Santa Pola Celebrating Pride

Whilst nearby municipalities “say” they will support the LGTBIQ+ community, whilst actually “doing” nothing at all other than putting a flag up occasionally, Santa Pola is going all out rainbow-coloured with the celebration of International LGTBIQ+ Pride Day on 28 June, with Santa Pola Pride. Under the banner "All Colours. All Loves.", the event promises to be an inclusive and festive celebration honouring diversity and equality.

The Department of Equality, Diversity and Citizen Participation has organised a series of activities for July 1, the official Santa Pola Pride day, beginning with a mural workshop on diversity and gender identity in the Glorieta at 6:00 p.m. At 7:00 p.m., there will be a concentration in the Glorieta with different workshops and activities for all ages.

The highlight of the Santa Pola Pride will be the protest parade, which will start at 8:00 p.m. from the Glorieta and will go through the streets until it reaches the El Palmeral.

In the El Palmeral Auditorium, starting at 9:00 p.m., the Pride Party will take place, where a manifesto will be read at 9:30 p.m.

During the party, there will be a performance by Nancy & The Blue Stars, DJ's Laura Veyker and Lucía Ponce B2B Victoria Vegas, as well as a rainbow point, information, performance and entertainment stands.

In addition to the programming for July 1, previous activities have been organised to promote the inclusion and visibility of LGTBIQ+ people.

On Sunday, June 18, a day of inclusive sports will take place at Levante Beach, in charge of the DIMOVE Association.

On Tuesday, June 27, the Edisex associa- tion will offer the workshop "Diversities Project. POP-ART: T-shirts with pride" at the Racó Jove, with limited places and prior registration.

On Wednesday, June 28, at the Casa de Cultura, the film "Our children" by María de Medeiros will be screened, followed by a colloquium talk.

On Thursday, June 29, the Diversitat association will give a colloquium talk on LGTBIphobia at the Civic Centre, and on Friday, June 30, the Plaza Constitución will host a live radio program by the Alicante Entiende association, with interviews and related content with the celebration of LGTBI Pride.

Santa Pola is filled with colours, joy and pride to celebrate diversity and promote the inclusion of all people.

The Santa Pola Pride is an opportunity to show support and respect for the LGTBIQ+ community, as well as to remember the importance of equality and freedom of expression in our society, according to the town hall.

Rehearsals recommence after the Summer break in September and are held in Quesada.

Just as important the Group are also looking to recruit BACKSTAGE CREW to assist with the props during the performances which will take place December 14-16th at the Cardinal Belluga Theatre, San Fulgencio, so, even if you don’t want to be on stage with the rest of the cast, helping backstage is just as much fun.

If you would like to be part of this amateur Theatre Group, whose members also enjoy some fabulous monthly social events what are you waiting for….. email rojalespanto@yahoo.com and you will be contacted with further details.

IT WILL BE A CHRISTMAS CRACKER WHY NOT COME AND JOIN US!

Last week, we spoke about maintaining the correct position when we are sat in a vehicle, specifically, in that case, related to the potential and “life changing” injuries that can be caused by putting your feet on the dashboard.

However, the rule extends to much more than that, as Article 18, Section 1 of Royal Decree 1428/2003 of 21 November, approving the Rules of the road, states that “The driver of a vehicle must maintain their own freedom of movement, the required field of vision and permanent attention to driving“, which covers a whole multitude of sins (and potential fines). Keeping both hands on the steering wheel, not leaning with an elbow on the window, keeping your arms inside the vehicle may have been the repetitive messages our driving instructor taught us when we first took lessons, but the advice is still very much key to a safe driving experience.

When used correctly, the vehicle´s seats and features offer the maximum protection in the event of a collision. If we do anything to change the characteristics of these features, we risk our safety tremendously.

Arms and legs should be kept inside the protective shell of the vehicle. Sticking your head, arms or legs out of the window is not a very good idea.

There are countless documented cases of motorists suffering serious injury when “clipped” by a passing car, as well as the more gruesome stories of the loss of limbs in the event of a crash. Having an arm out of the window also poses a risk to other road users such as cyclists and motorcyclists. Being able to put your head out of the window implies that the seatbelt is not worn correctly. If your body parts are not within the safety cage of the vehicle, then you are at risk and are risking others.

Arms extended from the vehicle may also confuse other road users who might think that you are giving hand signals, thus posing a risk that those drivers may incorrectly react to what they think you are gesturing. Visibility may also be obscured as a result, blocking the vehicle´s mirrors and making it difficult to observe the vehicle surroundings correctly.

An arm outstretched to the left actually means you intend to turn left. It is a hand signal which may be used in the event of your indicators not working, for example. Your left arm out the window and at a right angle means you intend to turn right. Extending your arm out of the window with your palm facing backwards means you intend to reverse.

There are other hand signals too, but these main ones, which foreign drivers may not even be aware of, show how a simple move of putting your arm out the window to feel the breeze can be construed as being a hand signal.

Cyclists and VMP (scooter) drivers should also use hand signals correctly.