The Leader 551

No 551

Monday, 22ndDecember, 2014

Tel: 96 673 0057

OVER SIXTY SIXTY OVER FAMILIES AMILIES F HELPED BY BY HELPED YOU THIS THIS YOU CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS

As our annual food collection campaign comes to a close, we are once again astounded by your generosity, giving your gifts and donations to those in need this Christmas.

This week, we handed over most of the donations collected to the Cรกritas charitable organisation based in La Zenia church. Taking around 40 bags packed full of food, pet food and toys, there is no doubt that the parcels will go a long way to make a difference to the families who will be directly helped by your gen-

erosity.

Accompanied by his loyal and dedicated helpers, Don Joaquin Carlos, the Parish Priest of the La Zenia Catholic church, accepted and welcomed your donations, he explained how they are currently helping between 60 and 70 families who are based on the Orihuela Costa, who have no source of income and are facing the most difficult of times.

In fact, locally, Cรกritas helps families all year round, not just at Christmas, and carry out different food collection campaigns during the year, with all the donations received going to help those in need.

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96 677 3655 E-mail office@theleader.info Website www.theleader.info Head Office CC Los Dolses Urb V/Martin Marbella Local No 183 Segundo Piso 03189 Orihuela Costa Alicante, Spain NEW Opening Hours Mon - Fri 09.30 to 14.00 Appointments by prior arrangement Advertising Sales 96 673 0057 sales@theleader.info Journalists 96 673 0057 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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Unfortunately, organisations like Cáritas don´t receive any subsidised help for their work, but are supported by the best human potential, from its volunteers on one side, to the families attended to who are neighbours of the Orihuela Costa and from different nationalities.

Despite a brighter prospect for most people across the country, the dark times are far from over for many. We will have to wait for their latest report to indicate how many people they are currently supporting around the area, but in June of this year, their 2013 report was published, which detailed how the Orihuela-Alicante based group had served over 81,000 people last year, 13% more than in 2012.

Moreover, of the total number of people who were helped by the group, 34,609 were men and 46,702 were women, prompting the bishop of the diocese, Jesús Murgui, to emphasise during the presentation the need to remain vigilant in the fight against poverty “because if society gets used to being in crisis, it runs the risk of becoming a chronic situation”.

During the breakdown of investments from the 2013 report, details were given of the assistance provided in areas of support, employment, job placement, homelessness, women, immigrants and people with AIDS. The report shows that social support has meant an investment of 4.2 million euro, 5.46% more than in 2012, plus,

Monday, 22nd December, 2014 2.6 million went to the assistance to people at risk of social exclusion, whilst 601,285 euro was distributed towards vulnerable groups such as women, youth, elderly and AIDS patients.

The remaining revenues were shared between employment and socio-labour integration, rural community and urban action, training, communication and awareness, international cooperation and management, technical management, field monitoring and evaluation.

As for the origin of the economic resources, 72.13% came from the private sector, around 3.1 million was obtained through collections and donations, and the remainder, some 1.1 million, came from public injections.

In presenting the report, the “great work” of the volunteers was also highlighted, with their members praised for their continual support and response “in an effective, close and decisive manner”, with details of their 1,689 people who collaborated with the group last year, of which 1,636 were volunteers, an increase of 18% on the previous year.

Those in need were not forgotten in the presentation, which served to highlight the needs of countless families who are still driven by the need for food and assistance to pay for the most basic of needs such as water and electricity, but, moreover, the group has seen a noted increase in grant applications for “school supplies” or dining assistance within “households where there are children”.

In addition, during 2013, a total of 1,530 homeless people were assisted by the group, who assisted where they could in providing “housing, food, clothing, medication, processing aids, attending courses and workshops, social monitoring, and psychological and career guidance”.

Although we provide a central point for collection during our campaign, it is your generosity that makes the difference. With donations still coming in as part of this campaign, you can give donations throughout the year direct to Cáritas on the Orihuela Costa if you prefer, and you can find them at La Zenia Chapel on Mondays and Tuesdays in the afternoon from 6:30 to 7:30 pm and on Wednesdays and Fridays in the morning from 10:30 to 12:00.

The volunteers wanted us to extend their thanks to everybody involved, saying, “We wish to thank all persons who make possible this help, either with their job and with their donations of food or money”.

To which we must also add our gratitude in the most sincere way we can, by saying “Thank you” once again, and wishing you all a happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.

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ROMAN CATHOLIC MASS TIMES ORIHUELA COSTA Times of Masses for the Christmas season at the Parish Church, La Regia (Ecumenical Temple) are as follows: Wednesday 24th Dec Midnight Mass at 00:00 Midnight Thursday 25th Dec. Christmas Day 11:00 Thursday New Years Day 1st Jan 2015 11:00 Tuesday The Epihany 6th Jan. 2015 11:00

LA SIESTA EVANGELICAL CHURCH Sunday 28th Dec Holy Communion

11.00

TORREVIEJA CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Thursday 25th Dec Christmas Day Sunday 28th Dec Sunday Worship

10.30 10.30

ANGLICAN CHAPLAINCY OF ST PETER AND ST PAUL La Siesta Wednesday 24th Dec Midnight Mass Los Balcones Thursday 25th Dec Holy Communion La Marina Thursday 25th Dec Holy Communion Sunday 28th Dec Holy Innocents Campoverde Wednesday 24th Dec Midnight Mass Sunday 28th Dec Service of 9 lessons and carols La Zenia Cristo Resucitado Sunday 28th Dec Holy Innocents - Communion

Midnight 10.30 10.15 10.15 23.30 18.00 18.00

UPPER ROOM CHRISTAN FELLOWSHIP La Zenia Hotel Sunday 28th Dec Sunday Service

18.30

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

GRANT DENIED FOR LA ZENIA ROUNDABOUT WORK

The application for a 50,000 euro grant from the Alicante provincial government to fund the requisite work on the La Zenia roundabout has been declined, on account of the current characteristics of the road network not matching those registered in the municipal plans.

The Councillor for the Coast, Martina Scheurer, explained that the problem is due to the fact that the N-332 and roundabout on the “general plan� of the municipality, is still a single lane carriageway. The plan should have been amended when the work on the N-332 road was completed, but nobody in the then government acted to do this.

A proposal was submitted to the Orihuela plenary session to amend the general plan in August, which would have also offered some protection to the residents of the Orihuela Costa who have lost their postal service, but the new development plan was rejected in a plenary session with the majority of votes of the PP and is therefore still

not in the publication phase.

However, since the work on the roads at La Zenia is considered an urgent priority, and were endorsed in a plenary session, they will be financed from the funds earned from the Orihuela Costa portion of the sale of the coastal plots, as soon as the funds are released.

Meanwhile, is has also come to light that the reason that the Orihuela Costa does not have bus stops on the La Zenia roundabout route is that, unlike neighbouring municipalities, nobody from the then government of Orihuela apparently requested them when the N-332 was widened. In Torrevieja and Pilar de la Horadada the bus stops were constructed as part of the widening scheme and the Ministry paid the bill. Now, due to the apparent lack of action previously, the municipality will have to fund the 102,000 euro bill for these too.

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www.yourlocalnewspaper.info HELLO HELI

Spain has taken delivery of two new Airbus Helicopters this week, as part of a seven-helicopter contract agreed in February.

The DGT traffic department has received the first of four AS355 NP Ecureuil helicopters, and the National Police received their first of three EC135 helicopters.

NEW TV The Ministry of Industry has confirmed that five new television networks will be licensed within the first half of 2015, four in high definition (HD) and one in standard definition (SD). The move is part of the clearing and reallocation of the airwaves which has resulted in televisions across the country having to be retuned before some of the channels are switched off next week.

SHOPPING WORM Shoppers to Mercadona supermarkets will no doubt be aware af the catchy sung jingle as you wander through the shops, with its repetitive melody to the word of “Mer-CA-do-o-na, Merc-Adon-A”, well after being composed 30 years ago, the tune has been patented by the company, after the tune is becoming seemingly more viral thanks to the internet. Quite whether they will follow a recent trend in banning people for singing Happy Birthday thanks to its copyrights remains to be seen.

SHOPPING RUSS Despite continuing sanctions across the western world, a number of mainstream Spanish companies are continuing their expansion programs into the Russian markets. Inditex has 442 stores in Russia, of which 84 are of the Zara brand, 79 are Bershkas, 73 Pull & Bear and another 73 Stradivarius. Mango has 33 stores and hopes to reach 174 next year. Cortefiel has 70 stores currently, the largest number being from the Women´s Secret chain with 41, plus 29 Springfield stores.

Monday, 22nd December, 2014

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EASYJET CONNECT ALICANTE TO RO ME AND HA MBURG The British budget airline EasyJet has expanded its routes next summer and will now be offering flights between Alicante, Hamburg and Rome between March and October. according to a company statement.

The company already flies 14 European routes from Alicante carrying about 1.4 million passengers a year. A spokesperson said that tickets are currently available to purchase for the two new routes on the Easyjet website.

The Hamburg route will operate from 30 March to 29 October, 2015, with two weekly flights - on Mondays and Thursdays - while the Rome (Leonardo da Vinci airport) operation will fly three times a week on Monday, Thursday / Friday and Sunday between 29 March and 1 October.

Current costs for the AlicanteHamburg flights recorded during the last 10 days have been pitched from

25.49 euros one way, including taxes while the connections to Rome can be reserved today from 29.49 euros each way.

The CEO of EasyJet in Spain, Javier Gándara, said that "the opening of two new routes once again demonstrates the airline’s commitment to "sustained growth in Spain".

"Alicante is one of the main airports used by the airline in Spain and two new routes will increase the number of our destinations to 14, which is a very significant figure and demonstrates our commitment to the region," said Gándara .

He stressed that "Hamburg and Rome are two very attractive destinations for holiday passenger from Alicante for their climates and their cultural appeal,” adding that the feasibility of both routes had been the subject of a great deal of study and consideration which they hope to be extremely popular and in high demand.

AENA OFFER TO RUN COR VERA Spanish airport operator AENA has offered to run the new Murcia Regional airport at Corvera, despite saying that they will not close San Javier unless they receive 72 million euro in compensation for their investment there, and despite the fact that the original plans for Corvera were for it to be run by a private operator.

The current owner of Corvera, Sacyr, now faces new conditions imposed by the Ministry of Development, which could hinder their planned opening for operations in April next year, even though they have already hired a number of workers.

It is possible that under the new conditions, AENA could be the only viable option for the management of the facility, after a lack of agreement between the Ministry and Sacyr at the last meeting in Madrid.

Sacyr has said that they will not leave the airport, after investing 6 million euro, unless their outstanding issues are resolved or better terms are presented.

FIRE FIGHTERS TO SHARE COVERAGE The City of Alicante and the Provincial Government have signed a collaboration agreement in which each of their fire and rescue services will assist in attending incidents across the borders of their areas of responsibility.

As such, the Alicante based Servicio de Prevención, Extinción de Incendios y Salvamento, or SPEIS, will attend incidents at Arenales del Sol, El Altet, Torrellano, Mutxamel, Hospital de San Juan, Muchavista y El Campello, the road tunnel on the A-70 at San Juan, and Alicante-Elche airport, should they be closer and able to provide a faster response.

Meanwhile, the areas of Pla de Vallonga, Atalayas, El Rebolledo, Verdegás, Alcoraya, Moralet, La Cañada, Barrio Granada, Garrachico and Rabasa

will also now fall under the same terms of the shared agreement.

However, the socialist group have been critical of the agreement, saying that it is motivated by the lack of fire fighters employed to cover the south of the SPEIS area, and the transfer of responsibility at the fire station of San Juan.

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

YOUR VERY LAST CHANCE TO BE HEARD Around 200 additional people have registered to vote on the Orihuela Costa, partly thanks to the information table in the town hall, which has been staffed by volunteers since October.

According to the Institute of National Statistics, who sent out a total of 3,625 postal communications to those people who were newly registered on the padrón since the last elections, there were 4,733 foreign residents on the Orihuela Costa registered to

vote at the end of September, to which the 200 must now be added, thus meaning almost 5,000 foreigners, out of the near 36,000 total population of the coast are now registered to vote, but that figure equates to less than 5% of the population of the municipality.

The latest overall census figures published in August revealed that the number of residents in the coastal zone was 35,599. Of that figure, 18,177, more than half, are British citizens, although there are a total of 71 nationalities represented.

As the deadline for registering is fast approaching, the 30th of December being the final day, it is crucial that anybody who wishes to try to make a difference registers to vote, in order to have your voice heard in the elections in May next year.

Despite many residents persistently voicing complaints throughout this and previous political administrations, in the last municipal elections the total voter turnout was just 42% on the Orihuela Costa, whereas in the city the figure was 75%.

The message is clear for those people on the coast who feel that they have been neglected, the only way to have the needs of the Orihuela Costa recognised is to register and then vote in the elections.

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ORIHUELA COUNCILLOR RESIGNS Unassigned councillor of Orihuela, Asunción Mayoral, has announced her resignation from the council will be formally presented at the monthly plenary session held on Monday.

Having joined the government as part of the CLr-CLARO coalition in the elections of 2011, Mayoral was ejected from her group in January of 2013.

Although the political situation of Orihuela has seen countless changes during this administration, with just months to go before the next elections, the future of Orihuela will once again be in the hands of the voters.

Having also supported the expulsion of Bob Houliston in the past when working with the group led by Pedro Mancebo and Juan Ignacio López-Bas, Mayoral publically apologised for her part in his downfall, saying, “I have apologized to Houliston privately and now I do it in public”, adding that having first trusted the opinions of her two political partners, time has demonstrated he (Houliston) only wanted to carry out legitimate interests”.

Mayoral had recently tabled an anti-corruption motion in the Orihuela

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BACK OF THE NET! Having already hosted the men's World Cup last summer, Spain has beaten Israel in a bid to host the 2018 Women's Basketball World Cup. Spain has one of the best women's teams in the world, winning the European championship in 2013, and was runnerup in this year's world championship. FIBA says on its website that Spain "has past experience of hosting a FIBA world event."

OIL BE LUCKY

NO ORIHUELA CENSURE MOTION THIS TERM

Spanish oil company Repsol is set to take over Canadian energy company Talisman Energy, after approval was obtained by the Repsol board this week.

Talisman Energy Inc. is a global upstream oil and gas company, with headquarters in Calgary, Canada, operating throughout the Americas and Asia-Pacific. Now one of Canada's largest independent oil and gas companies, is was founded in 1992 by the renaming of BP Canada Ltd.

The hopes and dreams of some Orihuela politicians will not be realised this Christmas, as it has now been confirmed as seemingly impossible for the censure motion to overthrow the government to take place.

The courts in Elche have called the two council members of the Table of Elders to testify as witnesses in the case, Bob Houliston and Carolina Gracia, but the hearing will not be held until April of next year, a month before the municipal elections.

Although it is doubtful that the matter will be resolved in a single day, it now seems clear that this current administrative term will continue with the minority government of the PSOE and Los Verdes, before the public are able to decide again who runs the municipality from May.

The Spanish government has published a draft tax reform bill that would see income tax gradually decreased to 25% in 2016.

There would be an interim reduction to 28% in 2015, election year, whilst certain benefits and tax deductions would be eliminated. IVA, VAT has not been included in the bill, despite recommendations by the advisory

TAXING TIMES

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ORIHUELA COSTA TOWN HALL OPENING HOURS The Orihuela Costa town hall will be open throughout most of the Christmas period, closing only on the public holidays and weekends.

Between the 22nd of December and the 10th of January, the opening hours will be from 08:00 until 14:30, with an extension of the normal time on account of the staff having to complete additional hours as part of their contract.

The building will be closed on Christmas Day, the 25th of December, New Year´s Day, the 1st of January, and 3 King´s Day, the 6th of January.

On Christmas and New Year´s Eve, the 24th and 31st of December, the normal operations of the town hall will be closed, and only the registry will be open, from 09:00 until 13:00.

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

ORIHU ELA’S TOURIST TRAIN

Starting on Tuesday and running until the 6th of January, visitors to the historic city of Orihuela will be able to take in some of the most beautiful of the touristic sites on offer, without having to walk through the streets, as a tourist train will take you around for the first time ever.

Announce this week by the Councillor for Tourism, Rosa Martínez of the PSOE, the train will take in four different routes through the city, most tours lasting around an hour, and visiting numerous places of recognised cultural interest. What´s more, a ticket to board the train only costs a euro, so a cheap ride out for the entire family is within most people´s reach.

There is an extended tour too, which lasts for twice as long, and gives an “Overview of Orihuela”, taking in as many of the sites possible all in once.

As for the timetable, the schedule sees departures from the central tourist office at 10:30 and 16:30 for the tour of El Palmeral, at 11:30 and 17:30 for the cultural tour of the historic centre, at 12:30 for the two hour tour of the city´s panorama, and at 15:30 to the Murales de San Isidro.

Martínez stressed in her presentation how the tourist train is used as a tool in many large cities, as well as those with a cultural heritage, for which Orihuela cannot “lag behind” in this kind of initiative, that provides a “view of the city from a different perspective”.

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RAISING THE STANDARD OF TOURISM Coming in second place, just behind the joint winners of the provincial capitals of Valencia and Alicante, Orihuela is the second city of the Community with the largest number of companies who have earned the distinctive quality of tourism award, presented by Turespaña.

Orihuela can boast a having a total of 39 companies or services from the tourism sector who have been awarded the distinction, with Alicante and Valencia both having 43, despite being of a considerably larger size, both geographically and in terms of the number of operating companies, as awarded by the Turespaña Distinction Committee, the official

agency of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism.

Benidorm, Torrevieja, Peñíscola, Oropesa del Mar, Gandía and Benicàssim have also seen companies granted the award which reflects their commitment to ensuring standards of quality are implemented and maintained to ensure a consistency within the tourist sector through customer service and attention to detail.

Five beaches of the Orihuela Costa have been recognised with the standard under the Sistema de Calidad Turística en Destinos, or Sicted, along with five restaurants and catering companies, eight museums or cultural centres, two cafe bars, two hotels and two tourist information offices, amongst others.

January will see the registration period open for companies who wish to register an interest in achieving the award for next year, with application open to all companies within the sector. As Orihuela is becoming a firm benchmark for standards in quality in tourism, it can only lead to an improvement of services to the consumer, and a higher profile of the municipality within the tourist field that others must now achieve in order to reach the setting standards.

A GIFT OF CHRISTMAS Since the beginning of December, a giant box has been present in the reception of the Orihuela Costa town hall, which has gradually been filling with gifts to be donated to those less fortunate at Christmas.

The Councillor for the Coast, Martina Scheurer, has been in touch with the priest Joaquín from the church of La Zenia to provide accurate information about the children of around 75 families who are being helped by the Cáritas organisation on the Orihuela Costa.

The councillor would like to thank everybody for the numerous donations from individuals and associations of the Little Pod Foundation and Rendezvous Girls Social Club for their extremely generous contributions.

Santa was on hand this week in the town hall too, making sure that all of the presents matched the lists of requests he´s received so far, and he also brought a sack full of chocolate treats to add to the gifts already donated.

Kids must stop reading here, but for the adults only, thanks are also extended to Mal for playing the part of Santa once more.

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www.yourlocalnewspaper.info CHEERS MAHOU

The Mahou San Miguel group of Madrid has purchased a 30% stake in the American brewery Founders Brewing Co, based Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Founders said the partnership would help the brewery tap the growing international market for craft beer, as well as allow Mahou to become directly involved in the U.S. craft beer market.

Monday, 22nd December, 2014

LIGHT, MUSIC AND SNOW MARKS THE LAUNCH OF PILAR CHRISTMAS

Christmas came to Pilar de la Horadada at the weekend with the switch on of the lights and the opening of the Nativity Belen. As hundreds of people gathered in la Plaza Campoamor council staff provided a snow and music show before distributing traditional Christmas sweets to the children.

Mayor José Fidel Ros, was joined by councilor for Festivals, Asunción Sánchez, and other city officials, who took the opportunity to congratulate Pilar residents on yet another year of significant achievements by the town.

The mayor said that once again the council was able to provide lots of different activities across the region as well as erecting Christmas light displays in Pilar de la Horadada, Pinar de la Perdiz, Pinar de Campoverde, Mil Palmeras and Torre de la Horadada.

But the main attraction for the younger members of the crowd was the snow, albeit artificial, as crowds enjoyed a selection of children's workshops, tastings, etc.

A full programme of Christmas activities can be found in full at the following link: www.pilardelahoradada.es

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EL CHAPARRAL’S NEW PARK ANNOUNCED

The Regional Director General of Work for the Generalitat Valenciana, Rafael Miró, has announced this week that work will begin shortly on a new 40,000 square metre green area located in the El Chaparral urbanisation, which will be constructed by utilising 40 local unemployed people on temporary contracts, similar to the schemes operating on the Orihuela Costa recently.

The announcement was made as delegates accompanied the Mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, in the inauguration of the final stage of construction of the Parque Reina de la Sal, which has been con-

AMAZONING Global on-line shopping giant Amazon has signed a partnership deal with Spain´s Correos post offices to provide their “Click-and-collect” service across the country. Having already launched the service in the UK, the company will now have access to 2,400 outlets across Spain, tripling their distribution network already in place through local businesses and shops. The online retailer said that collection points had become a preferred delivery option for many consumers and that the network of thousands of post offices, and would provide maximum convenience for consumers, presumably them never having used one of the Spanish post offices themselves.

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cluded by another 22 student workers who joined the apprenticeship training scheme.

The final phase of the work at the Reina de la Sal park is on a 14,000 square metre plot, from a total area of 35,000 square metres, which has now included green elements, as well as sports facilities.

At the inauguration, Rafael Miró stressed that the creation of the Los Balcones based park represents one of the best yet created under the employment workshop scheme across Valencia, and thanked the mayor for his involvement and commitment to the implementation of the scheme.

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‘Twitters from the Atlantic’ By Barrie Mahoney Barrie Mahoney was a head teacher and school inspector in the UK, as well as a reporter in Spain, before moving to the Canary Islands to launch and edit a new English language newspaper. He enjoys life in the sun as a columnist and author, and continues to write a series of popular novels, books for expats, as well as designing mobile apps and websites to promote the Canary Islands.

The Non-designer Christmas Tree We are often told that “design is everything” and it is certainly true that if a product is appealing to the eye, functional and works as intended, sales may react accordingly.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday and all the other preChristmas nonsense aside, I enjoy looking at Christmas trees and decorations. Stepping inside a shopping centre, large stores and small shops can be a feast to the eye with beautifully designed, co-ordinated Christmas trees adorned with bows, balls and tinsel.

On December 6 each year, our Christmas tree appears for the festive season. Those who see our tree will probably think it is anything but colour coordinated or carefully designed. It is a cacophony of colour, with decorations made from a wide variety of materials, and of all different shapes and sizes. Some of the decorations span well into the previous century since they have been handed down over several generations. Our tree represents a lifetime of our own personal memories, as well as from those who have gone before us. The oldest item is a sugar biscuit, which I was told used to adorn my great grandparents’ Christmas tree.

We do not call our tree a Christmas tree, but a ‘Memory Tree’. The beginning of our Christmas is careful decoration of the tree, recalling what the various items mean to us, where they came from and what has happened to the people who gave us the ornaments or small trinkets; it can be a lengthy process only interrupted by the odd mince pie

and glass of our favourite malt whisky. Family, friends past and present, neighbours, gifts from pupils, colleagues, as well as items that my partner and I have collected over many years together find a place on the ‘Memory Tree’. If we have not collected anything together during the year on our travels, we make a point of buying a small item before Christmas that means something special to both of us.

The usual baubles that I remember hanging on our family tree as a child with my mother, are now joined by glass angels, a distinctive blue and white Delft bear from Amsterdam, a china gondola from Venice, a wooden tram carriage from San Francisco, which contrast with a white swan beautifully made from a length of white ribbon by an elderly lady who visited my school weekly to help pupils with their reading. There are toy bears and knitted robins made by past pupils, a giraffe from South Africa, together with several beautiful toys, intended for a charity sale, made by my partner’s mother. The last, and particularly special item to be added to the top of our ‘Memory Tree’ is a rather worse-for-wear fairy, given to me by my favourite aunt for my first Christmas. Some would refer to the collection of bits and pieces on our ‘Memory Tree’ as ‘clutter’, but they are the ones who do not know the many stories that each represents. ‘Designer’ it certainly is not, nor is there an ornate bow to be seen.

One of the most poignant memories this year will be hanging a beautiful decoration on the tree given to us by a close friend who died earlier this year. When he gave it to us, he knew that it would be his last Christmas. His final visit to our home was when he arrived just before Christmas clutching a small, beautifully wrapped box. We could see that buying it had given him great pain and effort in travelling to his favourite store. As usual with our friend, it was a gift well chosen. As he handed it to us, he said very little, but we knew that it was his last gift to us - a beautiful memory of him for the future.

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday now behind us, it is time for us to enjoy Christmas in our own special ways. We all have unique ways of celebrating the Christmas season. For some it will be for its religious significance, for others it will time for a good ‘booze up’, eating far too much food and partying with friends, and others will be enjoying a quiet time with their families. However, many people will be on their own, either through choice or because they have no one to share the holiday season with. I hope that they, in particular, will use their

memories from happier times to comfort and sustain them through what can be a painful time of the year. However you choose to enjoy the Christmas season, may it be one that creates many happy memories for the future.

If you enjoyed this article, take a look at Barrie’s websites: www.barriemahoney.com and www.thecanaryislander.com or read his latest book, ‘Escape to the Sun’ (ISBN: 9780957544444). Available as paperback, Kindle and iBooks. iPhone/iPad and Android Apps: ExpatInfo, CanaryIsle and CanaryGay now available. © Barrie Mahoney

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V I T A L WAT E R PIPES SUFFER S E C ON D B U R S T

Just a month after thousands of litres of water burst out from the Tajo-Segura water pipes in Orihuela, another burst this week has amplified the problem as thousands more litres spewed out from a second burst.

Neighbours living near to the pipe noticed a loud noise that was unexplainable at the time, and so many of them left their homes to investigate. Once outside, it became clear what the problem was, as a huge spout of water could be seen from all around, gushing from the pipes.

Within minutes, the surrounding land had flooded, with plants, vegetables and flowers drowned under

the deluge which also threatened the nearby homes.

With reports made to the local police, attempts to rectify the leak were problematic on account of the waterlogged ground underneath, around half of which is live agricultural land growing such crops as broccoli.

Residents have been critical of the lack of action in repairing the damage this time, especially given the burst a month ago and the apparent condition of the entire line of piping. One resident even reporting how the location of this burst was checked by inspectors after the last flood, but they did nothing to repair it, even though water could be seen trickling out of seemingly weakened connectors.

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LEADER INTERNATIONAL EMERGENCY SURGEONS TO MEET IN TORREVIEJA HOSPITAL ADVERTISING HOTLINE

The Hospital Universitario de Torrevieja will play host to emergency surgeons from across the globe in February, as they hold the fifth edition of a training course in emergency medicine.

Taking place from the 6th of February, the “V Emergency Abdominal Surgery Course”, as it has been titled in English, will bring together medics from the likes of the U.K., Ireland and Portugal, and aims to offer a unique opportunity to “deepen the development and optimization of medical and surgical treatment of urgent conditions, which is essential for reducing mortality and improving the results”, according to the lead general surgeon promoting the event, Doctor Isidro Martínez.

Dealing with various key stages of emergency treatment, the course will offer insights into disease, clinical patterns, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies and results. It is based on the discussion of the decision process and surgical technique, and mixing didactic lectures and interaction with clinical scenarios, all complete with a manual containing the papers.

Registration is free for those registered as working in the fields of emergency medicine, including radiology, gastroenterology, anaesthesia, intensive care and nursing, and can be applied for directly with the hospital or their website, www.torreviejasalud.com.

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

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ELVIS’S CADILLAC IS IN THE BUILDING

By Nick Ireland

The latest exhibit to go on display in the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu is the 1977 Cadillac Seville purchased and driven by the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley.

The Cadillac was purchased by Elvis in October 1976 for his own use and he chose the burgundy and silver colour scheme himself. The car is in original condition and still has the CB radio installed that Elvis used to communicate with the kitchen at Graceland and to the guardhouse outside Graceland,

to open the gates.

One of the first people to see the car at Beaulieu was Lady Fiona Montagu, wife of the museum’s founder, Lord Montagu. Lady Montagu has been a life-long fan of the King and posed for a picture beside the car in her own version of Elvis’s famous Las Vegas white jumpsuit. Lady Montagu said: “I am a huge fan and had the costume made to wear at an Elvis themed fund raising evening we held in the museum last year in support of our Beaulieu education charity, the Countryside Education Trust.”

Previously auctioned in Las Vegas in 1994 and sold for $101,500 to a private collector, it again came up for sale in August when Graceland held its first ever auction. The auction coincided with Elvis Week at Graceland, which commemorates the legend's death on August 16th, 1977. The car was purchased at the auction for $81,250 by Steve Horn as a present for his wife Suzannah. Steve and Suzannah who are great Elvis fans, run Europe’s Tribute to Elvis, an annual Europe tribute artist contest held in Blackpool with the winner taking part in the contest finals in Memphis. Explaining their decision to offer the car for display at Beaulieu, Steve said: “We wanted to give all of Elvis’s UK fans an opportunity to see his car and Beaulieu is the perfect location.

We are delighted they could find a space for it.”

The Cadillac was the last car Elvis purchased for his personal use and he drove it on the day prior to his death. It is believed that Elvis purchased more than 200 Cadillacs in his life; for himself, friends, family and even strangers.

After his death it was gifted by his father, Vernon, to Elvis’s girlfriend, Ginger Alden.

The car is now on display in the National Motor Museum and can be seen as part of a visit to the whole Beaulieu attraction, www.beaulieu.co.uk.

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THE THE LAST LAST TUK-TUK TUK-TUK IN IN ALICANTE ALICANTE

isitors to Alicante may well have seen something that the residents and workers have come accustomed to for many years, but the last working Tuk-Tuk that served the city streets has been retired, after the owner came tired of persistently falling foul of traffic laws.

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The owner of the “carromato”, Tomás Buforns Solbes, used the vehicle for providing an economical and environmentally friendlier delivery service though the streets of the provincial capital, as has his family for around a half a century.

However, in the last month alone, Tomás has been slapped with four different tickets for motoring offences, totalling 400 euro in fines.

Although it could easily be argued that there is a justification for the police to issue a ticket for a vehicle that doesn´t have a mandatory ITV certificate, as well as not having the vehicle regis-

tered correctly, but Tomás believes that the fact he and his vehicle are providing a “service” justifies the lack of documentation. Similarly, the ticket issued for driving and parking on a pedestrian area was considered unfair by Tomás, on account, once again, of the fact that he was “carrying out a service”.

Suffering sleepless nights on account of the threat of being towed away, as well as the increase risk of watchful traffic cops enforcing the law, are the combinations that have forced Tómas to make the heartbreaking decision to stop operating his service, “I am very nervous and have had several days without sleep”, he said, “The motorcycle police have told me that if I don´t do what they say they will have my vehicle towed away”, continuing, “I already paid two fines and this week I had to pay another 100 euro, Tuesday 2nd have to pay another 100 within twenty days or I have to pay twice”.

Officials from the traffic department have said that they have no intention “eliminating” this urban icon “provided it meets all the regulations”, but as that seems unlikely that Tómas will concede to the fact that the rules apply to all, the last working Tuk-Tuk of Alicante may soon be banished to the history books.

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

REASONS TO BE MERRY ON THE ORIHU ELA COSTA The Orihuela Costa Branch of the Royal British Legion got their Christmas Celebrations off to the best possible start with their traditional seasonal entertainment, a most enjoyable concert hosted once again by the TAABS. This popular group, pictured below, singing for the 4th consecutive evening, sang a variety of widely known songs and carols culminating once again with the holiday favourite, ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ although not all the verses quite as writer Frederick Austin might have wished.

The evening also presented an opportunity for the Branch to offer their congratulations to member Geoff Matthews of Campoverde who had celebrated his 92nd birthday earlier in the week. He is shown alongside with two relatively ‘junior members’ of the Branch, Wayne and Skippy, both enjoying a short break with us here in Spain from their home in the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

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‘CAROLS AT CHRISTMAS’ – PRESENTED BY THE UNITED ENGLISH-SPEAKING CHURCHES On Wednesday 10th Dec, more than 300 people attended this event – held at TCF. This year saw a completely new format. Actors from a number of different Churches made up the cast of the Nativity story in full costume – with each set of actors entering while appropriate carols were being sung.

Readers from the various Churches reminded us of the story of the First Christmas; and the programme was interspersed with singing items. Cathy Carson (La Siesta) sang ‘Mary, did you know?’; the trio of Robert, John and Peter (ICA) sang ‘A Starry Night’; and Pastor Roy

Davies (TCF) sang ‘This Little Child’.

The Phoenix Concert Band provided the music for the carols; and also played a medley of well-known Christmas songs during the programme.

We are grateful that everyone who took part did so without accepting any fee for their contribution. This meant that the entire collection could be given to this year’s nominated Charity – AFA Torrevieja (Alzheimer’s Association). Dª Matilde Sánchez Cervera received the €1,000 raised on behalf of AFA. This was a great evening of celebration.

Make a date in your diary to join us next year on the second Wednesday in December (9th).

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n a lavish two page spread in last week’s Leader, studded with official Orihuela Town Hall shields and no doubt therefore paid by the taxpayers, Martina Scheurer, councillor for the coast boasts, about her achievements in the last two years.

Some of them are minor indeed. Others are a distortion of the truth.

Finally she omits altogether mention of major issues of concern to people living in Orihuela Costa. She is electioneering and such lavish advertisements should be issued and paid for in the name of her party and not under the shield of the Orihuela Town Hall.

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

BURNING WASTE TIP Not a single mention from Martina Scheurer about the illegal burning waste tip located on the Pilar/Orihuela Costa border which, giving off toxic fumes, poses a serious health threat to those living in Las Ramblas and elsewhere in Orihuela Costa, depending on how the wind blows. C.L.A.R.O. has made the running on behalf of those most affected, helping to get the question raised in the Valencia Parliament and in the European Parliament. Martina Scheurer’s Green Party has shown no interest in the matter.

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safe is the rest of this 2 kilometre walkway? Anyone who walks below the large overhanging cliff walls will rightly wonder. An accident waiting to happen? Preventative measures needed now.

At no expense to the taxpayer and in half the space, C.L.A.R.O. wants to put the picture straight. And at the same time, we wish all living in Orihuela Costa a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year which will be in your hands on the day of the local elections on 24 May, 2015.

WHAT MARTINA SCHEURER DID NOT SAY GARDEN RUBBISH AND BULKY WASTE Throughout the year, especially in the summer but again now, uncollected garden waste lines the streets of Orihuela Costa. With minor expense, additional machinery and manpower could keep our streets clean. The solution to the problem of garden waste is to recycle it and sell it as fuel or fertiliser. This recycling should be carried out beside the collection point for bulky waste items such as mattresses and old fridges which also disgrace our streets.

After two years Martina Scheurer has still not decided where this “Ecopark” will be located. Pedro Mancebo’s CLR party want to locate the “Ecopark” in Lomas de Cabo Roig. C.L.A.R.O. and the minority government opposed this proposal. Martina Scheurer should decide where she wants to locate this necessary urban facility and end the uncertainty which is affecting too many people.

LA ZENIA ROUNDABOUT It is a year since the Roads Ministry announced the closure of two roads off La Zenia Roundabout which would have had disastrous effects on the more than 60 local businesses in the area, business which compete against the nearby mighty La Zenia Boulevard. The announced closure was suspended after a newly formed Citizens Association mounted protests.

The suspension is conditional on Orihuela Town Hall taking measures to reduce congestion and improve pedestrian safety. All the Councillor for the coast says in her two-page spread is that she plans to provide for two bus stops.

They will have little effect on the congestion and road safety problem and the situation will get much worse when the long awaited Emergency Services Centre is completed, adding police cars, ambulances and fire engines to the existing congestion. Radical measures are called for and an accompanying budget. Instead her Green councillor colleague announced recently a €320,000 urban improvement project - in Orihuela city.

ELIMINATION OF HOME POSTAL DELIVERIES In the two page spread there is no mention either of the major inconvenience caused to residents in the five major urbanisations Campoamor, Cabo Roig, La Regia and La Zenia I and II who do not have multi-mail boxes and have to go to the Post Office to collect their mail after a cost-cutting decision to eliminate home deliveries.

Everyone who uses the post office in Playa Flamenca is affected by the extra queues caused by those going to collect their mail. The Town Hall has reacted to popular pressure and that of C.L.A.R.O. and several months ago agreed to take the matter to court. Ironically, a civil servant in the Town Hall was probably largely to blame for the decision by declaring, without political approval, that Orihuela Costa is not an integrated urban area. In other words, we are just a collection of unconnected urbanisations and do not have the same rights as those with the same level of population (35,000) living in Orihuela city.

COASTAL WALKWAYS AND BEACH BARS Martina Scheurer is pictured in her two page spread proudly inaugurating an additional 30 metres of finished coastal walkway (Paseo Maritimo) in Cala Capitan. The photo below is opposite this little walkway addition. It shows cliff falls which have resulted in the closure for the last two years of a section of the very popular Cabo Roig coastal walkway. Two years is a long time to wait for the relatively minor works which will enable this section to be reopened. But how

On the subject of the Cabo Roig coastal walkway, we have been waiting all year for the wall illegally closing the coastal walkway between Auguamarina and Cabo Roig to be removed. Thanks to the construction of this wall, erected by local residents who want to privatise the coastal walkway, a 2 kilometre deviation is necessary to complete this picturesque walk. Promises, but no action.

Finally, Martina Scheurer fails to mention that she has been taken to court over the controversial way in which she contracted the beach bar licenses earlier in the summer.

ORIHUELA COSTA CHEATED OUT OF FULL 40% OF FUNDS FROM THE SALE OF LAND And the biggest whopper of them all! Martina Scheurer states that the budgetary commitment to allocate 40% of the money from the sale of municipal land on the coast for investments in the area “has not changed at all”.

How can she say this when the government of which she is a member took €900,000 of the total of €4.6 millions from the sale of land and allocated it for the completion of a Civic Centre in the village of La Aparecida, with a population of less than 3,000 inhabitants. As a result of this decision, Orihuela Costa was cheated out of €500,000 and will only receive €1.4 millions instead of €1.8-1.9 millions.

Given the small amounts Orihuela Costa receives for investments, this is a huge loss. And the fact of the matter is that La Aparecidea could have received €900,000 to complete its Civic Centre, which all parties including C.L.A.R.O. think is right, from the share of 30% of the total of €4.6 million which will go to financing investments in Orihuela’s surrounding villages. And there would have been another €500,000 left over for investments in other villages.

Orihuela Costa, with ten times the population of La Aparecida, needs a proper civic centre too – the present civic centre in Alameda del Mar is in reality a centre for activities of retired citizens – 80% organised by two private associations.

A proper Civic Centre should offer more: an auditorium for cultural performances, music dance, pantomime as well as a proper public library (Orihuela has two) not a far off reading corner with second hand books run by volunteers. We also need rooms for the activities of the many groups and associations on the coast which run choirs, dance groups, youth activities or simply social activities. For the moment these associations have to seek rooms in bars and restaurants for which they often pay a high price.

And without a proper Civic Centre, Orihuela Costa will continue to fail to get a single activity financed from Orihuels’s annual cultural budget of €1 million. Martina Scheurer makes excuses for this discrimination against Orihuela Costa, claiming either we do not need a Civic Centre, that they could not provide the staff if there was one or that the European Union will pay for it – there is as much chance of that as there is of snow on La Zenia beach at Christmas.

The solution. Martina Scheurer should tell the truth, change her government’s decision and respect the C.L.A.R.O. and Popular Party motions recently approved in the Town Council calling for the full 40% of funds for Orihuela Costa and a proper Civic Centre.

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

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QUICKIE CROSSWORD

PRIZE CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

Complete the cryptic crossword below and send it into our offices at CC Los Dolses (above Cardmania) and the first correct entry drawn will win a EUR 25 prize. The draw will take place on the Saturday, at noon, following publication. Remember to put your phone number and name on the entry.

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN

25 EURO WINNER

PHILLIP COUSINS

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Badly hurt girl (4) 3. It may be his aim, collectively (8) 8. A side of meat, perhaps (4) 9. Mountain-climbing drink leads to a sort of friendship (8) 11. University entertainment in London (6,6) 13. Money on account causes stress (6) 14. Chess piece to throw at the French (6) 17. Concentrate on a petty nation's trouble (3,9) 20. Horserace you could put a grand on? (8) 21. The French ship carries a smaller amount (4) 22. Killed for returning silver that has decayed (8) 23. Dust all over the farm (4)

DOWN 1. Logical to restrict supply of a number (8) 2. Trade in vehicles (7) 4. Time the backward company got a security device (6) 5. Possibly rate tennis as it provides amusement (10) 6. Back the high-class Indian (5) 7. Religious instruction at church for the wealthy (4) 10. Cause to turn the boat around (5,5) 12. Like a dipsomaniac reindeer (3-5) 15. Three-pronged spear I had found in the river (7) 16. Bombard faster somehow (6) 18. Current peak for a performer (5) 19. Comfortable about weapons (4)

QUICK ACROSS: 7 Obese; 8 Thirsty; 9 Vitriol; 10 Dirge; 12 Changeable; 15 Antagonise; 18 Tiara; 19 Gallant; 21 Netball; 22 River.

DOWN: 1 Conversant; 2 Heats; 3 Semi; 4 Stolen; 5 Kindness; 6 Ascribe; 11 Elementary; 13 Hogmanay; 14 Straits; 16 Niggle; 17 Waive; 20 Lord.

CRYPTIC ACROSS: 7 Rolls; 8 Ebbtide; 9 Stuarts; 10 Optic; 12 Stonemason; 15 Tolerantly; 18 Santa; 19 Tillers; 21 Console; 22 Satin.

DOWN: 1 Prospectus; 2 Claus; 3 Tsar; 4 Lessen; 5 Abnormal; 6 Fittest; 11 Conversant; 13 Tarragon; 14 Planing; 16 Netted; 17 Lento; 20 Last.

SUDOKU CHALLENGE Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

Solution on Page 39

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32

40

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BONUS BALL

28

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29

31

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LUCKY STARS

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Tuesday Euromillions jackpot 14 million euro

ACROSS 1.

3.

8.

9.

11.

13.

14.

17.

20.

21.

22.

23.

Counterfeit (4) Sheath (8) Duty list (4) Spring flower (8) Bridal gown (7,5) Accounts book (6) From that place (6) Secret (12) Responded (8) Siamese (4) Glass vessel (4,4) Curved structure (4)

DOWN 1.

2.

4.

5.

6.

7.

10.

12.

15.

16.

18.

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Goodbye (8) Insect (7) Alter (6) In advance (10) Assistants (5) Uninteresting (4) Secondary result (4,6) Nearly (4-4) Not one (7) Modifying word (6) Fertile spot (5) Hypocritical talk (4)

L EA D E R T R I V I A Q U I Z 1. Advent candles are a popular Christmas tradition in many cultures. What does the word advent mean?

2. Who said, "You'll want all day tomorrow, I suppose”?

3. Thousands of what marched on London from Norfolk just prior to Christmas each year in Victorian times?

4. The Bible doesn’t say when Jesus was born. Pope Julius I made this decision in which year? a. 50 AD, b. 350 AD, c. 750 AD, d. 1250 AD 5. Which song was heard on both sides of the trenches on Christmas Eve 1914?

6. In which city is Kevin left 'Home Alone' at Christmas? (The first Home Alone) 7. What do George C. Scott, Alastair Sim, Daffy Duck, Patrick Stewart, Michael Caine, Fred Flintstone and Jim Carrey all have in common?

8. Which German city, famous for its Christmas market (Christkindmarkt) and Christmas ginger bread (Lebkuchen) was once known as the 'ginger bread capital of the world’?

9. Which 'embassy employee' toy was on many a boys Christmas list in 1964-65 ?

10. The following words are from which Christmas songs ? a. and folks dressed up like Eskimos. b. do the fairies keep him sober for a day. c. forever ceasing never. Over us to reign. d. for yellow and red ones let's stop all the fight.

11. Which friar, and the patron saint of, among others, Italy, the Philippines, the environment and stowaways, was the first person to stage a nativity scene (or manger scene) ?

12. The following all mean 'Merry Christmas' in which language ? a. Hyvaa joulua, b. sung tan chuk ha, c. froehliche weihnacten, d. nollaig shona dhuit, e. mele kalikimaka, f. god jul, g. boas festas, h. kala christouyenna 13. There are two 'Christmas islands'. Name the oceans in which they are located.

14. Which Christmas dinner was eaten by Elizabeth I to celebrate the English victory over the Spanish Armada? a. Fish, b. Peacock, c. Goose, d. eel 15. Which Christmas tradition did the very busy Sir Henry Cole introduce in 1843?

1. Arrival, 2. Scrooge to Bob Cratchit in Dicken's 'A Christmas Carol'. 3. Turkeys and Geese (The turkeys wore little learther boots, the geese just had their feet tarred). 4. answer b. 350 ad. 5. Silent Night Stille Nacht. 6. Chicago. 7.

They have all played the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in film or television. 8. Nurnberg. 9. The James Bond 'Attache' Case.

(Today they are collector’s items). 10. Four Answers: a. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire....), b.

Merry Xmas Everybody, c. We Three Kings. d. Happy Christmas (War is over). 11. St. Francis of Assisi ( as a teaching guide for the uneducated ). 12. Eight Answers, a.

Finnish, b. Korean, c. German, d. Irish, e. Hawaiian, f.

Norwegian, g. Portuguese, h. Greek. 13. Pacific and Indian.

14. Answer c. Goose. 15. The sending of Christmas wishes on mass produced Christmas cards.

Torrevieja Call into the office to collect your prize

Santa’s Crossword: Across. 1. Frosty, 4. Sleigh, 8. Elf, 9. Ornaments, 10.

Christmas, 11. Stocking, 12. Tree. Down. 2. Rudolph, 3. Snow, 5. Chimney, 6.

CandyCane, 7. Present, 10. Cookie, 11. Santa.

Frozen – Spot the difference. Snowman hair, snowman buttons, Sven eyes upside down , Sven snow on nose, Hans buttons, Kristoff boots, Kristoff belt, Anna flowers on dress, Elsa fairy above hand.

Santa’s Message: Merry Christmas to all our Junior readers from everyone at the Leader Newspaper.

Christmas Word Search: Merry, Christmas, Vacation, Family, Friends, Gifts, decorations, Shopping, Candy, Giving, Ornaments, Santa, Holiday, Music, Lights, Carols.

LEADER

JUNIOR LEADERS CLUB - SOLUTIONS See how many of the 16 Christmas words you can find ADVERTISING HOTLINE

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

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www.yourlocalnewspaper.info CALL ME HAL

Muslim visitors to the town of Cumbres Mayores in Andalucía can now enjoy one of the traditional Spanish treats, after a Tunisian butcher has created the countries first Islamic certified Halal jamón. Faysal Mrad Dali said, “The first time I came with my family to Spain, to Andalusia, I said, 'Why don't the Muslims have this?'”, and so set about creating the gourmet treat.

I NAME THIS CHURCH The regional government of Andalucía has filed a complaint with the Roman Catholic Church, claiming that they are trying to erase the Islamic history of Córdoba´s mosque-cathedral.

The complaint surrounds the Catholics calling the building the “Córdoba Cathedral”, thus having removed any reference to the mosque, visited by over a million Muslims each year. Cathedral officials deny the allegations and insist that since the 13th century, the monument’s official title has been “The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Cordoba”, after the 8th century Moorish invasion and then transformed into a cathedral after King Ferdinand III captured the city from the Moors. The mosque itself is built over a Christian Visigothic temple.

Monday, 22nd December, 2014

FORMER HEALTH MINISTER GETS LUCRATIVE NEW JOB

The former Spanish Minister for Health, Ana Mato, who tendered her resignation from government in November, while facing corruption charges in the infamous Gürtel case, has this week got a new job and a much higher salary.

Having received the votes of 24 members of her political party, the Partido Popular, Mato has been voted into the post of Vice President of the Committee on International Cooperation. The opposition members all either voted against or abstained, on account of the reasons for her resignation.

Since the proposal of the PP was made public, several opposition spokespeople publicly expressed their dissatisfaction of the PP´s decision to award the former minister with this institutional position emphasizing that Mato resigned after Judge Pablo Ruz stated that evidence shows how she personally benefited from her ex-husband's alleged illegitimate business activities.

Her resignation is on account that she doesn´t want to further damage the public´s opinion of the

ruling Partido Popular government, rocked with scandal after scandal during their current administration.

As a result of this new appointment, in addition to still receiving her monthly salary as a member of the diputacion, Mato will also receive an additional 1,000 euro per month, and will now be paid a total of 4,730.91 euro per month, 56,770.92 euro per year.

As reported earlier this month in The Leader, the latest official figures show that the minimum wage in Spain during 2013 was 9,034 euro which, according to tax office statistics, equates to just 645 euro per month when spread over 14 payments.

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SEVENTEEN MILLION CHRISTMAS TRIPS On Friday, the DGT traffic department announced details of the Christmas campaign for 2014, advising of 17 million vehicle movements during the holiday period.

The first phase in operational now, having started on Friday at 15:00 and will run through to Christmas day, when 6.7 million trips are anticipated, phase 2 runs from the 26th of December until the 1st of January, and phase 3 coincides with 3 Kings from the 2nd to the 6th of January.

The roads expected to be busier are mainly from inner city areas towards the coast and mountainous region, as well as around big cities.

In order to facilitate free flowing traffic, a number of bi-directional lanes have been set up, most road works cancelled and the transport of dangerous goods prohibited at certain times.

The Guardia Civil will have a heavy presence throughout each of the phases, paying close attention to the three main contributing factors to road traffic collisions, speed, alcohol and drugs, and seatbelts, with regular checkpoints set up throughout.

In addition, the DGT will be taking to the air in their traffic monitoring helicopters, and the Pegasus airborne speed radars will be out spotting speeding vehicles at certain times.

As well as avoiding any alcohol or drugs if you are driving, the advice is also to closely monitor weather conditions and allow extra time for your journey.

Meanwhile, the DGT also recommend downloading their smartphone app, following their two Twitter accounts, @informaciónDGT and @DGTes, and visiting their website at www.dgt.es.

LEADER

MADRID PP SUFFER ATTEMPTED CAR BOMB ATTACK Police officers in Madrid arrested a 37 year old Man on Friday, identified as Daniel Pérez, after he crashed his explosive laden car into the Partido Popular headquarters in the capital.

According to police sources, Pérez suffers from schizophrenia and is a known drug user with a police record for a car theft in 1999.

His motivation for the attack was said to be against the political institution, and his choice of the PP was purely coincidental, as all political parties are equally as bad, in his eyes, and he could have attacked any one of them.

Peréz had worked in his home town in a factory in Teruel, but has been unemployed since May. He told the arresting officers that he was a businessman and he was desperate after having lost everything.

An examination of his car revealed several kilos of ammonium nitrate and a timer, described as being of a domestic style.

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

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Half-price New Year health checks save lives

Thousands of people died unnecessarily in 2014 because they didn’t go for simple routine health screening tests. Thousands more will die in 2015.

Make sure you and your loved ones are not among them by starting the year with some essential routine health screening tests. That is the message from Medcare, the British GP practice on the Costa Blanca.

Said Medcare’s Dr Najma Hussain: “Tragically, too many people continue to die unnecessarily because disease is detected far too late for want of a few simple tests.

“Many British expats on the Costa Blanca seem to be particularly vulnerable because language barriers or ignorance of available health screening means they are even less likely to attend for screening.”

Routine health checks and early diagnosis can stop some of the biggest killers from claiming lives – including heart disease, prostate cancer, cervical cancer and breast cancer. Medcare is therefore urging everyone to see their GP to find out what screening is available.

Anyone who is not registered under the Spanish system or prefers to see a private British GP can go to Medcare for health screening. Throughout January the medical practice is offering half-price health screening to encourage as many people as possible to undergo these important checks.

For only 195 euro the Medcare health check includes screening for cervical, breast, bowel and prostate cancer. Comprehensive blood tests will be performed and patients will be screened for many conditions, including diabetes, liver and kidney disease, anaemia, infection, bowel cancer, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and thyroid problems.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR TORREVIEJA STROKE SUPPORT

Patients will also receive an ECG, BMI check, skin cancer and mole check, dental examination, chiropodist foot check and osteopath body alignment check.

“Even if you feel well, you don’t know what is going on inside your body – so health screening is essential for everyone,” stresses Dr Hussain.

“Over the years our health checks have saved many lives as patients have discovered they have the early stages of diseases. It is not easy finding out you have a life-threatening illness, but not finding out will almost certainly be a lot worse.”

Getting a health check could be the most important thing you do in 2015. Don’t waste time, visit your own GP or book your half-price Medcare Health Check for January by calling 966 860 258 or by emailing us at doctors@medcarespain.com. You could save more than just money.

Torrevieja Stroke Support (TSS) would be unable to function without the help and support of volunteers. They are at the heart of what we do. Depending on particular skills or interests, volunteers may support TSS in several ways.

Currently we are looking to replace our Secretary Margaret who is leaving us after three years. If you have experience of committee work and simple petty cash procedures, President Paul Owen, would be pleased to hear from you.

We are also looking for other volunteers who may be able to support stroke sufferers and their carers.

There are several ways in which our volunteers can help, for example: 1. Supporting members to take part in activities organised for the group in liaison with the President and the Friday Group Organiser 2. Accompanying members and carers on outings organised for the group, providing assistance where this is required 3. Organising and participating in awareness raising/fund raising events 4. Making refreshments for members and volunteers at Friday group

meetings 5. Serving on the committee (through elections at the Annual General Meeting) No previous experience necessary – if you like meeting people and are willing to learn then Paul would like to hear from you. Contact details below or visit our website for more information about what we do.

We look forward to hearing from you.

For further information contact: Paul Owen, President : telephone 966 246 229/625 847 170: or Email:strokesupportgroup@hotmail.com or visit our website: www.torreviejastrokesupport.org

24

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DRAMA AND COMEDY TEASE US INTO THE NEW YEAR With so much crammed into the Christmas Schedule, if you thought there was little TV to look forward to in 2015, you’d be wrong!

We will start with drama and the news that viewers of The Missing might already be aware, the fact that a brand new series has been commissioned for BBC One. As the case of Oliver Hughes came to a startling conclusion, BBC One broadcast a cryptic trail revealing clues to a whole new series. The second series will once again be written by Harry and Jack Williams and will be told over two time frames but with a new case, new characters and new location.

“To lose somebody can destroy a person. But to find them again, when so much has passed... Well.

Sometimes...that can be worse.”

Over on ITV and the news is that “The wait is over”, as ITV put it, because the second series of Broadchurch will be back on screen in January 2015. Although the American remake was a ratings disaster, despite still starring David Tennant in the lead role, the original was still one of the most gripping crime dramas of recent times.

Although details of the storyline are being kept a closely guarded secret, we do know that David Tennant returns as Alec Hardy and Olivia Coleman resumes her role as Ellie Miller, last seen when Miller´s life was torn apart after her husband Joe was found involved in the original story. We´ll not give any more details about that either, so as not to spoil it for anybody yet to see it, and perhaps hoping for the DVD set from Amazon.

There are numerous guest stars set to appear in this next story, including Eve Myles of Torchwood and Frankie fame. On the subject of Torchwood, or

more to the point its big brother Dr Who, producer cast as both Virgil and Gordon Tracy. The fifth Steven Moffat has hinted at two major characters Tracy brother, John, will be played by Thomas possibly returning to Doctor Who in the future, per- Brodie-Sangster (Love Actually, Game of Thrones). haps, maybe.

The new series is set to premiere on ITV and CITV With that note, we can continue with a spacey type in spring 2015, 50 years after the TV debut of the return to children´s television, as Thunderbirds will classic show. be Go once again as a brand new series has been Although so called “staged reality” shows and “fly commissioned for CITV. Diehard fans may be a lit- on the wall” documentaries may be all the rage tle disappointed to hear that the wooden acting and these days, Channel 5 are set to take us behind the strings are no more however, as computer generat- scenes with the biggest superstars in advertising ed characters will blaze onto our screens as the history – the PG Tips chimps whose iconic ads ran world’s most famous famifor almost 50 years and ly of heroes, International caught the imagination of Rescue. Thunderbirds Are the nation.

Go will see the five brave ‘The Secrets of the Tea Tracy brothers piloting Chimps’ is the untold their incredible vehicles story of the simian stars into impossible rescues who won our hearts aping across the globe. humans to hilarious comic The cast is led by Bond effect. The documentary is Girl, Rosamund Pike as packed with archive Lady Penelope and David footage and candid testiGraham reprising his role monies from a former as chauffeur and keeper and the writer and International Rescue director that made some of agent Parker. Inventor the most famous tea Brains will be voiced by chimps ads including Mr The 2nd series of Kayvan Novak Shifter, the hapless Broadchurch will be (Fonejacker, Facejacker). removal ‘man’, and takes back in January Tracy brothers Alan and a look at the woman at the Scott Tracy are both played by Rasmus Hardiker heart of these endearing creatures lives, Molly (Saxondale, Lead Balloon). David Menkin has been Badham and her 18-year association with Brooke

Bond.

Finally, we cannot not mention the fact that ITV’s award winning comedy Benidorm is back for a brand new seventh series. As this series begins we prepare to bid a fond farewell to the Garvey family.

But before we say ‘Adios’, there’s one more holiday adventure awaiting Mick (Steve Pemberton), Janice (Siobhan Finneran), Michael (Oliver Stokes) and Madge (Sheila Reid).

As The Garveys fly out, The Oracle (Johnny Vegas), his mother Noreen (Elsie Kelly) and former manager Janey York (Crissy Rock) land in the Solana resort. The customary array of Benidorm’s favourite holidaymakers will appear alongside the ever-resourceful Solana staff including Joyce Temple Savage (Sherrie Hewson), Les/Lesley (Tim Healy) and Mateo (Jake Canuso) who all work to ensure that every guest’s holiday goes to plan.

The wonderful Joan Collins returns as Solana CEO Crystal Hennessy-Vass. Crystal is about to cause huge problems for Joyce Temple Savage and just what will she make of The Oracle?

In episode 1, the Solana staff are angry, as everyone's being given a pay cut. Tiger Dyke is angry too - his cards and cash have been stolen, so he's relying on his Dad. The Garveys are worried Madge is being stalked, while Jacqueline is holidaying without Donald: they've arranged a wife swap to mark their wedding anniversary so she arrives with Glynn. You can catch the first episode of series 7 on ITV, Friday the 2nd of January at 10:00 pm, Spanish time.

22nd december 07:00 Breakfast. 10:00 Film - Race to Witch Mountain (PG). 11:35 Film - Old Dogs (PG). 13:00 Bargain Hunt.

14:00 BBC News at One. 14:30 BBC Regional News.

14:45 Film - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (PG). The second instalment of The Chronicles of Narnia, based on the classic children’s novels by CS Lewis. Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia a year after they left, only to find hundreds of years have passed in the magical land and the rightful heir to the throne, Prince Caspian, is being overthrown.

17:00 Film - Cinderella (U). When Cinderella’s cruel stepmother prevents her from attending the royal ball, she gets unexpected help from some friendly mice and her fairy godmother.

18:15 Pointless. Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman present a special celebrity 1970s edition of the quiz that rewards the answers that no-one else could think of. Featuring Anna Karen and Sally Thomsett, Ed Stewart and Sally James, Rick Wakeman and Roy Wood and Madeline Smith and Paul Henry.

19:00 BBC News at Six. 19:30 BBC Regional News.

20:00 Celebrity Mastermind. John Humphrys puts the questions to presenter Ore Oduba, 2014 Olympic skeleton gold medallist Lizzy Yarnold, The One Show’s Alex Riley and the legendary Ken Dodd, on David Beckham, the Archers, Triumph TR sports cars and theatre variety comedians since 1950.

20:30 A Question of Sport. Sue Barker hosts a festive edition of the lighthearted sports quiz.

21:00 EastEnders. Stacey continues to push Linda for information - is her silence finally over? Emma discovers some surprising new evidence in the Lucy Beale investigation. Dot is in for a huge shock when she returns home.

21:30 Would I Lie to You? Rob Brydon hosts a festive edition of the comedy panel show. David Mitchell is joined by Ray Winstone and Josh Widdicombe, while Lee Mack is joined by Rachel Riley and Ricky Tomlinson.

22:00 John Bishop’s Christmas. John Bishop is joined on stage at the Dominion Theatre in London’s West End by big names in music and comedy. George Ezra and Olly Murs both perform their hits from the

year and Jack Whitehall, Jason Byrne, Katherine Ryan and the Horne Section are some of the comedy acts supplying the laughs, plus a dance routine with 16 Tiller Girls.

23:00 BBC News at Ten. 23:25 BBC Regional News.

23:35 Mrs. Brown’s Boys. Mammy Christmas. Cathy takes exception to having her mother opening her mail and instigates a clever plan for revenge.

00:05 Citizen Khan. 00:35 The Graham Norton Show.

01:20 Weather for the Week Ahead. 01:25 BBC News.

BBC 2 07:25 Mary Berry’s Absolute Christmas Favourites.

07:55 Mary Berry’s Absolute Christmas Favourites.

08:25 Canterbury Cathedral. 09:25 Film - The Bishop’s Wife (U). 11:10 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip. 12:10 Great Continental Railway Journeys. 13:10 Christmas Kitchen with James Martin. 14:00 Christmas Kitchen with James Martin. 14:50 Coast Australia. 15:40 A Place to Call Home. 16:25 A Place to Call Home. 17:10 Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em. 18:00 Flog It. 19:00 Eggheads. 19:30 The Great British Bake Off. 20:30 Top of the Pops 2. 22:00 The Wrong Mans. 23:00 Never Mind the Buzzcocks. 23:30 Brian Pern: A Life in Rock.

00:00 Andy Parsons - Slacktivist. 01:00 Film - Chances Are (PG). 02:45 The Apprentice. 03:45 This is BBC Two. ITV 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show. 07:00 Good Morning Britain. 09:30 Lorraine. 10:25 The Speakmans. 11:20 Dickinson’s Real Deal. 12:20 Tipping Point. 13:20 Judge Rinder. 14:20 ITV News and Weather. 14:55 Big Star’s Little Star.

15:55 Film - The Railway Children (U). Classic period drama based on E Nesbit’s book about three children whose lives change dramatically after they move from a comfortable townhouse to a small Yorkshire cottage near a railway line. Their mother is forced to make the move after their father is wrongly imprisoned, but the children are ignorant of the circumstances and soon settle into their new home, enchanted by the countryside and enthralled by the railway.

Starring: Dinah Sheridan, Bernard Cribbins.

18:00 The Cube. Denise Welch, Sherrie Hewson and

Lisa Maxwell from Loose Women face the Cube together, and Olympian Greg Rutherford applies his competitive nature to see if he can match Mo Farah’s record in a bid to win money for their chosen charities.

19:00 ITV Regional News. 19:30 ITV News and Weather.

20:00 Emmerdale. Charity pushes Moira too far. Kirin enjoys playing games with Rakesh. Nicola’s plan leaves Bernice furious.

20:30 Coronation Street. Tony regrets a moment of madness. Will Lloyd lend an ear to Steve? Steph stands up for herself.

21:00 Countrywise. Liz visits the stunning island of Lundy off the Devon coast to discover why it is such an important haven for seabirds, Ben is in Norfolk to take part in the annual pea harvest and Paul heads to the Cornish harbour town of Fowey to find out about a unique mussel farm.

21:30 Coronation Street. Gary faces up to the consequences. What is Callum up to? Steve plans the perfect Christmas.

22:00 Tsunami: Survivors’ Stories. A moving account of the events a decade ago on Boxing Day 2004 when a tsunami swept across eleven countries in the Indian Ocean, killing nearly 250,000 people of many nationalities.

23:05 ITV News at Ten and Weather.

23:45 Film - Notting Hill (15). Romantic comedy about the relationship between a famous American movie actress and an unassuming British book shop owner. Starring: Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant.

02:00 Jackpot247. 04:00 ITV Nightscreen.

Channel 4 06:10 Small Animal Hospital. 06:35 Countdown. 07:20 King of Queens. 07:45 King of Queens. 08:10 Everybody Loves Raymond. 08:35 Frasier. 09:00 Frasier. 09:35 Film - The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (U). 11:15 The Big Bang Theory. 11:45 The Big Bang Theory. 12:15 The Simpsons. 12:50 Film - White Christmas (U). 15:10 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away. 16:10 Countdown. 17:00 Deal or No Deal.

18:00 Come Dine with Me. 19:00 The Simpsons. 19:30 Hollyoaks. 20:00 Channel 4 News. 21:00 Gadget Man’s Guide to Christmas. 22:00 Food Unwrapped’s Christmas Dinner. 23:00 Derek. 00:05 Gogglebox.

01:00 NFL. 02:00 World on a String. 02:55 Film - The Tree of Life. 05:15 Film - Fantastic Voyage.

Channel 5 06:15 Angels of Jarm. 06:20 Angels of Jarm. 06:30 Angels of Jarm. 06:40 Roary the Racing Car. 06:50 Roary the Racing Car. 07:00 The Wotwots. 07:10 Igam Ogam. 07:20 Fireman Sam. 07:30 Toot the Tiny Tugboat. 07:45 Peppa Pig. 07:50 Peppa Pig. 07:55 Pip Ahoy. 08:05 Little Princess. 08:20 The Mr Men Show.

08:30 Thomas and Friends. 08:45 Noddy in Toyland.

08:55 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom. 09:05 Peppa Pig. 09:15 Peppa Pig. 09:20 Toby’s Travelling Circus. 09:30 Bananas in Pajamas. 09:45 Tickety Toc. 10:00 Milkshake! Bop Box. 10:05 Peppa Pig. 10:10 Peppa Pig. 10:20 Wanda and the Alien. 10:35 The Mr. Men Show. 10:55 World’s Strongest Man 2014. 11:55 My Crazy Christmas Obsession. 12:55 Film - The Flight Before Christmas (U). 14:25 Film - Harry and the Hendersons (PG). 16:35 Film - Garfield 2: A Tail of Two Kitties (U). 18:05 Film - Christmas with the Kranks (PG).

19:55 World’s Strongest Man 2014. 21:00 The Railway: First Great Western. 22:00 Michael Buble’s Christmas 2014. 23:00 Film - Dirty Dancing. 00:55 Abba: The Image. 01:55 Super Casino. 04:10 The Gadget Show.

05:00 House Doctor. 05:20 House Doctor. 05:45 House Doctor.

14.00 Non Stop Music 16.00 Shopping and Info 18.00 Celebrity Archive – with outrageously camp comedian, novelist and winner of Celebrity Big Brother Julian Clary.

18.05 Speekee TV (series) A fun and entertaining way to learn Spanish for our younger viewers. – La Casa 18.15 The Wedding Show (series) – making the ordinary look spectacular with amazing balloon decorations.

18.30 Loose Talk – Could you be a ‘Kept person’ and ‘What is the most important Ingredient in a relationship’ 19.00 Let's Talk (series) – Simon talks with 2 more interesting people Nikki Whitaker and Steve Ray. 19.30 Hand Made – more emotive images of the Vega Baja filmed over a year.

19.45 Hunt For Giant Sturgeon (series) – Continuing the journey of a local man hoping to catch this monster fish.

20.00 – 22.00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

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23rd December 07:00 Breakfast.

10:00 Film - Mars Needs Moms (PG). Animated family adventure. A nine-year-old boy learns to have a greater appreciation for his mother when she is kidnapped by Martians. Starring: Seth Green, Dan Fogler.

11:30 Film - Bridge to Terabithia (PG). Fantasy drama based on Katherine Paterson’s children’s novel about two teenage friends who escape to a magical woodland which helps them deal with the highs and lows of their real life. Starring: Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb.

13:00 Bargain Hunt. 14:00 BBC News at One. 14:30 BBC Regional News.

14:45 Film - Chicken Run (U). Award-winning animation from Nick Park and the Aardman team, telling the story of a band of chickens doomed to a life of egg laying on a Yorkshire chicken farm. Starring: Mel Gibson, Lynn Ferguson.

16:05 The Gruffalo (U). Animation based on the classic children’s picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, James Corden.

16:30 Film - Cars 2 (U). Animated sequel. Four-time Piston Cup champion Lightning McQueen finds himself agreeing to travel to Japan to compete in the World Grand Prix against the dashing racing car Francesco Bernoulli. Mater and the team travel too, and soon Mater is in trouble of his own, as an international spy!

Starring: Owen Wilson, Larry The Cable Guy. 18:10 Pointless. Christmas Special. The celebrities are the Chuckle Brothers, Keith Harris and Orville, Linda Lusardi and Sam Kane and Roy Wood and Father Christmas.

19:00 BBC News at Six. 19:30 BBC Regional News.

20:00 Celebrity Mastermind. Poet and comedian Tim Key, Antiques Roadshow glass specialist Andy McConnell, singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald and lyri-

cist Sir Richard Stilgoe answer questions on Andy Murray, Joe Cocker, the TV series Still Game and British musicals up to 1980.

20:30 EastEnders. Johnny makes an unexpected announcement. Kush makes it his mission to change Shabnam’s mind about Christmas. Dean drops a bombshell.

21:00 Holby City. I Will Honour Christmas in My Heart. Elliot’s plans for a quiet family Christmas are derailed by the arrival of a friend in need. Arthur must step up when those around him are falling apart. Ric returns to AAU and manages to tread on a few toes.

22:00 The Royle Family. Barbara’s Old Ring. It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Royles’, and Barbara has gone overboard with the presents, having spent a whole two hours in a pound shop.

23:00 BBC News at Ten. 23:25 BBC Regional News.

23:40 Mrs. Brown’s Boys. The Virgin Mammy. Agnes Brown has finally been given permission to stage her own Nativity play, and is determined to put on the greatest show on Earth. The only thing standing in her way now is local priest Father Damien, who is insisting that Agnes makes some last-minute changes to her rather unusual script.

00:10 Cuckoo. 00:40 The Apprentice. The Final.

01:40 Film - Final Analysis (15). 03:40 Weather for the Week Ahead. 03:45 BBC News.

BBC 2 07:05 Close Calls: On Camera. 07:35 The Great British Bake Off - Masterclass: Christmas - Masterclass. 08:35 Canterbury Cathedral. 09:35 Film - Anything But Christmas. 11:05 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip. 12:05 Great Continental Railway Journeys. 13:05 Christmas Kitchen with James Martin. 13:55 Christmas Kitchen with James Martin. 14:45 Equestrian. 15:45 Coast Australia. 16:35 A Place to Call Home. 17:20 Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em. 18:05 Flog It. 19:00 Christmas.

20:00 Dad’s Army. 20:30 University Challenge. 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals. 22:00 The Wrong Mans. 23:00 Mock the Week. 23:30 Russell Howard’s Good News. 00:00 Backchat with Jack Whitehall and His Dad. 00:45 Film - Surviving Christmas. 02:10 Top of the Pops 2. 03:40 Film - 2014. 04:10 The Mekong River with Sue Perkins. 05:10 This is BBC Two. ITV 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show. 07:00 Good Morning Britain. 09:30 Lorraine. 10:25 The Speakmans. 11:20 Dickinson’s Real Deal. 12:20 Tipping Point. 13:25 Big Star’s Little Star. 14:25 ITV News and Weather. 15:00 Judge Rinder.

16:00 Midsomer Murders. Days of Misrule. Barnaby and Jones are called away from a hated team-building exercise to investigate an explosion at a haulage yard run by Territorial Army officer Matt Parkes and his ruthless son James. James is involved in some shady activities, but is he capable of arson or murder?

18:00 The Chase. Quiz show hosted by Bradley Walsh. Four contestants must pit their wits against the Chaser, a ruthless quiz genius determined to stop them winning the prize cash.

19:00 ITV Regional News. 19:30 ITV News and Weather.

20:00 Emmerdale. Moira and Charity’s feud angers Cain. Adam is taken aback by Robert’s offer. Kirin’s future plans leave Vanessa uneasy.

20:30 Wilderness Walks with Ray Mears.

Outdoorsman Ray Mears follows the River Derwent to the breathtaking Borrowdale valley - home to ancient rainforests and some very special wildlife.

21:00 Roman Britain From the Air. Criss-crossing Britain by helicopter, Christine Bleakley and Dr Michael Scott show us a unique view of Roman Britain, revealing what life was like here for ordinary people 2,000 years ago.

22:00 Lottery Stories: Be Careful What You Wish for. The programme talks to some of the 3,700 millionaires the lottery has created, who reveal how it has changed their lives for better or worse.

23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather.

23:40 Kylie: Kiss Me Once. Footage from the pop princess’s thirteenth concert tour, featuring songs from her most recent album, filmed at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro Arena.

00:50 The Jonathan Ross Show. 02:10 Jackpot247.

04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA. 04:45 ITV Nightscreen.

Channel 4 06:55 Small Animal Hospital. 07:20 King of Queens.

07:45 King of Queens. 08:10 Everybody Loves Raymond. 08:35 Frasier. 09:00 Frasier. 09:25 Film Rugrats the Movie. 11:00 Film - Andre (U). 12:55 Film Ladyhawke (PG). 15:10 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away. 16:10 Countdown. 17:00 Deal or No Deal. 18:00 Celebrity Come Dine with Me. 19:00 The Simpsons.

19:30 Hollyoaks. 20:00 Channel 4 News. 20:30 The Snowman. 21:00 Celebrity Fifteen to One. 22:00 8 Out of 10 Cats. 23:00 Man Down. 23:30 Da Best of Ali G. 00:30 Ali G in Da USAiii. 01:00 Da Ali G Show. 01:30 Da Ali G Show. 01:55 Pokerstars.Com Shark Cage.

02:50 Film - Saw IV. 04:25 Secret Eaters. 05:20 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent.

Channel 5 06:10 House Doctor. 06:35 Wildlife SOS. 07:00 The Wotwots. 07:10 Igam Ogam. 07:20 Fireman Sam. 07:30 Toot the Tiny Tugboat. 07:45 Peppa Pig. 07:50 Peppa Pig. 07:55 Pip Ahoy. 08:05 Little Princess. 08:20 The Mr Men Show. 08:30 Thomas and Friends. 08:45 Noddy in Toyland. 08:55 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom. 09:10 Peppa Pig. 09:15 Peppa Pig. 09:25 Toby’s Travelling Circus. 09:40 Bananas in Pajamas.

09:55 Tickety Toc. 10:10 Milkshake! Bop Box. 10:15 Peppa Pig. 10:20 Peppa Pig. 10:30 Access. 10:40 World’s Strongest Man 2014. 11:40 Film - Jack and the Beanstalk (U). 13:25 Film - The Elf That Rescued Christmas (U). 15:00 Film - This Christmas. 17:10 Film - Call Me Claus (PG). 19:00 World’s Strongest Man 2014. 19:55 My Crazy Christmas Obsession. 20:50 Michael Buble’s Christmas Songbook. 22:00 Kids’ Hospital at Christmas. 23:00 Film - Saving Private Ryan (15). 02:15 Super Casino. 04:10 Crazy Christmas Compulsives. 05:00 Wildlife SOS. 05:20 House Doctor.

05:45 House Doctor.

14.00 Non Stop Music 16.00 Shopping and Info 18.00 Celebrity Archive – Judith Durham, Australian jazz singer who became lead singer of popular folk band The Seekers.

18.05 Viva Vino (series) – we take another trip with a wine expert around another stunning vineyard.

18.30 Dramatic Licence presents - ‘A Christmas Story‘. A hugely entertaining adaptation of one of the best loved Christmas tales at the Cardinal Beluga Theatre, San Fulgencio.

22.00 Local Information and Non Stop Music

26

Monday, 22nd December, 2014

www.yourlocalnewspaper.info

08:00 Breakfast with Mark Nolan, including regular world, UK and Spanish news updates.

11:00 The Gary Jackson Show.

13:00 Revenge of the 80’s with Chris Cordani, recorded live in New York.

14:00 Drama. Clean Up. Tom leads his neighbourhood OAPs in a drive to tidy up, but he soon realises they need an incentive. Starring Geoffrey Banks.

15:00 Drama. The Coma by Alex Garland. Episode 1 of 5. While travelling home on an underground train, Carl is forced to defend a young girl from the harassment of a group of men. For his efforts, Carl is violently attacked and falls into a coma. When he awakes, he quickly discovers that his seemingly normal world is very peculiar.

16:00 Lounge Sounds with Steven Hambley.

17:00 Back to the 70’s, Kevin Larkin presents a Christmas encore show.

19:00 Comedy. I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again. A Christmas Carrot.

20:00 Drama. Keep the Aspidistra Flying. By George Orwell, In 1930s London, would-be poet Gordon Comstock tries not to conform. With Jonathan Tafler and Polly James.

21:00 Wind Down, relaxing music for the evening.

22:00 Book at Bedtime. Wives and Daughters. By Elizabeth Gaskell. Episode 1 of 10. Young Molly Gibson prepares for an exciting day at the Hollingford gala.

Tuesday 08:00 Breakfast with Mark Nolan, including regular world, UK and Spanish news updates.

11:00 Dark Side of the Moon with Gary Jackson.

13:00 None Stop 90’s at Christmas with Paul Baker.

14:00 Drama. Sicken and So Die. A Charles Paris Mystery. Episode 1 of 4. Charles has a role in Twelfth Night, but could this comedy turn into a tragedy? Bill Nighy stars as Simon Brett’s actor-cum-sleuth.

15:00 Drama. The Coma by Alex Garland. Episode 2 of 5. Carl fears the attack has caused brain damage, as he keeps having blackouts 16:00 Solid Gold Sixties with Geoff Dorsett.

17:00 Nothing But the 90’s at Christmas, The Bodyguard soundtrack special, with Mike Brown.

19:00 Comedy. An Actors Life for Me. Pantomime

Cows.

20:00 Drama. An Odd Body. A DI Gwen Danbury mystery. Episode 1 of 4. When a skeleton is found in the Suffolk woods, Detective Inspector Gwen investigates. Sue Rodwell’s mystery stars Annette Badland and John Duttine.

21:00 Wind Down, relaxing music for the evening.

22:00 Book at Bedtime. Wives and Daughters. By Elizabeth Gaskell. Episode 2 of 10. Dr Gibson prescribes strong medicine, while Molly must prepare for an unexpected trip.

Wednesday – Christmas Eve 08:00 Breakfast with Mark Nolan, including regular world, UK and Spanish news updates.

11:00 My Generation with Gary Jackson.

13:00 The A-Z of Christmas with Paul Baker.

14:00 Drama. Sicken and So Die. A Charles Paris Mystery. Episode 2 of 4. The lascivious actor-sleuth fails to impress his ex-wife Frances. Meanwhile, could there be another victim? Stars Bill Nighy.

15:00 Drama. The Coma. By Alex Garland. Episode 3 of 5. As Carl gets used to his coma world, he looks for triggers to wake him up.

16:00 Supersonic 70’s, a Whistle Test special, with Geoff Dorsett.

17:00 Christmas Eve. By Nikolai Gogol. This tall tale focused on a provincial community in nineteenth century Russia, whose lives were subject to the whims of a devil.

18:30 How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Followed by the songs from the story.

19:00 Comedy. Flying the Flag. Our Own Correspondent.

20:00 Drama. An Odd Body. A DI Gwen Danbury mystery. Episode 2 of 4. When a minister for Europe is found dead, Inspector Gwen Danbury goes undercover to solve the case. Stars Annette Badland.

21:00 Wind Down, relaxing music for the evening.

22:00 Book at Bedtime. Wives and Daughters. By Elizabeth Gaskell. Episode 3 of 10. Molly hears all about the Hamley Brothers while befriending the ailing Mrs Hamley.

23:00 A Christmas Card by Paul Theroux. Lost in a New England snowstorm, a family is sheltered by a mysterious old man who disappears the next morning, leaving behind a magical “Christmas card”.

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Thursday – Christmas Day 08:00 Christmas Morning Inspiration with Philip Croft.

10:00 Traditional Christmas Carol Concert.

12:00 My Generation on Christmas Day with Gary Jackson.

14:00 Drama. Sicken and So Die. A Charles Paris Mystery. Episode 3 of 4. Twelfth Night opens to rapturous reviews. But could the actor-cum-sleuth be the poisoner’s next victim? Stars Bill Nighy.

15:00 Drama. The Coma. By Alex Garland. Episode 4 of 5. Panic kicks in as Carl’s dream-world dissolves into a void. Will he ever wake up?

16:00 Christmas Day at Kirkby Cottage. By Anthony Trollope. A young man finds love with a vicar’s daughter. Victorian comedy. Starring Finty Williams and Julia McKenzie.

17:00 Paul Baker On The Radio at Christmas.

19:00 Comedy. The Navy Lark. Son of a Sea Lord.

20:00 Drama. An Odd Body. A DI Gwen Danbury mystery. Episode 3 of 4. Gwen Danbury comes to the aid of a colleague wrongly accused, and her lonely mother Joan. Stars Annette Badland and Gudrun Ure. 21:00 Christmas Comedy. The Random Jottings of Hinge and Bracket. Classic Christmas night comedy from 1983. Starring George Logan as Dr Evadne Hinge and Patrick Fyffe as Dame Hilda Bracket.

22:00 Book at Bedtime. Wives and Daughters. By Elizabeth Gaskell. Episode 4 of 10. As Molly Gibson comes to terms with her father’s news, we hear how he came to his decision.

23:00 A Child’s Christmas in Wales. By Dylan Thomas. The story is an anecdotal retelling of a Christmas from the view of a young child and is a romanticised version of Christmases past, portraying a nostalgic and simpler time.

Friday – Boxing Day 08:00 Sue Perkins’ Christmas Comedy Stocking.

11:00 Rocking Around the Brit Rock Christmas Tree with Dominic Forbes.

13:00 The Rock and Roll Christmas Roadshow with Paul Baker.

14:00 Drama. Sicken and So Die. A Charles Paris Mystery. Episode 4 of 4. Can the actor-cum-amateur sleuth unmask the murderer who has been poisoning the cast of Twelfth Night? Stars Bill Nighy.

15:00 Drama. The Coma. By Alex Garland. Episode 5 of 5. Fear of never waking up turns to fear of waking up as Carl starts to stir.

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16:00 Angelic Hosts. 3 short Christmas stories. And we Flew into Bethlehem by Michael Morpurgo. Mrs Marvel’s Angel by Clare Boyland and The Green Angel

by John Burnside.

17:00 The Christmas Mystery Top 40.

19:00 Comedy. Hancock’s Half Hour. The New Car. 20:00 Drama. An Odd Body. A DI Gwen Danbury mystery. Episode 4 of 4. Gwen takes charge when a hostage is taken by a gunman, but then her feisty mother arrives. Stars Annette Badland and Gudrun Ure. 21:00 The Devil’s Christmas. 3 short and spooky Christmas stories. The Signalman by Charles Dickens, The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant and The SheWolf by Saki. Read by Christopher Eccleston.

22:00 Book at Bedtime. Wives and Daughters. By Elizabeth Gaskell. Episode 5 of 10. Coming to terms with many changes in her life, Molly is also burdened with a secret.

Saturday 08:00 Sounds of the 70’s with Gary Jackson.

09:00 Kick up the 80’s with Geoff Dorsett.

10:00 Nothing but the 90’s at Christmas, Garth Brooks special, with Mike Brown.

12:00 Paul Baker On The Radio.

14:00 Comedy Greats with Barry Cryer, Overseas.

17:00 Back to the 70’s with Kevin Larkin.

19:00 The Live Lounge.

21:00 Calder’s Confessions.

23:00 Al Walser’s Weekly Top 20 Countdown from Hollywood.

Sunday 08:00 Sunday Inspiration with Philip Croft.

09:00 Solid Gold Sixties with Geoff Dorsett.

10:00 Supersonic Seventies with Geoff Dorsett.

12:00 Power Anthems with Paul Baker.

13:00 Classic Country Countdown.

14:00 Drama. The Murder of the Maharajah. Set in the India of the British Raj. Stars Zia Mohyeddin and Sam Dastor.

16:00 Comedy. Just a Christmas Minute. Presented

by Nicholas Parsons.

17:00 The Ultimate UK Chart Show with Jason Scott, LIVE. 20:00 Sunday Inspiration with Philip Croft (Rpt).

22:00 Classical Nights.

24th december

07:00 Breakfast. 10:00 Snow Babies. 11:00 Nigel Slater’s 12 Tastes of Christmas.

12:00 Film - WALL-E (U). A robot designed to clean up a waste-covered Earth far in the future falls in love with another robot.

13:30 Christmas of My Lifetime with Len Goodman.

Len Goodman takes four famous faces back to their Christmases of yore.

14:30 BBC News at One. 14:40 BBC Regional News.

14:50 Film - Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit (U). Oscar-winning claymation about the chase for a giant rabbit terrorising a town’s allotments and vegetable patches days before the annual vegetable-growing competition.

16:05 Film - Merry Madagascar. Seasonal short featuring the characters of the hit animated movie series Madagascar.

16:25 Film - Shrek the Halls. It is Christmas Eve, and Shrek has done nothing to prepare for his Christmas and he just wants a nice quiet one with Fiona and their baby ogres - but Donkey is full of holiday cheer and has other ideas!

16:50 Film - The Gruffalo’s Child (U). Animated Film - based on the best-selling children’s picture book by author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler.

17:15 On Angel Wings. Magical reworking of the Nativity by Michael Morpurgo.

17:45 Film - 101 Dalmatians (U). Animation. When a litter of dalmatian puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella De Vil, their parents must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement.

19:05 BBC News at Six. 19:15 BBC Regional News.

19:25 Film - Toy Story 3 (U). With their owner Andy leaving home for university, the toys fear for their future. Escaping being accidentally thrown away as rubbish, Buzz and the gang hope to find new playmates at a childcare centre. However, they are subject to a sinister system which forces them to suffer at the hands of the most careless kids.

21:00 EastEnders. It is Christmas Eve on Albert Square and Mick is planning on a very special Christmas, unaware of the dark secrets that surround his family. Meanwhile Ian has a smile put back on his face, but how long will it last?

21:30 The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm. Professor Branestawm takes on schem-

ing businessman Mr Bullimore and officious local councillor Harold Haggerstone, to try and stop their plans to bulldoze his workshop to make way for a giant munitions factory, right in the middle of town.

22:30 Not Going Out. Christmas Special. The willthey-won’t-they tension reaches new highs in this Christmas series finale that sees Lucy and Lee in previously uncharted emotional waters.

23:15 The Vicar of Dibley. Alice miraculously solves the problem of the Christmas show by proposing a promenading nativity, in which she and Hugo will play Mary and Joseph.

23:55 Mrs. Brown’s Boys. Buckin’ Mammy. With Christmas just around the corner, nobody knows what Bono wants for a present. He has already posted his letter to Santa, so how can Mrs Brown find out in time? Meanwhile, at her family games night, Agnes struggles to control her temper when none of the guests will play by her rules.

00:30 BBC News.

00:45 Midnight Mass From Arundel Cathedral. A traditional Christmas Eve Roman Catholic mass from the picturesque town of Arundel in West Sussex.

02:05 Film - Sliding Doors (15). Romantic comedy exploring the nature of fate and self-determination in which a young woman’s future is affected by a twosecond delay. Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hannah.

03:40 Weather for the Week Ahead. 03:45 BBC News.

BBC 2 07:10 The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos.

08:20 Canterbury Cathedral. 09:20 Film - One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing (PG). 10:55 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip. 11:55 Christmas Kitchen with James Martin.

12:40 Christmas Kitchen with James Martin. 13:35 Torvill and Dean: The Perfect Day. 14:35 The Choir: New Military Wives. 15:35 Film - Little Women (U).

17:25 To the Manor Born. 18:25 Carols from King’s.

19:40 The Good Life. 20:10 Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings. 21:00 University Challenge. 21:30 The Choir: New Military Wives. 22:30 Julie Walters: A Life on Screen. 23:30 Film - Calendar Girls. 01:15 Film - Buster (15). 02:45 This is BBC Two. ITV 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show. 07:00 Good Morning Britain. 09:30 Lorraine.

10:25 Film - All Stars (U). Lively musical drama about a group of children who look to throw an ambitious dance show in order to save their struggling youth centre which is threatened with closure.

12:35 Film - Horrid Henry: The Movie (U). Comedy based on the animated series about the anti-hero.

14:20 ITV News and Weather.

14:35 Doc Martin. The peace of Portwenn is disturbed when a hoard of twitchers descend.

16:35 Off Their Rockers. A Rocker performs a daredevil escape from an OAP home, Rosemary needs help to locate her pet dog Nigel and Sonia has a quick nap on a nice comfy shoulder.

17:05 Film - Santa Claus (PG). Festive fantasy adventure about a disillusioned elf who leaves the hard labour of Santa’s North Pole workshop for the bright lights of New York, where he ends up making toys for a scheming business magnate. Starring: Dudley Moore, John Lithgow.

19:15 You’ve Been Framed. Harry Hill presents a fight to the death as a kid wrestles a Christmas tree, the world’s most terrifying present, Carrie the possessed car, and this and this year’s must have gift bubble wrap.

19:45 ITV News and Weather.

20:00 Emmerdale. Andy and Robert’s feud reaches boiling point. Charity manipulates Cain. Bernice finds comfort in an unlikely source.

20:30 Coronation Street. Gary feels isolated from his family. Will Kylie give in to her demons? Lloyd is shocked by news of Jenna.

21:00 Film - Skyfall. James Bond returns to hunt a mysterious enemy that threatens to bring down MI6.

After dropping seemingly to his death on a failed mission, Bond’s presumed demise leaves the job of boss M on the line. Back in London, her post is scrutinised further when a bomb decimates the MI6 building, forcing their operation underground. Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem.

23:45 ITV News and Weather.

00:00 Christmas Carols on ITV. Aled Jones joins the congregation of St. Mary’s Church in Prestwich, Manchester for their traditional candlelit Christmas Eve carol service.

01:00 Film - Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Historical drama. In the sequel to 1998’s Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen must protect her throne and her country from outside forces who seek to overthrow her. Starring: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush.

03:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA. 03:50 ITV Nightscreen.

Channel 4 06:15 Kirstie’s Vintage Gems. 06:35 Film - The Nativity Story (PG). 08:15 Olive the Other Reindeer. 09:10 The Big Bang Theory. 09:40 The Big Bang Theory. 10:05 The Simpsons. 10:35 The Simpsons. 11:10 Film - The Iron Giant (U). 12:50 Father Christmas. 13:30 Film - Big Miracle (PG). 15:35 Channel 4 News. 15:45 Film - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (PG). 17:50 Film - The Muppet Christmas Carol (U). 19:30 Hollyoaks. 20:25 Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (U). 20:55 The Snowman and the Snowdog. 21:30 My Big Fat Gypsy Christmas. 22:30 Gogglebox. 00:05 Rude Tube Christmas Cracker 2014. 01:05 The Inbetweeners.

01:35 The Inbetweeners. 02:05 The Inbetweeners.

02:30 The Inbetweeners. 02:55 Film - Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (PG). 04:20 Film - Toys.

Channel 5 06:10 House Doctor. 06:35 Wildlife SOS. 07:00 The Wotwots. 07:10 Igam Ogam. 07:20 Fireman Sam. 07:30 Toot the Tiny Tugboat. 07:45 Peppa Pig. 07:50 Peppa Pig. 07:55 Pip Ahoy. 08:05 Little Princess. 08:20 The Mr. Men Show. 08:30 Thomas and Friends. 08:45 Noddy in Toyland. 08:55 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom. 09:05 Peppa Pig. 09:10 Peppa Pig. 09:20 Toby’s Travelling Circus. 09:30 Bananas in Pajamas.

09:40 Tickety Toc. 09:55 Milkshake! Bop Box. 10:00 Peppa Pig. 10:05 Peppa Pig. 10:15 Wanda and the Alien. 10:30 Film - Gone with the Wind (PG). 14:50 Film - The Adventures of Robin Hood (U). 16:50 Film Scrooge (PG). 18:35 Michael Buble’s Christmas 2014.

19:30 My Big Xmas Benefits Blow-Out. 20:20 Britain’s Craziest Christmas Lights. 21:25 The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davies. 22:30 Greatest Ever Christmas Movies. 01:30 Film - Scrooge (PG). 03:20 Super Casino. 05:00 House Doctor. 05:25 House Doctor.

05:45 House Doctor.

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25th december

07:00 Breakfast. 10:00 The Gruffalo (U). Animation based on the classic children’s picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. 10:30 On Angel Wings. 11:00 Come and Join the Celebration.

12:00 Only Fools and Horses. A Royal Flush.

13:00 Film - Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out (U). Wallace and his canine companion Gromit blast off in a homemade rocket to go on a bank holiday outing to the moon and test the theory that it is made of cheese. What they find there surprises them.

13:25 Film - Gnomeo and Juliet (U). Animated movie about two garden gnomes from rivalling families that fall in love. Starring: James McAvoy, Emily Blunt.

14:40 Shaun the Sheep. 14:50 BBC News at One. 15:00 Top of the Pops. Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates celebrate Christmas Day with a special yuletide edition of Top of the Pops featuring the biggest tracks and brightest stars from across the year as well as the Christmas number 1 of 2014. Ed Sheeran makes a welcome return to the show and Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne perform one of the biggest songs of 2014. Also including Ella Henderson, George Ezra, Sigma, Gorgon City and MNEK, Rixton and Mr Probz.

McBusted rock the studio, Tom Odell makes a welcome appearance and popsters the Vamps bring festive cheer with their version of a Christmas classic. And finally, boy band royalty Take That return to Top of the Pops Christmas.

16:00 The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast 2014. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II delivers her annual address in the Christmas message to the nation and Commonwealth.

16:10 Film - Puss in Boots (U). Puss in Boots gets his own animated adventure Film - in this Shrek spinoff. Puss teams up with a fellow thieving feline and his old friend Humpty Dumpty to embark on an exciting quest. The trio plan to find magic beans in order to steal the goose that lays the golden eggs, but all does not go according to plan. Featuring the voices of Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek and Zach Galifianakis. Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek.

17:40 BBC News.

18:00 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas. Sir Bruce Forsyth returns to host the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special with Tess Daly. The show goes to town with a pantomime theme as six of the most memorable celebrities from past series of Strictly compete in a one-off festive special. Len, Bruno, Craig and Darcey get into the panto spirit too - Baron Hardup, the Evil Queen, the Fairy Godmother and Buttons judge the performances. Past champions Chris Hollins and Louis Smith, finalists Sophie Ellis Bextor and Rachel Stevens, plus viewers favourites Russell Grant and Lisa Riley rock around the dance floor as they vie to get their hands on the Strictly trophy. Plus Sir Bruce stars in a very special performance of Winter Wonderland with the professional dancers.

19:15 Doctor Who. The Doctor and Clara face their last Christmas. Trapped on an Arctic base, under attack from terrifying creatures, who are you going to call? Santa Claus!

20:15 Miranda. I Do, But to Who? Miranda has received two proposals - one from Gary and one from Mike. Will she choose one of them or will she run away from the pressures of relationships and the fear of not coping with being a wife?

20:50 Call the Midwife. The episode opens in 2005 with Jennifer Worth at home preparing for Christmas with husband Philip. She reminisces about the friends and colleagues of her youth at Nonnatus House, and as she talks there is a cut back to 1959. Rehearsals are under way for the Sunday School Christmas concert and while Chummy tries to choreograph dancing snowflakes, Trixie sets to work designing a Father Christmas outfit for Fred to wear. Chummy is enlisted to help run a poorly managed mother and baby home and with Patsy’s help succeeds in bringing some Christmas joy into the residents’ lives. Cynthia is drawn deeply into a case concerning two former residents of a Victorian mental hospital who have been left to fend for themselves and are barely coping. This causes Cynthia to make a life-changing decision.

22:00 EastEnders. With secrets rife, the Carters are set to explode. The Beales do their best to enjoy

Christmas despite their beloved Lucy not being there, but there is a particularly eerie twist coming amid the Christmas presents. Is it a message from Lucy’s killer?

23:05 Mrs. Brown’s Boys. Mammy’s Tickled Pink.

Festive edition of the sitcom about a loudmouthed Irish matriarch and her family. Christmas is just around the corner and Agnes already has her tinsel in a twist.

Rory is getting plastic surgery, Cathy is hiding something and the family are insisting upon a cost-cutting secret Santa! To make matters worse, Winnie drops a Christmas bombshell. Maybe her unusual new Christmas tree will bring Agnes some festive cheer?

23:40 Michael McIntyre’s Very Christmassy Christmas Show. Jamie Oliver cooks up a storm in the kitchen, Mrs Brown drops in to share her unique take on the big day, Robbie Williams surprises some unsuspecting Christmas shoppers, Rob Brydon and national treasure Barbara Windsor provide even more glamour and comedy, while best-selling jazz musician Jamie Cullum gathers everyone around the piano for an old-fashioned singsong to end the show.

00:40 BBC News.

00:55 On Christmas Night. Adjoa Andoh reflects on the implications of this night for the mother of Jesus and introduces the throught-provoking song Mary, Did You Know?, performed by Tessera.

01:00 Not Going Out. In an effort to create the perfect Christmas for Lucy, Lee invites her parents to join the two of them and Daisy in a snug old house in the country which used to belong to his dear dead aunt. But the Christmas spirit is in short supply when Lucy discovers that the house has not been lived in for years and there appears to be a spooky presence.

01:45 Would I Lie to You? Rob Brydon hosts a festive edition of the comedy panel show. David Mitchell is joined by Ray Winstone and Josh Widdicombe, while Lee Mack is joined by Rachel Riley and Ricky Tomlinson.

02:15 George Michael at the Palais Garnier, Paris.

George Michael introduces his unique live solo performance at the historic Palais Garnier Opera House in Paris, recorded in 2012 for his live album Symphonica..

03:15 Film - The Heartbreak Kid (15). Comedy about a bachelor who decides he has been single for too long and proposes to his girlfriend of six weeks.

05:05 Skiing Weatherview. 05:10 BBC News.

09:25 Weekend at Christmas. Aled Jones presents a seasonal mix of celebrity chat and music. On the sofa today, Status Quo join Aled for a chat and a performance. Downton Abbey’s Matt Barber and comedian Tim Vine also drop by for some festive fun, as well as some virtual guests in We’re Talking in the Air. 10:25 Film - Valiant (U). Animated comedy. The adventures of a wood pigeon named Valiant, who overcomes his small size to go from zero to hero in Great Britain’s Royal Air Force Homing Pigeon Service during World War II. Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ricky Gervais.

11:55 Film - Back to the Future (PG). All-American teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back to 1955 by crackpot inventor Doc Brown. But before he can return to the 80s, Marty has to make sure his parents fall for each other. Hugely successful time-travelling scifi romp. Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd.

14:10 Film - Nanny McPhee (U). A widowed father struggles to manage his seven children, whose spectacularly bad behaviour has already driven away 17 nannies. Starring: Emma Thompson, Colin Firth.

16:00 HM the Queen. The Queen delivers her annual Christmas message to the nation and the Commonwealth.

16:10 The Queen’s Garden. The first of two programmes in which Alan Titchmarsh gets exclusive access to the royal gardens at Buckingham Palace for a whole year.

17:10 ITV News and Weather.

17:20 Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas. Stop-motion animation Christmas special based on the Film - Elf. Buddy travels to New York City to meet the father he never knew he had. Along the way, his unrelenting cheer transforms the lives of everyone he meets and opens his father’s eyes to the magic of Christmas. With the voices of Jim Parsons, Mark Hamill and Ed Asner.

18:20 You’ve Been Framed. Harry Hill gives us a bumper festive present of snow-covered silliness as he narrates more viewers’ home videos from his uniquely skewed perspective. This special episode features a photo-bombing reindeer, an explosive chimney and why Miley Cyrus’s tongue should never be used as a sledge.

Harry trains a squirrel to wreck his neighbours Christmas lights, and a saucy robotic Santa exposes himself in the worst possible way.

18:50 Paul O’Grady: For The Love of Dogs. Paul O’Grady visits Battersea Dogs and Cats Home to help give the residents a fabulous festive season, and hopes to find loving homes for all the dogs in time for Christmas Day. 19:50 ITV News and Weather.

20:00 Emmerdale. It is Andy and Katie’s wedding day.

Cain tries to cover his suspicious behaviour. Lachlan offers Belle a way to ease her problems.

21:00 Coronation Street. Does Kylie stand to lose everything? Steve pulls out all the festive stops. Gary ruins Faye’s Christmas.

BBC 2 07:00 Film - Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (U).

Animated adventure in which brave mariner Sinbad battles raging elements, mutinous dogs and fearsome monsters to retrieve the Book of Peace after being framed for its theft by the treacherous goddess of chaos.

08:15 Film - Short Circuit (PG). Lighthearted comedy in which an $11 million military robot becomes energised by a freak power overload.

09:50 Film - Pollyanna (U). Drama based on the novel

by Eleanor H Porter. In 1912, young orphan girl Pollyanna moves to live with her aunt in a New England town and brings cheer to its misanthropic inhabitants.

12:00 Carols from King’s. 13:15 To the Manor Born.

13:45 The Choir: New Military Wives. 14:45 60 Years of Carols From King’s. 15:45 Kiss Me, Kate at the Proms. 18:00 The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast 2014.

18:10 James May’s Toy Stories. 19:15 Morecambe and Wise in Pieces. 20:15 University Challenge. 20:45 Dad’s Army. 21:15 Blackadder’s Christmas Carol.

22:00 Tim Rice - A Life in Song. 23:30 QI. No L. 00:00 Marvellous.

01:30 Film - The Producers. Remake of the Mel Brooks classic in which a crooked Broadway producer co-opts a timid accountant into mounting a play that is certain to flop, intending to sell out and escape to Rio. 03:35 This is BBC Two. ITV 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show. 07:00 The Aquabats!

Super Show. 07:20 Pat and Stan. 07:30 Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures. 07:40 Dino Dan. 07:55 Sooty. 08:05 Almost Naked Animals. The Perfect Gift. 08:20 Almost Naked Animals. Home for the Howiedays.

08:40 Horrid Henry. Horrid Henry and the Horrid Hat. 08:55 Horrid Henry. Horrid Henry and the Perfect Panto. 09:10 Horrid Henry. Horrid Henry and the Early Christmas Present.

Channel 4 06:20 Kirstie’s Vintage Gems. 06:35 Small Animal Hospital.

07:00 Film - The Ugly Duckling and Me (U). Michael Hegner and Karsten Kiilerich’s fast-paced animated comedy adventure, a pan-European co-production updating the evergreen Hans Christian Andersen fable, offers fun for younger family members.

08:30 Prep and Landing. 08:55 Prep and Landing.

09:20 Father Christmas. Classic animation based on Raymond Briggs’s book.

09:55 Film - Animals United (U). An ecologically minded animated adventure for children, featuring the voices of James Corden, Stephen Fry, Andy Serkis and Dawn French.

11:45 The Simpsons. Miracle on Evergreen Terrace.

12:15 The Simpsons. Dude, Where’s My Ranch?

12:45 The Simpsons. ‘Tis The Fifteenth Season.

13:15 Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (U). When Sid accidentally ruins one of Manny’s Christmas traditions, he’s told that he will now be on Santa’s naughty list.

13:45 The Snowman. Channel 4’s most celebrated animation is this classic story from Raymond Briggs.

14:20 The Snowman and the Snowdog. A charming animated sequel to Raymond Briggs’s classic The Snowman.

14:50 The Alternative Christmas Message. 14:55 Channel 4 News.

15:05 Film - Scrooged (PG). Bill Murray stars in Richard Donner’s comedic take on the Dickens classic as Frank Cross, a misanthropic, penny-pinching TV executive whose career rests on producing a ratingsbusting version of A Christmas Carol.

17:00 Film - Big (PG). Tom Hanks received a best actor Oscar nomination for his role in Penny Marshall’s comedy drama. Josh Baskin is on the cusp of adolescence and eager to grow up.

19:00 Film - Arthur Christmas (U). James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy and Jim Broadbent are among the stars providing the voices for Aardman Animations’ second CGI feature.

21:00 Frozen at Christmas. 22:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man. 00:00 8 Out of 10 Cats. 01:00 Father Ted. 02:05 Father Ted. 02:35 Father Ted. 03:00 Father Ted. 03:30 Film - Crazy Heart (15). Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal star in Scott Cooper’s music dramaromance, based on Thomas Cobb’s novel.

05:25 Secret Eaters.

Channel 5

22:00 Downton Abbey. Feature-length special of the widely-acclaimed period drama. It is the autumn of 1924 and Rose’s father-in-law Lord Sinderby has rented Brancaster Castle in Northumberland for the grouse shooting season. The Crawleys are invited to join the party. Although there is good sport, a butler with an axe to grind and a scandalous secret threaten to derail the holiday. As the two families get to know each other better, some new faces arrive on the scene. Back at Downton Abbey, the servants hold the fort - and there are some surprising romantic moments. Behind bars, Anna continues to face an uncertain future, while Bates takes drastic measures to clear her name. Christmas is celebrated at Downton. As the family and their servants enjoy the festivities, there is romance, a heart-breaking farewell, sad memories of lost loved ones and a joyful reunion.

00:00 ITV News and Weather.

00:15 You’ve Got to Love Christmas. A comic trawl through the festive TV archives mixing classic footage with advice from an array of comedians, journalists and celebrities.

01:15 Christmas Carols on ITV. Aled Jones joins the congregation of St. Mary’s Church in Prestwich, Manchester for their traditional candlelit Christmas Eve carol service.

02:15 Film - Murder, She Wrote: The Celtic Riddle (PG). Intrepid investigator Jessica Fletcher travels to Ireland to attend the reading of an old friend’s will, but soon after, a series of murders are committed which have the police baffled. Starring: Angela Lansbury, Fionnula Flanagan.

03:45 ITV Nightscreen.

06:10 House Doctor. 06:35 Wildlife SOS. 07:00 The Wotwots. 07:10 Igam Ogam. 07:20 Fireman Sam. 07:30 Toot the Tiny Tugboat. 07:45 Peppa Pig. 07:50 Peppa Pig. 07:55 Pip Ahoy. 08:05 Little Princess. 08:20 The Mr Men Show. 08:30 Thomas and Friends. 08:45 Noddy in Toyland. 09:00 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom. 09:10 Peppa Pig. 09:20 Peppa Pig. 09:30 Toby’s Travelling Circus. 09:45 Milkshake! Bop Box. 09:50 Peppa Pig. 10:00 Peppa Pig. 10:05 Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures. 10:15 Access. 10:20 Andre Rieu: Christmas Around the World.

11:20 Film - Scrooge (PG). One of the most memorable cinematic adaptations of Dickens’s classic story, ‘A Christmas Carol’, starring: Alastair Sim, 13:35 Film - The Sound of Music Live! (U). A stage version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, originally broadcast live.

16:25 Film - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (U). Classic musical fantasy based on the story by Ian Fleming about an eccentric inventor who rescues a derelict racing car and takes his two children on a memorable outing.

19:10 Michael Buble’s Christmas Songbook. 20:05 Chas and Dave’s Xmas Knees Up. 21:00 Britain’s Favourite Christmas Songs.

00:05 Film - Muriel’s Wedding (15). Sparkling comedy about a frumpy girl who equates marriage with success and will go to any lengths to get wed.

02:20 Super Casino. 05:00 House Doctor. 05:25 House Doctor. 05:50 Wildlife SOS.

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26th december

07:00 Breakfast. 10:00 Pinocchio. 11:25 Cbeebies Peter Pan. 12:05 Film - Room on the Broom. Animated Film based on Julia Donaldson’s picture book. Starring: Simon Pegg, Gillian Anderson.

12:30 Film - Cool Runnings (PG). The true story of Jamaica’s first bobsled team in the 1988 Olympics in Calgary.

14:05 BBC News at One. 14:15 BBC Regional News.

14:25 The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm. Another chance to see the comedy adventure based on Norman Hunter’s children’s books.

15:20 My Family. 2039: A Christmas Oddity. It is December 2039, and the Harpers are gathering together to celebrate Christmas. With a ‘greed gift exchange’, a rival cousin and a Nativity play battle, there may not be too much room for peace and goodwill.

16:15 Film - Monsters, Inc. (U). Sulley the ogre and Mike, his lime green, one-eyed friend, work for Monsters Inc - a scream-processing factory that converts children’s fear into energy.

17:40 Film - The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists (U). Animated family adventure that follows the fortunes of a hapless pirate who is determined to beat his buccaneering rivals to win the Pirate of the Year award after his previous attempts ended in failure. His quest takes him from the high seas to the streets of Victorian London where he meets Charles Darwin and the pirate-hating Queen Victoria herself.

Featuring the voices of Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman and Salma Hayek.

19:05 BBC News at Six. 19:20 BBC Regional News.

19:25 Still Open All Hours. David Jason returns as Granville, who has inherited the famous corner shop from his beloved but miserly uncle Arkwright. Now running the business with his cheerful and good-looking son Leroy, Granville continues to serve the local community with a keen eye on a profit from some familiar and new faces. In this opening episode love is in the air for some as Mavis receives a special delivery, and Granville begins to play matchmaker.

19:55 The Boy in the Dress. One-off family comedy.

Dennis is an ordinary boy but he feels different. He is frustrated by the boring grey world he inhabits. Life has never really been the same since his mum left. In Raj’s newsagent a fashion magazine seems to be calling Dennis - can it be that Kate Moss is really telling him that it is okay for boys to like Vogue? A celebration of creativity, difference, football and fashion, based on David Walliams’ best-selling children’s book.

21:00 EastEnders. Life for the Carters continues to explode - can they ever recover? Elsewhere one resident looks set to depart, but will they go as planned?

21:30 Film - Marvel Avengers Assemble. Comic book action adventure. The director of peacekeeping agency S.H.I.E.L.D. gathers an elite team of superheroes including the Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, Iron Man and Thor when the Norse god’s evil brother steals a cosmic cube from an underground base. The group must work together to protect the Earth from the leader of an extraterrestrial race and its army intent on harnessing the cube’s power. Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans.

23:40 BBC News. 23:50 BBC Regional News.

00:00 Match of the Day. Highlights of the day’s Premier League games, which see all 20 top-flight sides in action. There is a London derby at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea take on West Ham. Two more teams from the capital meet at the Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal host Queens Park Rangers. Reigning champions Manchester City travel to the Hawthorns to face West Bromwich Albion, while Manchester United host Newcastle and Liverpool travel to Burnley.

Elsewhere, Crystal Palace meet Southampton, Everton take on Stoke and Leicester play Tottenham.

Hull head to the Stadium of Light to meet Sunderland, while Swansea are up against Aston Villa.

01:35 EastEnders Omnibus. A chance to catch up on the week’s drama in Albert Square. Stacey continues to push Linda for information - is her silence finally over? Emma discovers some surprising new evidence in the Lucy Beale investigation. Dot is in for a huge shock when she returns home. Johnny makes an unexpected announcement. Kush makes it his mission to change Shabnam’s mind about Christmas. Dean drops a bombshell. It is Christmas Eve in Albert Square and Mick is planning on a very special Christmas, unaware of the dark secrets that lurk among his family. Meanwhile Ian has a smile put back on his face, but how long will it last? With secrets rife, the Carters are set to explode. The Beales do their best to enjoy Christmas despite their beloved Lucy not being there, but there is a particularly eerie twist coming amidst the Christmas presents. Is it a message from Lucy’s killer? Elsewhere one resident looks set to depart, but will they go as planned?

04:30 Weather for the Week Ahead. 04:35 BBC News.

ITV

BBC 2

06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show. 07:00 The Aquabats!

Super Show. 07:20 Pat and Stan. 07:30 Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures. 07:40 Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures.

07:55 Sooty. 08:05 Almost Naked Animals. All Dog No Danger. 08:20 Almost Naked Animals. Cowboy Cabana. 08:35 Mr. Bean. 08:50Super 4. 09:10Super 4.

07:10 Film - The Road to El Dorado (U). Animated comedy adventure about two rogues in 16th-century Spain who make a dubious living gambling. But soon Spain gets too hot for them and they decide to stow away on a ship on Cortes’s expedition to the New World, jumping ship when they are discovered. They end up on the shores of El Dorado, the fabled city of gold, where they are hailed as gods by the natives.

But when the natives learn the truth, the pair’s troubles are only just beginning. Starring: Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh.

08:30 Film - College Road Trip (U). Family comedy in which an overprotective father decides to escort his teenage daughter when she goes on a trip to look at prospective colleges. Starring: Martin Lawrence, Raven-SymonÈ.

09:50 Natural World. 10:50 Ten Pieces. 11:40 60 Years of Carols From King’s.

12:40 Film - On the Town (U). Oscar-winning musical following three sailors on shore leave. Determined to make the most of their freedom, the young men embark on whirlwind romances and a number of calamitous escapades. A ground-breaking project, this was the first musical ever to be filmed on location.

Starring: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra.

14:15 Talking Pictures. Gene Kelly.

14:50 Film - Singin’ in the Rain (U). Classic Hollywood musical set during the difficult transition from silent movies to talkies. A star partnership looks set to fizzle out when the female lead’s voice is revealed to be an annoying screech. Starring: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor.

16:30 Victoria Wood: That Musical We Made.

Victoria Wood presents a behind-the-scenes look at her Film - That Day We Sang. She explores the nuts and bolts of a big musical production, revealing how the choreography, musical arrangements and design all have to work together to tell the story. She also looks at the real events which inspired her story.

Victoria goes back to Manchester to find out about the original choir of the 1920s, and the children who sang on the record of Nymphs and Shepherds. And in between unpeeling the history and sharing the fun of the shoot, she tries to work out how a piece of writing can evolve.

17:30 Final Score. Jason Mohammad presents all the day’s football results along with reports and reaction from a packed Boxing Day schedule.

18:25 War Horse at the Proms. With Eser Ebcin, Tim van Eyken, Duncan Rock, National Theatre Ensemble, Michael Morpurgo, Handspring Puppet Company.

Simon Russell Beale presents a unique production of War Horse at the Royal Albert Hall with Gareth Malone’s Proms Military Wives Choir, the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Cambiata Choir North West, alongside the National Theatre ensemble with the Handspring Puppets. There’s even a role for War Horse author Michael Morpurgo as himself. Composer Adrian Sutton’s War Horse Suite traces the story of Joey the horse from birth to death, the specially commissioned Some See Us is a haunting tribute to the young men slaughtered in World War I, and his elegiac Only Remembered bookends the show.

19:45 University Challenge. 20:15 The Two Ronnies Christmas Show. 21:00 Victoria Wood’s Mid-Life Christmas. 22:00 That Day We Sang.

23:30 Film - Hunky Dory (15). In the heat of the summer of 1976, a drama teacher tries to put on an endof-year music version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Starring: Minnie Driver, Aneurin Barnard.

01:15 Film - The Winslow Boy (PG). Period drama based on the true story of a young naval cadet accused of stealing a five shilling postal order, and his father - who risks fortune, health, domestic peace and his daughter’s prospects to seek justice. Starring: Matthew Pidgeon, Rebecca Pidgeon.

02:55 This is BBC Two.

09:25 Weekend at Christmas. Aled Jones presents a seasonal mix of celebrity chat and music. Jazz musician Jamie Callum chats and performs a Christmas classic, Corrie’s newest cast member Claire King talks about Christmas in the Rovers, and Call the Midwife star Ben Caplan reveals all about the new series.

10:25 Dinner Date Australia. French chef Manu Fieldel with the culinary dating show set Down Under.

Jeremy owns cafes and restaurants, and is a Wallabies legend. But such men can come with baggage - he is available but divorced with two little girls.

Dinner Date gives Jeremy five menus, of which he can choose only three - maybe one of the ladies behind them will be the perfect answer to his complicated life?

11:25 Celebrity Squares. Warwick Davis hosts the classic comedy game show. Two contestants play a giant version of noughts and crosses, with celebrity guests helping them to play for a jackpot of 20,000 pounds. Today, Warwick is joined by Ashley Roberts, David Haye, Reece Shearsmith, Andi Peters, Sandi Toksvig, Stewart Francis, Bridget Christie, and resident comedians Tim Vine and Joe Wilkinson.

12:25 Paul O’Grady: For The Love of Dogs. At the top of his wish list is to find new homes for parson’s terrier Peppermint Patty, who was handed in with a massive lump on her neck, and bichon frise Phyllis, who is the suspected victim of back-street breeding.

13:30 ITV News and Weather.

13:45 The Chase: Christmas Special. Bradley Walsh hosts a very special Christmas edition of the hit quiz show. The celebrities are actor and writer Steve Pemberton, Coronation Street’s Paula Lane, Educating Yorkshire’s Mr Burton and comedian and actor Ben Miller.

14:45 Film - Back to the Future Part II (PG). Time travel adventure sequel. Marty McFly travels back and forth in time with eccentric inventor Doc Brown after the ruthless Biff creates a parallel version of 1985 in which he is all-powerful. Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd.

16:45 Off Their Rockers. Velma gets racy in a photo booth, Seb needs a fright to get rid of his hiccups and Rosemary eats some funny tasting biscuits.

17:15 Downton Abbey. Repeat of yesterday’s featurelength special of the widely-acclaimed period drama.

19:15 ITV News and Weather.

19:30 Emmerdale. Jai leaves Megan with a dilemma.

Katie has an idea regarding Robert. Belle is hopeful when offered a lifeline.

20:00 Coronation Street. Will Gary resort to desperate measures? Roy struggles to control his nerves.

David’s news shocks the Street.

21:00 Christmas Cracker. Bradley Walsh hosts a Christmas spectacular from The Hammersmith Apollo, where he is joined by The Muppets and Katherine Jenkins - who has a duet with Kermit. Comedy comes from Al Murray the Pub Landlord, and the worldrenowned Cirque de Soleil put on a show-stopping routine. There are performances by dance act Flawless, the cast of the hit West End musical White Christmas, and one of the hottest bands in the UK, The Vamps. Games and Christmas giveaways galore will get you in the Christmas spirit and ensure a night to remember!

22:00 Birds of a Feather. Birds on a Plane. Return of the Essex-based sitcom about sisters Tracey and Sharon and their larger-than-life friend Dorien. Dorien is treating Sharon and Tracey to a Christmas trip to the Canaries, but with Tracey’s fear of flying, Sharon’s hopes for adventure, and Dorien’s eagerness for anything in trousers, will it be plane sailing?

22:30 Through the Keyhole. A festive Keith Lemon presents a seasonal edition of the show snooping around more homes of mystery celebrities. The studio panel are Jonathan Ross, X Factor’s Louis Walsh and Corrie’s Kym Marsh, who attempt to work out the identities of the homeowners.

23:30 ITV News and Weather.

23:45 Film - Out of Sight (15). Sexy crime caper based on the novel by Elmore Leonard, with terrific chemistry between stars George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. Federal agent Karen Sisco is determined to put notorious bank robber Jack Foley behind bars.

Unfortunately, she falls for his roguish charms...

Starring: George Clooney, Ving Rhames.

01:50 Jackpot247. 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA. 04:45 ITV Nightscreen.

08:25 The Bear. 08:55 The Morning Line. 10:00 The Big Bang Theory. 10:25 The Big Bang Theory.

10:55 Film - Inspector Gadget (PG). It’s the comedy with a thousand moving parts, the story of the crazy, crackpot crime fighter who’s not so much a detective, more a toolbox! Starring: Matthew Broderick, Rupert Everett.

12:30 Film - Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who (U).

Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino’s animated family film, based on Dr Seuss’s book, stars Horton, an elephant. One day, wandering through the jungle, he hears a voice coming from a mote of dust. Starring: Jim Carrey, Steve Carell.

14:15 Channel 4 Racing. Kempton Park and Wetherby.

16:50 Film - Turner and Hooch (PG). Roger Spottiswoode’s comedy-thriller stars Tom Hanks as Detective Scott Turner, who’s about to move to a better job.

18:50 Channel 4 News. 19:00 The Simpsons. The Fight Before Christmas. 19:30 Hollyoaks. 20:00 Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 21:00 Bear’s Wild Weekend with Ben Stiller.

22:00 The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2014. Join Jimmy Carr as he tests a panel of A-list celebrities to see who knows the most about 2014. Who purred down the phone in September? What became the most tweetedabout sporting event ever in July? And why did Bono have to say sorry to the whole world in October?

Celebrating the end of 2014, Jimmy challenges Richard Ayoade, David Mitchell, Mel B, Micky Flanagan, Sarah Millican and Kevin Bridges.

00:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man. Another chance to see this Christmas special there’s a feast of festive frolics plus the odd song or two from Alan’s very special Christmas house band.

02:05 Film - Legend (PG). Ridley Scott’s fantasy stars Tom Cruise as Jack, the hero whose mission is to conquer Darkness. He must also rescue his love Lili from Darkness, who is trying to force her to participate in his plan to kill the last unicorn and plunge Earth into eternal night.

03:45 Film - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (PG). Paul Newman and Robert Redford star as the infamous bank and train robbers who, finally tracked by a persistent posse, decamp for the quiet life in Bolivia with Katharine Ross, Sundance’s girl, where they pass into legend. George Roy Hill’s classic western offers one of cinema’s most enduring pairings.

05:35 Small Animal Hospital.

Channel 5 06:10 House Doctor. 06:35 Wildlife SOS. 07:00 The Wotwots. 07:10 Fireman Sam. 07:30 Toot the Tiny Tugboat. 07:45 Peppa Pig. 07:50 Peppa Pig. 07:55 Pip Ahoy. 08:05 Little Princess. 08:20 The Mr Men Show.

08:30 Thomas and Friends. 08:45 Noddy in Toyland.

08:55 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom. 09:05 Peppa Pig. 09:15 Peppa Pig. 09:20 Toby’s Travelling Circus. 09:30 Bananas in Pajamas. 09:45 Tickety Toc. 10:05 Peppa Pig. 10:10 Wanda and the Alien. 10:25 Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures. 10:35 The Mr Men Show. 10:55 Access.

11:05 Film - Carry on Constable (PG). This early ‘Carry On’ comedy sees a group of raw recruits drafted in to cover at a police station that has been hit by a flu epidemic.

12:45 Film - Carry on Teacher (PG). A classroom of loveable rogues do their best to turn a visit from the school inspectors into a nightmare for their headmaster.

14:30 Film - Carry on Nurse (U). The team end up engaged in a hospital power struggle as the staff take on the patients. Medical puns and bedpan jokes galore bolster the hospital hijinks.

16:15 Film - The Ladykillers (U). Black comedy about a hapless gang of robbers whose plans are upset by a little old lady who runs a boarding house.

This was the last of the great Ealing comedies.

Starring: Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker.

18:00 Film - A Shot in the Dark (PG). Second in the series of Inspector Clouseau comedies. Starring: Peter Sellers, Elke Sommer.

20:05 Rob Brydon Live. 21:00 Morecambe and Wise Live! 1973. 22:25 Tommy Cooper’s Christmas.

23:25 Film - Carry on Christmas. Comic adaptation of the Charles Dickens tale ‘A Christmas Carol’ by the Carry On team.

00:25 The Greatest Ever Carry on Films.

01:35 Film - Carry on Spying (PG). A spoof of the James Bond style perpetrated by the Carry On team.

03:25 Super Casino. 05:00 Great Scientists. Aristotle.

05:25 House Doctor. 05:45 House Doctor.

Channel 4 06:20 Small Animal Hospital.

06:50 Film - Flicka (PG). Rebellious teenager Katy McLaughlin leaves boarding school and returns home to the her parents’ ranch. Starring: Tim McGraw, Maria Bello.

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27th december 07:00 Breakfast. 09:25 Match of the Day. 11:00 Saturday Kitchen. 12:30 Nigel Slater’s New Year Suppers. 13:00 BBC News. 13:10 Football Focus.

13:50 Saturday Sportsday. 14:00 Lewis Hamilton: Duel of the Silver Arrows 2014. 15:10 Sport Relief 2014 - The Final Score.

16:10 Film - How to Train Your Dragon (PG).

Animated children’s adventure based on the best-selling books. Starring: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler.

17:40 Film - Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG). Animated adventure featuring the return of Po, the panda with a penchant for martial arts. Starring: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie.

19:00 BBC News. 19:10 BBC Regional News.

19:20 Celebrity Mastermind. John Humphrys puts the questions CBeebies’ Andy Day, writer of the Shetland crime series Ann Cleeves, actor and comedian Tom Rosenthal and BBC economics editor Robert Peston take on the Mastermind chair. They answer questions on the Back to the Future films, the Shetland Islands, flags of the world and David Bowie 1966-1976.

19:50 Pointless. Comedians. Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman present a special celebrity comedians edition of the quiz that rewards the answers that no-one else could think of. Featuring Ronni Ancona and Alistair McGowan, Robert Webb and Richard Herring, Hal Cruttenden and Dave Spikey and Milton Jones and Roisin Conaty.

20:40 The National Lottery. Win Your Wish List.

Shane Richie hosts the game show that sees couples playing to win the prizes of their dreams. Will they be able to hold their nerve and take the pressure as they attempt win their wish list? Also including the National Lottery Lotto and Thunderball draws, hosted by Gaby Roslin.

21:30 Bruce’s Hall of Fame. Some of the biggest names in entertainment celebrate the artists who inspired their careers. Hosted by Sir Bruce Forsyth and featuring special performances from Jamie Cullum, Jessie Wallace, Alfie Boe, Ben Miller, Jon Culshaw and Jason Manford.

22:40 Mrs. Brown’s Boys. Mammy’s Tickled Pink.

Christmas is just around the corner and Agnes already has her tinsel in a twist. Rory is getting plastic surgery, Cathy is hiding something and the family are insisting upon a cost-cutting secret Santa!

23:15 BBC News.

23:35 Live at the Apollo. Stand-up comedy from the Hammersmith Apollo. Hal Cruttenden introduces Justin Moorhouse and Tom Stade.

00:05 Not Going Out. The Outtakes. A compilation of all the outtakes from over the series.

00:35 Not Going Out. Christmas Special. Special Episode 3. The will-they-won’t-they tension reaches new highs in this Christmas series finale that sees Lucy and Lee in previously uncharted emotional waters.

01:20 Film - The Hot Chick. Teen comedy in which a mean cheerleader learns a humiliating lesson.

Starring: Rob Schneider, Anna Faris.

03:00 Weather for the Week Ahead. 03:05 BBC News.

BBC 2 07:10 Natural World. 08:10 Film - Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (U). 09:50 Film - Ensign Pulver (PG). 11:30 Top of the Pops 2. 13:00 The Hairy Bikers’ Asian Adventure.

14:00 Film - The Cheyenne Social Club. 15:40 Yes, Minister. 16:45 Film - The Eagle Has Landed (15).

18:55 Film - Dad’s Army (PG). 20:30 Operation Grand Canyon with Dan Snow. 21:30 Top Gear. 22:30 James May’s Toy Stories. 23:30 QI XL. 00:15 Harry and Paul’s Story of the Twos. 01:15 Film - I Confess (15). 02:45 Canterbury Cathedral. 03:45 Wonders of the Monsoon.

04:45 This is BBC Two. ITV 07:00 The Aquabats! Super Show. 07:25 Pat and Stan.

07:35 Pat and Stan. 07:40 Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures. 07:50 Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures. 08:05 Canimals. 08:10 Canimals. 08:20 Share a Story. 08:25 Sooty. 08:35 Mr. Bean. 08:50 Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. 09:10 Horrid Henry. 09:25 Weekend at Christmas. 10:25 Columbo. Negative Reaction. Series 4, episode 2. 12:25 ITV News and Weather. 12:30 Dickinson’s Real Deal. 13:25 The Cube. 14:25 Tipping Point.

15:30 Film - Back to the Future Part III (PG). Final

instalment in the time-travelling comedy adventure trilogy. Marty McFly travels to the American Wild West of 1885 in a desperate bid to save Doc Brown from becoming another victim of the black-hatted varmint gunslinger Buford Tannen. Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson, Lea Thompson, Elisabeth Shue.

17:40 Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas. Buddy travels to New York City to meet the father he never knew he had. Along the way, his unrelenting cheer transforms the lives of everyone he meets and opens his father’s eyes to the magic of Christmas. With the voices of Jim Parsons, Mark Hamill and Ed Asner.

18:40 ITV Regional News. 18:50 ITV News and Weather.

19:05 You Saw Them Here First. The programme exposes the bare facts about Alexander Armstrong’s TV beginnings, Casualty’s Derek Thomson is confronted with his folk singing past, Will Mellor longs for the days when he was paid in chocolate bars, and how a shy and retiring Australian housewife became international megastar Dame Edna Everage. Other TV firsts include Bradley Cooper, Michael McIntyre, Martin Freeman, Nigella Lawson, Freddie Flintoff, Katy Perry and many more.

20:00 Film - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. As the evil Lord Voldemort takes over the Ministry of Magic, Harry, Ron and Hermione set out to destroy the horcruxes that give him his power. Magical action in the penultimate Potter. Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman.

22:50 Darcy Oake: Edge of Reality. Christine Bleakley presents a magic special starring illusionist Darcy Oake.

23:45 ITV News and Weather.

00:05 An Audience with Joan Rivers. Another chance to see a hilarious one-hour special from 2006 as a tribute to the late Joan Rivers.

01:00 Film - Clockwise (PG). Manic comedy about the misadventures of an obsessively punctual comprehensive school headmaster who sets out to give an important speech to a conference of headteachers. His day goes from bad to hideously awful when he boards the wrong train - the first setback in an increasingly hysterical race against the clock. Starring: John

Cleese, Penny Leatherbarrow, Howard Lloyd-Lewis, Jonathan Bowater, Stephen Moore, Alison Steadman.

02:40 Jackpot247. 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA. 04:40 ITV Nightscreen.

Channel 4 06:25 Film - Flicka 2. 08:05 Lost and Found. 08:30 Famous Fred. 09:00 The Morning Line. 10:00 Frasier.

10:30 The Simpsons. 11:00 The Simpsons. 11:30 The Simpsons. 12:00 Film - Alaska (PG). 14:10 Channel 4 Racing. 16:35 Film - Zulu (PG). 19:20 Channel 4 News.

19:40 Guy Martin’s Passion for Life. 20:10 Film Mission: Impossible II (15). 22:30 50 Funniest Moments 2014. 00:35 Film - X-Men: The Last Stand. 02:35 Film The Raven (15). 04:30 Hollyoaks Omnibus.

Channel 5 06:10 House Doctor. 06:35 Wildlife SOS. 07:00 Peppa Pig. 07:05 Roary the Racing Car. 07:15 Angelina Ballerina. 07:30 Pip Ahoy. 07:40 The Mr. Men Show.

07:55 Chloe’s Closet. 08:05 Olly the Little White Van. 08:15 Bananas in Pajamas. 08:30 Make Way for Noddy. 08:45 Paw Patrol. 09:00 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky. 09:20 Wanda and the Alien. 09:35 Zack and Quack. 09:50 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom. 10:05 Jelly Jamm. 10:20 Access. 10:30 World’s Strongest Man 2014. 11:30 Film - Pal Joey (PG). 13:45 Film - The Secret Garden (U).

15:45 Film - Watership Down (U). 17:35 Film - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (U). 19:35 World’s Strongest Man 2014. 20:35 Chas and Dave’s Xmas Knees Up. 21:30 The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davies. 22:30 5 News Weekend. 22:35 The Haunting of Radcliffe House. 00:25 True Crimes: The First 72 Hours. 00:55 Access. 01:00 Super Casino. 04:10 Kids’ Hospital at Christmas. 05:00 House Doctor. 05:25 Make it Big. 05:50 Make it Big.

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28th december 07:00 Breakfast. 10:00 Film - G-Force (PG). 11:20 Film - 3 Men and a Little Lady (PG). 13:00 Christmas of My Lifetime with Len Goodman. 14:00 BBC News. 14:15 Bargain Hunt. 14:55 Call the Midwife.

16:10 Songs of Praise. Bill Turnbull celebrates the musical moments and memorable stories of faith from the Songs of Praise year and we unwrap the classic carol The Twelve Days of Christmas with seasonal singing from around the country.

16:45 Film - Raiders of the Lost Ark (PG). Actionpacked adventure epic in which an intrepid archaeologist tries to beat a band of Nazis to a unique religious relic which is central to their plans for world domination. Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies.

18:35 BBC News. 18:50 BBC Regional News.

19:00 Celebrity Mastermind. Four more celebrities take on the Mastermind challenge, as comedian Rob Deering, model Amy Willerton, Erasure singer Andy Bell and W1A’s director of strategic governance - actor Jason Watkins - answer questions on the novels of Jane Austen, Anne Boleyn, Blondie and actor and theatre impresario David Garrick.

19:30 Countryfile. The Great British landscape gives us much to celebrate all year round. But as the bare bones of winter signal the end of yet another year there’s still one big celebration to go - New Years Eve. 20:30 Still Open All Hours. Granville is determined to improve Gastric’s image in order to matchmake him with Madge. His plans take an inspired turn when a salesman returns to town. Wet Eric is desperate to convince his wife it’s going to rain but gets lured into a dangerous purchase. Meanwhile, Old Mr Bentinck never goes into the shop, so Granville finds a way to tempt him in to spend.

21:00 Antiques Roadshow. The Antiques Roadshow visits Durham Cathedral, where treasures include a sweetheart brooch linked to the Grenadier Guards, a Victorian penknife and secret documents that offer new information about the D-Day landings.

22:00 Last Tango in Halifax. An unexpected visitor forces Alan to think about his past. Gillian and Caroline are anxious - his decision to keep his secret from Celia is sure to backfire. Meanwhile Caroline and a heavily pregnant Kate set a date for their wedding.

23:00 BBC News. 23:15 Regional News and Weather.

23:20 BBC Regional News.

23:30 Match of the Day. Gary Lineker presents highlights of the day’s nine Premier League games, including Southampton v Chelsea, Tottenham v Manchester United, West Ham v Arsenal and Queens Park Rangers v Crystal Palace. Elsewhere, Aston Villa meet Sunderland, Hull take on Leicester, Manchester City meet Burnley, Stoke play West Brom and Newcastle face Everton.

00:55 The Football League Show. Manish Bhasin introduces all the drama from the Football League’s three divisions. There’s the best of the action as Reading meet Norwich at the Madejski, while Nottingham Forest entertain a resurgent Birmingham City at the City Ground.

02:15 Film - Goal II: Living the Dream. 04:05 Weather for the Week Ahead. 04:10 BBC News.

BBC 2 07:50 Antiques Roadshow. 08:50 Film - Herbie Goes Bananas (U). 10:20 Coast Australia. 11:10 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites. 12:40 The Hairy Bikers’ Asian Adventure. 13:40 Talking Pictures. 14:25 Great Continental Railway Journeys. 15:25 Film - The Heroes of Telemark (U). 17:30 Final Score. 18:30 Flog It. 19:00 Film - John Carter. 21:00 Top Gear. 22:00 Racing Legends. 23:00 House of Fools. 23:30 Never Mind the Buzzcocks. 00:00 The Wrong Mans. 01:00 Hidden Treasure: The Comedy Vault. 02:00 Film - Suspicion (PG). 03:40 Countryfile. 04:35 Holby City. 05:35 This is BBC Two. ITV 07:00 The Aquabats! Super Show. 07:25 Pat and Stan.

07:35 Pat and Stan. 07:40 Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures. 08:05 Canimals. 08:10 Canimals. 08:20 Share a Story. 08:25 Sooty. 08:35 Mr. Bean. 08:50 Ultimate Spider-Man. 09:10 Horrid Henry. 09:25 Weekend at Christmas. 10:25 Columbo. 12:00 ITV News and Weather. 12:15 The Cube. 13:15 Michael Flatley: A Night to Remember. 14:15 Tipping Point.

15:20 Catchphrase.

16:20 Film - E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (PG).

Heartwarming sci-fi fantasy. 10-year-old schoolboy Elliott befriends and shelters a gentle alien stranded

on Earth. When the authorities are alerted to his unusual house guest, Elliott tries to help the creature return home before menacing government agents close in. The Film - won Academy Awards for music, sound and special effects. Starring: Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote, K.C. Martel.

18:35 ITV Regional News. 18:45 ITV News and Weather.

19:00 The Queen’s Garden. With Christmas over, tourists are fewer at the palace, but Alan discovers all manner of animal visitors in the gardens. With permission from the Queen, cameras are hidden in the gardens to Film - a robin nesting in the royal mower shed, a blackbird in the green house and best of all the discovery of a baby owl chick.

20:00 Unbelievable Moments Caught on Camera.

Alastair Stewart presents some astonishing eyewitness footage shot by members of the public on mobile devices over the past year, including extreme weather and dramatic rescues. The programme meets some of the people who just happened to be there to record these extraordinary events, with the images later going all around the world. These include footage of the battering the south west coastline received during the winter and the dramatic rescue of a construction worker trapped on the ledge of a blazing building, filmed by office workers just across the street.

21:00 All Star Family Fortunes. Vernon Kay presents a festive special as Team Coronation Street - headed

by Jimi Mistry along with Shelley King, Marc Anwar, Sair Khan and Qasim Akhtar - battle it out against Team Emmerdale - headed by Natalie J Robb along with Adam Thomas, Anthony Quinlan, Joe Gill and Bill Ward - for the chance to win thousands of pounds for charity. Which team will second guess the British public best and make it through to the Big Money round?

22:00 All New It’ll be Alright on the Night. Griff Rhys Jones reveals a brand-new collection of never-seenbefore flubs that the celebrities would rather we did not see. This all-new edition features Shane Ritchie in a less-than-perfect moment from EastEnders, the Come Dine with Me couple who almost split, and Jack Whitehall putting his foot right in it. Other bloopers include outtakes from hit shows All Star Mr and Mrs, Birds of a Feather and Australian drama Wentworth.

23:00 ITV News and Weather. 23:15 Through the Keyhole. 00:15 Rugby Highlights. 01:10 The Store.

03:10 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA. 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA. 04:45 ITV Nightscreen.

Channel 4 06:45 Small Animal Hospital. 07:10 NFL. 08:10 Little Wolf’s Book of Badness. 08:35 Ivor the Invisible. 09:05 Everybody Loves Raymond. 09:35 Frasier. 10:00 Frasier. 10:30 Sunday Brunch. 13:25 Film - Imagine That (PG). 15:35 The Simpsons. 16:00 The Simpsons.

16:30 The Simpsons. 16:55 The Simpsons. 17:25 The Simpsons. 17:55 Channel 4 News. 18:00 Celebrity Fifteen to One. 19:00 Film - The Golden Compass (PG).

21:00 The Hotel. 22:00 Homeland. 23:15 Gogglebox.

00:50 Rude Tube Christmas Cracker 2014. 01:45 Father Ted. 02:10 NFL. 05:55 NFL. Channel 5 06:15 Angels of Jarm. 06:20 Angels of Jarm. 06:30 Angels of Jarm. 06:40 Roary the Racing Car. 06:50 Roary the Racing Car. 07:00 Peppa Pig. 07:05 Roary the Racing Car. 07:15 Angelina Ballerina. 07:30 Pip Ahoy. 07:40 The Mr. Men Show. 07:55 Chloe’s Closet.

08:05 Olly the Little White Van. 08:10 Bananas in Pajamas. 08:25 Make Way for Noddy. 08:35 Paw Patrol. 08:50 Little Princess. 09:00 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky. 09:15 Wanda and the Alien. 09:25 Zack and Quack. 09:40 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom. 09:55 Jelly Jamm. 10:10 Access. 10:20 World’s Strongest Man 2014. 11:20 Film - Carry on Christmas. 12:25 The Greatest Ever Carry on Films. 13:25 Film - Carry on Spying (PG). 15:10 Film - Black Beauty (U). 16:55 Film - Out of Africa (PG).

20:00 World’s Strongest Man 2014. 20:55 5 News Weekend. 21:00 Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away. 22:00 Most Shocking Celebrity Moments 2014. 00:55 Autopsy: Michael Jackson’s Last Hours. 01:55 Super Casino. 04:10 World’s Strongest Man 2014. 05:00 House Doctor. 05:25 Make it Big. 05:50 Make it Big.

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Mother and Toddler I am a Mother and Grandmother with 25 years of experience in teaching primary children aged 4-10 years. I am hard working, reliable and speak English. I am looking for local childcare work or I can help with their homework. I live in Lomas de Campoamor and have my own transport so, if necessary, can collect the children from school, home etc. I am available for 3-4 hours per day and take 10 euro per hour. I have excellent references. Phone 696 363 456. For further info please e-mail: costablancavista@gmail.com.

Inga (69132)

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

Property Services PROPERTY FOR SALE - then let the power of The Leader help.

We can market your property on a NO SALE NO FEE basis through The Leader Newspaper and Exite Radio as well as on over 350 websites including rightmove, Homes Overseas, Prime Location and Zoopla.

What have you got to lose. Call 966 73 0057 now to see your property extensively marketed in all the right places.

FORMENTERA DEL SEGURA Good sized 2 bed 1 bath apartment ideal for long term living.

Door to hallway has 2nd bedroom leading off. Good sized separate kitchen which is fully equipped and has galleria leading off. Lounge diner has patio doors with a good sized balcony.

Archway from lounge leads to full bathroom with external window and spacious master bedroom with large window providing plenty of natural light.

English TV, communal pool. 375 Euros per month, inclusive of bills. Legal let with contracts 966 772 553 (88757) PLAYA FLAMENCA/LAS CHISMOSAS. Large 3 bed 3 bath townhouse. Lounge diner with feature fireplace, guest bathroom, good sized separate kitchen, separate utility room, 3 double bedrooms, one en-suite, family bathroom with Jacuzzi bath and double sink, Sat TV, south facing, tiled gardens front and back, communal pool. 500 euros pcm including bills. Long term contracts provided 966 772 553 (141037) SAN MIGUEL DE SALINAS 2 bed 2 bath modern apartment, consists of; hallway, lounge / diner with patio doors onto the balcony, fully equipped, independent kitchen, spacious twin bedroom with its own small patio, family bathroom with full sized bath, master bedroom with patio doors to balcony, en-suite shower room, UK television and internet available. On the roof is a pool and well maintained communal area with panoramic and distant sea views. The centre of the village, with all its amenities, is just a few minutes walk where you will also find a variety of bars and restaurants. 425 euros pcm inclusing bills. Contracts provided 966 772 553 (141038) TORREVIEJA/LA MATA 1 bed apartment within walking distance of the beach. Offering excellent value for money at just 275 euros per month including an allowance for bills. Legal contracts provided 966 772 553 (141172) Spacious south facing apartment

composed by 2 Beds, 1 Bath & Big Terrace. Residential La Entrada, Punta Prima. Fully furnished. Euro 500 / month.

965714362 Modern fully furnished apartment in Luxury Residential with pools and gardens in Punta Prima. 2 Beds, 2 Baths & Private Terrace.

Euro 550 / month 695 221 271 Penthouse in Private Residential Laguna Golf, Playa Flamenca: 3 Beds, 2 baths, Living room with Sea views, Terrace & Top Floor Solarium. Euro 420 / month 695 221 271 First floor bungalow in residential Duque de Ahumada near school Los Dolses. 3 Beds & 1 Bath.

Euro 420 / month 965714362 Brand new apartment with Smart Home System located in Private Residential, Lomas de Campoamor: 3 Beds & 2 Baths.

Euro 700 / month 695 221 270 Fully furnished Apartment 2 beds, 1 bath located in a Luxury Complex of Punta Prima.

Underground parking and Communal Swimming Pool.

Euro¨530 / month 695 221 270 First Line Apartment in Rocio del Mar with Amazing Sea views: 2 Beds, 1 Bath, Fully Furnished, Underground Parking & Communal Swimming Pool.

Euro 420 / month 695 221 270 Apartment located in a Residential Area with Communal Pool, Los Altos, Torrevieja: 2 beds, 1 Bath, Open Kitchen & Private Balcony.

Euro¨350 / month 695 221 270 (141176) PLAYA FLAMENCA 2 Bed, 1 bath 1st floor apartment with English TV. Walking distance to Carrefour supermarket, the commercial centres of Playa Flamenca, La Mosca and the Citrus centre. 350 Euro inc. bills.

Legal contracts provided 966 772 553 (139999)

Property for Sale 2 bed, 2 bath townhouse, furnished with air con. In the much sought after Zenia Golf II, which is within walking distance to all of La Zenia amenities and a short walk to the beach.149,950 euros For further information on this property please call 968 971 860.

(91768)

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3 bed, 2 bath semi-detached townhouse in the heart of La Zenia.

Only 1000 metres to the beach.

Fully furnished with air-conditioning. Within immediate walking distance to the many amenities offered in La Zenia. These properties are much sought after and offer excellent rental potential 179,950 Euro. Call +34 968 971 860. (91773) Two Bedroom, one bathroom duplex apartment with patio and off road parking. Fully furnished, SAT TV and air con throughout.

The property is within walking distance to all amenities and the beach. 114,950 euros Call 968 971 860 for more information (91820) Brand new 3 bed, 2 bath penthouse apartment in the bustling town of Los Montesinos. With magnificent panoramic views over the salt lakes. Private roof top solarium and optional underground parking. 89,950 Euro. Call 96 897 1860. (91779) LA MANGA - Immaculate 2 bed, 2 bath apartment. Fully-furnished.

Close to beaches and Veneziola Golf. 2nd floor. Reduced for quick sale. 125.500 Euro. Tel 626 253 569. (90187) Beautiful Semi detached villa located in Torreta Florida, 3 bed, 2 bath,garage, large plot, lovely garden area, fully furnished and

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walking distance to Torrevieja city. Must view tel. 966-73-0057.

Euro 217000 (109105) A modern and spacious townhouse in the beautiful and historic village of Jacarilla. The townhouse has 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms and a modern lounge. The villa has a bright yet spacious kitchen with plenty of storage space. To be sold unfurnished. 109,950 Euros CALL 968 971 860 (101552) A large Emerald Isle semi detached property which also has the benefit of 2 beautiful conservatories.

The property boasts 2 beds and 2 baths, lounge, kitchen and an integral garage which also acts as a great storage area. There is also a large solarium area which has sea views and benefits from the morning sun. Well worth viewing. 109500 Euros. CALL 968 971 860 (101554) These front line 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments start from 106.000 Euro, finished to a very high standard with all modern appliances. Incredible views across the beautiful Mar Menor and only 30 metres from the beach. These properties are only a short walk into the heart of Los Alcazares an old style Spanish seaside town.Within minutes of several top quality golf courses. Call +34 96 897 1860 for more information of this fantastic opportunity to purchase front line! (100861)

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Beautiful 3 bed, 2 bath semidetached villa in Blue Lagoon.

Lovely furniture and well maintained. Large plot, satellite TV, internet, security grills, central heating. This property has a communal pool and is just a short walk to local schools, bars, and restaurants. EURO 149950. To view, please call +34 96 897 1860. (102363) This 2 bed, 2 bath South-East facing bungalow comes with private driveway and side garden. It has a front patio area and a private solarium. It has marble floors throughout, a fireplace, air-conditioning, and comes fully furnished. The property is in a secure, gated urbanisation and enjoys the benefit of a communal pool. It is close to all the local amenities of Playa Flamenca.

EUR 125.000. For further details, please call +34 96 897 1860.

(102359) This detached villa is situated in Blue Lagoon. It has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and comes fully furnished. It has a glazed in conservatory, private solarium, and off-road parking, as well as ample storage areas. It is on a 250m2 plot. EUR 149.500. For further details, please call +34 96 897 1860. (102360) Amazing 4 bed, 3 bath top floor apartment, sea views of the beautiful La Zenia Beach, 280 mt2 property, 30 mt2 Terrace, private solarium upstairs (as big as the property), lovely commu. pool with artificial grass, great opportunity for investment or permanent living. A few meters from the beach and all amenities.

966 73 0057

Price: 298.700 Euros. Call 96673-00-57. (139984) Beautiful ground floor apartment in Playa Flamenca, 2 bed 2 bath in a gated community. Tropical gardens and lovely swimming pool area, tennis court, basket court & children play area. Air cond. in all rooms, 127 m2 terrace, interrior m2: 87m2. Fully furnished. Price: 125.000 Euros.

To view please call: 96-673-0057. (139970) This 2 bed 2 bath ground floor duplex in lovely condition.

Furnished . A/Con. Sat TV. Very large corner plot with beautiful established gardens. Includes a hot tub. One of the nicest apartments in the area. Call 96 897 1860. Euro 120000 (101132) BARGAIN reduced to 57950 EURO. Two bed, one bath Southfacing duplex in Playa Flamenca.

The property comes fully furnished and has off-road parking.

It is located within easy reach of all local amenities. Tel 966 73 0057 (101156) Two bed, one bath first floor apartment in La Zenia. Fully furnished, sat TV, off-road parking, and beautiful views of the communal pool and the Med. The property is in a perfect location for walking to the beach and the new La Zenia Boulevard shopping precinct.Reduced price for quick sale!: 80.000 Euros. Tel 96 897 1860. (101159) South facing top floor duplex. 3 bed, 2 bath. Air-con, sat TV, furnished. Gated community in the heart of La Zenia. Close to amenties and beach. Communal pool.

106,500 Euro. Tel 968 971 860.

(101483) This traditional bungalow is on a quiet lane in the Montezenia area of La Zenia and has 4 double bedrooms, a bathroom, a small, rustic kitchen, living room, a south facing terrace (with storage) and a solarium with sea views. There would be room for a pool in the large area at the front of the property. Low community fees.Reduced price!. Call 968 971 860. Euro 177000 (101510) Top floor duplex apartment in the heart of Playa Flamenca. Close to

Monday, 22nd December, 2014 all amenities and the new Commercial Centre. 2 bed, 1 bath, A/C, sat TV and open kitchen. Sold furnished. Large solarium with sea views, shaded terrace and front garden. Access to a communal pool. 85000 Euro.

Call 96 897 1860. (101524) 2 bed, 1 bath apartment in the heart of Cabo Roig. N332 beachside.

Furnished. A/C and sat TV. Underground parking. Incredible pool and sea views from the balcony. Short walk to the beach and all amenities. Euro 145,950. Call 968 971 860. (100887) 2 bed 1 Bath ground floor apartment. Furnished and includes A/C and Sat T.V walking distance to all amenities and 15 mins to the beach.Off road parking and use of a communal pool. 95,000 euro Call 968 971 860 or 667 592 467 (100884) 2 bed, 1 bath South-facing apartment. Overlooks the pool and has sea views from the balcony. Fully furnished with A/Con and sat TV. Underground parking. In the heart of Cabo Roig. Walking distance to the beach. 99,750 Euro.

Call 968 971 860. (101123) Beautiful ground floor apartment.

Front Line beach in La Zenia. In a gated and secure complex with incredible views across La Zenia bay you literally walk off your terrace and on to the beach.Fully furnished to a high standard this is a unique property because of its proximity to the beach.This is a property that has to be seen.EUR219,950 call 968 971 860. (100855) Dolores. Large Finca in plot of 10,000 m2. All services connected. Build Size 215m2. Must be viewed. 195,000 euros. Tel 649 189 930 (65297) Beautifully presented 2 bed ground floor bungalow. Property consists of Lounge/Diner, good sized kitchen with storage area, Master bedroom with fitted wardrobes, twin bedroom with fitted wardrobes and family bathroom.

Good sized garden and communal pool. This property is located just a short stroll to Villamartin Plaza and is ideal for full time living and holidays 80,000 euros

Tel 966 772 553 (92320) A stunning quad villa in playa golf property with 2 bedrooms 1.5 bathroom and large garden just a short walk from bars and the bus and only a 5 mins drive to the beach 115,000 euros contact Ian on 644 115 988 (96290) 2 Bedroom quad villa in Lomas de Cabo Roig just 5 mins walk to the shop and about 5 mins drive to the beach this has been a lovely home but need to sell now it only 89,999 euros call Carl on 672 875 251 (96292) Ground floor bungalow over looking community garden and just a short walk from the supermarket carrefour in Torrevieja this is a lovely property with a nice size garden Ideal for you if you are looking to be close to all amenties was 99,000 euros now 75,000 euros call me James on 644 138 502 (96293) Refurbished top floor bungalow with private garden and private solarium in the Verdemars with sea view and golf views also we have refurbished to a high standard there is a lovely stream just a few mins walk away and the communtiy is a nice and clean with 2 communal pool now 124,999 euros call today paul on 634 043 697 (96294) Brand new, 2 Bed, 2 bath walking distance to the new La Zenia Boulevard. Beautiful green areas within the urbanization, children play area, infinity comm.pool, jacuzzy (heated water in the winter months). Ideal investment home. For viewing contact: 96673-00-57.

Euro 128000 (109130) Large apartment in Punta Prima, sea views, 3 bed, 2 bath, large terrace, air cond. quiet area, low comm. fees, well mantained, fully furnished, good investment, please contact: 96673-00-57.

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Euro 148000 (109514) Lovely 2 bed, 1 bath apartment in Rocio del Mar at Punta Prima, sea views, south facing, fantastic comm. pool in a green area, walking distance to restaurants and all amenities. Contact: 96673-00-57.

Euro 148000 (109515) Beautiful property; 2 bed plus conservatory, 2 bath, in a gated urbanization with lovely green areas and 2 comm. pools, air cond. Large solarium, 80 mt2 corner plot. Very well mantained, 3 min. from Habaneras shopping centre. For viewing please contact: 96-673-00-57. Euro 115950 (109523) Semi-Detacthed property in La Torreta Florida, 2 Bed, 1 Bath, 400 m2 plot , large terrace, lake views from the large solarium, sunny all year round, garage (possible 3rd bedroom), central heating, fully furnished. For viewing please contact: 96-67300-57. Euro 147000 (109518)

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Detached property close to Torrevieja and Habaneras shopping centre, 3 bed, 2 bath, beautiful garden, 1.000 mt2 plot, quite area, garage, lovely swimmingpool. Contact for viewing: 96673-00-57.

Euro 270000 (109519)

34

Monday, 22nd December, 2014

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EURONICS THURSDAY DART LEAGUE “THE ELECTRICAL SHOP” - BLUE LAGOON RESULTS 18TH DECEMBER Division 1 Gogarty´s Bulls Hub Hyenas Busters Bar The Porter House

2-10 8-4 8-4 5-7

Junction Jackals Que Pasa Eagles Pint Depot Kings Hub Meerkats

Division 2 Pint Depot Queens Ale House Que Pasa Kestrels Junction Jaguars

2-10 3-9 5-7 3-9

Evolution Tavern Drivers Misfits (Sporting Life) Breakaways Be

LEAGUE TABLE – DIVISION 1 P W D The Hub Meerkats 10 9 1 The Hub Hyenas 10 9 0 The Porter House 10 5 2 Que Pasa Eagles 10 4 1 Busters Bar 10 3 3 Junction Jackals 10 4 1 Gogarty´s Bulls 10 0 2 Pint Depot Kings 10 0 2

L 0 1 3 5 4 5 8 8

F 84 90 69 58 57 54 36 32

A 36 30 51 62 63 66 84 88

DIVISION 2 Breakaways Bears The Tavern Drivers Junction Jaguars Misfits (Sporting Life) Que Pasa Kestrels Evolution Ale House Pint Depot Queens

L 0 3 3 2 3 4 6 8

F 83 69 62 61 58 46 46 45

A Pts 37 18 51 12 58 12 59 11 62 11 62 7 62 4 75 3

P W 10 8 10 5 10 5 10 3 10 4 9 2 9 1 10 1

D 2 2 2 5 3 3 2 1

Pts 19 18 12 9 9 9 2 2

180´s: Peter Ayres x 2 (Porter House), Pat Abrams, Alex Nikolov, Lee Maiden (Meerkats), Mike Smith, Del Lister (Breakaways) Shaun Smith (Hyenas), Matt Cummins (Pint Depot Kings) Derek Halpin (Evolution) Highest finish: 158 Pat Schofield (Junction Jaguars) Highest finish this week: Nick Spicer 158 Almost half way through the season and a familiar name tops Division 1. Very close behind, one point in fact, are the Hyenas, really up for some silverware this season. Porterhouse slip away from the top 2 after their encounter this week with the Meerkats, in a match they were never behind until the eleventh leg. The Bears from Breakaways open up a massive 6 point gap over the Jaguars after the return of their own Phil Taylor, in the shape of Mike Smith. Still a long way to go, Meerkats unbeaten run likely to end soon possibly at the hands of Sporty Spicers Hyenas on January 29th.

Breakaways are certainly not a one man team, but when Mike Smiths around, he lifts the team and his presence is usually worth a point or two. Angie Craggs 85 and 135 proved valueless in the opener as Smith finished the 701 on D16. Some powerful scoring from Jaguars Simone De Lacy and Dee Green also went begging as Mike Snow wrapped up the second on D4 after a 98. A 180 from Del Lister was nearly wasted in the third, Mike Smith coming to the rescue on D1. Lister made it 04 on D20, Louise Richardson adding to the Jaguars problems with D4 to complete the 601, De Lacy and Hilda Wilkinson scoring well to set up their own finish. Snow paired with Sarah Simpson in the final double leg and ensured the draw on D18 for all six legs without reply.

Craggs reversed the trend after the break and with Pat Schofield on next, a comeback looked possible. Her opponent, Lister, had other ideas making sure of both points on D8. Green made it two for the hosts on D13 after some excellent scoring. The scoring continued in the next for Jaguars, this time from De Lacy but Mike Smith wasn't fazed as 75,100 and 140 set up D4 for 2-8. Sarah Simpson made it 9 with some consistent arrows 85,81 and D6, leaving Tracey Simpson to

Christmas cheer with the SPORTING MISFITS take the last on D15 against a free scoring Snow.

Pint Depot Queens remain firmly at the foot of Division 2 after their eighth defeat of the season, but apparently with good reason. Their rendition of " Agadoo. We've got two,two,two" etc, is all they know from that awful tune, so gaining any more legs would be totally wasted. Well that's Debbie Wrights version of events. Good scoring from the Royals in the first was thwarted by Ken Treble's double after Rachel Broadhead had left tops. Evolution piled on the pressure in the next Jak Doggatt 121, Tracey Gilbert 121 and Derek Halpin 85, but surprisingly Queens were with them to leave Marie Dunne the pleasure of planting her first arrow in D4 to level. Ann O'Keefe kept her royal ones in the hunt for the third, but Doggatt and Halpin would have none of it, the latter posting 180 and double for 1-2. Gilbert added a third for the visitors on D11. Broadhead paired with Lyn Fozzard in the second doubles, Fozzard hitting an excellent 101 to pressurise the opposition, but Doggatt calmly planted his darts in D8 for 1-4. Treble made it 1-5 at the break on D10. Totally rejuvenated after the fifteen minute break at the bar, the Royals came storming back to take the next via Dunne and a 5 minute rendition of " We've got 2,2,2, etc etc. The visitors took the next two courtesy of John Williams D10 and Maggie Nicholls. Vi Turner gave a good account of herself in the next, unfortunately Treble got the better of her on D10.

The last two went the same way, Doggatt D17 and Halpin D10 against a fine effort from Ann O'Keefe.

Que Pasa Kestrels had a nail biter with the Sporting Misfits, the match being decided in the eleventh leg by Zoe James on D4 against a tough opponent in Chris Miles. Kestrels had started well enough, winning two of the three triples via Alan Preston 133 and both doubles, D20 and D9. Karl Cooper taking the first after a 105. Russell Lyness increased the lead for the hosts followed by a D8 from Gilly Kirby to increase the lead to 3. Cooper threw well in the sixth, 3x81 but it was left to partner John Ashworth to close the game on D2 for 4-2. Another Cooper, Sonya, pulled one back for the Misfits in the opening singles on D2, leaving son Karl to finish his nights work on D15 to level.

Kirby faced Leah Chesworth for the lead and it was a real ding dong both players going for it, but it was the latter who came out on top on D4. George Caine D8 ensured the draw, leaving James the honours for both points. Preston took the last available leg for 5-7 on D10.

Hyenas keep up the pressure on the Meerkats, with a fine win over the Que Pasa Eagles. The hosts were 5-1 up a half time, the visitors winning a creditable 3 of the 6 singles available. Highlight of the evening was Sporty Spicers 158 out, equalling Pat Scofields effort earlier in the season. Sporty took a slightly different approach using T18,T18,Bull. Nice one son! Den Hall, Stuart Clark and Kevin Wood were the Eagles singles winners.

LEADER

By Paul Durrant

Meerkats got away with murder against Porterhouse, although a nice 20 tons tally wasn't that bad a haul but the finishing from both sides could have given two different results. A nine ton thriller between Ray Hayes and Paul Durrant was spoilt by finishing, the latter eventually pegging out on D8. Pat Abrams couldn't buy a treble or double earlier in the evening, but eventually found some from taking out Brian Nash 2-0. Sid Cross was the Porters star man taking out 3 game shots before winning his singles against Del Kingsbury 2-0 after 2x100,140 and a tasty 77 out ( S19,S18,D20).

Busters got the better of the Pint Depot Kings going 5-1 up at half time. Depot took 3 of the singles and if reflected throughout the match,the result may have been a draw. Gary Minor starred for the Kings with 2x100,140, Matt Cummins supporting with 2x100. Mark Filer pounded the trebles once again with 140,125,121,10, Ray Harvey 100,134 and Paul Dowington 125 and a 96 out.

Finally its that time of year. A mid season break for the extravagance of Christmas and the P.D.C. World Darts Championship at Ally Pally. l spent a few days recently down in Marbella with an old mate of mine Rod Harrington, former World Matchplay champion and now Sky Sports darts pundit. The usual subject came up over dinner and we discussed current form players, likely to succeed at the premier event.

Gary Anderson is the one to beat at present, he is showing more consistency of late and converting those massive scores into winning legs.

A new addition to the family arrived earlier this year, so the 250K first prize will come in handy. Michael Van Gerwen is not exactly struggling at the moment, but that extra bit of magic seems missing. The extra media coverage on the Dutchman maybe a clue to his form.

Never dismiss Phil Taylor who is smarting a little at not being No 1.

He has everything required to take his seventeenth title, including the desire to prove a point. He is far from finished and may well take 20 titles, although l cant see him doing that in four years, but who knows.

We both agreed that Adrian Lewis is the " dark horse ". Former manager of Lewis, Keith Deller himself a world champion, has now been reinstated as "Jackpots" manager and is probably the reason we have seen the re-emergance of the Stoke wizard as a major threat.

Surprisingly, William Hill are only offering "odds on" for a nine dart 501 from anyone. if you want to win some Christmas cash, bet on two or more. Taylor is favourite, Van Gerwen second favourite. One for the youngsters, the P.D.C are offering in excess of £200,000 for the 2015 youth tour. Oh to be young again!

From Derek Kingbury, Linda Cross and myself may we wish all Euronics players and their families a very happy Christmas and 2015

Taking a break with THE QUEENS

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

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SABA WINTER TRIPLES

EMERALD ISLE BOWLS CLUB.

RESULTS AND TABLES FOR MONDAY 8 DECEMBER

E.I. Cavaliers v La Siesta Blues. A great result for the Cavaliers, winning by 6 rinks to 0. 133-61 shots. 14 points. E.I. Winners: John Pooley, Len Fisher & John Mullarkey (18-11). Chris Ayling, Glenda O'Dell & Jim Mulloy (28-9). Marilyn Shatwell, Ron White & Keith Jolliffe (20-12). John Jarvis, Pat Heaney & Pete Willicott (20-11).

Mary Whitlock, Mike Stacey & Gerald Shatwell (22-10). John Zeller, Barbara Eldred & Mel O'Dell (25-8) Claymoors v Montemar Toreadors. Bad day, losing by 2rinks to 4, shots 82-101. E.I. Winners: Lynn Hawkins, Brian Smith & Bill Allen.

Nancy Inwood, Mo Thomas & Glynn Inwood (17-14) Outlaws v La Siesta Silvers. Very good result Outlaws winning 3 rinks to 2, with one draw, shots 109- 99. Points 9-5. Winners: Margaret Riley, Mary Malcolm & Mike Petty (23-20). Don Martin, Robin Adams & Frank King (19-14) Gordon Smith, Les Bath & Bob Colston (20-10). George Whall, John Horne & Trevor Oscroft drew 15 all.

The Outlaws lost more players but managed to field a full team + 1 reserve, thanks Trish Oscroft, we may struggle but we're Fighters.

E.I. Xmas Comp, (3 rd day) The Weather was poor but the spirit was high ( may have been the hot toddy). 64 players, 16 teams all enjoyed the day, thanks to members who supplied sausage rolls, mince pies, & table snacks, most players dressed up as santas etc, what a sight, when all 3 days results were totaled the winners were: 1st, Mince pies, Phil Simpkin, Yvonne Mallaburn, Maureen Jeffs & Frank Close. (12 pts).

2nd Xmas Puds, Sheila Adams, Don Martin, Tony Harris & Keith Jolliffe (12pts). 3rd Turkey's Robin Adams, Bill Allen, Renata Mulloy, Linda Vincent (9pts) everyone received a prize, from large Hampers to bars of chocolate & lots of alcohol . Our sincere thanks & a gift were presented to our fantastic pair of barmen, Dave & Liam, Dave promised that the gift would,nt change him & he will still be as grumpy as ever & he is training Liam who "Smiles too Much". Our thanks to Mel O'Dell (and Glenda) for the time & effort they put in & also Marion Willicott for her Hard work. The Emerald Isle a very happy club & well worth being a member, so little cost so much enjoyment! Robin ( the scribe) Adams.

ENTERPRISE DIVISION Greenlands Sycamores 74 ( 0 ) San Miguel Pulsars 74 ( 2 ) La Marina Explorers 116 ( 12 ) San Luis Klingons 104 ( 8 ) San Luis Trekkers 92 ( 5 )

Emerald Isle Titans 148 ( 14 ) Vistabella Albatrosses 122 ( 12 ) Greenlands Maples 103 ( 2 ) San Miguel Meteors 82 ( 6 ) Quesada Pearls 112 ( 9 )

P Quesada Pearls 8 San Luis Klingons 8 Vistabella Albatrosses 8 San Miguel Meteors 8 La Marina Explorers 8 San Luis Trekkers 8 Emerald Isle Titans 8 San Miguel Pulsars 8 Greenlands Maples 8 Greenlands Sycamores 8

D 3 2 2 1 1 2 1 1 3 4

W 33 30 27 27 27 20 21 20 14 11

L O/W 12 7 16 8 19 6 20 5 20 5 26 3 26 2 27 3 31 1 33 0

Diff 201 268 118 103 12 -109 -77 -103 -123 -290

Pts 83 78 68 65 65 48 47 47 33 26

DISCOVERY DISCOVERY DIVISION Monte Mar Toreadors 93 ( 10 ) Monte Mar Matadors 82 ( 4 ) San Miguel Comets 91 ( 6 ) El Rancho Broncos 129 ( 10 ) Horadada Falcons 126 ( 12 )

La Marina Astronauts 85 ( 4 ) La Siesta Apollos 131 ( 10 ) La Marina Pathfinders 99 ( 8 ) Country Bowls Flamingos 77 ( 4 ) La Siesta Pioneers 82 ( 2 )

P W D L O/W Diff La Siesta Apollos 8 30 1 17 8 227 Monte Mar Matadors 8 32 1 15 6 188 La Marina Pathfinders 8 29 1 18 6 91 San Miguel Comets 8 26 0 22 4 98 Monte Mar Toreadors 8 25 2 21 4 -29 La Marina Astronauts 8 25 0 23 3 45 El Rancho Broncos * 8 21 0 27 3 -102 Horadada Falcons 8 19 1 28 3 -92 Country B Flamingos 8 17 2 29 3 -158 La Siesta Pioneers 8 11 2 35 0 -268 * 1 point deducted for reporting infringement

Pts 77 77 71 60 60 56 47 45 42 24

V OYAGER OYAGER DIVISION Emerald I Moonrakers 112 (8) La Siesta Sputniks 105 ( 9 ) Quesada Diamonds 101 ( 6 ) Vistabella Drivers 133 ( 14 ) Emerald Isle Neptunes 153 (12)

San Luis Romulans 120 ( 6 ) Vistabella Eagles 105 ( 5 ) San Luis Vulcans 93 ( 8 ) Greenlands Chestnuts 68 ( 0 ) Mazarron Mariners 85 ( 2 )

P W D L O/W Vistabella Drivers 8 35 0 13 7 Emerald I Neptunes * 8 31 0 17 7 San Luis Romulans 8 27 4 17 6 Quesada Diamonds 8 27 2 19 5 La Siesta Sputniks 8 20 4 24 4.5 Mazarron Mariners 8 19 2 27 4 San Luis Vulcans 8 20 0 28 1 Greenlands Chestnuts 8 17 2 29 2 Emerald I Moonrakers # 8 20 0 28 1 Vistabella Eagles 8 16 2 30 2.5 # 2) deducted for failing to field a full team *1 point deducted for reporting infringement

Diff 307 280 115 90 -58 -60 -199 -136 -167 -172

Pts 84 75 70 66 53 48 42 40 40 39

966 73 0057

LEADER

GREENLANDS BOWLS CLUB CHRISTMAS LUNCH On Tuesday 10th December GBC held their Christmas lunch at Portico Mar attended by 84 members and splendidly organised, as usual, by the very best Social Secretary on the Costas, Jill Collins. This years event was to be extra special as it incorporated the celebration of the 90th birthday of our oldest member, Eric Thomas, Eric was unsuspectingly lured to the venue by Jill's co-conspirators Helen & Charles Langlois The event exceeded all expectations it proved to be outstanding; as can be seen from the photos. Being 2 days short of 90 didn't stop Eric from enjoying the attention of the all the ladies.

SATURDAY HIGH ROLLERS The results for the final roll up of 2014 are: Winner of 1st prize, Kim Hunter on 26, who kindly donated his win to Eric for his birthday booty. Second ,Tom Hill ,third Dave Dudding both on 24 points . The fourth prize went to our guest bowler Angela Waymark whose husband Derek ,followed in her footsteps by winning the coveted wooden spoon. Total attendance was 18.The new 2015 sessions start on Sat 10th, January at 0930 for 1000hrs A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

ERIC's BIRTHDAY Part 2 On Saturday, 13th December Greenlands owner Mike Green, his wife Pam and Hayley invited all the membership of the Bowls Club to a splendid & very tasty Cava & plated buffet party in the grounds of their villa to celebrate the 90th Birthday of Eric Thomas (actually due on Sun 14th Dec.14). A very large number of members were able to attend what turned out to be a very convivial and unique occasion held in glorious sunshine.

TORREVIEJA DARTS - LADIES ORGANISATION......By Pam Horton Week 5: El Balcon Chicas Black Dog Ladies Primadonnas Friendlys Temps

Gogartys Girls El Balcon Chicas Wildcats at Bull & Bush Primadonnas Dave's Babes Friendly's Temps Black Dog Ladies

P 4 4 4 4 3 3 2

3-5 2-6 5-3 0-0 W 3 2 2 2 1 0 0

Gogartys Girls Wildcats Dave's Babes Bye/Descanso D 0 1 1 1 1 0 0

L 1 1 1 1 1 3 2

F 20 19 17 20 12 8 4

A 12 13 15 20 12 16 12

Back Row- Champions, Lin’s Babes. Front Row - Runner’s Up, The Blonde Bombshells Pts. 10 9 9 9 6 3 2

Hot Darts: Sue Casey 156, Pam Horton 140+124, Simone de Lacy 140, Sam Billingham 135+114+105, Caroline Shepherd 133+130+124, Christ Greenwood 123, Maggs Bergan 121, Tracy Simpson 119+100, Shirley Stephenson 14+100x2, Margaret Boden 108+107 Martelle Cheater 102, Groa Ingradottir 100, Ana Clavijo 100 Highest Checkouts: 86 - Pam Horton, 73 - Pauline Lockley 2014 Ladies Pentathlon - The Ladies of the League gathered at the Breeze Bar in San Miguel for our 2nd Ladies Christmas Pentathlon.

The “Blind Draw” decided four teams of 7 players, and the various Pentathlon disciplines included Bulls Eyes, a Team Game, Shanghai, Singles and Doubles.

The Lin’s Babes were the team of the night with 143 points winning outright to the Runners-up the Blonde Bombshells on 119 points. This was followed by Sue’s Cowboys who were closer with 111 points and bringing up the rear was Saucy Sam’s Gang with 105 points.

Each team had its own star of the night, with Chris Greenwood gain-

ing 37 points for Sue’s Cowboys, Gayle Todd gaining 34 points for Lin’s Babes, Simone de Lacy gaining 25 points for the Blonde Bombshells , and Sheerin DilMohammid gaining 24 points for Saucy Sam’s Gang.

There was the usual Christmas Raffle, with lots of different Christmas Goodies to be won. Everyone had an enjoyable evening, thanks to our Hosts Ana and her Staff who looked after us magnificently. Further thanks must go to your Captains, and especially the Coordinators Ann McGivern, Ann Bartlett and Jackie Tomkinson for all the collation work during the evening and for making the evening another success.

Ladies Pairs - The Ladies Pairs take place on Tuesday 6th January, at the Black Dog in Torrevieja, when we will all gather again.

In the meantime, Well done to you all this week, keep up the good work, and have a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year

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The Society helds its Christmas dinner/dance at the Quesada Counrty Club on Thursday 4 December with live music from rock and roller “Woody”. Presentations were made to the 2014 Eclectic winners, “Stormin” Norman Lewis, Terry Smith and Anne Day,on behalf of husband Rod, who was back in the UK, and also for the years most sucessful player Terry “Evening All” Smith. A donation of over 600 euro´s was also presented to a representative from MABS, our chosen charity for 2014. A good night was had by all.

Last Wednesday the society played their final game of 2014 at Altorreal. The course has and is still having a lot of work done on it to improve it. It was in good condition with the greens being quick and true. The turn-out was small so their was only one division. The weather was good and it warmed up with clear blue skies and sunshine. On the day the course played long with most of the tee positions well set back which presented a stiff challenge.The winner by a wide margin was John “Robin Hood” King. In second place was “chatterbox” Darryll Wright and in third place a Man United fan from Manchester, Ian Fogerty. The “Roy” for the most shots played went to young Trevor Hobbs who got into the festive spirit with a tot of Brandy on most of the tees. There were only 2 Nearest the Pin winners on the day, “Diddy” Dave Winchcombe and Trevor Hobbs.

After the game the players returned to the society base at the Quesada Country Club for the presentations, a festive drink or two and a tasty hot and cold buffet kindly provided by mine hosts David & Anita. The Annual General Meeting of the society is on Three Kings Day, Tuesday 6 January and the first game of 2015 at Alenda on Wednesday 14 January. Anyone in the Quesada area looking to join a very friendly golf society and play golf once a fortnight at a wide variety of courses at very reasonable cost, should contact the membership secretary Les Pancott on 966716723.

La Zenia Golf Society

By Eric Lucas The society drove down to La Torre on Thursday and played In some great sunny weather. A smaller turn out than normal as quite a few members had returned home for the Christmas and the new year celebrations. I was one not playing recovering from injury, but did manage to turn up at Gogarty's and win the raffle. Three single match play championship games were played, Graham Rickelton, Steve Cardwell, and Jack Todd going through to the next round. Quite pleased for Jack as he had to play the back nine last week in the pairs match play championship on his own as I his partner had to retired through injury. This was Decembers Presidents Trophy Day, We played full handicap stableford,4 N/t/p's, and the usual twos pot . Results were pins. No 3 Jack Todd, No 9 Chris Blown, No 11 Graham Rickelton, No 17 Chris Blown.The two's pot was won by Graham Rickelton.Winner on the day was Ray Pryce with 35 on c/b. Eric Lucas won the raffle. Thanks to James who sponsored the raffle, also thanks to his staff at Gogarty's for their great hospitality. All future games and dates are now updated on the website, this normally be done by Sunday night after the Saturday games. You should have had an e mail with the details, any problems contact me. The match play details are now on the web site, also the details are on the notice board in Gogarty's. Just to remind you all if you are planning to go away to Benidorm with us April Next year Ernie Wilson will be Gogarty's Thursdays after our games to collect deposit money for the Trip. All meeting times are 1 and 1/2 hours before tee time at Gogarty's. Guest's are invited to all our games, clubs can be hired. All information on the notice board outside Gogarty's.

Contact numbers Eric 667 196 178, Maurice 690268711

Monday, 22nd December, 2014

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LA SIESTA GOLF SOCIETY XMAS CELEBRATION - CAMPOAMOR “Wear something Christmasy” was the order of the day and most of us did. Bit short on the mistletoe though! Seven four balls and one three ball (one of the ladies couldn’t make it as she had imbibed the night before!!!) set off in very pleasant weather. Surprising ‘cos the previous day was freezing. Nothing really special – a normal stableford – but very enjoyable nonetheless.

A couple of items worthy of comment. Our Captain, George Rawlings had his usual miserable face on for the first 8 holes until Alex Stottor gave him a cuddle. Easily pleased, George suddenly came alive.

Roger Bellingham had an old age crisis in a bunker on the 15th. Having exhausted his quota of shots trying to get out of the bunker he became obsessed and carried on regardless.

By the time he got up to 20 his playing partners, by then thoroughly brassed off, carried on to the 16th. When they looked back they swore he was on his third Hamlet!! He should have known you don’t hit balls out of our bunkers – you burrow!!

Results: Nearest the Pin in 1 - 1st Div. No Takers 2nd Div. John Day (Just!)

3rd Div. Hazel Bellingham Nearest the Pin in 2 - 1st Div. Jackie Hughes 2nd Div. Vernon Stottor 3rd Div. Trevor Wheeler Division 1: 1st Mike Hughes 36 points 2nd Gerry Gibson 33 points 3rd Des Whetter 31 points

All the competition winners

Division 2: 1st Vernon Stottor 34 points 2nd George Rawlings 33 points on H/Cap 3rd Bernie Sturt 33 points Division 3: 1st Trevor Wheeler 34 points 2nd Colin Layton 31 points 3rd Gordon Ent’whist. 29 points on H/Cap Only 55 members and guests made it to our Xmas party at Crystals but we all had a great time with superb varied menus served in a very pleasant manner by the staff. Adam Slater’s music had us all enthralled throughout the evening, as usual.

Thanks to Lesley and Bernie Sturt, Alex and

Vernon Stottor for organising the whole event. And our appreciation of Arnie Hansen’s pre-match pickies and for providing the nearest the pin prizes.

We topped off the Captain’s charity, Caritas, with a final contribution of 275 euros making a total of 2,668 euros.

La Siesta is a friendly golf society based at Campoamor golf club for the last 25 years and plays a variety of games three times a week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and enjoys many social occasions throughout the year..

If you wish to know more, or would like to join us for a game, simply ring the Captain, George, on 646 41 61 82.

Café Uno Golf Society.

Happy Days Golf Society

By Steve Lawrence.

A great turn out today for our pre-Christmas game and the last before the new year, for the Café Uno Golf Society.

The venue Vistabella, the competition, Stableford. The course was in great condition after the few days of rain we have had to suffer during the last week, however today turned out to be like a summers day, weather that we have become accustomed to.

The Christmas spirit could be heard echoing around the course, although mixed with some expletives from certain disgruntled individuals. However most enjoyed the day. The results were as follows:-

By Lubbertus On Tuesday 16th December we held a Combined Pairs Stapleford match at the wonderful Roda Golf Course. The weather was perfect with just a slight breeze and despite the recent heavy rains the rolling fairways, truly amazing landscaping, lakes and long fairways offered the prospect of a close match; and so it proved. The winning pair was Kevin Wenn and Dave Eadington on 54, while the next three pairs all scored 53, to be separated only by countback. Second place went to Ken Farrow and Andy Shuttle with 33, third to Steve Dixon and Pete Hawes with 31 and fourth to Kevin Barrett and Steve Naish on 29. The course meant that no-one achieved nearest the pin at hole’s 2 and 13, while Simon Sharples won hole 7 and Jon Dixon won hole 11. Simon Sharples also won the 2’s competition. The 19th hole at the Marinasol Restaurant proved very welcoming as the early evening chill began to bite.

Our next match will be at the Los Colinas Golf Course on 6th January 2015. New members, or just those seeking more information about a truly great, warm, friendly and welcoming golf society, should contact Steve Dixon at the Marinasol Restaurant at Cabo Roig. This is the last match this year, and all the team would like to wish all our readers a great holiday and some amazing golf for 2015.

Gold Category.

1st R.Rogers - 31.c/b.

8th S.Hamilton - 23pts.

2nd T.Rogers - 31pts.

9th D.Titchen - 23pts.

3rd G.Hoy -31pts.

10th J.Saunders - 22pts.

4th A.Duchart -29pts.

11th D.Barratt - 22pts.

5th G.Pope - 28pts c/b.

12th R.Inwards - 20pts.

6th G.Benson - 28pts.

13th P.Bowditch - 19pts.

7th S.Lawrence - 26pts.

14th P.Jones - 17pts.

Nearest the pin - T.Rogers. Nearest the pin in 2 - S.Hamilton.

Silver Category.

1st G. Butterworth - 33pts.

8th P.Witham - 24pts.

2nd L.Tyas - 30pts,c/b.

9th S.Doolan - 23pts.

3rd J.Pedersen - 30pts.

10th C.Pepperday - 23pts.

4th D.Bishop - 28pts.

11th S.Taylor - 20pts.

5th N.Padmore - 27pts.

12th T.Macmillan - 19.

6th B.Wood - 27pts.

13th T.Sharpe - 19pts.

7th H.Hunter - 24pts.

14th P.Smith - 9pts.

Nearest the pin - N/A. Nearest the pin in 2 - K.Rennison.

No 2 ball winners today.

Thanks to Captain Tony and handicap secretary Steve for arranging a great day, and for their work in 2014. Also thanks to Café Uno staff for the after game Christmas dinner and for their hospitality throughout 2014. Our next game is in the new year on Thursday 8th January 2015 at Vistabella. Anyone wishing to play that day must contact captain Tony to put their name down.

Thanks to all the members for a great year of golf. Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and happy new year. Looking forward to a good year of golf in 2015.

LAS RAMBLAS GOLF SOCIETY Mike Chapman As a result of the rain on Monday our first game of the week was on Wednesday when we played our usual weekly stableford competition.

Difficult pin positions resulted in some lower than average scores being recorded with only one player, none other than our President John Wheeler, managing to equal par to win Category One. The results of the day were as follows: Cat 1. 1st John Wheeler 36 pts 2nd Lindsay Forbes 34 pts 3rd Peter Dunn 31 pts Cat 2. 1st Brian Dent 33 pts (c/b) 2nd Geoff Biggerstaff 33 pts 3rd Carole Wheeler 31 pts 2's Club: Mick Brentnall and Ron Phipps On Friday we played a 2 ball better ball with the winning pair being Bryan Neal and Brian Dent who scored a magnificent 46 pts. They were some 5 points clear of Barry Holtham and Lindsay Forbes in second place with 41 pts who beat Geoff Biggerstaff and Ken Robertson on a count back.

With this being the last report before the Christmas festivities it only leaves me to wish all players, social members, Las Ramblas staff and all our readers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

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LEADER

IN THE BUNKER WITH MICK THE GRIP

‘MIKE PROBERT TALKS GOLF

(Sponsored by Costa Blanca Green Fee Services).

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

Year End Reflection Time The end of the year is a good time to take stock of your golf game particularly a sort of mental game MOT. Here are just a few mental game reminders to help you with your game when things start to go wrong.

Think about the shot that you have got next – forget the last bad shot and focus on the next one by thinking about what can and can’t be done therefore filling your mind with positive thoughts rather than negative one’s about the bad shot.

Be careful about who you take advise from – golfers are too ready to take advice from anyone but with the average male handicap of 16.4 wouldn’t you be better listening to someone who really knows?

Attitude is everything – this is extremely important because it keeps you in the right frame of mind and helps you to save shots.

Control your bad temper with a baby’s dummy – carry this in your golf bag and promise yourself that if you ’ lose it’ on the golf course, you will take it out of the bag and suck it for the whole of the next hole and the feeling of absurdity will stop you losing your temper on the golf course again.

Never give up and stay hopeful to the end – always try your best on each shot and remain optimistic because you never know when the next run of birdies and good shots is around the corner.

Keep it simple – the less you think about what you do when playing a shot the better.

Set reasonable targets for your ability – do not attempt shots that you do not have the ability to achieve because it will only end in frustration.

Believe in yourself – if you do not who will?

Be set to play – if you are not 100% comfortable over the ball then walk away and re-compose yourself and this will save you many shots.

Be a modest golfer – because you will face victory and defeat in almost equal measure.

Always have fun and enjoy yourself – it is too easy to get caught up in how well or badly that you are playing and it is essential that you look forward to the next shot or game and when this feeling has gone take a break until you feel that you are raring to go again.

Remember that 80% of good shot making is down to the basics of posture, grip and alignment but if you do not have the correct mental approach to the game of golf you will prevent your automatic swing working in pressure situations.

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

Golf Course Alenda Alicante Altorreal Font Del Llop La Finca La Peraleja La Marquesa La Serena Las Colinas Las Ramblas Roda Villamartin Vistabella

Price €86 €47 €70 €39 €102 €120 €35 €82 €126 €82 €90 €90 €59

Comments Two Players and Buggy Single Green Fee & Buggy (by 9.30am) Two Players and Buggy Single Player and Buggy Two Green Fees and Buggy Four Players and Two Buggies Single Green Fee (weekends only) Two Players and Buggy Two Players and Buggy Two Players and Buggy Two Players and Buggy Two Players and Buggy (before 9am) Two Players and Buggy (weekends)

Deal of the week: Contact us for daily deals at Nike Golf Courses (El Valle, Mar Menor, etc for only €30 plus buggy).

For bookings and more information contact Mike on 966 704 752 or 661 345 931 or at info@costa-blanca-greenfees.com or direct quoting reference LEADER. Quotation of the week “Dance like no one is watching and sing like no one is listening” – Simon Cowall.

THE ULTIMATE golf experience: nine holes of snow golf in Bjorkliden, Swedish Lapland.

250 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Bjorkliden is a (fairly) normal golf course during the summer months, but is buried deep under the snow throughout the winter. Undaunted, Swedish golfers don their bobble hats and tee off. Night golf with glowing golf balls under the Northern Lights is apparently a unique experience, and accuracy helps; if you thought it was hard finding your ball in the rough, try a snowdrift!

JUSTIN ROSE has moved his family from Lake Nona, Florida to the very British Bahamas. “I bought a house here a few years ago, and it seemed like a good time to make it permanent,” he said. “We’ve made many friends here, and there are more fun things for our family to do together besides golf.” Maybe having Ian Poulter racing his new Ferrari round the block and half the U.S. Tour players in Graeme McDowell’s local for Karaoke nights made Lake Nona a bit of a Nono.

A TRULY DICKENSIAN golfing story: In 1868 Young Tommy Morris won the Open Championship aged 17; he and his father “Old Tom” Morris took first and second places. He won again the following year, also making the Open’s first hole in one.

In 1870 Young Tom won the Open for the third time, retaining the Champion’s Belt, which preceded the Claret Jug. His name was also the first to be engraved on the Jug when he won for the fourth consecutive year, a feat never since matched. He had a unique style, with incredible strength for his size. With his wooden headed putter he was said to be ‘devastating.’

Tommy soon achieved sporting celebrity status, and he travelled the country playing competitive golf. A huge crowd, some of them

“apparently new to the sport and decidedly unruly,” watched him win that magnificent 3rd Open. In the first round his score was 47 over the 12-hole Prestwick course. His three at the 578 yd. opening hole generally held to be a par six, was incredible. Tommy built on his firstround lead for a total of 149 to win by 12 strokes. When he arrived back at St. Andrews his friends bore him shoulder high from the train to an enthusiastic reception at Mr. Leslie’s Golf Inn. The next time such a crowd would turn out in honour of Tommy Morris was for his funeral. In September 1875 he lost both his wife and their baby in childbirth. It was said that he had to be persuaded to play golf again: when he did, his genius had deserted him. His health suffered and he was rumoured to have taken to drink. After playing a wager game in freezing weather Tommy became gravely ill. He was found dead at the foot of his stairs by his own father on Christmas morning 1875. He was 24.

LO CRISPIN GOLF SOCIETY AT VISTABELLA Bright and early on Wednesday morning, thirty five members and guests arrived at Vistabella suitably attired for the Christmas Scramble. I use 'suitably' very loosely as we had a fairy arrive to play with halo, illuminated wings and a wand. Everyone joined into the spirit of the ocassion by wearing Christmas hats, bells and glitter. As it was only 8am, with the sun barely over the horizon and cold the complimentary coffe and brandy hit the spot. The teams handicaps were quite close making it as fair as possible. The actual scores were quite low, but the mood of the day was centered on enjoyment as much

Worthy winners

as golf.

The best teams were: Frank Cusack, Rick Hards and Padraig O'Brien Brian Smith, Janet Candlin, Ian Davidson and Paul Carter Harry (fairy) Wilcock, Dave Keaating, Meirion and Bill Croft One team, who shall be nameless recorded the best score of the day, but in their excitement forgot to sign their card, oh dear, DQ. NTPs: hole 1 in two shots, Dicky Claeys, hole 14 in three shots, Brian Coultate, hole 15 Mike Cutts and hole 16 in two shots, John Henderson. There were two par threes that beat us all, no 2s were recorded so a double rollover for the New Year.

The free game draw was won by a happy Paul Flanaghan.

And so to the evening, a three course Christmas buffet had been arranged at the Lo Crispin Tavern together with entertainment by Vinny Mac, both were absolutely fabulous, but the steal of the show was Santa turning up, I think it was Brian Coultate, with two sacks of presents, enough for everyone.

With ribald comments from the men and plenty of kisses from the lady, Santa left a happy man. Many thanks to all members who supported the event and especially to David, Julia and John from the Tavern, who worked tirelessly to keep us happy.

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Monday, 22nd December, 2014

RAFA STRIKE SEALS WIN AS TORRY GO DOWN TO TEN

CD TORREVIEJA ........1 CF LA NUCIA .............0 Yesterday, Torry faced lowly La Nucia at the Nelson Mandela Stadium, in the last league match of the year, having gained a well earned point at Crevillente last Weds and still only 5 pts below the play off places. La Nucia, meanwhile, had lost their last 5 games, having drawn the previous 5 before that, a run which has seen them plummet down the table and part company with manager Alejandro Esteve. But the visitors were clearly hoping that last week’s appointment of former Villajoyosa player, Toni Martinez, would halt their slide going into a 2 week seasonal break until Sun 4 Jan. On that day Torry will travel to play off contenders Alzira.

On Sunday however a Rafa Gomez strike was enough to give Torry a valuable win despite having to play the entire 2nd period with ten men. For the 3rd time this season the Cameroon forward Steve Thibaut saw straight red after kicking out ‘a la Beckham’ just prior to the interval having been fouled moments earlier by La Nucia’s Navarro. The big defender immediately ran howling to referee González Péris who needed no encouragement to issue the Torry forward with his marching orders.

But no sooner had the striker trundled off than we were jumping for joy as Rafa Gomez hit the back of the net after connecting with a Cesar cross. La Nucia had little time to respond as the interval came

seconds later.

However with earlier first half opportunities falling to Jorge, Ruben, and Rafa the home side’s superiority should have forged a rather better lead than the single goal margin they trooped off with at the half time whistle.

Despite their inferior numbers Torry maintained their dominance in the 2nd period but once again they were unable to turn their chances into goals.

With La Nucia players going to ground at the first sign of a challenge the Torry players had to be careful that they weren’t reduced even further.

However following a quiet start to the second period, Cesar saw his shot tipped over the crossbar following some neat interplay from the homeside, who passed up a golden opportunity to extend their lead.

Moments later the same player was pulled back when though on goal with the offender fortunate to get away with a yellow but the real talking point was the La Nucia lunge on Sergi who was carried off following Edu’s two footed tackle. Again the perpetrator saw only yellow when red should surely have been the outcome.

Torry manager Galiana said after the game "Going down to ten men we've had to dig in again. I thought in the first half, up to the point that we lost Steve, we played very well and maybe surprised them a little bit. In the second half, as we tired, they managed to grow into the game and we had to keep our resilience, shape and mentality to get the win.

Next years council grant of only 17,000 euros is way down on previous years, but hopefully is sufficient enough to persuade a prolific goal scoring striker to join the club asap. We can live in hope!

POINTS SHARED AT SECOND ATTEMPT CREVILLENTE DEPORTIVO ...1 CD TORREVIEJA .....................1 (Rearranged Abandoned League Match)

By Steve Hibberd A few hardy Torry faithful made the short trip to Crevillente, the 2nd time in only 72 hours, for the remaining 28 minutes play of the abandoned match. For in Spain, unlike UK where the whole 90 mins is played again, only remaining minutes are competed for. A comparison was made to me by Torry Army committee member Mick Drew, who remembers attending a 4th round FA cup match at Kenilworth Road, between Luton Town and Man City, on 28 Jan 61 (yes, he really is that old!!). In that match, the late great Denis Law scored 6 goals, as the visitors swept into the lead, but the game was abandoned (also because of a waterlogged pitch) with barely 20 mins remaining. Luton won the rearranged match, Law scoring again for the visitors, but his 6 goals from the original match were expunged.

Even though admission was free, it seemed quite bizarre to expect fans to attend a match for less than half and hour, but surprisingly the attendance was quite good considering. I doubt many, if any, Torry fans would have made the trip had it not been local, for it seemed that no sooner had replacement referee Sanchez Palop resumed play, than he was blowing the full time whistle. In between, Alexis picked up a booking to add to Eddi's from the first attempted match, and a Burguillos defensive blunder allowed a threat on goal, but thankfully Oscar cleanly held the resultant cross. Torry were restricted to a Cristian long range free kick, which went high and wide, as both he and Steve were flattened if they got within 20 yards from goal, deservedly earning 2 opponents yellow cards. The starting line up was that which finished the original abandoned match, meaning Steve began in place of Eddi, with Berna joining the subs bench. Sitting in the stands was Torry's latest signing. Attacking midfielder Jorge Corella, who last played for Torry some 3 years ago, rejoins from Norwegian side FK Gjovik Lyn, having also plied his trade in Iceland with IA Akranes, and Spanish div 2b sides Yeclano and Ontiyent.

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CHRISTMAS CHEER FOR TORREVIEJA’S SWIMMERS

Young Torrevieja swimmers gave themselves early Christmas cheer this weekend when all members of the team had good swims and new personal bests in all their races. The competition, on Saturday, at the Municipal Pool in Petrer, was the last timed control of 2014. Eight of “Club Natacion Torrevieja’s” younger swimmers raced against 7 other clubs and 220 other swimmers in the region in a range of Butterfly, Breastroke and freestyle events. In the 100m Butterfly races Vilja Therese Bilstad, Vicky Pigneur and Amy Connolly all had good swims.For Vija it was her first Butterfly event and for Vicky and Amy their swims knocked a second off their previous best times. The girls then all went onto the 16 length race, the 400m Freestyle. Another first event for Vilja and very good swims for Vicky and

Amy both winning new best times knocking 18 and 12 seconds off previous times. The boys also continued with this winning theme in the 50m and 100m Breaststroke races. The youngest member of the team, Sergio Martin Moreda swam 50m Breaststroke for the first time as did colleagues Patrick Met and Nicholas Zon Acuna in their 100m Breastroke races. Finally Vitalio Veres improved upon his previous best 100m Breastroke time by 8 seconds. Racing will begin again on the 17th January 2015, meanwhile the club continues to train.

For more info regarding the Club contact Rosa 665 454 126, our President Felipe on 609 418 776, Vicki 669 637 015 or by email on the following: info@clubnataciontorrevieja.com .

SITUATION AT ORIHUELA CF REMAINS CRITICAL

Meanwhile spare a thought for local neighbours Orihuela CF where the financial situation remains critical. Indeed such is their plight that neither the reserves nor the youth team competed at the weekend in an effort to make available funds for the 1st X1.

Following the resignation of the entire Board last

month the club is currently being managed by its employees who are seeking urgent assistance from the Town Council without which it will undoubtedly fold. Despite their 2-0 defeat at Benigamin on Saturday the club currently sit in 3rd position in Tercera Grupo 6.

DIABOLICAL DAYA JUST ABOUT DESERVE DRAW ......by Daya Dave Montesinos 0 Daya Nueva 0 Cadetes Alicante 2a A slow start by both teams, but Danni in the Daya goal was the busier of the two keepers.

Daya's first corner arrived on 22 minutes but produced nothing. They did start to put more pressure on the home side, but it did not last long. On 35 minutes Diego should have opened the scoring for Daya from close range, but a last ditched tackle saved Montesinos. The whistle for half time was a welcome relief.

Two minutes after the restart the home side forced a corner that required a good punch out by Danni. Then just minutes later Danni produced a great save to keep out a fierce goal bound shot. Two more good saves followed as Montesinos began to turn the screw.

Then on 55 minutes a well worked free kick

by Daya forced the keeper into making a good save, but there was little else coming from Daya. On 58 minutes from another free kick Jose went close, but Daya were still second best. From a corner on 65 minutes Daya

Carp-R-Us Club News

This week the Club rounded off the year with the third round of the Winter series of matches held on the Eden Canal part of the River Segura. They have started to cut the bamboo and reeds down, but there was no evidence of them working on Wednesday and Thursday so the match went ahead. Top rod on the day went to Ann Fowles using the feeder. In second place was Steve Fell also using the Feeder. In third spot was Derek King also on the feeder and in fourth place was Ian Air. So the end of year standings in the Winter series are in 1st place Steve Fell with 83 points, second is Steve Collins with 78 points and in third place is John Brightling with 68 points.

The first match of the New Year will on the 8th of January on the Sweet water canal in Guardamar - pegs at 7.30am and fishing 8.30 to 1.30 pm.

The first Quiz night of the New Year will be on Tuesday the 13th of January starting at 7.30 All are welcome to come along and partake in this fun quiz.

The first meeting of the year will be at the bar on Sun 18th of January.

The Clubs home is at the Bar El Alto La Dolores which is on the N332 between La Mata and Guardamar and not far from the Repsol garage.

We have vacancies for new members and you are welcome to come to a meeting and find out more about us. The Clubs web site is at www.carprus.net or you can phone us on 966717923. MAY I WISH EVERY ONE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

did manage to hit the post and were now upping their game just a little. On 70 minutes the home side's keeper kept his team in it with a brave save at the feet of a Daya player. The visitors were now having the better of the game and did look as if they could clinch it with a goal. With just minutes to go Angel blasted a good chance just wide for the visitors. Soon after the final whistle went to end a woeful performance by Daya. Danni was man of the match for saving Daya from an embarrassing defeat. Sponsor: Segurlab

SUDOKU SOLUTION