Costa blanca leader edition 677

No 677

Monday 24th - Sunday 30th July, 2017

Tel: 637 227 385

Fines for antisocial behaviour on the Costa

rihuela council has said that it is to introduce an ‘Ordinance of Coexistence’, a series of sanctions and fines for more than a hundred

O

offenses, such as spitting in the street or rummaging through dustbins, which will each attract fines of up to 750 euros.

The local government is still preparing the document which will include a list of penalties for those who dig through refuse containers, specifically, the act of "rummaging, digging and removing items that have been deposited in bins

and containers positioned on the public highway".

The provisional text also includes many other offences that will be punished, such as depositing food on public

roads without specific authorisation (750 euros); defecating, urinating or spitting in public spaces (up to 300 euros).

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Anti social Behaviour Throwing rubbish out of a car window, including cigarette butts, will be punishable with a fine of up to 750 euros as will showing discriminatory behaviour towards others, xenophobic, racist or sexist Busking and other similar street activities will also incur fines such tarot, massage or music (up to 500 euros) while taking animals into gardens, parks or play areas intended for the use of children will attract a fine of up to € 601.

And neither do children nor young people escape the ordinance, as those who practice stunts with bicycles, roller blades or skateboards, outside the areas provided for this purpose should also be punished, although finding such areas on the Orihuela Costa might prove difficult. Perhaps the efforts of the Orihuela council might be better spent ensuring that youngsters first have spaces that are available for this purpose, When complete, the notification will appear on the bulletin board of the Orihuela council website.

There will then be a period of 15 days during which time the public will be able to comment and send in their suggestions or amendments to the town hall.

Of course any sanctions that are deemed necessary will have to be administered by the Local Police who are seemingly unable to cope with many of their day to day activities already.

They have certainly had little influence on the number of ‘Looky Looky’ men that invade the Cabo Roig strip on a nightly basis, they seem to be totally oblivious of the regulations regarding parking on the Orihuela Costa, where motorists and delivery drivers have a completely carefree attitude to the subject, and they are also unmindful of the buskers, musicians and illegal tattoo artists that regularly camp on our streets, although I suspect that their inactions are more to do with the policy that is administered from above rather than their respective choices.

But it also seems to be such simple common sense that anyone who has to rummage through a dustbin to pick out and sell on, or re-use another person’s waste, is hardly likely to have the ready cash needed to pay his 750 euro fine, a point that seems to be lost on the elected leaders in Orihuela.

Perhaps instead of treating many such individuals as criminals the council should be providing

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them with additional support, something with which the spokesperson for Cambiemos Orihuela, Karlos Bernabé, readily agreed.

Bernabé also said that there are some positive and necessary elements in the document in terms of animal protection, control of waste and the fight against various forms of discrimination; but, "many of the elements could be dealt with separately in other Ordinances. And neither do these positive elements in any way justify many of the other completely absurd sanctions and offenses that are proposed."

He stated that the draft ordinance is unfair to both the majority of citizens and to the Local Police themselves who will have to administer the sanctions. "We are going to give our policemen very real problems.

They will be required to persecute many residents unjustly, and they will end up being seen purely as disciplinarians and not as an instrument of help and service which they should be. In fact, the council has often said that "we have many policemen with great mediating skills, so what must be done is to use those skills and not to make them agents of sanction that will turn them into enemies of the people."

Council allocates 40 labourers to Orihuela Costa The Councillor for Employment, Víctor Valverde, has confirmed that the Ayuntamiento has taken on 106 additional agricultural labourers who will be used during the summer months, July to September, to clear fields, parks, roads and gulleys across the region.

He said that 40 of them have been allocated to carry out cleaning on the Orihuela Costa while 5 will maintain the area of El Palmeral and its surroundings, another five will go to the Parks and Gardens team, and the remainder will be made available to work in the districts and villages.

Grand support from Queen Vic for Pink Ladies

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aria Wilson of the Pink Ladies presented a Certificate of Appreciation to the staff and customers of the Queen Victoria Bar in Cabo Roig as recognition for their being the highest fundraising bar for this year's Walk for Life, raising 2725.70 , over 20% of the grand total.

Proprietors Sue and Karl court said "it's a fantastic achievement to raise such a high amount for this wonderful cause and we look forward to making it a hatrick next year. We cannot praise our customers enough for their dedication to this annual event. Our huge thanks must go to all those who took part and who sponsored us".

The total amount raised across the whole of the area for the 2017 appeal was a litle over 12,000 euro. Maria added her thanks for everyone who took part, the walkers, Sunshine FM; Stevie Spit and all of the artistes who gave of their time so freely.

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INVESTMENT IN THE COAST Orihuela Costa Cheated Again THE THREE WISE MEN! Rafael Almagro, Emilio Bascuñana and Juan Ignacio López-Bas,

By Bob Houliston

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he Popular Party/Citizens government has announced a programme of investments to be approved in a plenary meeting of the Orihuela Town Council next week. The investments result from the sale of municipally owned land, almost exclusively in Orihuela Costa, before 2005 and in the period 2012-2014. The total is €6.3 million.

The Mayor stated in his announcement that these important investments would respect the agreed distribution of 40% for Orihuela Costa, 30% each for the city and surrounding villages of Orihuela.

Sounds like good news. Except, looked at closely, it is not what is claimed.

The formula of 40% for Orihuela Costa will only apply to the land sold between 2012 and 2014 for a value of €3.7 million. The land sold before 2005 for a value of €2.6 million will be, in rounded sums, distributed as follows: Orihuela City:

1.36 million

52%

Surrounding villages:

755,000

29%

ORIHUELA COSTA:

385,000

15%

The so-called sacred formula for Orihuela Costa’s share of investments, agreed by all parties in 2012, with strong support from C.L.A.R.O’s councillor at the time, to compensate for the historic discrimination against Orihuela Costa, with the resulting deficiency in infrastructure and services, is being cynically ignored.

This should not be a surprise to those living in Orihuela Costa. A package of so-called “priority investments” for €1.3 million announced in May, provided Orihuela Costa with the derisory amount of €57,000, equal to 1.3%.

Discrimination is one thing.

Orihuela Costa is used to it. We contribute something like 60% of the total revenue of the municipality and receive in return less than 10% of expenditure. But to pretend that the governing Popular and Citizens parties are respecting the agreed formula of 40% of investments for Orihuela Costa is shameful deception. It is equally shameful that municipally owned land in Orihuela Costa was sold to developers for house building

when more houses are not needed and will only lead to a greater number of people sharing the existing inadequate services and infrastructure.

As to the investment projects themselves, Orihuela Costa will have nothing to compare to the major project to convert the concrete cover over the high speed rail lines in Orihuela city into a leisure and green area at a cost of over €1.5million. The investment money coming to Orihuela Costa will be spent mainly on upgrading streets and pavements and our so-called parks and gardens.

A strong argument can be made that this expenditure should not be regarded as investment but should instead come from the normal budget for maintenance. After decades of neglect instead of proper maintenance, this new money will amount to no more than a drop in a bucket. €500,000 will go towards improving the coastal walkway between Cala Capitan and Cabo Roig. No one can doubt that this is necessary. Part of this coastal walkway was closed for 4 years because of the danger to pedestrians from falling rocks. A considerable sum has just been spent to prevent future rock falls. We shall have to watch carefully to see that the €500,000 is additional money and will result in real improvements.

It is bad news that the principle of a 40% share of Orihuela Costa in investments is not being fully respected by the PP/Ciudadanos government. It is even worse that the government parties are cynically claiming that they are doing so while, in fact, they are slicing and dicing the principle and in the process, cynically cheating Orihuela Costa out of its rightful and necessary share of municipal investments.

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GRO seize counterfeit goods in Torrevieja What many people fail to understand is why one police force is so pro-active in dealing with the problem of counterfeilt goods and drugs whilst a neighbouring force simply sits on the fence.

Torrevieja’s GRO, the Operational Reinforcement Group of the Local Police is

increasing its presence along Torrevieja seafront, due to the increase in the number of resi-

Once again though they are hoping that they have the sale of illegal goods under control following their efforts last Wednesday and Friday nights when over 500 counterfeit articles, all of well-known brands, were confiscated, the products mostly being trainers, replica football clothing and handbags.

The operation was concentrated on the Paseo Juan Aparicio, although a number of arrests were also made in La Mata, where products were also seized

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All in a nights work The 500 km round trip was all in a night’s work for Don Cubbon, the Chairman of the Royal British Legion (Spain North), who, together with his wife Lynn, visited the Orihuela Costa and District Branch from his home in Valencia on Thursday, a journey of over 250km each way, where he brought members up to date with ongoing changes in the organisation of the services charity, both in the United Kingdom and in Spain.

He congratulated the branch on the work that they do saying that the Orihuela Costa is now firmly established as one of the outstanding branches in the country.

After briefly outlining his own plans for the District he spoke about recruiting and retention in the RBL generally and the steady rise in membership that it is hoped can be achieved following the

dents and holidaymakers that are visiting the municipality.

And if last summer is anything to go by they will certainly have their hands full as they keep an eye on motorists who are not used to driving on the right hand side of the road. They will also be monitoring any indication in the upward trend of drug trafficking and pick pocketing in the city as well keeping an eye out for lost children of which there are bound to be plenty in the coming weeks.

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Don Cubbon with Branch ViceChairman, Walter Shatford

appointment of the new Director of membership.

He then went on to explain his intentions with regard to the Great Pilgrimage 90 (GP90) which it is intended to be the Legion’s biggest membership event in it’s history when, on 8 August 2018, two representatives from every branch will carry their standards along the same route in Ypres to the Menin Gate, representing an entire generation that served while defending their country.

He explained that while the current organisation seems to revolve around branches based in UK he hopes to make arrangements so that branches from Spain will be able to join the pilgrimage by travelling direct.

After his address, members enjoyed a buffet and a few drinks with the Chairman and his wife Lynn, prior to their long journey back to Valencia.

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Nine arrested in Torrevieja kidnapping

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ix men and three women, between the ages of 25 and 48, were arrested in Torrevieja last week, on charges of drug trafficking, illegal detention, obstruction of justice and the membership of a criminal group.

The room where the kidnap victims were held.

They all belong to or are associated with one of the most infamous gangs in the region, ‘Clan Tote’, with the leader alone having been arrested on 17 occasions for a total of 39 crimes, most of which are said by the Guardia Civil to involve violence.

Although things had previously gone quiet their activities resurfaced in recent months leading to the Guardia reopening their investigation into their activities.

They were alleged to have established a number of outlets across the municipality, using various homes to distribute cocaine and heroin among a substantial number of local consumers. Initially it is said that they tempted their clients to use their service by providing small quantities of the drugs free of charge, until such time as the users became addicts.

After then agreeing to collaborate with the Guardia Civil and testify against the clan, following direct orders from Tote, some of these clients were then rounded up by the gang and held against their will for several days. They were then threatened with violence, intimidated, assaulted and forced to retract their statements, thus eliminating any evidence that would incriminate the group.

During the operation, the Guardia Civil carried out raids on four homes throughout Torrevieja, in which they seized 1,805 euros, weighing scales, tools used for manufacturing the drugs, three mobile phones, two computers, Tablets, two USB’s and a quantity of cocaine.

Agents also confirmed that the properties also accommodated a number of young children who, "lived in poor conditions of health and hygiene, and were constantly surrounded by family members engaged in the manufacture and sale of drugs as well as the drug addicts themselves.

Nine people were arrested, all of Spanish nationality, except one German woman, and all of which belong to the Gitana (Romani gypsy) ethnic group. Six of those arrested were detained in prison whilst the other three have been released on bail.

Orihuela GESC celebrates 4 years The Citizen Security Group of the Local Police of Orihuela (GESC) has recently celebrated its fourth anniversary during which time it has dealt with over 20,000 incidents in Orihuela city and its outlying villages.

The detachment, with its unmistakable eagle shield, has become very popular among residents of Rabaloche, San Isidro, Miguel Hernández and San Antón, which previously suffered considerable degradation and where vandalism, as well as the consumption of drugs and alcohol in open spaces, were a constant problem.

The unit is made up of 13 agents, one officer and an inspector, with an average age of just 30, who patrol between the 6am and 10pm. The fact that

they are city based, however, seems to be just one more example of how law and order is treated far more seriously in Orihuela and its local villages than on the coast.

Raising awareness on Orihuela Costa Beaches Councillor Miguel Angel Fernandez, has announced a number of activities scheduled for the different Orihuela Costa beaches during the summer.

On Thursday 20 July at Cala Capitán, 27 July La Glea and 1 August in Mil Palmeras, from 12 noon to 1pm, there will be a performance by actors wearing, presumably for effect, deep sea diving outfits.

The presentation is aimed at raising awareness, particularly to children, of the importance of removing waste from beaches after use as well as the biodegradation of such substances, the process by which materials are decomposed by micro-organisms into carbon dioxide, water and ammonia.

Also at Cala Capitán, on September 5, starting at 10am, there will be the children's play 'Gota Viajera', the adventures and misadventures of a travelling drop of water which teaches children how to make responsible use of water, while learning all about the water cycle.

The councillor said that he hope that the activities would draw large crowds as the intention was to raise public awareness about caring for the environment.

They will also provide a simple handout and information which will be distributed extensively to the entire populace so that everyone is aware of the action they should take and the numbers to call in the case of an emergency.

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Disgraced banker takes own life

T

hursday’s autopsy confirmed that the disgraced President of the Caja Madrid Bank, Miguel Blesa, who was found shot dead with a single gunshot wound to the chest in the chest, took his own life. The coroner confirmed that the wounds were compatible with suicide.

Blesa was responsible for a corruption scandal that stunned the whole of Spain when he was found guilty over his use of secret "black credit cards."

The cards were handed out to bank board members and advisers, who then went on to use them to buy luxury goods and entertainment. Although he was given a six-year jail sentence but died before his appeal could be heard.

It is understood that the former banker was relaxing on the Puerto del Toro estate at Villanueva del Rey, close to Cordoba, with a friend. Having eaten breakfast he excused himself to move his car but on leaving the room his last words were “Do you have my wife's phone number, in case you need to call her?"

Moments later the friend heard a gunshot following which he called the emergency services.

Blesa’s death was confirmed at 8.40 hours.

LAST WORDS “Do you have my wife's phone number, in case you need to call her?"

The autopsy, which was carried out at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Córdoba confirmed that he took his own life by supporting the butt of the gun on the floor and placing his chest on the barrel. He then pulled the trigger.

There was a single shot which caused the body to hit the bonnet before sliding down to fall on the ground next to one of the wheels.

Blesa was the Chairman of Caja Madrid for over over 13 years. At his trial he was found guilty of misappropriating €436,700 of public funds used to purchase jewellery, holidays and even hunting trips resulting in one infamous photograph of him published in the Spanish media alongside a dead hippopotamus.

But as well as fighting the appeal Bela was also facing trial for paying out almost 15 million euro in irregular bonuses. He was also named in the leaked ‘Panama Papers case’ suggesting that he had substantial undeclared funds offshore and in 2103 he had spent 6 months in jail after his bank's 2008 acquisition of the City National Bank of Florida.

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Quirónsalud take their advice to the beaches

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orrevieja’s Quirónsalud Hospital has put an information centre in place which, during the summer, will move between many of the city’s busiest beaches offering information on skin protection against the excesses of the sun during the summer period.

Over five hundred umbrellas will also be distributed on the beaches

The hospital will also be providing sun umbrellas which it will be place on the beaches of las playas del Cura, los Locos and la Mata in the first week of each holiday fortnight during the months of July and August.

All these measures should also be taken on cloudy days, as solar radiation also remains harmful on those days. In addition, Dr. Latorre warns that "anyone planning to spent time in strong sunlight should also avoid products with alcohol as well as perfumes and deodorants, as they can cause dark spots on the skin."

The umbrellas will carry brochures with advice provided by specialists from Quirónsalud Torrevieja.

The summer months are a time of extreme risk for the skin if we do not know how to take care of it properly. We must follow the measures necessary to protect us from the effects of the rays of the sun and the serious consequences that they can have.

These measures are especially important in people with white skin, blond or red hair, clear eyes, which burn easily or those

She also says that parents should be especially aware of the dangers to young children highlighting certain prevention measures, including "avoiding direct sunlight for children under six months or minimizing sun exposure to children under three years of age".

Many Children go without food during long School Holidays housands of children in the province of Alicante, who suffer from social exclusion, are able to eat at least once a day thanks to the food provided at their school canteens, where they receive the daily school dinner for free.

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tres, five more than last year, in all of which children are provided with lunch. They are organised by Education and Social Welfare, with the support of AMPAs. Social Welfare will provide food for 300 children in July, and in August they will provide families with food stamps.

In the summer months, however, outside the school term, many of these children continue to attend summer schools arranged by town councils. Although there are many different events and activities the one common thread is that they all continue to provide lunchtime meals.

In Torrevieja the Summer Schools are open during July and August in two schools. They run from 8.30 to 15.30, with a dining service.

Social Services have saidthat in July there are 160 children and in August, there are currently 120 children who have enrolled.

Vacancies can still be applied for including the food grant.

September, many children who belong to families with little or no income will no longer receive that one main meal of the day.

The Department of Equality has allocated some aid for municipalities, but this grant does not cover all needs. As a result many municipalities have had to use their own funds to care for these children.

And that is where the differences begin, since each locality has planned their programme according to their criteria and their needs, so that there will be many children who do not receive the same treatment, depending on where they live.

In Elche there are currently summer schools operating in 38 cen-

A specialist in dermatology at the Hospital Quirónsalud Torrevieja, Dr. Nuria Latorre, advises people "to take protective measures for the skin against the damage caused by the rays of the sun, such as avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun between noon and 4pm.

Look for shade, wear appropriate hats and glasses, avoid tanning booths and use a sun protection cream.

“Regarding the use of sunscreen, Dr. Latorre says that "we should apply sunscreen 30 minutes before we leave the house, choose a sunscreen of factor 15 SPF or above and for those with light skin or who burn easily, at least factor 30 SPF. "

Over five hundred umbrellas will be distributed on the beaches in an effort to make the beachgoers aware of the risks involved in exposing themselves to the sun without adequate protection.

However, this service will cease to function in many locations at the end of July, so that during the month of August and the first half of

with many freckles.

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Monster fun with La Zenia Boulevard’s Dinosaurs

Having travelled right across Spain, La Zenia Boulevard is now hosting Dinopétrea, a journey through the history of life, where young and old alike can learn about the evolution of species, the stages that our planet has passed through as well as finding everything out about dinosaurs, those fascinating creatures that roamed our planet millions of years ago.

Dear Editor,

Dinopétrea is open every day from 12 noon until 11pm right through the summer and early autumn, until 1 October.

I have just read the article on your website about the couple that drowned last Wednesday.

There are dozens of dinosaur skeletons on show, including the second largest Tyrannosaurus Rex in the world, which is 15 metres long, as well as hundreds of fossils, meteorites, cave bears, 25 million-year-old fish and 125 million-year-old reptiles, including a 4,200 million-year-old star and a 40-kilo iron and nickel metallic meteorite. Where else could you touch with your own hand the “icy-coldness of space”, that once burned at 3,500 degrees centigrade.

We arrived at the beach as the ambulance was leaving about 11am.

The exhibition also houses a games area, where a robot dinosaur will delight the little ones, who can look at dinosaur eggs and have fun

Guardamar Drownings

with the interactive games.

There is also an excavation zone with archaeological sites with real fossils. And you can actually take one home.

There is a charge for entry but at 9 euro it really is worth the visit.

Mad Hatters supporting DEBRA €352.12 was raised by Mad Hatters for The Butterfly Children Charity, DEBRA. A group of friends who call themselves Mad Hatters which includes staff and customers of the Pint Depot in Blue Lagoon put on a show at the local bar with the theme ‘Songs from the Movies’.

With songs and dances from Sister Act, Blues Brothers, Chicago, Mama Mia, Grease and Dukes of Hazzard. Some songs were performed with a

more light hearted touch and the audience showed their appreciation with donations for The Butterfly Children Charity.

On Tuesday 27th June a donation was presented to Mary Chambers, Manager of the Urb. La Marina Charity shop. Mary thanked everyone involved for giving their time, their generosity and for choosing to support our charity.

The part of the beach where they were found has a lifeguard station within sight. I don't know if they started swimming there or if they were washed towards that part of the beach. The red flag was up.

We visit this beach a lot and have done for many years.

On this particular day after the drowning we saw the lifeguards patrolling the beach, which is a first! Normally they sit on their chairs all day on their phones.

They were letting people in the sea although there were flying a red flag.

At 4pm in the afternoon the police arrived at the beach and made everyone come out of the water completely, which I thought you had to do on a red

Rubbish collection on Orihuela Costa Hi Stefan, We know each other from years ago I remember your nick name well.

I have already had meetings

flag but as soon as the police left people went back in the sea and the lifeguards let them.

We went to the beach the following day and there was a yellow flag raised. We did not see one lifeguard move from their chair the whole day. They are a joke and a waste of space.

People drown every year in La Marina and Guardamar and whilst I realise people themselves can be irresponsible surely it shows a better system should be put in place, i.e. more lifeguard huts along the beach, a tannoy to tell people to come out of the water, a sign at the beach to remind people it's not always safe to swim and, as they do in Australia, put flags along the beach so people know exactly if it's safe to swim.

I know this is not your responsibility to sort out but I just wondered if it was worth making an article of it in your paper.

Regards Sarah with the people in charge of rubbish one year ago at Playa Flamenca offices and I sent many e mails over the past years I don’t want to get involved again.

The problem is that everyone in positions of authority are aware the contractor cannot do the rubbish clearance in OC efficiently, but they ignore it. The main problem is they empty the big bins mechanically with only a driver and ignore everything outside on the ground.

Its outside because the bins are not emptied often enough and there is a need for more big bins.

Every bin needs a notice on it explaining the rules for use ,eg, only household rubbish no garden waste, escombras , etc etc.

We are not prepared to go chasing around fruitlessly. The people who get paid to do these things need to pull their finger out and start solving the problem which is just now going from bad to worse.

Does Orihuela Town centre put up with it? I don’t think so!

Regards John Kadwell

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San Miguel Council repeatedly informed

Abandoned building a danger to kids

T

he Board of Directors of the Association de Vecinos in San Miguel de Salinas has warned of the dangers to minors and children of a newly built building in the town which is being wrecked by repeated vandalism.

According to local residents, just last Thursday a child was badly injured when a glass door, one of the main entry points to the building, was smashed, showering the child in glass and causing a number of gashes and cuts. A neighbour was quickly alerted and rushed the child to the town’s main Health Centre.

This recently built building is a leftover of the housing bubble. It has been completely finished, closed and has remained unopened for over 8 years. The apartment block is now owned by SAREB, a Government owned company which is responsible for the Management of Assets taken on following the restructure of the Banking System.

For years, the building has been used as a meeting place for children and adolescents the continued use of which is now thought to present a serious danger.

The association says that it has addressed the problem, both verbally and in writing, to the City Council and to the Councillor of Police, on many occasions, asking that it be properly secured the subject of regular patrols but to date

The building has been lying empty for over 8 years

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MAGNETS Children’s Holiday Club For the fourteenth year running Steve and Irene-Maria Campbell will be leading MAGNETS, a Holiday Club for children from four years and over at La Siesta Church, Calle Granados, opposite the Aquapark Flamingo in La Siesta Urbanisation. Started in 2004 with only three sisters in attendance, the Club has grown over the years with well over 250 children having participated.

Beginning at 10.30am on Thursday 27th July and continuing every Thursday until 24th August, the two hour programme sees the children take part in activities which reflects the name: Memory verses; Arts and crafts; Games; New people to meet; Eats; Talk on a Bible story; and Singing.

The theme this year is Follow Me, looking at the story of Peter the big fisherman. Children have been coming back year after year which means they enjoy it, but all are welcome and Steve & Irene-Maria always love to see new faces along with the familiar ones. The Club is free and prizes are given out to each child.

You may contact Steve and Irene-Maria by phoning 966 70 2980 or 609 388 682.

U3A Summer activities Despite the extremely hot weather. Torrevieja U3A still has several activities and groups continuing to function. A small selection include petanca, coffee mornings, yoga, chess and cribbage.

If you are at a loose end in the heat or simply want to get out and make new friends, or take up a new pastime or perhaps, restart an old one then check out our website www.torreviejau3a.org and see what is available to you. We think you will be pleasantly surprised at the range of activities.For only 5 euros per year you can get full membership of this popular group which, with over 1000 members, is the largest social group of its kind on the

Costa Blanca. We provide many great opportunities to simply relax or take part in more physical activities. Come along to our monthly meetings on the last Monday where you will find friendly faces on hand to welcome you and help you settle in.

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D LY NEW RBISHE U REF

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D L O

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QUICKIE CROSSWORD

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS QUICK ACROSS: 1 Spectacles; 7 Leave; 8 Milksop; 10 Sanction; 11 Zero; 13 Ignore; 15 Corner; 17 Iota; 18 Kilogram; 21 Darling; 22 Inane; 23 Playwright.

DOWN: 1 Spain; 2 Electors; 3 Tom-tom; 4 Colt; 5 Eastern; 6 Classified; 9 Programmer; 12 Motoring; 14 Natural; 16 Singer; 19 React; 20 Tiny.

CRYPTIC CRYPTIC ACROSS: 1 Court of law; 7 Tried; 8 Poetess; 10 Sheerest; 11 Pair; 13 Renege; 15 Misery; 17 Tart; 18 Aircraft; 21 Hearing; 22 Upset; 23 Dead centre.

DOWN: 1 Chile; 2 Under age; 3 Typist; 4 Fred; 5 Average; 6 At a stretch; 9 Sorry state; 12 Discount; 14 Narrate; 16 Single; 19 Aisle; 20 Kind.

ACROSS 7.

Road (6) 8.

Horse's gait (6) 10. Agony (7) 11. Wireless (5) 12. Boulder (4) 13. Inclined (5) 17. Hesitate (5) 18. Labour (4) 22. Accumulate (5) 23. Over-populated (7) 24. Kindly (6) 25. Border (6)

DOWN 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

9.

14.

15.

16.

19.

20.

21.

Grassland (7) Patio (7) External (5) Tramp (7) Den (5) Offspring (5) Remark (9) Communication (7) Caustic (7) Vowed (7) Perhaps (5) Stain (5) Store (5)

L EA D E R T R I V I A Q U I Z

SUDOKU CHALLENGE

Solution on Page 22 CAN YOU MASTER THE SUDOKU CHALLENGE? Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

QUIZ ANSWERS

(ABBA), e. The Mother And Child Reunion (Paul Simon), f. Mother Nature's Son (Beatles), 11. Alien, 12. USS Nautilus, 13.

Pontifex Maximus, 14. Sugar, 15. Robert Shaw, 16. I'm Henry the Eighth, I am.

(Herman's Hermits), 17. Calypso, 18. b.

3,929,214, 19. Imhotep, 20. "Mother Russia" Nickolai Nebrasov 1821-1877, from 'Who is happy in Russia' 21. Peter Fleming. Peter Fleming was a highly suc-

DOWN 1. Relatives from America in the money (7) 2. Manage to get a certain amount of paper, we hear (7) 3 . Keep quiet about many showing indolence (5) 4 . Trace the boundary of the playing pitch (7) 5. Join up with one military group before the end of the battle (5) 6. Lover providing a capital ring (5) 9. Guards ordered to go in the Spanish spearhead (9) 14. Learns a magazine has been rewritten (7) 15. Mischievous types converted by priests (7) 16. Any line is stupidly misplaced (7) 19. Military group to use coercion (5) 20. Pieces of a belt turned up (5) 21. Pete's much inclined to be different (5)

ing substance was Britain's largest single import between 1750 and 1820?

15. Which actor appeared in all of the following films? The Sting, Robin and Marion, The Battle of Britain, The Battle of the Bulge and From Russia with Love 16. A British band had a number one hit in the USA in 1965 with an English music hall ditty from 1910.

Can you name the song? (Clue if needed, second verse same as the first 17. A Greek nymph, a music style and the name of a famous research vessel. One word.

18. According to the Bureau of the Census, what was the population of the United States in 1790 (Aug. 2nd)? a. 929,214, b. 3,929,214, c.

13,929,214, d. 23,929,214 19. What was the name of the high priest played

by Boris Karloff in the 1932 film 'The Mummy'?

Extra point if you spell it correctly 20. Complete the following quote with the name of a very large 'woman'. "Wretched and abundant, oppressed and powerful, weak and mighty, ... ..."

21. With which doubles partner did John McEnroe have most success?

22. Back in 1962, the British and the French both agreed to co-operate with each other with the building of what?

23. Which political leader was executed alongside his wife on Christmas Day 1989?

24. Which London underground line was originally called the Fleet line?

25. Which town in Australia was the site of one of the earliest gold strikes, and has subsequently had a beer named after it?

1. Gladiolus. (Gladiolus means 'little sword'), 2. Hallelujah, 3. Sylvia's Mother (Dr Hook), 4. Mother, 5. Dardanelles, 6.

Winston Churchill, 7. a. Rhea, b. Eleanor (of Aquitaine), c. Mary ("mother Mary comes to me"), 8. 'Ma', 9. Nero. 'Nero fiddled while Rome burnt', 10. a. Mother's Little Helper (Rolling Stones), b. Your Mother Should Know (Beatles), c. Mother (Pink Floyd), d. Does Your Mother Know

ACROSS 7. Mysterious company turns back to formal worship (6) 8 & 13Ac. Shore bird about to make someone petrified!

(4,2,5) 10. Sink a vessel carrying coal (7) 11. Used to make things go round (5) 12. She deposits gold in North America (4) 13. See 8 Ac. 17. Remove water from the arena, one hears (5) 18 . Make a breach exposed to view (4) 22. Hold forth a zero assessment (5) 23. Vital change by an eastern European (7) 24. A yacht capsized in China once (6) 25. Ring again to cancel the act (6)

1. Which colourful 'little sword' can brighten up your garden?

2. Which expression of gratitude is also the name of the floating mountains on Pandora in the film Avatar?

3. In which sad song is a girl "marrying a fellow down Galveston way"?

4. Which six letter word can precede each of the following? Ship, Russia, lode, board and courage.

5. Hellespont was the ancient name for which narrow sea strait?

6. Who was the first leader of a country to win the Nobel Prize for Literature while still in office? (Clue, if needed, the year was 1953) 7. What was the first name of the mother for each of the following? a. Zeus, b. Richard the Lionheart, c. Paul McCartney 8. What was Kate Barker's nickname?

9. Agrippina the Younger was the mother of which instrumental leader?

10. The following lyrics are all from songs with the word 'Mother' in the title. Can you name the song? a. What a drag it is getting old. b. Lets all get up and dance to a song that was a hit before your mother was born. c. Mother do you think they'll drop the bomb. d. Well I can dance with you honey if you think it's funny. e. No I would not give you false hope on this strange and mournful day. f. Sit beside a mountain stream see her waters rise 11. In which film is there a computer called Mother?

12. Which vessel, named after a famous fictional ship, was the first to cross the North Pole beneath the ice?

13. What is the well-known Latin translation for "greatest bridge builder"?

14. Until it was surpassed by cotton, which gratify-

cessful professional tennis player. During the 1980s, Fleming teamed up with fellow American John McEnroe to dominate the men's doubles game. The duo won an astonishing 57 doubles titles together, including four at Wimbledon (1979, 1981, 1983 and 1984), and three at the US Open (1979, 1981 and 1983). 22. Concorde. 23.

Nicolae Ceausescu (and his wife Elena).

24. Jubilee line. 25. Castlemaine

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‘Letters from the Atlantic’ Barrie Mahoney was a head teacher and school inspector in the UK, as well as a reporter in Spain, before moving to the Canary Islands to launch and edit a new English language newspaper.

He enjoys life in the sun as a columnist and author, and continues to write a series of popular novels, books for expats, as well as designing mobile apps and websites to promote the Canary Islands.

“No Higher than a Palm Tree” A recent report that the London’s Shard still has ten exclusive apartments that remain unsold, at a mere £50 million each, did not come as much of a surprise. These apartments are situated somewhere between the 53rd and 65th floors, so just imagine the difficulties if you wanted to pop out for a pizza and the lift wasn't working!

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By Bar rie Mahoney

famous son, César Manrique. He was not just an artist, but a painter, sculpture, architect, ecologist, planner of urban developments, as well as landscaper and gardener.

Manrique was fascinated by man’s relationship with nature and became deeply concerned about the success and impact that mass tourism was having upon his beloved Canary Islands.

Canarian artist César Manrique, who passed away in 1992

He witnessed the construction of some of the hideous hotels in the south of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, and was determined that the same violation would not happen to the island of Lanzarote. Fortunately, Manrique’s fame and international acclaim meant that he was listened to.

Following a lengthy stay in New York, Manrique commented that “Man in New York is like a rat”, and concluded that man is not well suited to an artificial environment. Feeling homesick, Manrique returned to Lanzarote, with an intention to turn Lanzarote into one of the more beautiful places on the planet. After his horror at seeing the twelve storey Gran Hotel that had been built in his home town, Arrecife, he declared that no building on the island (except church buildings) should be taller that a Canary palm tree (Phoenix Canariensis), which grows to between 15 to 20 metres in height.

Manrique became obsessive with surveying local architecture and the island’s traditional culture, which he saw as the interface between nature and man.

would have thought of the Shard, and enormous tower blocks housing hundreds of people within a heavily polluted city landscape.

Although his remedy of “no building being taller than a palm tree” would not work in London, New York or Hong Kong, where space is at a premium, I cannot help thinking that he was right, and that the population would be much happier in lower buildings with more space around them. As for the apartments going for a song in the Shard, I think I’ll pass on that one.

According to some ‘in the know’, this expensive protrusion in the City is south of the river, and apparently anyone who is anyone wouldn't be seen anywhere south of the river anyway. In contrast, let us now take a brief step away from a bustling London, to the clean air and tranquillity of the Canary Islands.

Much to the chagrin of potential developers focussed upon mass tourism and profits from the exploitation of the island, Manrique’s views prevailed and it is now impossible to visit Lanzarote without being aware of his overpowering influence. Tourism development does exist in several popular resorts, but in a controlled manner, and it is still difficult to find buildings that are taller than a palm tree.

If you enjoyed this article, take a look at Barrie’s websites: http://barriemahoney.com and http://thecanaryislander.com or read his latest book, ‘Footsteps in the Sand’ (ISBN: 9780995602717).

Available in paperback, as well as Kindle editions.

One of my local heroes is the Canarian artist, and Lanzarote’s most

Stepping back to London, I sometimes wonder what Manrique

© Barrie Mahoney

It takes all sorts and a great deal of money, of course, but I’m not sure that many people would fancy living in a building 224 metres tall. Imagine entertaining around 6000 visitors a day on the floors above the apartments; think of the sound of all those stilettoes clicking just above your head.

Of course, the building was always intended to show off, and proudly proclaim that “we have the biggest one in the village”, but whether it contributes anything really useful or worthwhile to the quality of life for Londoners, I guess depends upon the size of your wallet. For many, at a time of a housing crisis for ordinary people in London, it is an extravagant and pointless waste of money; still, I guess the estate agents, developers and speculators have to do something with their time.

16

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Conquering the Costa Blanca and Kabul list of charities that Stevie supports just goes on and on.

In conjunction with Help at Home Costa Blanca, Stevie’s latest venture is his ‘Summer Shoe Drive’, an attempt to ensure that every one of the hundred children living in the Elche Children’s Home and the San Jose Obrero Orphanage in Orihuela, has a decent pair of shoes in which to return to school on 19th September.

“Money is so tight at the two orphanages,” he says, “so if we can do this one little thing to help it will make things so much easier for the kids themselves and of course for their carers.” “We are asking that supporters hand in envelopes, each containing 25 euro, the price of one pair of shoes.

Once the envelopes have been gathered together the children will then be taken to a footwear manufacturer and supplier in Elche who has been a long-time supporter of the homes. He has agreed to provide all of the children with shoes at cost price.”

“You have no idea how much a new pair of shoes will make to each of the kids.”

Of course as well as his charity work Stevie makes a living as one of the very best entertainers on the coast. His Fusions Show, which sells out at the

If

Signals.” It was like going home, although working the closing down parties as the military began to withdraw was rather sad.”

We know him best for being decked out in any one of a number of colourful velvet gowns, with gorgeous hair, detailed makeup and countless rhinestones. He looks glamorous, and calls himself “an elegant individual who is an over-exaggeration of the feminine ideal.”

“Now, however, I’m a little more settled, and as my work with local charities has gradually developed, it has to be something very special to take me away from my routine here in Spain.”

the renowned entertainer, TV and Radio host, Stevie Spit were an American, he would surely by now have received a star on the coveted Hollywood Walk of Fame. But here in Spain we have no such accolades to offer so he will simply have to accept being told, over and again, that he is just a thoroughly nice fella.

By this time Stevie was well established on the Costa Blanca. “I had the best of both worlds. I was performing in Corfu, Crete, Malta and so forth during the summer and returning to the Costa Blanca for the winter season.”

By night, he puts on show-stopping performances as a drag queen but by day he’s simply Stevie — a reserved, unassuming charity worker who is quietly making his way through life here on the Costa Blanca.

But it is now the charity work that is now taking up more and more of Stevie’s time, with his welldocumented support for the Elche Children’s Home and the San Jose Obrero Orphanage in Orihuela, for which he has helped to raise many thousands of euros.

Stevie first began creating his drag persona at the age of 16 when, like so many other youngsters, he sought fame and fortune on the London stage, eventually finding work at the legendary Soho nightclub Madame Jojo’s.

“We also have a charity market every Wednesday at the Celtic Isle in Playa Flamenca, with all the profits going straight to the two homes, providing them both with a small but regular income.”

After 3 or 4 years on the London circuit Stevie then took to the road, featuring at venues across the country including the Royal Vauxhall Tavern as a support act for Paul O’Grady, AKA Lilly Savage. “Paul gave me my very first bag of makeup’” he said, then spending hours showing me how it should be properly applied.”

Stevie took his act all over Europe and became extremely popular, particularly within the military community in Germany. “Performing in BAOR seemed rather natural to me, having spent my formative years growing up in Herford, Lippstadt, and Soest where my father served in the Royal

But the list of charities that Stevie supports just goes on and on, and as a result of a meeting with aid worker Jen Lancer, the Chief of Staff at the American University in Kabul, one more string to Stevie’s bow is that he now makes regular trips to Afghanistan where his shows provide valuable financial support for the Zwan Family Charity, an organisation run by Dr Gran Zwan, which manages 3 local orphanages in the Afghan capital.

The charity helps children to get the medical care and the operations that they need in a city that is gradually rebuilding itself, with assistance from the international community. As one of the most caring and giving people on the Costa Blanca the

Emerald Isle every Wednesday evening, features multiple stars from the Benidorm Palace including Jay Markwick and his dancers as well as the fabulous Nikki G and Kylie Burgazzi.

As well as his regular stage shows you can see Stevie live at any number of events during the summer months, the next of note being the Campoverde Music Festival, again supporting the orphanages, which takes place in this quiet Spanish village from 28-30 July. Look out for more information in the coming days.

But his next big venture, the Annual Variety Spectacular, again at the Benidorm Palace, featuring too many stars to mention. In truth the programme is still to be finalised but with Stevie currently back in the UK completing the line-up it will no doubt be made public in the coming days.

Taking place on Sunday 8th October, this year’s benefactors will be The Royal British Legion and the AECC, and at 25 euro a head it is a show that must not be missed.

For more information about Stevie Spit, his shows, the charities he supports or Stevie’s Summer Shoe Drive, you can contact him on 619 386 943 or follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stevie.spit

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Car and Vehicle Sales The Car of the Month at Automoviles Crespo is a 2016 Ford Mustang GT which is on Special Offer priced at just 45,900 euro. Come along to our showroom in Elche and see our vast range of used cars or call 96 666 22 60 for all our latest offers.

The biggest and best for price, choice and quality. (69148)

Social and Clubs The next meeting of the Orihuela Costa Branch of the Royal British Legion will be on 17 Aug at the Olympia Restaurant in Mil Palmeras starting at 7.30pm. The Torrevieja Branch meets at the Casa Ventura in San Luis at 7.30 pm on the 2nd Friday while the La Marina/Gran Alacant Branch meets on the 1st Monday at The London Bar, behind Dial Prix in Gran Alacant at 6pm. Everyone Welcome.

Age Concern Costa Blanca Sur is here to help you. Our aim is to assist with problem solving for the over 50’s and promote their well-being. We need volunteer Drivers and paople to join our

Residential Home Visiting Team.

You will visit people who live in a Residential Home, and take them out for a coffee either in a wheelchair or walking. If you think you can help Age Concern in this respect call into our centre at C/Paganini s/n, Urb. La Siesta 03184 Torrevieja or ring 966 786 887.

Or you can email: costablanca@ageconcern.org.es Please note that the Age Concern Centre will be closed for our Summer Break from 28 July to 4 September, although the phones will still be answered. Our shops in Torrevieja and Los Montesinos will be shut from the 28th July and reopen on the 28th August HAH CB need you to help us help those in need in their own homes in areas surrounding Quesada, San Luis, La Siesta Torrevieja, La Mata, Orihuela Costa, Villamartin to Campoverde, short or long term medical conditions of all ages and nationalities.

Contact our head office on 965 328 794 or email: charitycentre helpathomecb@gmail.com.

Girlguiding group for Orihuela

Monday 24th - Sunday 30th July, 2017

Costa. The Orihuela Costa Rainbows and Brownies. This is a brand new Girlguiding group for girls aged 5-11 years.

Rainbows 5-7 years, Brownies 711 years. We will meet every Wednesday at the Madhouse in El Galan. Parents can find our more on our Facebook page Orihuela Costa Brownies and Rainbows Curious about work of Samaritans in Spain? Interested in becoming a listener? Have a few hours a week to help with the charity shop, fundraising or admin? To find out more, come and join us for refreshments and a chat at our Centre in the Punta Marina Shopping Centre, by the Punta Prima roundabout, on the N332.

(Volunteer positions are unpaid but expenses can be claimed). www.samaritansinspain.com Email: janeatsams@outlook.com

Churches and Services La Siesta Evangelical Church hold services each Sunday and everyone is welcome. Our 11am Services are held every 2nd and 4th Sunday in the month (and on the 5th Sunday, if this applies.)

On the 1st and 3rd Sunday’s our Services are at 9.30 am. Our choir sings at our 11 am Services and there is also a Sunday School, Stepping Stones, on these Sundays. We welcome residents, visitors and children. For information see our website www.lasiestaevangelicalchurch.org or phone Pastor Keith on 666 180 108.

Pets Delmonte Catotel Cartagena. The cattery that cares! Tel 968 168 711 or 616 276 379 (69083)

Personal Torrevieja. Shirley - the best massage. Tanned, young Brazilian beauty! Stunning figure, great breasts. I welcome you alone in sexy lingerie. By appointment please.655 677 738 MALE/FEMALE Viagra, cialis, kamagra available mail order viagra4you19@gmail.com 603255411

Items For Sale Why not use the power of the Leader to sell your unwanted goods or to advertise your business. Classified advertising is available on these pages from just 6 euro per entry. Email office@theleader.info

Property for Sale Country Finca in Redovan Comprising of 2 buildings on a good size plot, each with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. Plot size 500 sq mtrs. The property is in excellent decorative order and is sold furnished. Beamed ceilings in lounge. Euro 170,500. Ref: 000076. Tel 617 537 866 San Miguel de Salinas - A really nice first floor 3 bed apartment in a very well looked after community, just a short walk to supermarkets, restaurants, and bars.

Fitted wardrobes in all bedrooms, main bedroom having walk in wardrobe. Euro 79,995

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Ref: 000075. Tel 617 537 866 Detached Villa Torremendo - A fantastic 2 bed countryside home on a 5000sqm plot. Constructed from wood and in perfect condition with countryside and lake views. All modern services, connected to electricity, water, mains sewerage. Also a separate selfcontained cabin. Euro 149,995 Ref: 000074. Tel 617 537 866 This three bedroom, two bathroom mid-terrace townhouse is within walking distance of the lively La Fuente Commercial Centre with its fabulous selection of bars and restaurants. It is also close to supermarkets and just a short drive to beautiful, award-winning Blue Flag sandy beaches.

Access to lovely communal gardens and a large communal swimming pool. Euro 79,995 Ref 000057. Tel 617 537 866 Redovan - Surrounded by lemon groves and fields of artichokes and broccoli, this lovely three bedroom, two bathroom detached villa is situated on a plot of 600m2. It has its own 10m x 5m private swimming pool and a separate garage with access to a rooftop solarium. The property is distributed on one level with a tiled patio area leads into the main living and dining areas. Private Pool, Fully Furnished, Stunning views, Private Garden. Euro 210,000 Ref 000058. Tel 617 537 866 Sierra de Orihuela - This fabulous detached property is on a plot of 1.900m2 and has breath-taking views of the Sierra de Orihuela mountain range. The total built area is 135m2 which is distributed across four double bed-

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rooms, two bathrooms, a lounge / dining area, and a modern openplan kitchen. Covered car port, manicured gardens and a private swimming pool. Fully Furnished.

Private Garden. Kennels and a chicken coup. Euro 249,995 Ref 00059. Tel 617 537 866 San Miguel de Salinas - Modern 3 bedroom house in the sought after area of Balcon de la Costa.

South facing and in a quiet area.

The house has been refurbished to a very high standard and ready to move into. Large paved patio with high walls for your privacy, ideal for barbecuing or just relaxing in the sun. Fully Furnished.

Private balconies.

Stunning views. Air-Cond. Euro 79,500 Ref 000060. Tel 617 537 866 San Miguel de Salinas - A nice ground floor apartment in the heart of San Miguel de Salinas. It has 2 good size bedrooms with fitted wardrobes. The 2nd bedroom has an enclosed galeria for extra storage. Good size lounge / diner and open plan kitchen. The family bathroom comes with a 4 piece suite and shower enclosure.

Popular Spanish village. Fully furnished. Communal Pool.

Large Terrace. Euro 52,995 Ref 000061. Tel 617 537 866 Detached Villa Torremendo. A fantastic 2 bed countryside home on a 5000sqm plot. Constructed from wood and in perfect condition with countryside and lake views. All modern services, connected to electricity, water, mains sewerage. There is also a separate self-contained cabin. Private pool, fully airconditioned, part furnished, ideal for conservationist €149,995 ref: 000074. Tel 617 537 866

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SAN LUIS BOWLS

By Sheila Cammack

With all the league matches completed, this week’s excitement came from The “Egg Cup Challenge”: the annual competition played between San Luis & close neighbours La Siesta. This year it has been played over 4 weeks on a 2 x home & away basis.

After 3 weeks the result was: Week 1 at La Siesta 3-3, shots 103-77.

Week 2 at San Luis 3-3, shots 89-94. Week 3 at La Siesta 1-5 shots 80-102 - and we thought it was all over!

Monday 17th and could we rise to the challenge? After last week’s 15 loss it seemed a big ask but in spite of the “friendly” nature we really were ready for the fight. The format had varied from week to week but for this last game we played 14 ends with no trial ends; just 1 shot on the first end. After 7 ends we were winning on 4 rinks and close on the other 2 but could we get over the line? By the 13th end we had won on 4 and Charlie’s team was just 1 shot down; the team put everything into it & with the pressure to deliver, between them they picked up 4 shots to win by 3. Scott’s team had put up a good fight against strong opposition and they just lost by 4 but that didn’t matter to the result we’d won 5-1 with shots 109-55!!

Week 4 teams: Dennis Jackson, Bill Webb, Barry Edwards 24-5, Allen Bowen, Sheila Cammack, Keith Lowery 24-5, Helen Hammond, Kath Waywell, Scott Malden 13-17, Carol Lowery, Sue Ross, Derrick Cooper 17-5, Colin Jackson, Ian Ross, Fay Beattie 1611, Chris Jackson, Ken Dullaway, Charlie Marigold 15-12. The final result was: 12-12 shots 381- 328; we won by 53.

Thanks to all the players who took part through the challenge – without everyone’s contribution we couldn’t have done it.

NEW MEMBERS WELCOME: San Luis is going back to 4 teams for the South Alicante league on a Monday and 4 for the Southern league on a Friday. Your commitment to joining San Luis BC would be needed BY 1st August with membership commencing 1st September. However by joining in July there would be no charge for August when bowling at San Luis.

For further information contact the Club Captain - June Jones 966 188 920 or 691 903 773.

San Miguel Bowls

By Pat McEwan

With only one game to go in the Saturday night Australian Pairs, its going to be a nail biting finish with the final result being decided on the last game. Will it be partners, Paul Hayward and Stan North or Bob Graham and Tony Sansom. Good luck to you all !!

The Wednesday 2 Wood Trips are in the second week, with 2 teams on 100 % record - but they play each other next week!! Team Mary Dyer, Eddie Cowan, Tony Sansom & Peter Rees ( teams are any 3 players from 4) will play team Cliff Plaisted, Ken Hope, Ian Hope & Bob Graham. Have a good game !!!

Thanks to Janet Thomas and Noel Davis for organising these 2 games.

The Fun Day is well supported with an extra 20 coming along for the Hog Roast. See Paul Thomas for further details.

No WASP's until September, Club mornings are slowing down, but Sundays are still popular.

For further details on San Miguel Bowls Club, please contact the Secretary, Pat McEwan, telephone 966714257

Emerald Isle Bowls

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South Alicante Bowls - Spring/Summer Roundup The Four Wood Pair’s leagues have been running since 2008 with separate leagues for Men’s and Ladies sides and comprise an individual entry of 6 players from the same club 4 players play each week, one team at home and one away, so any club may have more than one side in each league which Quesada have had this year with two men’s and two ladies sides in the line-up. In the Men’s league Quesada’s Derek Sale’s side retained the trophy they won last year but the Ladies league went right down to the wire with Sandra Burrows side from Vistabella needing two points to take the title from Quesada’s Deidre Leeming’s side. Things appeared to be all sown up until despite leading comfortably in the away game one of the Vistabella players was affected by the heat and had to concede the game to the second Quesada team that they were playing against, fortunately Vistabella won the home game by 1 shot to get the 2 points they needed and to win the league by half a point.

The Summer Knockout Competition which has also been running for some time with history going back to 2007, is an individual entry competition with six different disciplines, Men’s and Ladies Singles and Pairs plus Mixed Pairs and Trips. By the time the finals are complete over 120 games will have been played.

Quesada once again have been very strong across all disciplines Martin Foulcer with Peter Morgan leading the is chasing yet way having qualified for the Semi another men’s Finals of both Men’s singles and singles title pairs plus the Mixed pairs so a

Competitive bowling for the Spring/Summer season in South Alicante has finally come to a close with the final qualifying games of the Summer Knockout competition due to be completed by 23rd July.

The LLB South Alicante region has seen competition in the three divisions of the Triples leagues, the Men’s and Ladies 4 Wood Pairs leagues plus games in the early rounds of the Summer Knockout competition Semi Finals and Finals of which will be completed over the weekend 8th – 11th September.

The triples divisions started at the beginning of April with the last games being played on 14th July. This has been a very successful year for Vistabella Bowls Club who ran out winners of both the Spitfire ‘A’ division and the Hurricane ‘B’ division. The Vistabella Fairways won the ‘A’ division and the Vistabella Greeners won the ‘B’. In both divisions second place went to Quesada the Blenheims in the ‘A’ and the Quesada Lancasters in the ‘B’. The Harrier ‘C’ division was won by Horadada Hawks with El Rancho Buckskins second.

La Siesta Bowls Club

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by Arthur Brown

Anita Brown of San Miguel has won through to the Ladies singles and pairs finals

busy weekend in September for Peter.

Tom Morgan is also in the Men’s singles and pairs which he is playing with Peter.

Carol Broomfield and Jacquie Johnston also of Quesada have reached the semi’s in two disciplines, Carol in the Ladies singles and pairs and Jacquie in the Mixed pairs and trips. Anita Brown of San Miguel is the only other person to reach two semi’s who like Carol is in the Ladies singles and pairs. The ladies singles should prove interesting with three San Miguel ladies in the semi-finals with Carol Rudge and Ann Eagle joining Anita and Carol, as will the Men’s singles where Peter and Tom Morgan are paired against Martin Foulcer of Vistabella, Spanish National Singles Champion in 2016 and Emerald Isles Drew Gerrard Valencian Singles Champion 2015 respectively. Things should prove very competitive in September when these games are brought to a conclusion at Vistabella Bowls Club all spectators welcome.

By Rod Edgerton

Mixed Singles

by Elwyn Morris

Monday saw Anne-Marie Stevenson and Mary Whitelock play J Bright and S Edwards of El Rancho in summer knockout and had a fine 24-12 win. This takes them into the Semi Final where they will play E McLaren & R Stockell of SM M Highland C Highland J Pooley played M & B Reagan and A Leggett and they finished getting beaten 22-7 Remember our SAPS is still running on Sat mornings at 9.30, where you can learn to play or simply play with your friends we rent Shoes Bowls and you can have tuition if needed all for 5 Euros

GREENLANDS BOWLS CLUB Greenlands bowls club has vacancies for members. If you are looking to play in the Winter Leagues, (Winter league, SABA and Southern) then consider joining this friendly club with arguably the best carpet on the Costa.

We are looking to consolidate our squads, don't listen to rumours. Contact Hayley at the club or give Chris (President) a ring on 698 418 987 for details, and get it from the horse’s mouth.

Mr & Mrs Winners The summer season came to the end with the final match for the Wasps in the South Alicante League Spitfire Division and with club’s Summer Knockout Finals.

The league finished on a good note with a home win for the Wasps against San Miguel Moors.Dave Davies with Florence and Mike Edwards once again lead the way with a 25 shots to 14 win whilst Dawn Taylor and John Taylor with Norman Adcroft prevailed with a 22 to 14 shots advantage.Wins also came from Brian Fraser,George Richardson and Jean Cooper by 21 shots to 18 and by a one shot margin Sheila Chorley,Pat Moore and John Ball 16-15.With the overall shots being 106 apiece the Wasps achieved a 9-5 points win.

The Summer Knockout finals saw Joy Gardiner defeating Pat Reilly

2-4-2 Winners in the Mixed Singles. In the Brian Rourke 2-4-2 Alex Morrice and Irene Mangan were victorious over Sue and Vic Mahomet.

In the popular Mr & Mrs competition Pat and Trish Reilly gained a scottish victory against Mike and Florence Edwards.

Finally the “Football” competition played over a number of weeks was won by Jo Elkin,Dave Davies and John Ball Thanks to the owners of the Rinks Jim and Lyn for the excellent service given to us this year and to all of the Club Committee for their commitment to the club in the past year.

All the players may now have a rest over the next few weeks and be ready to start action again in September ready for the start of the Winter Season

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Monday 24th - Sunday 30th July, 2017

T.M.G.S. travel to Alicante Golf 19 July

For this months meeting the Spanglish Golf Society and a group of 26 players visited the established course at Lo Romero taking advantage of the excellent society deal obtained from Costa Blanca Green Fee Services.

The weather was extremely hot and the course in good condition despite some maintenance work on the tees.

Today was our annual Captain versus Vice-Captain match which was won by the Vice Captains team by 313 points to 326 points.

It’s just about an hour by car to the impressive venue of Alicante Golf, that’s if you can find it!

But impressive it is, the condition of the course was excellent except for a little sand on the greens leftover from recent hollow tinning.

Slower greens usually play into the hands of the higher handicapper, today was an exception with the best scores coming from Gold category members and Kenny “Isaac” Hunter showing form that we haven’t seen the likes of from him in a long time, welcome to your new handicap “Isaac” let’s see how you score next week!

From the 6 par 3’s on this course there are 2 that should be reached by all, that’s if the ball doesn’t find the water of course. Well no one took the N.T.P. on hole 3 just 124m but John Hettrick did hit the short 12th and managed to hole the putt for his share of the €48.

In the 2’s pot the other player to make a 2 was Carsten Landaas on the 6th other N.T.P. winners were Joe Dean 8, N. Williams 15 and Derek (I beat Joe Dean on the 17th) Sullivan.

The other notable winners were With just a couple of guests this week the winner was M. Ericsson 28 pts. Alan “cuddly from Dudley” Rickers had the lowest of 4 players to take 3rd place in the Silver category with 32 pts.

Treasurer, Alex Goslan was a point better to take 2nd place on slightly higher handicap with 33 points from Graham Smith.

Kenny Winton’s 34 pts. off 9 handicap was good enough to secure 3rd place in the Gold category, 2nd was”Viking” Carsten Landaas with his 35 pts.

But as mentioned earlier Kenny “Isaac” Hunter was first with the best score of the day, 39 points.

This year’s anniversary Competition will be played at La Marquesa on the 9/8/17 followed by a meal in the clubhouse during the presentation, all members who participate in this competition will eat for free.

If you fancy a game with a group of people that compete seriously but still like the banter, then to reserve your tee time please visit www.tmgs.org or visit www.facebook.com/TMGSGOLF. For that personal touch call 661524101 and speak to our secretary.

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Spanglish Golf Society at Lo Romero - 19 July In association with Sapphire Properties and Costa Blanca Green Fee Services

N.T.P. winners.

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Best Score Captains Team – Andy Drinkall – 35 points

Best Score Vice-Captains Team – Brian Burnard – 37 points. Nearest the Pins – Probert,Wattley (2) and Torrance. Football Card – Ray Muttock After the game we returned to the Spanglish bar, which is located at Dona Pepa, Quesada for a welcome snack prepared by the bar and the prize presentation and we give our thanks for their support and that of our sponsor Sapphire Properties.

Our next friendly day fixture is at Vistabella on 2nd August 2017 and the monthly meeting is at Roda on 16th August 2017.

If you are interested in joining the society call Paul Cawte on 966731223 or Graham Hall on 664692638 or better still pop into the bar.

Report by Mike Probert of Costa Blanca Green Fee Services on 966 704 752 or 661 345 931 or see us at www.costa-blanca-greenfees.com.

22

Monday 24th - Sunday 30th July, 2017

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San Miguel Golf Society @ Las Colinas

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San Javier Golf Society "Dusty Bin" team competition La Serena Golf, on Wednesday 19th July Stiflingly hot, humid conditions, with the tees set well back (ready for a big competition at the weekend) made it a very tough day’s golf for most of the participants. The greens were also a little patchy and some of the bunkers were not in great condition unfortunately. The winners were: Bob Gallard, Giovanni Butto and John Hillier, with 72 points. Runners up were: David Archer, Barry Beale and Jeff Belt, with 66 and third place went to: Less Whall, Mick Hardy and Chris Taylor, with 60 points. Nearest the pins were won by Jeff Belt, David Archer and Dave Summers. The gross 2 (for 50 euros) was not won and will roll over to our next game. Our next competitive game is an individual stableford qualifier at La Serena, teeing off at 9:20am on Monday 7th August. Full details will be emailed to all members.

Payday will be on Saturday 5th August, between 11am and 12 in the bar area at La Serena Golf Clubhouse, Los Alcázares. For further information on our society, to play as a guest, or to join, please phone Barry Beale on +34 649 245 889 or look at our website at www.sanjaviergolfsociety.co.uk and Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sanjaviergolfsociety The photo below is of the winning team on the day, L to R: Bob Gallard, Giovanni Butto and John Hillier

The number of members playing usually drops a bit in the summer, and this was the case for this week’s gathering at Las Colinas where 29 attended. However, the inclusion of 7 guests added to a respectable turnout.

The course had been extensively worked on, both fairways and greens, the latter being very unlike their usual true and rapid state.

Some tee boxes were also in poor shape, again not normal.

Going against the way of things most weeks, Bronze and Silver category prize winners actually fared better than their counterparts in Gold. Several who came in last time out at Alicante also got a mention this week (e.g. Captain and Vice-Captain), one of which included the only lady playing and day’s joint top scorer Marg Birtwistle, Hugh Reilly being the other member to post 40 points.

The day’s stableford competition results, by category and in reverse order, were the following: Bronze Category: 3rd Norman Padmore (35), 2nd Kyree Skarsmoen (38), and 1st Marg Birtwistle with 40 points

MIKE PROBERT TALKS GOLF

Silver Category: 3rd Theo Boelhouwer (36), 2nd Tony Smale (39), and 1st Hugh Reilly with 40 points Gold Category: 3rd Mike Freeman (33), 2nd Darren Temple (34), and 1st Steve Higgins with 35 points.

Nearest the pins on the par 3’s (open to all) went to Mike Greatorex (hole 5), Hugh Reilly (7), Steve Higgins (10), Darren Hancock (7), Theo Boelhouwer (14), and Aaron Clinton (17).

The Abacus was won by Mike Fearnehough The Best Guest prizes went to winner Matthew Taylor (33) and runner-up Aaron Clinton (32 on CB) Our thanks go to the staff at Las Colinas for their contribution to an enjoyable day.

Keep up to date with all SMGS matters by logging on to our website www.smgs.org or simply give Barry Roehrig a call on 666 694 467 (mobile) or 966 73 1033 (home) to find out more about the society and its weekly golf get-togethers.

Next week we will be at Villamartin.

(Sponsored by Costa Blanca Green Fee Svcs).

Here on the Costa’s golf is one of the biggest leisure time activities for both tourists and resident alike and with this in mind we have secured the services of Mike Probert of Costa Blanca Green Fee Services to provide a weekly round up of local golfing events and topics and in conjunction with us at THE LEADER will provide discounted golf prices to all of our readers and run our golf competitions.

‘PLAYING GOLF IN HIGH TEMPERATURES’

bad attitude.

What I am about to say is COMMON SENSE but one thing for sure is that sense is not that common.

When you play golf for 5 hours in temparatures nudging 40 degrees you need to take more precautions than normal.

Firstly apply a suitable sun cream to reduce the cancer risk and to prevent burning and trust me if you have tried to play golf with sunburnt shoulders you will know what I mean!

Your body is going to be working overtime to keep itself cool and in doing so will burn up vital reserves of food and fluid to produce energy and these need to be replaced during the round.

A few sips of water is not sufficient and you probably need as a minimum TWO large bottles of water and I would advise an energy type drink because these replace fluids and also salts and minerals.

Avoid alcohol because this speeds up fluid loss from the body and sugary fizzy drinks because these give a short term sugar and energy high which will be quickly lost along with the control of your energy levels.

Don't be scared to top up the carbohydrates and have a roll or baguette or try melon or a banana which has high levels of potassium.

Remember that thirst is the last sign of de-hydration,not the first and if your energy levels get out of control you feel tired,lethargic,lack concentration and even possibly get irritable with your playing partners.

So there you have it not only will your golf performance be impaired but you may find that no one want to play with you because of your

Golf Course Alenda Alicante Altorreal Bonalba Don Cayo (Altea) El Plantio Font Del Llop La Finca La Marquesa La Serena Las Colinas Las Ramblas Lo Romero New Sierra Golf Roda Villamartin Villaitana Levante Vistabella

We at THE LEADER are committed to providing to our golfing readers affordable golf without the need to join a club or apply for a card but simply contact the number below to have instant access to discounted golf prices, many of which are exclusive to us.

The deals shown in the table are some of the best currently available to you.

Price €104 €82 €86 €90 €94 €112 €80 €110 €38 €92 €136 €94 €176 €70 €85 €102 €90 €62

Comments 2 Players and Buggy 2 Green Fees and Buggy (after 12pm) 2 Players and Buggy 2 Players and Buggy 2 Players and Buggy 2 Players and Buggy (after 12pm) 2 Players and Buggy 2 Players and Buggy Single Green Fee 2 Players and Buggy 2 Players and Buggy 2 Players and Buggy 4 Players and 2 Buggies 2 Green Fees and Buggy 2 Players and Buggy (after 1pm) 2 Players and Buggy 2 Green Fees and Buggy 2 Players and Buggy (weekends)

For Bookings and info Mike at info@costa-blanca-greenfees.com quoting the reference LEADER or on 966 704 752 or 661 345 931 Quotation of the Week “Keep your sense of humour there is enough stress in life without letting a few bad shots ruin your game” - Amy Alcott

Las Ramblas Golf Society Monday we played Change Partners and the team with the winning score of 92pts were John Shervell, Joyce McClusky, John Conway and Peter Wickham.

On Wednesday it was Stableford as usual but due to limited numbers there was only one Category and the winner was Brian Staines with 38pts, 2nd on a countback John Conway 38pts. 3rd Bryan Neal 37pts and 4th on a countback Mr President Dave Pulling 36pts.

2¨s Club Lindsay Forbes and Bryan Neal.

Friday we played 2 Ball Better Ball, High & Low and the winning team with 45pts were Lindsay Forbes and Terry Cullen. A close 2nd were Terry Field and Dave Pulling with 44pts.

Mike Mahony

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Monday 24th - Sunday 30th July, 2017

LA MARINA GOLF SOCIETY SUMMER CUP

Plaza Golf Society @ Villamartin 44 players enjoyed Villamartin a very popular course in our fixtures. With Ricky Cowan thinking of opting out of the 2’s this week I convinced him to pay for him and his wife to enter, and Jane got a 2 and was only an few inches away from a one on hole 6! Other winners of the 2’s were the very popular winner Liz Sully, Colin Wilson and Ben Chadwick. All 4 of them winning 21.50€. Well done all.

This weeks game was sponsored by Mosquito Blinds r us, with Kev Adamson taking hole 3, hole 6 Jane Cowan, hole 9 and 17 Ben Chadwick and hole 13 Lee Williamson.

All winning 10€ bar tabs. Mosquito Blinds R us put on 2 extra prizes with nearest in 3 on hole 14 saw Matt Taylor collect 25€ cash and nearest in 2 on 18th was Andy Chequer also winning 25€ cash. Thanks to our sponsor for a great day with fantastic prizes.

Our guests saw a count-back situation with both Paul Therwell and Ben Chadwick getting 36 points and Ben winning on count-back both receiving golf balls and wine.

Our best lady was the lovely Deb Rose with a fantastic score of 36 points and last place was Andrew Perrott with 18 points.

Our members saw some fantastic scores with Richard Allen coming in 3rd in the silver division from his handicap of 18 scoring 34 points, In form Lee Williamson scored 35 points from his handicap of 16 and Darrell Rose scored an amazing 36 points from his handicap of 18.

Enjoy your new handicaps!!!!

Our Gold division saw impressive scores too with Phil Sulky Sully scoring 35 points from his handicap of 14, Deb Rose with a wonderful 36 points from her handicap of 14 and Darren Temple with a magnificent 39 points from his handicap of 11, now I’m sure your enjoy your new handicaps!!

Great day as usual and our next game has a few spaces left at Hacienda Riquelme 28.07.17 and spaces left for Roda 04.08.17. Visit www.theplazagolfsociety.com or email us at theplazagolfsociety@gmail.com Thanks again to our sponsor Mosquito Blinds R us.

We met on a stiflingly hot day at Roda Golf Course to play the second round of the “Summer Cup". Judging by the general level of scoring, most members found the heat difficult to play in, despite the course being in immaculate condition.

However, there are always exceptions and in the Gold Division John Brastock achieved a creditable 35 points whilst the returning steve jones won the silver division with 37 points, thus becoming the only player to achieve a handicap cut on the day.

Nearest the pins were two from Bill Stobo, Jimmy Scott and the last ntp went to Debbie Jones on the very difficult 7th hole.

El Plantio 2 Golf Society 18 July

The day saw a 'Waltz' competition, where each team counts one, two or three Stableford scorers per hole. After last week's toughening of the Yellow Ball rules, Club Captain, Rod Loveday again decided to introduce a more difficult format to the competition by making the two most difficult holes 3 and 7 on the course - having three players scores included - hole 3 on the outward and hole 7 on the inward nine.

16 members made up four teams of 4, which meant that one team only would not make the winners podium. Scoring was very high and captain of the winning team, Ray Housley, set off with 3 birdies on the first 4 holes and ended up with an immaculate 39 points, which left Handicap Secretary, Ian Henderson, with a big grin on his face.

Nearest the Pins, Hole 4 - Ray Housley and Hole 9

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- Keith Smith.

3rd Place, John Wilby, Martin Rickman, Lyn Young, Mike Williams - 79 points.

2nd Place, Ian Henderson, David Swann, Mel Hope, Mike Davies - 82 points.

1st Place, Ray Housley, Henry Mellor, Graham Blakeway, Rod Loveday - 85 points.

If anyone would like to join our Society, we play at El Plantio Golf Club on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. We use both courses - the Par 3 nine hole course and the main 18 hole course, so we cater for all abilities. The membership rates are very competitive, so call for more details. Anyone who wishes to play in the Society as a guest or join as a new member, contact Ian Henderson on 966 716 616 or 636 116 230 Picture shows all the winners who are too numerous to mention.

Thanks to Paola and Helena for the tapas after the match.

Our next meeting is at Lo Romero on 3rd august first tee 09.28 at a cost of 40 euros. This is the 3rd round of the Summer Cup. As usual the list is on the board or contact Alan Craig on 634 347 788 or a100ac@yahoo.co.uk.

The 4th round of the Summer Cup will be at Alenda on august 17th after which there will be a dinner at the La Marina Club. Please contact Our Social Secretary Elspeth Craig for full details at elspeth4mcd@yahoo.co.uk.

23

Carp R Us Fishing Club

The final match of the Summer Series was fished at Argos.

Fishing is usually very good at this venue and so it proved today. Dough Hornblow ran out a comfortable winner with 33.00 kg with Dave Hoare finishing second with 19.36 kg.

Third and fourth came from the other side of the point, Mark Foden with 18.70 kg beating his father, Andy, who had 14.36 kg. Pleasingly, everyone caught fish.

The finals standings for the Summer Series (best 8 from 10) are Steve Fell with 218 points, Tom Marshall with 210 and Steve Collins with 206.

Well done to everyone who took part.

Further information about the club can be found on its website www.carp-r-us.weebly.com or on our Facebook page CarpR-Us Fishing Costa Blanca.

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