Leader newspaper edition 717

No 717

Monday 21st - Sunday 27th May, 2018

Tel: 637 227 385

Ambassador honours British contribution in Spain

he British Embassy in Spain has joined in the celebration of the Royal wedding between Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle by hosting a party in the residence of the British Ambassador to Spain Simon Manley.

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Inspired by the Royal couple’s desire for the day to reflect

their characters and values, and their invitation to those from around the UK linked to their charitable work, the British embassy has celebrated this wonderful occasion in Madrid together with British citizens and others who have made an outstanding contribution to their local communities from across Spain.

Continued on Page 2

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The situation in Cabo Roig last year was completely out of control

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637 227 385 E-mail office@theleader.info Website www.theleader.info Journalists 600 228 616 office@theleader.info The Costa Blanca and Costa Calida Leader, its publishers, members of staff and its agents do not accept responsibility for claims by advertisers nor can it be held responsible for any errors in advertisements which are reproduced from poor artwork, low quality electronic data or inadequate instructions for text or other layout features. Further no responsibility is accepted for any loss or damage caused by an error, inaccuracy or non-appearance of any advertisement, although all advertisements produced are checked prior to insertion. We regret that we cannot accept responsibility for more than ONE incorrect insertion and that no re-publication will be granted in the case of typographical or minor changes which do not affect the value of the advertisement. E&OE. NO PART OF THIS NEWSPAPER MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE PUBLISHERS.

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Pastor Keith and Cathy Brown

Eric and Norah Bond

Continued From Page One British contribution in Spain

schools across Spain , and of course, our local partners, from Town Halls and our Honorary Consuls. It has been an honour to meet such a huge range of inspirational people today, and celebrate this Royal wedding together”, HMA Simon Manley said.

Through the award of a diploma, the Ambassador has acknowledged the invaluable work of community organisations such as Cancer Support Mallorca, the University of the Third Age U3A and the Samaritans in Spain; church groups and cemetery foundations such as the British Cemetery Foundation Madrid; veterans organisations such as the Royal British Legion, British associations such as the British Hispanic Foundation or the British Ladies Association and news outlets. British educational institutions and Spanish town halls have also been awarded, as well as some honorary consuls and British citizens that have collaborated on public awareness campaigns.

“This wonderful event today illustrates the enormous breadth and depth of the contributions made

by British people working with our local partners in almost every corner of Spain. For example, we have community groups that work with the elderly and the unwell, the Royal British Legion, church groups, community groups, British schools representing the 55,000 children who study in British

Amongst the many local individuals and organisations who were honoured by the embassy for their work in the community was Keith Brown and his wife Cathy. Keith has been the pastor at La Siesta Evangelical church for the last 7 years.

Norah Bond was another local resident who received an award from the Ambassador for her charitable efforts in the area. It was she who first established the charity ‘Orihuela Costa Community Care Association’ which is run from the Campoamor Drop in Centre alongside a multitude of other events and activities.

Following the presentation of diplomas the attendees were able to witness the Wedding service, screened live on various TVs in the residence through BBC coverage.

More information: https://www.royal.uk/royal-wedding-2018

Fond farewell to President of ECCH

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recent charity event at El Paraiso Restaurant, Guardamar was a bitter-sweet occasion form members of ECCH as we took the opportunity to say farewell to our founder and President, Dave English, who after 15 years of charity work in Spain has decided to take a wellearned retirement.

To his surprise, we presented him with a book of honour, containing photos and messages from some of the many ECCH volunteers and supporters, plus staff and children from the care home.

We also presented Dave and his wife Annette with a donation in sterling for them to spend on their visit to the Buckingham Palace garden party in June (following Annette’s receipt of the BEM last year).

Annette had made sure that Dave had his best shirt on for the evening, but he couldn't resist sneaking off and getting changed for the photo call, still making us laugh!

Dave and Annette started the Elche Children's Home charity themselves from humble beginnings, and through their sheer determination, hard work and love for the hundreds of children they have helped, they have made it into the success that it is today.

As well as collecting and delivering items for

events, raffles, tombolas, David has raised thousands of euros over the years to provide happiness and love for the children who have passed through the Home. Always smiling, always laughing and spreading warmth and generosity wherever he goes.

It has been a true privilege working alongside him.

We are very proud of the legacy Dave has left us and we, as volunteers, will do our utmost to carry on his good work and hopefully make him proud.

Dave and Annette English

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Torrevieja gets ready for the Sevillanas Read the full schedule by following the link: torrevieja.com/feria-de-mayo-torrevieja-2018/

Torrevieja, fireworks and a performance by the group Chaskío, two brothers from Alicante who come from a large Flamenco family.

On Thursday, as for the rest of the week, there will be numerous events for children, with painting, games, balloons and youth workshops. There will also be dance groups and choral performances which will take to the stage at regular intervals, and one of the most popular groups in the world of Sevillanas “Los del Guadalquivir" will perform at 11.15pm.

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he green and white marquee’s, that will be used to showcase Torrevieja’s 2018 Sevillanas Fair, have all been erected during the last few days in readiness for the annual festival that will take place in the port area this coming week from Wednesday 23rd to Sunday 27th May. Declared to be of Provincial Tourist interest the fair is sure to attract thousands of visitors to the area where they will be able to experience activities, food, dancing and events aplenty in 28 different areas.

Many of the tents will be filled by local catering companies but there will also be contributions from local clubs and associations that have exhibited at over 3 decades of this festival.

This will be the second sevillanas fair in eight months because the Council postponed the fair in May 2017 because of a lack of contract, pushing the event back to last October .

The opening will take place at 9pm on Wednesday at 9 pm with the switching on of the lights, a recital of the anthem of

On Friday it will be the turn of the Madrid artiste Juan Valderrama at 11.30pm while the Rociera mass, sung by the choir Pura Sangre, will perform during the traditional Saturday morning, which will then continue with parades, horsemen, choirs, carriages, and supporters of the fair, all played out to the rhythm of Sevillanas.

The final performance on Saturday evening with Agustín Barajas and his show “Entre copla and flamenco” at 11.30pm.

During every day visitors will be able to enjoy non-stop sevillanas and eat at the fair’s marquees. Prizes will be awarded for the best stands on Saturday while on Sunday the climax of the fair will include the paseíllo, a spectacle on horseback, which will also feature a parade of iconic carriages, and the final of the sevillanas competition.

The contract for the fair was only formalised by the City Council last Wednesday. At a cost of 94,000 euros (113,000 including VAT).

You can read more about the fair, it’s schedule and featured events, at the link shown on the photograph at the top of the page.

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Councillor deplores damage to Guardamar Castle

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he City Council is considering the introduction of new measures to monitor the historic Castillo de Guardamar which has suffered more than 40 acts of vandalism during recent weeks.

Stones have been prised out of the castle ramparts,

plants uprooted and all thrown over the walls to the lower levels.

a plan involving local police officers, Autonomic police and the Civil Guard.

The Councillor for Historical Heritage, Pilar Gay, said that the vandalism has already been reported to the Civil Guard who said that they are studying new measures to monitor the historic area through

The councillor said that everything points to the fact that they are regular actions of vandalism involving several people "who act solely with the aim of breaking the law. There can be no other erason and they seem to be totally unaware of the damage they are causing to the archaeological site which is currently registered as a Place of Cultural Interest (BIC). " She said that the damage caused to the archaeological remains that exist on the site can be sanctioned with fines ranging between 60 thousand euros and 1.3 million euros, depending on whether the vandalism is classified as minor or serious.

The castle and surrounding village were founded in 1271 by Alfonso X of Castile

The damages that have been caused during

recent months have been evaluated by the municipal historian Francisco J. Parres: "They have cost the town 15,000 euros in terms of purely economic value but with respect to the artistic value of the BIC monument the cost is incalculable," he said.

Most of the damage has been caused in towers one, two and three of the east wall. Other damage includes two holes in archaeological sites, graffiti, and the demolition of part of a wall.

For Parres the damage is very serious but it is recoverable. Therefore, the necessary permits will be requested from the Territorial Directorate of Culture to restore the destruction.

He explained that access to the walled town is always open and that it is monitored by security cameras, and that the images removed from them have been made available to Guardia Civil.

Guardamar town and its castle were founded in 1271 by Alfonso X of Castile. During the 16th century the old medieval defences were reconstructed to cope with the advance of warfare; medieval towers were lowered and a couple of bastions were built.

In 1829 the area was hit by a severe earthquake.

The castle and village were destroyed and subsequently abandoned as its inhabitants moved to the lower lands closer to the sea.

Deadly Jellyfish force closure of La Mata beach T

Campoamor ‘Drop in Centre’ to be developed

he councillor for Tourism distributed new tourist handouts at her regular meeting with residents on Friday highlighting the different aspects of tourism available in the municipality, including religious tourism, beaches, gastronomy, golf and sports, cultural tourism, nature and fiestas.

The mayor of Torrevieja, José Manuel Dolón, together with the councillor for beaches, Javier Manzanares, were in La Mata on Friday morning where they attended the closure of a section of the beach due to the presence of the Portuguese man o' war.

She spoke about the third edition of Quality Gastronomic Competition that will take place on the Orihuela Costa in June as well as her plans to hold a second European Day at Flamenca Beach in September or October.

The red flag that prohibits bathing for a stretch of about two kilometres was raised along with a second flag indicating the presence of jellyfish, and posters explaining the dangers associated with this floating terror.

The Orihuela theatre Circo has been made available for use by Orihuela Costa Groups and Associations on 29 May. Anyone wishing to make use of the offer should contact the town hall.

Maria of The Pink Ladies, AECC, spoke of her disappointment and the lack of support she was receiving from Town Hall staff with regard to the organisation of the annual ‘Walk for Life’ due to take place on 3 June. Councillor Alvarez arranged to meet with Maria privately to discuss how she could help. She did say, however, that the system had always been in place to hold such events but procedures had recently been tightened to cover such essential areas as insurance and profiteering.

The measure does not affect the beach at La Mata Centro although yellow flags were raised at all remaining beaches in the municipality as a precaution.

The mayor said that the decision had been taken for reasons of "safety and prevention" and has asked residents to observe "prudence" and to "respect the signs" so as to avoid bites from this species and its long, venomous tentacles

Once again the importance of registering on the municipal padron was highlighted with those present encouraged to provide the information to their neighbours.

Manzares explained that on Thursday afternoon six of the jellyfish had been seen in the immediate area following which the Civil Guard and Local Police, with the support of Civil Protection, monitored the beaches prior to taking the decision to close the beach.

The councillor spoke of current plans to establish a palliative care centre in Entrenaranjos, which is being directed by members of the German Community.

She also asked for volunteers to help out on 16 June when she hoped to organise a cleaning activity starting at the town hall.

“A further 10 jellyfish were found on the sand and another six in the water, so the most appropriate measure was the closure of the beach", said the councillor.

beaches.

He added that Civil Protection will continue to monitor the situation throughout the weekend in case it became necessary to upgrade the flags from yellow to red flag on any other

Three days ago, red flags were displayed in El Campello because of the presence of the jellyfish, followed a day later by the city of Alicante and Elche.

Alvarez also spoke of imminent plans to develop the 400 sq mtr underbuild at the ‘Ramón De Campoamor’ Drop in Centre where 225,000 euro was available to spend. It was agreed that the next meeting would be held at the centre with members encouraged to provide their ideas on the development.

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Roadside assistance with Línea Directa Orihuela to subsidise DISCOVERING YOU HAVE A FLAT CAR BATTERY Discovering that you have a flat battery in the morning can be a very frustrating experience especially if you need to be somewhere quickly. Cold weather, frequent short trips, excessive strain, battery age or simply forgetting to turn the lights off, there are many reasons for getting a flat battery. The solution however is not that simple.

Línea Directa knows the inconvenience a flat battery can cause and how difficult it can be to get it charged or exchanged for a new one.

Now they are offering customers their Roadside Assistance service that will charge a battery and jump-start their car. One call and a trained technician will be on hand to help, wherever the breakdown occurs. Sometimes the battery may have completely run out and jump-starting won’t work, then they can be towed to the nearest approved garage.

The Roadside Assistance service is an emergency breakdown service and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

No need to get your hands dirty. No need to connect the jump leads to a neighbour’s car. With Línea Directa, one of Spain’s leading insurance providers, their Roadside Assistance service will have you back on the road in no time.

Línea Directa is definitely an intelligent decision when it comes to making your motoring life easier.

Best price. Better cover.

We hope the information provided in this article is of interest.

If you would like to contact Linea Directa

Please call 902 123 139 More information on. Linea Directa online at www.lineadirecta com

DVLA Spring Auction of Personalised Plates DVLA Personalised Registrations will be auctioning what must be the ultimate personalised registration for owners of Jaguar Land Rover’s range-topping Special Vehicle Racing models badged SVR. The agency is selling the registration 1 SVR ironically a short distance from the iconic manufacturers’ Warwickshire home with the second live three day auction of the year being held at the Stratford You can pick a personalised plate up for as little Manor Hotel near Stratford-onas £250 which also includes the transfer fee.

Avon. tions there are many such as OW11 ZAT (£400), The registration – which of course is also suitable to anyone sporting the initials SVR – is among for the keen cricketer or BAR 31E (£300) for fans 1,250 on offer to suit all tastes and budgets during of a certain cult toy doll! the three days commencing on Wednesday, May 16. Jody Davies, DVLA Personalised Registrations’ With 1 SVR (reserve £2,400) likely to be of interest Senior Sales Manager, said: “Our single one digit to Jaguar or Range Rover SVR owners – where three-letter registrations always prove hugely popunew models range from £100,000 each – as ever lar but, there’s no denying, 1 SVR will have an with a DVLA Personalised Registrations auction, added draw caused by Jaguar Land Rovers’ Special there’s a whole raft of lots suited to supercars like Vehicle Racing models. Putting its value into conLAM 80B (£300) for the Lamborghini drivers, 991 text, in 2016 we auctioned 1 SUV which attracted GTS (£1,200) for Porsche drivers and A488 GTO bids from Sports Utility Vehicle owners for (£250) for owners of the special Ferrari model. £46,200.

For those looking for a specific ‘name’ related reg“While 1 SVR will undoubtedly be a star lot, as istration, there’s a whole host on offer including ever we have worked tirelessly to ensure there are RO18 ERT (£400), ELL107G (£250), DOR 15E personalised registrations available to suit all tastes (£400) and F41 THE (£250). For tradesmen there’s and budgets. Our first live auction of 2018 held in VO17 AGE (£400) that is clearly ideal for an elecFebruary proved another huge success, I am confitrician and 1 LGV (£2,400) for haulage drivers and dent this one will be equally popular.” for fans of a certain football team bearing the Millions of other personalised registrations can be United-tag, the DVLA is auctioning UN17 TED viewed at DVLA’s Personalised Registrations (£400).

Official website, Those looking for the quirky, fun-related, registrawww.dvlaregistrations.direct.gov.uk

purchase of electric vehicles The Orihuela council has announced that it will subsidise the purchase of new electric vehicles for the promotion of sustainable mobility during 2018. The municipal spokesman, Rafael Almagro, announced on Tuesday that the Consistory will give up to 15,000 euros for people and businesses in the municipality who decide to buy new electric vehicles.

The subsidies will be under the program of the Department of Environment in order to promote sustainable mobility in the area.

Almagro explained that the total amount of the subsidy is 15,000 euros, and that the beneficiaries, who can be both individuals and businesses, will get a maximum of 675 euros for buying a new electric vehicle either through direct purchase or through financing arrangements.

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Demands for Financial Autonomy on Orihuela Costa

C.L.A.R.O has made Financial Autonomy for Orihuela Costa its top priority. After years of trying in vain to influence the Council in Orihuela to allocate appropriate resources for the inhabitants of Orihuela Costa C.L.A.R.O has finally decided that the only way forward is to gain Financial Autonomy, or as it is called in Spanish, “Local Minor Equity”. Over the coming months look out for information on “Local Minor Equity” and what it will mean for all the residents living on the neglected Orihuela Costa.

It is a well known fact that Orihuela Costa contributes the largest percentage to the finances of Orihuela, currently we pay 53 million Euros towards the total budget of 83 Million Euros, in other words 63.85% of the total budget. The spending on all the services provided on the coast amount to 15 million Euros, or 18.07%, thus Orihuela Costa subsidises the services enjoyed by the residents of Orihuela city and the villages to the tune of 38 million Euros!

Although Orihuela Costa pays the lion share of the budget for the total Orihuela Municipality it does not enjoy the same level of services provided to the inhabitants of Orihuela City or even the small

Orihuela Mayor falls behind with Party subscriptions

towns. The Mayor of Orihuela recently announced his proposals for capital spending, which amounted to 48 million Euros, with over a million going to complete the Casa de Cultura for the tiny town of La Aparecida that only has an official population of 526! How can this be justified especially when over a million Euros has already been spent on this building!

The total cost of providing this excellent facility for a town with less than 1000 people will be 2.3 million Euros! However, Orihuela Costa that has well over 30,000 people on the Padron has no Casa de Cultura and there are no plan, no budget allocation for the coming year and further there is no intention to even provide one in the future.

In every area of expected public services Orihuela Costa fails to receive its due consideration. There is no ambulance based on the coast; this lack has led to deaths, not only on the beach, but at such important facilities as the Sports Centre when the ambulance arrived an hour after a man playing walking football suffered and died from a heart attack. The long awaited Emergency Services Centre is still awaiting completion after 9 years!

This is a disgrace and puts everyone’s life at risk!

Inadequate street cleaning and rubbish collection, neglect of parks and open spaces, roads and footpaths needing maintenance and full of pot holes that are dangerous to all road users; the list of neglect of the coast goes on and on.

Please join C.L.A.R.O.’S campaign for “Local Minor Equity” or as we say in English, Financial Autonomy. This would mean that the budget for the coast would increase from the measly 15 million Euros to 40 million Euros. Just think of how services for every sector of the community would benefit, at last we could provide services for preschoolers, youth services, the disabled and older people.

The coast could have the same level of cleanliness and beautiful parks as enjoyed by the residents of Orihuela, decent Christmas decorations and be able to celebrate important Spanish fiestas. In fact every aspect of public services would see a substantial improvement. These are services we are paying for The C.L.A.R.O leader says that his party has made Financial Autonomy for Orihuela Costa its top priority. but presently not receiving!

Orihuela waste collectors threaten summer strikes R

oad cleaning and refuse collectors have threatened to go on strike if their demands are not resolved. In a letter sent to the Orihuela council on Thursday the Works Committee say they have been asking the councillor for Urban Waste, Dámaso Aparicio, for months to "fix safety and procedural issues and to refurbish the premises from which they function.

The Orihuela executive of the Partido Popular have announced a debt of 6,000 euros, which is due to the party from the mayor, Emilio Bascuñana, 3 serving councillors and a number of local advisors, giving them each a period of 15 days to ‘pay up’ or face possible expulsion from the party.

The debts were highlighted on Thursday by the president of the Oriolan PP, Dámaso Aparicio.

The 11 councillors who form the PP municipal government as public officials, each contribute 70 euros per month and their 12 advisers in the town hall pay 50 euros per month). Aparicio said that the unpaid fees by councillors amount to about 1,600 euros while approximately 5,000 euros is still owed by their advisers.

Although the names of the 3 councillors was not divulged reports in the Spanish press state that the mayor is one of the individuals who owes money, non-payment of which would mean that he could not run as a candidate in the 2019 elections.

The PP account in Orihuela has 1087 members who each pay 25 euros a year, although some have not made their last payment which was due in March.

There are no proper library services, but the City of Orihuela has 3 and during school examination times some of these stay open until midnight to allow student adequate study resources.

They say that the Department has also ignored the report issued by the Labour Inspectorate at the end of March in which it said that the conditions out of which they operate are “unacceptable.”

This document shows that the temperature in their mechanical workshop exceeds the maximum permitted, causing "heat stress that could result in irreversible damage to health." It also points out, among other things, that there is "a risk of electrocution" because of inadequate wiring.

The report gave the council a month

to adopt measures that, according to Workkers say that the council has the workers, have not been resolved. ignored the report compiled by the The workers consider that the probLabour Inspectorate lems "persist" and have not been completed because of the ill feeling that exists between the councillor for Street Cleaning and RSU, Dámaso Aparicio, and the councillor for Patrimonio and Human Resources, Rafael Almagro.

They say that Aparicio told them earlier this month that it was not up to his department to carry out the repairs to the premises that suffer from deficiencies, but the work should be done by the Patrimono area.

Fed up with the situation in which the councillors are continually "passing the ball to each other" the workers have announced that they are seriously considering action that could result in a strike during the summer months, which would affect the service provided on the Orihuela Costa and in adjoining villages.

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The secret of the Vega Baja’s Blue Flag Beaches T

he large underwater meadows that extend for almost 5,000 hectares along the coastline of the southern Costa Blanca, from Guardamar to Pilar de la Horadada, are an important part of the ecosystem and which contribute to the excellent quality of water and to the beaches This underwater treasure, the Posidonia Meadow, is largely responsible for ensuring that local coves, dunes and beaches, meet the standards required by the European Environmental Foundation in order to bestow their blue flag awards.

total of 68, spread throughout the Valencia province, four more than in 2017. Of those, Orihuela Costa, with 11 awards in total, was the second most endowed municipality in the whole of Spain.

Posidonia oceanica, commonly known as Neptune grass or Mediterranean tapeweed, is a seagrass species that is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It forms large underwater meadows that are an important part of the ecosystem. The fruit is free floating and known in Italy as "the olive of the sea" (l'oliva di mare). Balls of fibrous material from its foliage, known as egagropili, wash up onto local shorelines.

Its function is vital for oxygenation and to keep the seawater clean.

Habitats best represented along Posidonia oceanica is a seagrass species the stretch of coastline are posidothat is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea nia (1.120 hectares), cymodocea, which is another species of seagrass, (1.110 hectares), as well as the cliffs and the rock faces (1.240 hectares).

This year the four local municipalities received 25 Blue flags of the

These treasures, which are abundant in our local marine habitat, ensure good water quality, although of course this is not the only requirement for the award of the blue flags.

This wealth in the Marine habitat facilitates the good water quality, although this is not the only requirement for the very Blue flags.

The Orihuela Councillor for Beaches, Luisa Boné, explained that to get these awards there are

many more requirements that have to be met including the provision of an adequate lifesaving and rescue service; the provision of general information to users of the beaches; environmental information and the encouragement of procedures and actions to ensure the conservation of the environment.

She said that it is also necessary to show regular improvements to the available facilities. In the case of Orihuela, for example, there will be five amphibious chairs for disabled beachgoers as well as many other additions to disabled services. There will also be upgrades to, and additional, toilet amenities as well as new lifeguard stations on each of the Orihuela Costa beaches.

Applications from those municipalities who want to apply for the Blue flags are presented between October and November, each with a detailed project. If the beach meets the requirements it is presented with this distinctive award, usually before 1 July so that the accolade can be published in advance of the main holiday season.

Auditors will then usually visit the beaches during the peak periods, totally unannounced, in order to verify that the reported facilities are indeed available and operating in good order.

Boné reported that the Orihuela city Council also included the provision of Chiringuito’s on each of it’s 11 beaches, not a prerequisite of the award, but certainly a major plus point. However, at this time there is no service available because of the suspension of the beach bar contract and at this point the new contract is still out to tender and has not yet been awarded.

She says that the local administration expects the situation to be resolved before July, but if not the council will have to submit a report explaining the situation before the auditors descend on the area in order to validate the beach services. It is that visit that will also be used as a guide for the evaluation of the beaches for the following year.

Supreme Court uphold Murcia decision to dismiss Aeromur President of the Murcia Community, López Miras

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he President of the Murcia Community, López Miras, said that he was delighted with the Supreme Court ruling, upholding the decision of his government to withdraw the Corvera Airport Management Contract from the previous concessionary Aeromur consortium.

In a statement to the press, he said "Justice supports once again the decisions of the regional government stating them to have been absolutely correct."

The Murcia government relinquished the Aeromur management contract five years ago when it effectively placed the airport back in the hands of the regional government. The former management company immediately took Murcia to court but in 2015 the justice system insisted that the dismissal had been justified.

Aeromur lodged an appeal against the court decision but the original decision has also been upheld, coming down in favour of the Regional

Government.

In the meantime the management of the airport was again put out to tender with the contract eventually awarded to Aena at the beginning of the year. The airport is now scheduled to open in January 2019.

In welcoming the news of the Supreme Court decision López Miras said the ruling "has validated the decision taken by the Governing

Council almost five years ago to withdraw the concession to Aeromur, led by the construction company, for breaching the contract and putting the facilities into operation. This decision will now make us stronger and more competitive. At last the doors of the International Airport are now going to open and, with it, the Region of Murcia is going to take off into a very exciting future," he concluded.

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Cruise passengers left New venue for disappointed in Alicante Humanists Thousands of cruise passengers flocked in to Alicante on Wednesday, many having booked excursions to visit Santa Barbara Castle, but unfortunately, the faulty lifts left all of them disappointed.

Our two latest Games evenings, and more recently the first Philosophy group of the year, were held at the new venue of the Calle Delicias Cafe bar in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento in Mazarron.

When looking for a more central meeting place, we chose the Calle Delicias because of the warm welcome extended by the proprietors, the pleasant surroundings, and not least the delicious food for aftermeeting suppers.

So the games evenings continue to grow in popularity, with several new participants at each one. Rumikub, Scrabble, Cards and miniature Jenga continue to be popular, and the evenings were rounded off with supper.

At the Philosophy group there was a lively discussion on the topic of � Is a citizen of the world a citizen of nowhere?� Again we were joined by several new members. As ever no conclusions were reached, but we went away with some interesting thoughts.

This was the 10th occasion in the last 2 years that the lifts have broken down

In their attempts to mitigate the problem, however, council officials quickly decided to provide a bus service but as the castle paths and roads, which dates back to the 9th century, were never designed to receive coaches that in itself presented problems of both space and vehicle parking.

In total over 6,500 passengers disembarked from the Jewel of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and the Seven Seas Explorer, details of which were known over six months ago, but with the castle lifts failing yet again, reports suggest this was at least the 10th occasion in the last two years that they have broken down, many of the tourists were unable to spend a much anticipated day in the fortress despite having paid to do so.

During the past year, the Department of Culture has reported on seven occasions that the lifts to take visitors to the top of the fortress were out of order, in January, April, July, August, September, October and November. In addition, at the end of the previous year there were two further stoppages in the service during the months of November and December.

The problem has now occurred on several important dates, regularly coinciding with holiday periods during which the frequency of tourists increases. On each occasion the break down guarantees that those tourists caught up in the situation will leave Alicante with a feeling of displeasure which is not the ideal situation for a city that relies on attracting tourists for much of its economy.

The incidents in the castle elevators have also resulted in many tourists and Alicanteans being locked inside for hours

until they were eventually released by technicians.

Fortunately there were a number of other activities laid on for the visitors, many by the merchants and restaurateurs association, including dances in the Port terminal by the students of the Professional Conservatory of Dance as well as different traditional festivals such as the Bonfires, Moors and Christians, Carnivals, Traditional Dances and Holy Week activities in la plaza del Ayuntamiento.

Passenger traffic increases by 13.4% at San Javier airport

P

assenger traffic continues to grow at the San Javier airport despite the announcement of its closure in January next year.

Between January and April 2018, 282,583 travellers passed through its concourse, which is 13.4% more than during the same season last year.

The upward trend continues, despite the fact that the first few months of the year fell into the low season, with most of the coastal hotels still closed.

The passenger statistics have now accumulated 19 months of uninterrupted increases.

In terms of aircraft movements, the airport registered 2,187 takeoff and landing operations in the first four months of the year, equivalent to almost 15% more than that in the same period of 2017.

The results of tourist traffic in April also provided increased figures. In the fourth month of the year, 131,161 passengers passed through the terminal in San Javier, that is, 9.5% more than in April 2017. In terms of operations, in April they also increased, by 14.9%, with a total of 961 aircraft movements.

Humanists of Murcia April Walk Nine walkers from San Juan, 4 from Totana, 2 from Lorca, 2 from Camposol, 2 from Bolnuevo, 1 from the Puerto and a dog set off from Los Puertos de Santa Barbara, near Tallante, for a 3 hour walk in the campo.

The leader was Audrey who kept the group together while setting a good pace. Beautiful Murcia scenery, unique plants, old carob trees and a few fincas with big dogs and a lot of chat.

Lunch was held at La Gran Ventica in Las Palas where the hosts provided a vast quantity of great food. Will definitely return when the dieting programme kicks in.

For more information about Humanists of Murcia activities, including discussions, games evenings and gardening club and walks, please visit our website, humanistsofmurcia.com. For information about humanist weddings, funerals and naming ceremonies, contact the celebrant on 634 025 711

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Aids & background noise N

AParadise for rescued animals in Benferri P

aradise Rescue Kennels, is based at Benferri and run by Colleen and Peter Jay, helped by Mary-Ann Dunning and a dedicated team of volunteers.

Like all rescue organisations they do an amazing job on a shoestring budget and work endless hours saving dogs and puppies from awful situations and kill stations.

At Christmas they had 38 puppies, plus 80 adult dogs to care for.

The upside is that so many animals are happily re-homed – but then they get a situation like this: Three days ago a man with a supposedly, terminally ill family member, desperate for his lifelong friend, Duque, to be cared for, brought him to Paradise. Of course, Colleen took him in. It was such a sad situation, who wouldn’t? But in the cold light of the following day, for dying, you might read lying.

Mary-Ann and the team decided they needed to get Duque in to foster as quickly as possible so she went to Paradise, took photos and appealed through Facebook for a new home for the dog. But by the afternoon, when Colleen had the chance to have a good look at him, it was very obvious that this dog was very ill.

Not only was he hardly able to use his back legs, he also had a mouth full of rotten teeth, Colleen cut off his collar, under which was an inch of caked mud covering awful sores on his neck. His back end was also caked with mud.

This boy was not the beloved 11 year old family pet they had been led to believe. He was a very old, very poorly dog who had an outdoor existence, chained up, enduring the dreadful storms we’ve had and he was a dog who was about to incur some hefty vet bills. So the owner decided to take the easy route, dumped him on a charity to pick up the bill, and walked away.

Unfortunately the dog did not survive, but the vet bills were paid by Paradise when it was thought that it still had a chance.

This money had been set aside to pay for the next pallet of food for the other animals. This despicable individual told lies and played on the good nature of people who work so hard to save dogs.

Paradise Rescue Kennels would be deeply grateful for any donations, which can be paid to Paypal: paradisekennels@live.com and if your company would like to sponsor a page in their 2019 ‘Calendar Dogs’ and have your photo with a rescue dog included in the photos, please contact Mary-Ann Dunning by.....email: mary-ann@paradiserescuekennels.com or through their Facebook Page, Paradise Rescue Kennels.

ew users have to get used to their new aids.

The number 1 thing they love about their new aids is that they don’t have to strain to hear anymore. But the number 1 thing they can’t get used to is the background noise.

Despite the complex microchip & tremendous advances in hearing aid technology, background noise can still be a problem.

After probably many years of not hearing much background noise the sudden ability to hear everyday noises like rustling paper & plates clashing together can take time to get used to. It can be very challenging. But with time these noises do get better. And remember even when you had normal hearing background noise was a problem. Wearing your aids will not eliminate this entirely.

Background noise can affect you in two ways. Firstly, it can make it nearly impossible to understand what someone is saying because of the noise & Secondly the noise may distract you from what the person is saying to you.

Although there is no cure for these problems users can explore options of lessening the problems with background noise.

Ways in which you can lessen the impact of background noise.

Think about the last time you went to a restaurant and found yourself bombarded by noise: other people's conversation, music in the background, clanging dishes and cutlery, noise from the kitchen, etc. Now think

about the ways you could use to minimize the difficulties you have the next time you dine out.

You may find these suggestions helpful: Make reservations ahead of time. Then you can specify your table requirements. Pick a table in the least noisy part of the restaurant (e.g away from the kitchen, bar, etc) in a well lit area & sit with your back to the window, so the light is on their face & not in your eyes.

Plan ahead by picking a quieter restaurant. Try to find carpeted restaurants that have chairs with rollers on the legs (thus preventing an annoying scraping sound when they are moved).

Pick the best day and time (not Friday nights!) to dine out.

Look on the restaurant's website to preview the menu. And ask the waiter/waitress for a printed specials menu.

Request that staff turn down background music (you are probably not the only patron bothered by the volume of the music).

Tell the host and waiter, as well as your dining companions, that you have a hearing loss and that it will help you if they slow down a bit, speak a little bit louder, and face you directly.

Remember that even people with normal hearing experience greater difficulty in a noisy listening environment than they do in a quiet listening environment.

So, don't expect to do as well with your hearing aids in the noisy restaurant as you do in the

quiet of your home.

Relax and enjoy the fine food and the company, even if you don't catch every word.

Try some of the suggestions in this article, and you may once again enjoy dining out with family and friends.

Let us at Apple Hearing & Healthcare help you Website – www.applecares.es Booking online for a test could not be easier. Drop into one of our centres in Quesada, Benidorm & Cartagena. Find us on Facebook, Apple Hearing & Healthcare Spain.

BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT NOW !!! Tel: 965 020 813 Email: info@applecares.eu

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QUICKIE CROSSWORD

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ANSWERS QUICK ACROSS:

1

Pomp;

8

Reasonable; 9 Handcuff; 10 Clip; 12 Regale; 14 Remedy; 15 Strong; 17 Lunacy; 18 Plot; 19 Sanctity; 21 Chronicler; 22 Fine.

DOWN: 2 Ornamental; 3 Prod; 4 Mature; 5 Coffer; 6 Watchman; 7 Help; 11 Indication; 13 Adoption; 16 Gossip; 17 Lonely; 18 Pick; 20 Turf.

6.

ACROSS: 1 Dual; 8 Inoculator; 9 Plantain; 10 To-do; 12 Carboy; 14 Remiss; 15 Chilli; 17 Gas-men; 18 Edge; 19 Darkness; 21 Diving-bell;

Bat I'm using to get boundary (5)

9.

List of digits? (5)

10. Having been cut, adheres badly (7) 12. My true story about an excursion (7,4) 14. A little dance by Chopin? (6,5) 18. Late examination (7) 19. Fight a dealer in stolen goods (5) 21. Man flying kite on top of hill (5) 22. The remainder live around the bend (7)

SUDOKU CHALLENGE

Solution on Page 23 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

Contempt (5)

2.

Tremble (6)

3.

Anger (3)

7.

Milk container (5)

9.

Courageous (5)

4.

Place of worship (6)

10.

25% (7)

5.

Liberty (7)

12.

Fraternity (11)

8.

Burial ceremony (7)

11.

Extend (7)

13.

Agreement (7)

15.

Almost (6)

16.

Coterie (6)

14.

Face (11)

DOWN: 2 Unbleached; 3 Limn; 4

18.

With an oblique glance (7)

19.

Disease (5)

Ergo; 11 Dispensers; 13 Bulletin; 16

21.

Leg joint (5)

17.

Breathing organs (5)

Indigo; 17 Garter; 18 Eddy; 20 Nile.

22.

Blot out (7)

20.

Chopper (3)

L EA D E R T R I V I A Q U I Z 1. Who's first film (THX1138) flopped in 1971?

Mediterranean Draw, what sport?

2. Bearbrass, founded by John Batman, was

14. Who famously failed an audition for "Fame"

the original name of which city?

because they were not pretty enough?

3. A computer programming language named

15. Gift question: What Musical instrument is

after 17th century French mathematician?

named after the Greek for "wooden sound"?

4. The Soldiers Song is the National Anthem of

16. What Hollywood star was the inspiration for

what Country?

Bugs Bunny?

5. The French call it "La Mort aux Trousses",

17. In Iceland it is called "Glima", in Iran

what is the title of the Alfred Hitchcock film in

"Kushti", in Turkey "Yagli" and in Russia

English?

"Sambo", what?

6. What is Defecolagnia?

18. What sporting trophy is named after the US

7. A girl's name, a pass made by a bullfighters

secretary of war in the 1920s?

cape and a Dutch radio station. Eight letters

19. What English word meaning disaster comes

8. What branch of mathematics is named for the

from Italian for flask?

Latin for pebble?

20. The Sea Cook was the original title of which

9. According to the poem who dug the grave for

very famous novel?

cock robin?

21. What type of creature is a Thickhead?

10. TV: what was the full name of the butler in

22. On which Mediterranean island was

"soap" - later became a spin-off?

Napoleon Bonaparte born?

11. What is a Paradiddle?

23. Which two Liverpool players have scored

12. A Curofact is a sexual fetish about what?

hat-tricks in the Champions League this sea-

13.

son?

Thumb

Lock,

Mongolian

Release,

whilst defecating, 7. Veronica, 8.

Calculus, 9. The Owl, 10. Benson Dubois - spin-off was "Benson", 11. Drum Roll, an exercise or sequence performed typically on the snare drum. 12. Legs, 13.

Archery, 14. Tom Cruise, 15. Xylophone, 16. Clark Gable, 17. Wrestling, 18. Davis Cup - after Dwight Filley Davis. He was the Assistant Secretary of War from

Eroding badly, being neglected (7)

7.

1.

1. George Lucas, 2. Australia’s 2nd largest city, Melbourne, 3. Pascal Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic theologian born in 1623. 4. Republic of Ireland, The lyrics were written by Peadar Kearney and, together with Patrick Heeny, he set it to music. 5.

North by Northwest, 6. Sexual arousal

1923 to 1925 and Secretary of War from 1925 to 1929. 19. Fiasco, 20. Treasure Island, 21. Thickhead can refer to any one of several species of Australian birds called 'Pachycephala'. Some of the species are popularly called thrushes.22. Corsica. 23. Sadio ManĂŠ against Porto and Philippe Coutinho against Spartak Moscow.

6.

DOWN 1. A man is representative (5) 2. Deciphering my code can produce an amusing spectacle (6) 3. Man of knowledge (3) 4. A politician has to do something to make an impression (6) 5. It's horrible to conceal love for us (7) 8. Sort of underwear for man joining the Marines (7) 11. Non-believer at robbery (7) 13. Records lasting less than an hour? (7) 15. Say you boast about submarines (1-5) 16. The South is the subject of a dissertation (6) 17. Boy finding science unfashionable (5) 20. Established group? (3)

Obtain (7)

22 Else.

Notary; 5 Turner; 6 Pastimes; 7

ACROSS

DOWN

ACROSS

CRYPTIC CRYPTIC

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‘Twitters 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.

I

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.

A Little More than Amnesia

guess most people have heard of Indonesia and maybe Polynesia, but what about Macaronesia and, indeed, Micronesia?

How about visiting Macaronesia one day?

No, this is not a new name for France invented by the current ambitious President Macron, but a cluster of four archipelagos in the North Atlantic Ocean, just off the continents of Africa and Europe, which are formed by raised and exposed peaks of the ocean floor that peer out above the ocean’s surface.

The Canary Islands are part of Macaronesia, which also includes Cape Verde, Madeira and the Azores. Interestingly, the islands belong to three different countries: Spain, Portugal and Cape Verde, which are all part of the continent of Africa. The Azores are an exception, since they are part of the European continent.

Although I vaguely remember the term ‘Macaronesia’ being used during geography lessons when I was a pupil, I have rarely heard the term used in recent years. It came to light once again this week after Cape Verde announced that it was aiming for a free trade zone with other Atlantic islands to allow for the free movement of people, as well as goods and services.

Despite the term ‘free trade area’ now being seen as ‘dirty words’ in

the UK during the current UK-EU Brexit negotiations, it is good to hear that the establishment of free trade areas by others is regarded as a very sensible way forward for nations to trade and work together in a coherent and civilised manner.

15

b y Bar rie Mahoney

Cape Verde has a large expat population

Cape Verde is a group of ten windswept islands off the coast of West Africa. It is a volcanic archipelago that was a Portuguese colony until 1975, and with which it still has close links. The islands have stronger economic growth that most of the sub-Saharan countries in Africa.

The International Monetary Fund recorded Cape Verde’s growth in 2017 at 4 per cent, which is forecast to improve even further to around 7 per cent. The islands are hoping to enhance tourism and economic growth with such a deal and re-engaging with other islands in what is known as Macaronesia.

Cape Verde is hoping to create a legal framework for its people and goods to travel freely for the benefit of all.

The Cape Verde islands, which have a population of around 500,000, and with a large expat population, have already passed legislation to remove visa requirements for Europeans and hope that the European Union will reciprocate.

Laws have been changed to make it easier for foreign investors to invest, and recent legislation allows foreign exchange accounts to fund transfers without restrictions. Cape Verde’s currency is linked to the euro, which also facilities business activities.

Cape Verde has aspirations to develop the islands as a hub for air travel, since it is ideally located between the Americas, Europe and

Africa. It also sees itself as offering great potential as a digital hub for Africa.

Since I mentioned Micronesia at the beginning of this article, I should explain that this group of small islands is in the Pacific Ocean, but that is a story for another time. I think I am going to add Macaronesia to my postal address in future, after several incidents of my post being sent to the Cayman Islands, instead of the Canary Islands. It might help Correos to deliver my post rather more accurately in future.

Available in paperback from Amazon, Waterstones and all good bookshops, as well as on Amazon Kindle.

Join me on Facebook: @barrie.mahoney

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Samaritans in Spain - Sexual Abuse The following is a true story (name changed).

paracetamol and bleach in an attempt to end her suffering.

Amy, my daughter, was a funny kid, always up to mischief, she was so friendly, she would come in from the park where she grew up in, telling me about all the new friends she had made, the neighbours knew her by name because she always had a smile and a bit of chat for everyone.

We took her to Hospital, who were fantastic and made sure we had our 1st appointment with a Specialist Consultant, from this point we were let down as a family, as we did not know where to turn.

Without knowing why, Amy began to struggle from the age of 12, she withdrew and her behaviour changed and we became increasingly concerned. Myself and her father were extremely active in her life even though we split two years earlier, we had a great co-parenting model and Amy was very close to her father and adored him.

After trying to understand why she had been acting out, she finally disclosed that when she was 12, she was sexually abused by a person who was known to her and in a position of trust. She was 1 of 5 victims at the hands of the same man.

When she was 15 Amy was subjected to a cyber bullying incident that resulted in her locking herself in our bathroom and consuming

After 9 extremely tough months on trying to cope with caring for a child post suicide attempt and giving her reasons to live and value herself once again, Amy, aged just 16yr, left our home and was never seen alive again.

If you want to Talk about any that is causing you distress, then contact SAMARITANS IN SPAIN – You Talk We Listen.

Freephone 900 525 100 Email pat@samaritansinspain.com

As a family we are devastated by the loss of Amy but we will now campaign for a greater awareness of Organisations that may be able to assist with such situations. Samaritans is just such an Organisation that you can talk to and they will listen in complete confidence to your story This one is for you baby girl, you were so caring in nature and hated to see anybody hurting and even through your own plight you still tried to be a fun and friendly influence for those around you, who are missing you greatly.

Drop in Centre Coffee Morning Our next Coffee Morning will be this coming Wednesday, 23rd May from 11am till 1pm.Coffee & Cake will be available.

Guest Speaker will be Sofia Alvarez, Councillor for Foreign Residents, Tourism and Transport.

Sofia will explain the importance of registering on the Padron relating to improving the services of Orihuela Costa, in particular, the Emergency Centre, 24 hour Police Station, Fire Station and Ambulance Service. A second Medical Centre, Bus Station and Cultural Centre.

If you want to know how to register and why it is so important, do come along on Wednesday at 11am.

s al del hich

Parroquia San Jaime Apóstol in Guardamar

Crescendo International Choir Spring Concerts

By Nancy Klein Crescendo International Choir, made up of women and men from a variety of European communities, recently performed two concerts in the Costa Blanca area to benefit the wider community. On Friday, May 11, Crescendo International Choir, made up of Sopranos, Altos, Tenors and Basses, sang a variety of songs for the Seventh International Choral Festival in L’Alfas del Pi. The theme of this charity-fundraising festival was music performed in films. The town of L’Alfas del Pi is famous for hosting film festivals. It will be celebrating its 30th anniversary of hosting such events this July. So these concerts were envisioned to pay homage to the beautiful music that can be found in films.

More than 200 hundred singers from five choirs performed at the musical festival May 11 and 12.

Crescendo Choir International performed seven songs, including a traditional Spanish song titled El Vito. Some of the songs taken from films were Begin the Beguine, taken from a 1946 film Night and Day, The Rhythm of Life, from the 1969 Musical “Sweet Charity” and Play a Simple Melody, from the 1914 Musical “Watch Your Step.” The choir, which sings a wide variety of musical styles, also performed To Everything There is a Season by English composer John Rutter, Let it Be by the Beatles and Thank You for the Music by ABBA.

Many of the songs were arranged for the choir by Spanish Crescendo International Choir Director Irene Oliva Andres. The choir was accompanied by pianist and fellow composer Antonio Guillen Posteguillo, also from Spain.

Money raised by these concerts is going to Social Volunteer Association L’Alfas, which is responsible for managing its community food bank. Both concerts were held at the Frax Foundation of Albir for the first time.

On Sunday, May 13, Crescendo International Choir performed at Parroquia San Jaime Apóstol in Guardamar. For this concert, a wide variety of music was performed, also as a charity benefit.

Among the 13 songs performed were such popular pieces as Hallelujah! By Leonard Cohen and Scarborough Fair by Simon and Garfunkel and spiritual songs such as Gloria in Excelsis Deo and Deep Peace. The choir ended its concert with The Blessing of Aaron, a beautiful prayer that begins like this: “The Lord bless thee, the Lord keep thee.

Make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee.”

The 234 euros raised at the Guardamar Concert will be donated to the town’s charity. These funds will be used to help people who cannot afford to pay all their living expenses, such as their electric or water bills or even their rent.

For more information about Crescendo International Choir, see their web site at: www.crescendo-choir.com.

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Hondón Valley RBL human fruit machine The April meeting of the Hondón Valley Branch of The Royal British Legion saw the Chairman Ian McNeil presenting certificates to our Branch Poets Extraordinaire. The poems are now displayed on the Branch website. The social time included a quiz of anagrams of Beatles Songs, with much mirth as the answers were “sung” by members!

There then followed the Human Fruit Machine where members tried their luck at “three fruits in a row”. By the end of the evening some of the fruits – particularly the bananas – were inedible! A great fun evening raising monies for the Poppy Appeal.

Anyone can come along to Legion Branches – you do not need an Armed Forces background. To find out more about the Hondon Valley Branch, please contact the secretary hondonvalley.secretary@rbl.community or visit our website: www.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/hondon-valley .

For assistance and advice please ring 676 45 17 80

Lucy, Hazel and Pam

HELP Vega Baja to meet the balance of CaixaBank appeal CaixaBank, with the collaboration of Obra Social "la Caixa”, launched a fundraising campaign last week (solidarity crowdfunding) with the aim of encouraging individuals and companies to join their initiative to raise the 2,500 euros needed to complete the construction project of an adapted park for disabled students at the Alpe Special Education Centre in Torrevieja .

This action of solidarity crowdfunding was part of the strong social commitment of CaixaBank that, "through its network of banking offices helps to support the most urgent local social needs, many of small magnitude but which, as a whole, can have a great impact.

Obra Social "la Caixa" has already made a donation of 7,000 euros to the project. It was hoping to raise the balance, which will enable the park to be completed within the next 6 weeks.

Having read about the CaixaBank appeal online at The Leader website (www.theleader.info) Michelle Masson, President of HELP Vega Baja, rang the newspaper on Friday morning to say that the San Miguel based charity would be delighted to meet the balance required of 2500 euro.

Michelle said “Our association has a long relationship with the Alpe Special Education Centre in Torrevieja and we appreciate just how important the adapted park will be.”

A spokesman for CaixaBank said that he was delighted with Help’s gesture but that anyone still wishing to do so could still make a donation at any of the bank’s ATMs,

Representatives of CaixaBank and the Colegio Alpe de Torrevieja

through the Línea Abierta or through the portal www.caixabank.es, and that any additional funding would then be used to make further improvements.

Rojales Panto Group The Rojales Pantomime Group performed Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves pantomime in January 2018 in Los Montesinos and from ticket sales, raffles, programme sales etc., managed to raise 3000€.

All these monies will be donated to various charities within the region and one of those charities is REACH OUT, a charity helping the homeless and needy based in Torrevieja.

Dave Young of Reach Out gladly accepted the donation of 400€ from Mike Smith, President watched by Christine Smith, Treasurer of the Pantomime Group.

100€ was also donated to SATS in Dolores who help so many unfortunate dogs find their forever home whilst looking after them until they do.

The Rojales Pantomime Group have chosen their pantomime for next year….. CAMELOT THE PANTOMIME…and are currently looking to recruit budding thespians and those who simply just want to help back stage. The name of the game is fun, fun, fun and if you interested in joining our great group please contact our Director, Thelma Judson at rojalespantomime@gmail.com or telephone 634 33 95 88.

17

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service 11.0 a.m.; Sunday school; Prayer meetings; craft and computer clubs. Ladies Bible Study: Thursday 11.0 a.m.

Church Bible Study: Thursday 1.30 p.m. House groups in Torrevieja, La Siesta – Contact: 966 752 543 / 617 215 463. For other church matters: Phone: 966 799 273 / 966 752 543 / 617 215 463. www.icatorrevieja.org

Musicians Wanted Forming Royal British Legion Concert Band is seeking experienced musicians, especially French Horn, Trumpet and Cornet. Call MD on 638 108 078 for information.

Shelving Wanted

Car and Vehicle Sales The Car of the Month at Automoviles Crespo is a 2015 Ford CMax Diesel which is on Special Offer priced at just 15,499 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.

Clasicos Legendarios have the following used vehicles for sale: Jaguar XKR V8 2007 Black, with all the extras, 115,000 km for 35,000 euros, Jaguar XJS Convertible V12 1988, 159,000 km 17,950 euros, Lexus SC 430 2003, 165,000 km, 7,995 euros.

Visit our showroom in Redovan on Poligono San Carlos or call 965 030 924

Social and Clubs The next monthly meeing of the Orihuela Costa Branch of the Royal British Legion will be on 28 June at the Olympia Restaurant in Mil Palmeras starting at 7.30pm. The Torrevieja Branch will meet at the Casa Ventura in San Luis at 7.30 pm on the 8 June. All are welcome to join us for an evening of camaraderie and good company. The La Marina/Gran Alacant Branch meets on the 1st Monday at The London Bar, behind Dial Prix in Gran Alacant at 6pm. All 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 people 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 Torrevieja Retired Activities Club meet on the third Wednesday in the month from 11-1pm at Marina Club Cafeteria, International Marina, Torrevieja.

We have a speaker at our monthly meetings, or quiz, etc. Enjoy an activity once a month such as petanca, mini golf, 10 pin bowling, and on the first Sunday of the month we organise a restaurant lunch. The joining fee is 10euros but you can attend one meeting or lunch before you join.

For info phone Sandy Hollywood, President 698 266 696 or Jill Hayes, membership Secretary 672 983 019.

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.

TORREVIEJA Official Liverpool FC Supporters' Club, Costa Blanca. - Why not join us at Kennedy's Pub, Playa Los Locos, to watch the games? www.lfc-spain.com.

Curious about the 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).Email: spainsamsrecruits@outlook.com www.samaritansinspain.com The Orihuela Costa Drop In Centre is in C/Cipres, Lomas de Cabo Roig, where we can offer you a full range of activities Monday, Wednesday and Thursday including music, language classes, drawing and painting, sewing, general information, bereavement advice and much more. Further info available at: oc.communitycare@gmail.com

Churches and Services La Siesta Evangelical Church hold services each Sunday and everyone is welcome. Our 11.15am 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 11.15 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 The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) in Torrevieja meet at 10.00 each Sunday in their chapel at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia, 104. All Welcome. You can phone or whatsapp the missionaries on 667 533 597..

International Christian Assembly, Calle Urbano Arregui, 23, Torrevieja - Evangelical nondenominational church. All nationalities welcome. Sunday

The Reading Point, Ramon de Campoamor, is in need of shelving that can be used to expand it’s library. We still have hundreds of books that we are unable to display. Ideally the shelving should be delivered although we do have occasional access to a vehicle, so can arrange to collect if necessary. Please call Katalin if you can help on 671 457 865

Personal Torrevieja Brazilian mature lady.

The best massage, relax, tantra, anti-stress. I also do body and intimate waxing, manicures, pedicures, and facial cleansing and rejuvenation. Me and my silky hands are the perfect combination. Call Victoria on 687 131 005.

Torrevieja. Shirley - the best massage. Tanned, young Latina beauty! Stunning figure, great breasts. I welcome you alone in my sexy lingerie. By appointment please.655 677 738 Sexy, elegant Spanish lady. Playa Flamenca. Punta Prima. Private house. Erotic massage. All services. From €40. Call Ana on 657 603 495. Speak English.

Male and female Viagra, Cialis, Cialis Kamagra jellies mail order cash on delivery call 604 385 476 viagra4you19@gmail.com

Situations Vacant URGENTLY REQUIRED! Part time cook. Villamartin. 3 shifts per week. Must be experienced and available for an immediate start. 7€ per hour. Contact 698 702 529 asap.

POOL CLEANER REQUIRED, Orihuela Costa area. Immediate start. No experience necessary as full training given. Applicant must be over 27 years of age and held a driving licence for over 3 years. Training provided, 3 or 4 days a week at 5€ an hour.

Thereafter 4 days a week at 50€ a day with van and fuel paid.

Work guaranteed until at least mid-September. Apply to: piscinascb@yahoo.com

Staff Urgently Required for Spanish Run Supermarket in Quesada 1 x Shop Director / 1 x Shop Manager Due to our continued growth, we urgently require one Shop Director and one Shop Manager for a Spanish run Supermarket in Ciudad Quesada.

The ideal candidate will be between 40 and 50 years old and will have British nationality. They should be able to communicate in Spanish to a good level as they will work with other members of the groups’ management team. They should be computer literate and have a minimum of 5 years experience in the supermarket / retail sector.

We offer a very competitive salary and good working conditions (no working on Sundays or Bank Holidays).

This is a full-time position with employment contract.

Immediate start.

Please send a covering letter and your CV (in PDF format) by email to: offer1092@jobsearchspain.com 4 x Shop Floor Assistants Due to our continued growth, we urgently require four new members of staff to help us on the shop floor and on the cash desks.

The ideal candidate will be between 25 and 50 years old and will have British nationality. They should be able to communicate in Spanish at a basic level. Experience preferred in the supermarket / retail sector but not necessary as full training will be given. They should also have basic computer skills.

We offer a very competitive salary and good working conditions (no working on Sundays or Bank Holidays).

This is a full-time position with employment contract.

Immediate start.

Please send a covering letter and your CV (in PDF format) by email to: offer1093@jobsearchspain.com

Property for Sale For sale. Stunning detached villa. 3 bed, 2 bath, South facing, private parking, no community fees.

Former show home. € 149.900.

Tel. 611 307 574.

For sale. 100m from the beach. 6

bed, 3 bath refurbished townhouse. Just € 129.900. Tel. 611 307 574.

For sale. Modern luxury apartment. Close to La Fuente CC. 2 bed, 2 bath. Elegant furnishing. € 110.000. Tel. 611 307 574.

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EURONICS THURSDAY DART LEAGUE “THE ELECTRICAL SHOP” - BLUE LAGOON

T

he Euronics darts league teams gathered at Las Ramblas golf club on Thursday evening for the presentation of trophies as the season drew to a close. Members were

entered into a blind KO competition with cash prizes for the

Division B Winners, The Ale House

By Simone de Lacy

merit and 180 awards. Secretary Simone de Lacy was presented

winning team and huge raffle with many donated prizes from the bar's owners. Presentations, Disco and buffet made the evening a great success. Sponsor Debbie and Dave Wright of Euronics Blue Lagoon shop presented the main trophies and Paul Lock of Auto locksmiths presented the ladies, men's, team Division A winners, Hub Hyenas

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with flowers as a thank you for her hard work and dedication over the last few years. Simone has stepped down and a new Secretary will be appointed at the AGM. Euronics Euronics League sponsor Debbie Wright Wright with departing secretary secretary Simone de Lacy

Ladies Pairs Winners, Pat Schofield and Wendy Wendy Hayward Hayward

Auxilliiary Team Winners, Porterhouse

Mens Pairs Winners, Lee Maiden and Andy Rutter

Ladies Singles winner, winner, Michelle Lane, Porterhouse

Men’s Men’s Singles Winner, Winner, Graham Soloman with sponsor Paul of Auto Locksmith

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Exciting climax for Línea Directa Nationals Bell & Geoff Dowson of Bonalba.

After 9 days of bowling the Spanish Nationals are down to semi final stage in all disciplines. The semi finals will be played on Monday and Tuesday with the finals being played on Wednesday and Thursday.

Along the way we have seen some favoured players & teams eliminated. The only Champions from last year who are still going are the Ladies Pairs winners Gail Willshire & Lynn Greenland who will face the strong pairing of Carol Broomfield & Peta Rhodes in the semi final. The other Ladies Pairs semi final is also a San Miguel v Quesada with Ann Eagle & Val Collier taking on past Champions Mel Highland & Jacqui Johnston – both matches look like being close affairs.

With last years champions being eliminated in the Mens Pairs we have Ian Kenyon & Steve Simmons of San Luis playing David Johnson & Len Rudge of San Miguel in one semi whilst the other match is John Rimmer & Pat Heaney of Emerald Isle taking on Roli Johnny Raby in a 1st round Men’s triples match, admiring the action of Steve Simmons, San Luis

The Mens semis will be contested by Mark Naylor of Cabrera taking on Ian Kenyon of San Luis while Paul Parkes of Quesada will face William Faulkner of Mazarron.

The Mens triples has Quesada trio Terry Morgan, Peter Morgan & Paul Parkes playing Reg Cooper, Cliff Plaisted & Chris Collier of San Miguel. The second semi has Tony Hesketh-Field, Keith Hamilton & John Pittaway of Javea Green taking on Brian Allen, Johnny Raby & Gary Raby of San Miguel.

There is still plenty of bowling to be seen with the semi finals being played today and tomorrow (Monday and Tuesday) and the tournament finals and presentation ceremony on Wednesday and Thursday.

The ladies from Indalo will face Quesada in one of the two triples semi’s on Monday

Peta Rhodes (pictured) will meet Mary Dyer in one of the Ladies singles semi’s on Tuesday morning. The second semi will be Carol Rudge against Ann Allen, both of San Miguel.

We also have 2 teams in the Ladies Pairs semifinal. Gail Willshire & Lynn Greenland and Val Collier & Ann Eagle in opposite sides of the draw, both playing teams from Quesada. In the Men’s Pairs semi we have one team comprising David Johnson and Len Rudge. Both the Triples and the Pairs semi-finals will take place on Monday 21st May.

If you are thinking of taking up bowls, why not

Horadada Bowls Club by Irene Graham This was the first week of the Spanish National Championships hosted by the Emerald Isle Bowls Club and although the sun was shining, it could be a little chilly in the shade for the spectators.

In the Men’s Triples we also have two teams but they are in the opposite sides of the draw. Reg Cooper, Cliff Plaisted and Chris Collier play a team from Quesada, while Brian Allen, Johnny Raby & Gary Raby play a team from Javea.

Good luck to everyone and I hope to be writing about great achievements next week.

All the semi finals should be hotly contested and it will be interesting to see who makes it through to this years finals.

Onto the singles & with both of last years Champions already elimi-

The Nationals have been going pretty well for San Miguel. We have 2 teams in the Ladies Triples semi-final - Ann Allen, Linda Plaisted & Pat McEwan and Gail Willshire, Ann Eagle & Lynn Greenland. The bad news is they have to play each other. The good news is we are guaranteed a San Miguel team in the final.

Meanwhile, the Ladies Singles competition only started today. Pat McEwan and Mary Dyer made it through from the prelims to the first round and Val Collier, Carol Rudge and Ann Allen were due to play their first matches on Saturday 19th May.

The Ladies semis will be Mary Dyer of San Miguel against Peta Rhodes of Quesada. The second semi will be between Carol Rudge against Ann Allen, both of San Miguel.

The Emerald Isle has plenty of seating for spectators with free admission so do go along and enjoy the final stages of a top class tournament.

San Miguel Bowls Club By Gail Willshire

In other news, while we started off today with 6 men through to the first round of the Men’s singles, only one of them made it through to the second round – Fred Willshire. This may already have been played by the time you read this report and there is still another round to go before the semi’s.

nated we are guaranteed new Champions this year.

Last year the Mens & Ladies Triples were not part of the Championships but were reinstated for this years event.

In the Ladies event Gill Atkinson, Jenny Thompson & Jan Dando of Indalo will play local side Mel Highland, Deidre Leeming & Jacqui Johnston of Quesada. The other semi final is an all San Miguel match. Pat McEwan, Linda Plaisted & Ann Allen will play their clubmates Gail Willshire, Ann Eagle & Lynn Greenland, with at least 1 San Miguel team guaranteed a final place.

Gail Willshire clearing up in the Ladies Triples for Ann Eagle and Lynn Greenland come to Wasps on Wednesdays 1pm for 1:30 start. €5 for an afternoon’s bowling with shoes and woods available to borrow.

For further information on San Miguel Bowls Club please contact the President Stuart Hemmings on 965 72 0461, or the Secretary Gail Willshire on 965 02 0492.

forward to. In the morning our club was represented by John Jukes who played a great game but didn’t quite make it on the last ends. Our hopes were down to Wayne Osguthorpe who played a fantastic match.

Our opening discipline was the Ladies Triples.

The lead going back and Not a good start but the forth all through the shot difference was kept match. The score was 17 down by our ladies manshots each then the oppoaging to get some bowls sition scored 3 shots in the head. Next was needing only 1 shot to the Ladies Pairs reprefinish. Very exciting to sented by Linda Hier and watch but alas after Carol Linehan. Much the another two ends the same story as the trips opposition managed to Despite being pipped at the post Wayne but the ladies fought get the 1 shot needed to Osguthorpe played a fantastic match hard. finish up 19 – 21.

A better performance by our Mens pairs representVery well done to all our entrants. We may not ed by Barry Evans and Jeff Hier. We still lost but have gone very far in this competition but the standard of bowling is extremely high and to have repgetting closer to that first win. Next was another resentatives in the different disciplines keeps our Mens Pairs represented by John Jukes and Wayne club right up there with the best.

Osguthorpe. A very close match indeed but sadly our guys lost by 2 shots.

Let’s hope our winning streak continues when the leagues start again at the end of this month. Keep Our first and only win of the tournament came em bowls a rollin’ Horadada! from the Mens Singles represented by Jeff Hier.

The score was 21 – 10. Very well played Jeff, a Horadada offers a warm welcome to new or expejoy to watch. The next round was a different story. rienced bowlers, and provides the necessary equipJeff Hier was up against a player who was simply ment. Our roll-up days for this friendly club are better on the day.

Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday mornings. Contact Fred Trigwell on 659139129 for more information.

On Friday we had two more Mens Singles to look

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San Miguel Golf Society at Font Del Llop

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21

T.M.G.S visit to El Valle

Yet another Wednesday meeting at which none of the players broke par which was mainly due to the windy conditions along with inconsistent greens – some fast, some slow.

This course is not on our frequent visit list, although it is in good condition, with a small exception that the greens were a little on the slow side, they are usually faster than most courses on the Costa Blanca.

Font del Llop, near Aspe and not far from Alenda, sits in a valley which helps funnel any prevailing winds down the valley and across the course helping to make some tricky holes even trickier. On the other hand it did help to keep the temperature at a comfortable level as without it, we would have had quite a scorcher.

Club selection seemed to be the biggest problem, with most of the greens elevated and with false fronts it was difficult to take an extra club that would have ensured that the ball stayed on the green instead of it winding its way down to the bottom of the run off areas where you were lucky if your chip shot managed to stay on the green or decide that a visit to the sand on the opposite side would be more interesting!

The big prize of the day was the “Linda Rennie Trophy” for which we compete annually in Linda's memory and Noel Bannon's custody of it for the last 12 months transferred to today's top scorer, Theo Boelhouwer, who shot the day's top score of 36. Well played, Theo. The full prize list is as follows:

Maybe this was the reason for low scoring from the 40 members and guests that turned up on a bright sunny day with just a slight chilled wind to make the golf a little more interesting.

Results; N.T.P.’s Hole 6 S. Dean, Hole 9 NADA, Hole 12 D. Kirkham, Hole 15 K. Alm. Alan (cuddly from Dudley) Rickers won the €30 contained in the 2’s pot by making a birdie on the par 3 9th. Our Best guest this week was Mr. J. Nichols with the best score of the day, 36 points. He will be a member the next time he plays but may need a handicap reduction first. (Only Joking). Bronze cat; 3rd Mrs. P. Sabine 29, 2nd L. Holmberg 34, 1st Mrs. S. Twentyman 34 on L/H. Silver cay, 3rd K. Krog 29, 2nd M.V. Grinsven 29 L/H, 1st A. Rickers 32. Gold cat: 3rd J. Whitaker 30, 2nd O. Cederberg 34, 1st P. Bradley 34 L/H. To find out more about our friendly Society log onto www.tmgs.org or our Facebook page www.facebook.com/tmgsgolf Gold category winners The big prize of the day was the “Linda Rennie Trophy” won by Theo Boelhouer who shot 36

Best Guest who very nearly cracked 30 points – Martin Perry.

NTP's – Steve Higgins (Hole 3). Noel Bannon (Hole 8).

Charles Jones (Hole 12).

Norman McBride (Hole 16) and Mike Inns (Hole 17).

BRONZE DIVISION - 3rd Ken Flaherty (29 c/b). 2nd Norman Padmore (29 c/b) & 1st Mike Inns (31).

SILVER DIVISION - 3rd Richard Cleary (31 c/b). 2nd Phil de Lacy (31 c/b) & 1st Steve Belshaw (32).

GOLD DIVISION - 3rd Robin Eastman (34). 2nd Mark Preston (35) & 1st Theo Boelhouwer (36).

Top scorer & winner of the “Linda Rennie Trophy” – Theo Boelhouwer (36 pts) ABACUS TROPHY – The accolade, in the form of a fine bottle of wine, for the last runner-up was claimed this week

by Ron Stenhouse. Kindly sponsored by Gordon Wilson of G.E. Engineering.

Our thanks go to the staff at Font Del Llop for their contribution to a pleasurable day.

Keep up to date with all SMGS matters by logging on to our website www.smgs.org or simply give Captain Tony Smale a call on 628 227 687 or Robin Eastman 672 900 510 to find out more about the society and its weekly golf gettogethers. Next week we will be at Vistabella.

Eurogolf Captain’s Day

On Thursday 17th May Freddy Reeve held his Captains Day for Eurogolf.at La Marquesa. .There were prizes on every hole provided by the Captain plus a sumptuous buffet and wine afterwards in the Chill Out Lounge.

The main prizes were Division 1 (0-19) 1st Arty Crammon 40 2nd Gary Grierson 38 3rd Clive Horne 37 Division 2 (20 +) 1st Sharon Horne 41 2ndKevin Bonser 40 3rd Ken Enever 35 Hole by hole prizes 1st Nortman Woods, 2nd Glen Roberts 3rd Karen Simpson 4th Kev Bonser 5th Jim Crammon 6th Linda Lynch 7th Ged McWilliams 8th Linda Lynch 9th Malcolm Foskett 10th David Gregson 11th Sharoin Horne 12th Anne Rogers 13th Ian Turner 14th Karen Simpson 15th David Blanchette 16th Sue Forbes 17th Jan Shorley 18th Arty Crammon Football draw Debbie Weedon Phyllis Venables John Barraclough Mark O´Williams and Eamonn Divine TUESDAY TOFFS On Tuesday 15th May Toffs played their usual stableford competition in perfect golf conditions and so some amazing scores were recorded.

The results were overall winners 1st Sue Gillett 43 (the recent break from golf obviously did her good!) 2nd Sue Forbes 39 3rd David Blanchette 38 4th Martin Welsh 36 Cat 1 1st Bob Buckeridge 36 c/b 2nd Arty Crammon36 Cat 2 1st Terry Sayers 35 2nd Debbie Weedon 33 Cat 3 1st Liz Roberts 34 2nd Franco Gentili 30 NTP´s 5th David Gregson 11th Sue Walsh 12th in 2 Arty Crammon 15th Paul Manning 17th Glen Roberts Best front 9 Malcolm Foskett 21 c/b Best back 9 John Barraclough 20 Football draw Arty Crammon Sue Walsh Pam Welsh Gary Grierson and Mary Sanderson

Plaza Golf Society @ Hacienda Riquelme So a new season commences with an outing at Hacienda Riquelme under a grey but warm morning attended by 31 players. The course was in great condition with many challenges which reflected the scores posted.

the day with 2 NTP’s Gordy who in his words 'canned both of them!’ Gordy was also the only taker of the 62 euro 2's pot, he also got the loudest cheer of the day.,,,,,well done Gordy.

This was particularly the case for Adrian Coates who propped up the field with 12 points definitely work to do ahead of the next event!!!!

Silver division saw Gordy adding to his money pot with 3rd place, 27 pts followed by Alan Carter 2nd with 28pts leaving Captain Richard Allen to pick up 1st place with 30 pts.

The Guest category saw debutant Paul Cassels runner up with 28 pts with Tony Sims winning with 29 points, Well done Tony, we can see you’re going to be a strong competitor in our Gold Division once you’ve put your 3rd card in !

In the Gold category we saw some familiar names looking to head up the new Order of Merit, Tony Smale came in 3rd with 31 pts just pipped on count back by Darrell Rose, 2nd also 31 pts with the winner and following up on his recent brilliant OOM success Phil de Lacy with 32 pts.

In the Ladies section the course appeared particularly difficult however Deb Rose handled it best taking 1st place with 23 points.

Nearest the pins sponsored by The Ale House saw 4 winners, Tony Smale, Darrell Rose, Lee Holtham and the star of

So to the next event in 2 weeks time...25th May at Villamartin we already have 40 players so if you haven't already got your name down either log on to our website to register: www.theplazagolfsociety.com or pop in to The Ale House and sign up there.

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García returns to Valderrama as champion and host money will be spent redesigning the unit into a welcoming, bright and relaxing environment for the children who receive treatment there.

García said: “It was an amazing experience to be able to win in Spain, and in my first tournament back in Spain as the Masters Champion. To win at my favourite golf course, Valderrama, and at our own event that we do with our Foundation, it was the perfect mix. I’m really excited to go back there this year.

“The tournament is really important and it brings a lot to our Foundation so that we can help out as many people as we can. Last year we helped with building a new x-ray room in a hospital in Madrid. It’s really important to us to and we’re excited to hopefully raise as much as possible and help out again.”

It is 21 years since Garcia’s countryman and hero Seve Ballesteros captained Europe to a 14 ? - 13 ? win over the USA at Real Club Valderrama, and as the biennial tournament returns to Continental Europe for the first time since that memorable victory in 1997, the eight-time Ryder Cup star is excited about the prospect of bringing more glory to his favourite golf course.

He said: “There are a lot of great tournaments coming up ahead of our tournament in Valderrama, so I’m very excited to hopefully play well going in to it.

“There are a lot of Majors to come and obviously The Ryder Cup. It would be nice to get our hands on it again and bring it back to Valderrama where Seve was the Ryder Cup captain.”

Early bird tickets for the 2018 Andalucía Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation are just €8 for the Pro-Am on Wednesday October 17, €12 on Thursday and Friday of the tournament and €20 on Saturday and Sunday. Children aged under 14 are admitted to the event free of charge when accompanied by a ticket holding adult. Tickets are available now at: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/andalucia-valderrama-masters-2018-tickets-43648157815

García delighted Spanish fans with an emotional victory in Sotogrande last year Major winner Sergio García will return to the Andalucía Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio García Foundation to defend his title, as the tournament is once again held at Real Club Valderrama.

The 2017 Masters Tournament Champion rounded off a special year at his favourite course as he lifted the trophy in his first tournament on home soil following his triumph at Augusta National, and the victory was event sweeter as it came in an event supported by his own charitable foundation.

This year’s tournament on October 18-21 will once again be sponsored by the Autonomous Government of Andalusia with the support of the Sergio García Foundation. The Spaniard set up his charitable foundation in 2002 for the purpose of contributing to the social inclusion of economically-deprived children through social assistance benefits and the practice of sport as free-time activity.

García delighted Spanish fans with an emotional victory in Sotogrande last year, as he sealed his third win of the season to add to his maiden Major title at Augusta National as well as the Omega Dubai Desert Classic trophy.

The home hero continued his love affair with the venue - where he became the first Spaniard to win a European Tour stroke play event in 2011 - as he lifted the trophy at the end of a week in which he was awarded Honorary Life Membership of both the European Tour and Real Club Valderrama.

The Sergio García Foundation donated all the funds raised at the 2017 Andalucía Valderrama Masters to Madrid’s Hospital Universitario La Paz to help support a makeover of the children's x-ray unit. The

Mike ProBert talks golf Here on the Costa’s golf is one of the biggest leisure time activities for both tourists and residentS 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.

Hollow Tining of Greens – WHY? We just entering that period of the year when the courses hollow tine the greens causing a disruption to golf and producing a poor putting surface for a few weeks but just why do they have to do this to us?

The surface of a green, colour, density and speed is a combination of the maintenance of the surface but also, about the maintenance of the root-zone.

A healthy grass starts from healthy roots. Soil compaction can be a severe problem resulting in restricted root growth, lack of water infiltration into the soil, loss of resilience, weed invasion, disease problems and decline in turf quality.

Hollow Tining is used to prevent damage from an excessive soil compaction. It is also very important to provide the needed drainage, for water infiltration and aeration at the root-zone and is done during the warm season when temperatures favour rapid shoot growth and coverage of the turf openings.

The use of sand on greens is essential because it helps to digest the organic matter, enhancing the aeration of the root-zone, speed on greens and better recovery from pitch marks.

In order to minimize the disruption to golfers, hollow tinning is usually carried out in 2 consecutive journeys so that the 18 greens are aerated in the same week. The surface smoothness restoration process includes top dressing, drag matting and rolling and greens are normally puttable after 3 days with rolling putting surface within 10 days.

However in reality depending on a number of factors such as day and night time temperatures and watering it usually take greens 15 to 20 days to return to a perfect condition.

(in assN with Costa Blanca Green Fee s vcs) ber 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.

Golf Course Price Comments Alenda €142 Two Players and Buggy Alicante €120 Two Players and Buggy Altorreal €120 Two Players and Buggy Bonalba €120 Two Players and Buggy Don Cayo (Altea) €110 Two Players and Buggy El Plantio €112 Two Players and Buggy (after 12pm) Font Del Llop €134 Two Players and Buggy La Finca €128 Two Players and Buggy La Marquesa €45 Single Green Fee La Serena €39 Single Green Fee (after 2pm) Las Colinas €99 Single Green Fee Las Ramblas €104 Two Players and Buggy Lo Romero €134 Two Players and Buggy New Sierra Golf €80 Two Green Fees and Buggy Roda €98 Two Players and Buggy (from 2pm) Villamartin €110 Two Players and Buggy Villaitana Poniente €48 Single Green Fee and Buggy Vistabella €106 Two Players and Buggy Deal of the week: Vistabella are holding a tournament on 26/05/18 with shotgun starts at 8.30am and 2.15pm for €45 walking or €56 in a shared buggy including a welcome pack, picnic, cocktail party and excellent prizes. Call them on 966 107 846 to enter For Bookings and info Mike at info@costa-blanca-greenfees.com quoting the reference LEADER or on 966 704 752 or 661 345 931

There you have it…so when you next question the parentage of the green keepers you will understand the reasons just a little more.

Hollow Tining Watch Villamartin 15/05/18 - La Finca 22/05/18 - Saurines 23/05/18 - Font del Llop 27/05/18

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 num-

Quotation of the Week “Success is as much about atitude as ability” - Sir Walter Scott

García with staff from Real Club Valderrama following his 2017 success

Las Ramblas Social Club

By Mike Mahony Las Ramblas Social Club Weekly Report Monday we played “Change Partners” and with a score of 85 pts the winning team were Olga Douglas, Reg Akehurst, Nick Campbell and Mike Mahony.

On Wednesday it was the 5 round of the Medal Compatition and the results were as follows:1st Liz Robertson 68, 2nd On a count back, Alan Douglas 68, 3rd Reg Akehurst 70, 4th on a count back, Peter Wickham 70. 5th Lindsay Forbes 71, 6th on a count back Olga Douglas 72.

2´s Club: Olga Douglas, Lindsay Forbes and Alan Douglas.

Friday it was the best 2 from 4 all on the par 5¨s. And the winners with a score of 99 were Olga Douglas, Geoff Biggerstaff, Bryan Neal and Nigel Price.

Carp-R-Us Angling Round two of the Summer series saw 17 anglers fish the El Bosquet complex on pegs 1 – 24. A blustery day made presentation difficult and contributed to the lower than normal weights. The match was won by Alan Smith on peg 7 with 15.60kg caught on the pole using maggots. Second was Dave Hoare (peg 11) with 9.10kg using the same method. Third was Doug Hornblow (peg 2) with 8.66kg and fourth Steve Fell with 7.52kg from peg 16. It was a good day for Pete Boorman who managed his first fish in a match for several months, although wife Sue still beat him.

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

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Monday 21st - Sunday 27th May, 2018

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Torry bid farewell to Annus Horribilis

T

his meaningless end of season local derby, surprisingly threw up a really entertaining 90+ minutes of football.

Both keepers were man/men of the match, as they kept their sides in the match on countless occasions.

CD Torrevieja ......................0 CD Thader .............................2

End to end exciting football was in evidence for all to see, but unfortunately there weren't that many scattered around an almost empty Nelson Mandela Stadium.

Why oh why, did the powers that be choose to play the one and only Saturday home fixture of the 2017/2018 season on FA cup final day? It's not rocket science to comprehend that a large majority Brit fan base, enjoy watching this special occasion on the box, and it doesn't take Einstein to realise that as a consequence the gate would drop to below a hundred.

Without wishing to appear too cynical, the team appear to have been going through the motions throughout 2018. This became apparent when safe in the knowledge that Calpe had been expelled, there really wasn't any real danger of a consecutive relegation. Having said that, the squad that manager Pedreno has been left with, have given maximum effort throughout every match, but unfortunately that has not been enough (if you know what I mean!). So, a finish of 5th to bottom (a double over Benferri, leaves them one off the drop zone on equal points) is mission accomplished, but it cannot paper over the fact that not having won since the end of Feb (ironically, away at Benferri), and 9 defeats on the trot, is totally unacceptable.

an impressive solo run on 32 mins, which eventually brought off another fine save from Jovi. Considering this was a local derby, it was being played in a surprisingly good spirit, emphasised by the fact that there were only 2 yellow cards shown throughout the whole match.

23

ISN Almoradi Sportnature Tennis

The 25 or so Thader fans, were up on their feet on 35 mins. A cross from the left by ex Torry man Dani Lucas, reached Antonio who struck a stunning half volley from the edge of the box into the net. Although Samuel forced Jovi to make a vital save, it was Thader who finished the half stronger. With time ticking away, Pablo Reyes almost put through his own net, but from the resultant corner, Antonio crossed from the baseline for Quino to head home, doubling his sides lead.

Both teams took their time to settle into the new half, but on 58 mins, it required a smart save from Torry keeper Crystobal to deny a Ruben effort.

From the next attack, Villa headed just wide, as Thader looked to extend their advantage. A well worked move on 70 mins saw German cross from the right, only for Silver to fluff his lines at the far post, when a slight touch was all that was needed. Pedreno elected to bring on his only sub on 72 mins, and it was goalkeeper turned front man Eneko, who provided an assist to Santi, whose shot was pushed aside for a corner. Towards the end, first Torry's Maicol, then Thader's Lloyd, forced their opposing keepers to once again earn their keep.

Will Pedreno still be in charge next season, will football ever return to Vicente Garcia Stadium, will the old Torry spirit ever return, will I be welcomed back as resident Torry reporter? All these questions and more, will hopefully be answered after a much needed summer break.

Like I say, the match (especially the 1st half) was good to watch, with many well worked moves and a high number of shots on target ratio. Greuchi was unlucky on 15 mins, for when fed by Silver, and with just the keeper to beat, he was adjudged offside. Three mins later, it was Torry again who could have scored, this time Maicol forcing a top drawer save from Thader keeper Jovi.

Back came Thader soon after, when from an inch perfect cross to the far post, Calderon slammed the ball against the post from close range.

On 29 mins, the same man executed a powerful drive from the edge of the box, only this time it missed the post completely. Torry captain Silver, embarked on

The sports centre in Almoradi, built 3 years ago, offers excellent, well priced tennis and padel facilities. Court hire is from 4 euro for an hour and a half.

On Monday mornings from 10.00 am until 12.00, LTA 'pro' qualified tennis coach, Steve Durie, runs an adult group coaching/training session. The group is for players of all ages, who have played before and consists of 75 minutes of drills and 45 minutes of doubles play.

The tennis centre caters for those living in nearby areas, such as, Quesada, Benijofar, Catral, Algorfa and other nearby towns as far as Guardamar and La Marina.

Steve also runs social club sessions to the south of Torrevieja and is available for group and individual tennis and padel lessons at a number of venues on the Costa Blanca.

If you are interested in Tennis or Padel, Steve can be contacted on 635061439 and at sdurie@hotmail.co.uk.

Torrevieja Darts Ladies Organisation The Raffle will be organised by the Leagu and for those that have not done so, can you please bring your Menu choices and money, along with your Captain’s Cup information and Players team of the Year voting slip. Thank you.

Ladies League Final Results Wildcats at Macklins Black Dog Ladies Friendly's Temps Gap Ladies

4-5 3-6 5-4 7-2

P Gap Ladies 14 Wildcats at Macklins 14 Macklins Dolly Mixtures 14 Friendly Chicas 14 El Balcon Chicas 14 Black Dog Ladies 14 Friendly's Temps 14 Primadonnas 13

Friendly's Chicas El Balcon Chicas Primadonnas Macklins Dolly Mixtures W 13 12 7 7 7 4 3 3

L 1 2 7 7 7 10 11 10

Pts. 40 38 28 28 28 22 20 19

A very close finish to the end of the season, with the Gap Ladies becoming League Champions once again. Runner’s Up are the Wildcats. Well Done everyone.

Ladies League Singles. Following the end of the League was the Ladies Singles Finals. The evening was hosted by the staff at the New Tavern in San Miguel. We had several markers over the evening, and thanks go to Simone de Lacy, Stan Veale, Graham Dyer, Kim Fickling and Ernie (sorry no surname provided).

Quarter Finals between Lorraine Veale and Lin Cousins was won by Lorraine Veale, Sue Cam and Mitch Halliday was won by Mitch Halliday. Ellen Attwood and June Hawkins was won by Ellie Attwood

As the Season draws to a close, we look forward to seeing everyone at the Presentation Dinner which is being held at J.R.’s Quesada Country Club.

Pam Horton, 669 046 022, Dartess501@gmail.com

SUDUKO SOLUTION

Front Row Quarter Finalists: Sue Cam, Lin Cousins, June Hawkins and Beatty Powell. Back Row: Semi-Finalists Lorraine Veale and Sandra Crabbe, Runner Up Ellie Attwood and Champion Mitch Halliday.

and the last quarter final between Beatty Powell and Sandra Crabbe was won by Sandra Crabbe.

An exciting Semi-Final between Lorraine Veal and Mitch Halliday was won by Mitch Halliday and the other semifinal between Ellie Attwood and Sandra Crabbe was won by Ellie Attwood.

In the Final it was a resounding victory for Mitch Halliday,who won 4-0. Congratulations to Mitch on becoming our 2018 Champion and Ellie Attwood on becoming Runner Up. The Diana Lloyd Memorial Shield. The final of the Diana Lloyd Memorial Shield will take place on Tuesday 22nd May at El Balcon, Los Balconies between Macklins Dolly Mixtures and Gap Ladies.

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Monday 21st - Sunday 27th May, 2018

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