the year with his job as a pilot for Jet2, but he hasn’t worked a single day since! No one could have predicted when we welcomed in a new year what was about to descend on us. When we arrived at the end of February we were so excited to be starting a new life in Mallorca. But just three weeks in we watched on the news the growing threat of coronavirus before Spain went into lockdown. Since then, Paul doesn’t think he will work until at least the start of the summer season in March 2021 and has joined the long line of people on Erte, which has been somewhat unpredictable when it comes to payments. So, whilst I’m doing my best as a writer, forget PR for now because the budget for that was one of the first things to go! It’s tough! The pressure for a lot of couples having to endure lockdowns together is already a real tester of their relationship. Add to that the loss of income and job uncertainty and what you’re left with is another layer of stress. After nine months of not working, the hardest thing for Paul is filling his day. Whilst many of our friends and family are envious of what appears to be our permanent holiday in the sun. They’re not privy to hear, or witness, the 5am angst-ridden OVER the past week, apart from the excitement of a vaccine becoming available for use in the UK, intense talks between the EU and the UK have been taking place with not much being reported which was seen to be a positive outcome. That old adage ‘no news is good news’, though, seems to be in question as talks look to be on the verge of collapse with the countdown stopwatch being paused while David Frost and Michel Barnier report back to their principals that the ‘conditions for an agreement are not met’. Neither side wants to compro-

Our move to Spain has been tough with a nightmare situation regarding jobs and mental health

GROUNDED: No chance to fly conversations we have when one of us cannot sleep with worry. Annoyingly for him I tend to knock on his chest asking if he’s awake. Well, if you weren’t, you are now! It’s not just about whether he’ll still have a job next year but the impact of that on our future because we live here now. And with all the will in the world, it’s really bloody hard to find an alternative job during this crisis when you don’t speak Spanish! I believe many men all over the world are secretly struggling. It doesn’t matter what

mise although a no deal could spell problems for both the UK and the EU. The fishing industry is one stumbling block as France, in particular, wants to continue to fish in British waters but Britain is digging its heels in and part of its ‘taking back control’ wants to control that access and, with the last EU summit this week, France could veto any deal it doesn’t like.

OP Puzzle solutions SUDOKU

Quick Crossword

Down: 1 Crouches, 2 Pandemic, 3 Sprang, 4 Poem, 5 Alps, 7 Sunni, 12 It is said, 13 Detonate, 15 Outcry, 16 Orion, 18 Adds, 19 Lays.

Telling it like it is

business you’re in because every last one of them has taken a hit. Whether you’re an airline pilot, a restaurateur, or sales assistant, this virus has screwed everyone. People are just trying to keep their head above water financially to safeguard their families. But aside from the financial support our governments are trying to give, there isn’t much mental support. We hear about the impact on mental health that this situation is causing, but are we really listening to those closest to us? Having had heartfelt conversations with Paul, I know he’s struggling. Yes, he’s down, understandably, but I’m scared he’ll fall down the rabbit hole if he isn’t thrown a career lifeline soon. The airline industry has no idea what will happen next year because so much rests on air bridges being restored and on people’s confidence to travel. Holidays may not seem like a necessity, but the global airline industry makes in excess of $800 billion each year. Hopefully with the recent announcement of vaccines this may help reverse the current situation. But look at EasyJet’s £1.3billion (€1.45 billion) loss, the first in its 25-year history, following the flights constantly being cancelled. Those planes need to get off the ground, and soon, if the whole travel and tourism sector is to be saved!

@tereniataras

No news is bad news Waiting with bated breath for a Brexit deal, writes Anne Fernandez We wait with bated breath as to the outcome but, as has been predicted by many since the referendum back in 2016, it has certainly gone to the wire! Meanwhile, the haulage firms

are left unable to plan for any new rules because that information, due in August, is still not forthcoming. So delays at customs and queues regardless of any deal, might mean food shortages in the UK which, in turn, will likely lead to price increases as the extra tariffs and costs of delays are offset. 26% of the UK’s food imports come from the EU. Produce like fresh fruits, salad vegetables, meat and wine could become scarce and unbelievably, even most of that very British Cheddar cheese comes from Ireland! And, of course, the site in Ashford, Kent where all these lorries are due to be held

ARE YOU A UK NATIONAL AND STRUGGLING WITH YOUR RESIDENCY APPLICATION? UK NATIONALS

Lights relief

Terenia Taras

PLEASE FOLLOW ME

EXIT COUNTDOWN TO BR

Across: 6 Breaks up, 8 Owls, 9 Burden, 10 Almost, 11 Hummingbirds, 14 Psychologist, 17 Hamlet, 20 In sync, 21 Idly, 22 Runs into.

December 10th - December 23rd 2020 ost in Tra lation

COLUMNISTS

Chaos on the Valencian roads… and is it any wonder going on Tash Aleksy’s local findings “IT’S light red,” my Valencian ex-husband assured me as he jumped the lights on a roundabout, while looking me dead in the eye. Half of his fingers on his right hand were in contact with the steering wheel, the rest holding a cigarette. His left hand rummaging in the guantera (glove box) because there was no better time to be switching up the tunes. He has single-handedly maintained the wages of three funcionarios (civil servants) with the amount he has paid in multas (fines). Why are roundabouts so chaotic in Valencia? The only likely explanation is that it was raining on the day they had to paint the roundabout lanes and that particular mañana lo hacemos (we’ll do it tomorrow) was another one that never came. The semáforos (traffic lights) are purely decorative. If you need to exit the roundabout near the Arts and Sciences and you’re 11 invisible lanes deep, my ex says you can happily cut across the lot of them safe in the knowledge that the more bocinas (car horns) you hear, the more successful a manoeuvre you’ve pulled off. What are the rules on parking? One of the great wonders of the universe. My ex-husband might aparcar en doble fila (parallel park and block you in). No pasa nada. He’s likely left the handbrake off so you can just push the imposing Seat a few metres and be on your way. If he’s forgotten, check the dashboard for an official ahora vuelvo (I’m coming back now) sign. Of course, ‘ahora’ could mean anything between now and never, so it’s up to you to decide whether to start a local manhunt or call a grúa (tow truck). Another important piece of advice: if it’s raining, get as close as you possibly can to the car in front, don’t increase the distance in unfavourable climatic conditions. Your car stays drier this way. And finally, don’t call your colega (mate) from your sofa for a chat. Wait until you drive past each other on a two-way street, then stop and wind your window down for a chin wag. Don’t worry, if your ex-husband is behind you, he’ll use those five minutes to catch up on his WhatsApp messages. Drive carefully! Tash Aleksy has been living in Patraix for 10 years and offers online Spanish classes at www.spanglishcity. com; her number is 633 091 664 while the paperwork is checked, is still under construction. Rain has stopped work there for some time but the construction wasn’t even started until late summer. Nothing like leaving things to the last minute! Spain has announced the requirements for visas for Brits visiting after 31 December. The 90 days in any 180 days Schengen rule still stands but longer stays will need a visa being granted in advance upon application for those Brits who, as non EU citizens, wish to come to reside, work or study here. Spain continues to try to meet

our increased and late demand for those residencies and for exchange of driving licences but, with appointments being few and far between, many Brits are very worried for their residential status here come next year. We, at Brexpats in Spain, are doing our best to help but 24 hours in a day at the moment frankly do not seem enough! The EU is interested in our plight with TV and radio wanting interviews and talks with our members over the next couple of weeks but, disappointing though not surprising, nothing requested from any British-based press!

Get in touch to find out how we can support you CONTACT DETAILS UKnationalsSP@iom.int spain.iom.int Murcia y Almería (0034) 648 642 543

SUPPORT FUND PROJECT

*The UK Nationals Support Fund Project is funded by the FCDO and all of our services are FREE of charge.

ABOUT ME AND THY WILL BE DONE

FOUR FANTASTIC OFFERS Offer 1

Hi, I’m Paul Blackmoore and I’m the sole Director of Thy Will Be Done (Spain) Ltd. I live in Quesada with my 2 little helpers, Benny and Frankie who are both rescue French Bulldogs.

AN ENGLISH OR A SPANISH WILL - JUST €199 • The provision of your English Will together with a spare legal copy to give to your executors • Full listing on the UK Wills register OR • The provision of your Spanish Will with full translation into English also • The inclusion of the Brussels IV clause (Regulation EU650/2012) within your Spanish Will enabling all of your Spanish assets to be dealt with the way you choose and not according to standard Spanish law • Including the Spanish Notary’s fee and full registration

My main areas of expertise are; Wills, Trusts, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Prepaid Funeral plans and Probate. It has always been my mission to bring to everyday folk the same protection opportunities that the rich and famous have had for generations. I achieve this by ensuring my prices are transparent fair and reasonable at all times.

Offer 2

AN ENGLISH AND A SPANISH WILL - JUST €299 • Including a spare legal copy of your English Will • With full listing on the UK Wills register • Your Spanish Will fully translated into English • Including a Brussels IV clause within your Spanish will ensuring your Spanish estate is distributed exactly the way you wish - not the way the Spanish standard law dictates • Including Spanish Notary fee and registration of your Spanish Will in Madrid

Many people are concerned about: 1. The complexities of Spanish succession law. 2. Living with partners but not being married. 3. Having to use their homes to pay for UK care fees in the future. 4. How much their families may need to pay in probate and inheritance tax fees. 5. Protecting their children if they leave everything to a spouse and the spouse then remarries after their death.

Offer 3

Who would make decisions for you back in the UK if you lost mental or physical capacity in Spain?

6. How to ensure their children will not lose half of their inheritance if they divorced after inheriting.

ENGLISH LASTING POWERS OF ATTORNEY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE AND PROPERTY AND FINANCE INCLUDING AN ADVANCE DIRECTIVE - JUST €499

7. How to protect vulnerable or disabled beneficiaries.

Including registration with the Office of the Public Guardian and us overseeing the signing of the document.

I am able to deliver solutions that are 100% legally effective in overcoming all of these problems and many more besides. To help with fees I am also able to offer guaranteed interest free credit without the need for any credit checks to make protecting your family more affordable. If you would like to have a chat with me just give my reception team a call on the number below and they will book you in a convenient time slot for you to have your FREE telephone consultation with me. Take care and chat soon

Paul, Benny & Frankie

Offer 4 PREVENT YOUR ENGLISH HOME ENDING UP IN THE WRONG HANDS WITH A PROPERTY TRUST A correctly set up Property Trust guarantees to prevent: • Your property having to go through UK probate • UK Generational inheritance tax • Your children getting nothing if you die and your spouse remarries • Your UK home being used to fund your care in the UK in the future Just €1995 including all legal fees and we will also provide a brand new English Will Free of Charge for each person. A trust insurance for €9.99 per month will also need to be taken out to keep the trust up to date every year.

Call now to arrange your free telephone consultation

Call: 965 023 596 or Email: pb@thywill.co.uk www.thywill.co.uk/spain During the COVID-19 epidemic we are providing our services as follows: THE

BRITISH WILLS AND PROBATE AWARDS

2020 WILL WRITING FIRM OF THE YEAR

HIGHLY COMMENDED

The Expat Centre, C/de Villena 12 Urb Dona Pepa Cuidad Quesada 03170 Alicante Registered in the UK at Companies House under number 10791190. UK trading address: The Mill Building, 31 Chatsworth Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 1LY.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

We will conduct your consultation over the phone You will be able to pay by card or by bank transfer You will receive your drafts within 48 hours by e-mail or post You can change these as many times as required for free Once approved your legal documents will be sent to you by recorded delivery or you can collect them or have us witness them at the Expat centre 6. You must sign the documents and have them witnessed as soon as you can

100% Certified Green Energy

SAVE UP TO 35% ON YOUR ELECTRICITY BILL Switch with Mariposa Energía It’s easier than flicking a switch! No need for any new equipment or any work to be done. Simply send us a recent bill and we will show you how much you can save.

WE ALSO INSTALL SOLAR PANELS Generate Your Own Electricity with Solar PV Panels Instantly reduce your bill and get paid for any surplus you produce.

09/12/2020 13:58:21