Gran Alacant Advertiser October 2023

Enjoying Gran Alacant

Gran Alacant Advertiser continues to bring you all the local NEWS including information from the local Town Hall representative. Working for the local community since May 2005.

If you have any QUESTIONS or PROBLEMS you would like us to discuss, please email on info@granalacantadvertiser.com

Q: Suggestions for Improvements

Hello Lou,

I would like to comment on some aspects to improve the beautiful place where we live.

To make everything run smoothly, I believe that pedestrian crossings on Avenida del Mediterráneo should have traffic lights with buttons. It seems that a bad accident is needed for traffic police to realize the speed of cars on this road. Sometimes, when going downhill, the cars gain such speed that it is difficult to stop. Speed bumps or other options should be installed to truly limit the speed and to prevent personal tragedies.

Furthermore, in the same avenue, going downhill towards Carabassi beach, the pavements are in poor condition. It is a real challenge if you are pushing a baby pushchair or for blind people since they have to get off the pavement and walk on this dangerous road in certain sections. There is a high risk involved and the option of making the pavements wider should be studied.

In addition to traffic lights and pavements, it is also necessary to think about the buses that pass by on Avenida Mediterraneo. They occupy almost two lanes in certain sections. I am sorry, but personally, I think that vehicle parking areas along the Avenida del Mediterráneo are unnecessary. Without them, pavements could be made wider as sometimes a baby pushchair cannot pass on pavements because the streets lights are positioned in the middle of pavements. In addition to wider pavements, the lane for vehicles could also be expanded.

Finally, I need to talk about the lack of recycling bins on Avenida de Oceanía and Avenida de Asia. We need to promote and provide facilities. I do not understand why some avenues have them and others do not?

Anyway, I hope that with the new departments dedicated exclusively to Gran Alacant, something will be done. Even if they make some little changes, we will notice an improvement and make us think that there are good people in politics after all.

That’s all for now, but I promise to come back with more suggestions to help us improve Gran Alacant little by little.

Have a nice day!

David

Oscar Valenzuela’s Answer: Hello David

Thank you for your email and ideas for improvement. Regarding your suggestions:

1. Traffic lights with button - We are going to consult the Security Council and the local police.

2. Improvements to pavements - We will consult with Infrastructure to assess a repair project.

3. Recycling - We should see great improvements in cleanliness with the new cleaning contract, which will come into effect soon. However, some of the streets you mention are private.

Q: Sports and Allotments

We are residents of Gran Alacant and find the questions and answers format that gives residents the opportunity to raise their concerns with our councillor, Oscar Valenzuela, very useful.

We would like to express our dissatisfaction regarding the lack of supply of sports activities promoted by the City Council. In July and August, we attended free beach activities in Arenales Del Sol and in El Altet. It would be great to have initiatives like this in our area to encourage a healthy lifestyle.

We would also like to ask the urban garden on Avd. Del Carabassí. There is no information on the City Council website and the plots present a state of absolute abandonment. Why not take advantage of them eg educational workshops on horticulture, sustainable agriculture, leisure activities etc.

Kind Regards, Mario

Oscar Valenzuela’s Answer:

Hello Mario

Gran Alacant does not have a beach. The beach belongs to Elche/Santa Pola. We have many sports activities on offer in both Santa Pola and Gran Alacant. Due to the temporary expansion of secondary school, students are using the sports centre in the mornings, thereafter it is available for public use. We are amending the booking system to make it more user friendly and will have extended opening hours.

Regarding the allotments, we are still working on this project and we are hoping to have it finalised by the end of September (end of harvest season). More information will be shared as soon as it is available.

Q: Weeds on Calle Malta

Please see the photo of Calle Malta today. Is this now the dirtiest street in Gran Alacant?

Kind regards, John

Update next day: What a difference a day makes … and a WhatsApp call to the GA Advertiser!

Q: Bins

Dear Mr Valenzuela

I have visited GA several times these last few years. We stay in Calle Hollanda where there are many bins. Breakfast, lunchtime, dinner, sitting at the swimming pool, drinking a cup of tea outside, sleeping with the windows open, always there is the noise of emptying the containers, the

smell of rubbish and people with their cars emptying their rubbish into the bins.

Currently there are more than six bins and the dirt next to the containers is terrible.

When will something be done? These things do not belong in a normal neighbourhood.

Thanks for taking care of this problem.

Best regards

Heidi

Oscar Valenzuela’s Reply:

We are finalising the tender for a new waste collection contract, which should mean improvements for Gran Alacant. We ask the residents for your patience until the new contract becomes effective. For more information, see NEWS.

Q: Gran Alacant Billboard

Is it possible to have lighting installed at the GA billboard? I was returning from Alicante last night and thankfully, I knew where I was going otherwise I would have missed the turn. We are proud of Gran Alacant but we need to let visitors/tourists know where it is.

Please insist that lighting be installed ASAP before the winter months draw in.

Regards

Joyce

Oscar Valenzuela’s Answer:

I appreciate the suggestion and we are going to have a look at this with the technical department.

Q: Greener Gran Alacant

Dear Lou

There was a recent article in the Advertiser regarding 'The Greening of Gran Alacant'. It highlighted the amount of building work compared to green space. I notice that the area beside the El Faro urbanisation has recently been cleared and would like to know if this is in preparation for the building of the 5 storey cliff front hotel mentioned in the article?

Can Oscar please tell us why Gran Alacant should suffer more building and less green space when Santa Pola has the funds and supposedly a plan as part of the Health

& Green Space project? There is neither the infrastructure nor the desire for all the building work on our limited open space. Santa Pola should be taking a leaf out of Valencia's book and integrating healthier greener areas for the residents.

Kind Regards, Lorraine

Oscar Valenzuela’s Answer:

The project of the new cliff hotel is not a new project. This project was approved many years ago and is on developable land. All permissions were granted in 2018 but it is only now the construction company is starting to work on it. We are supervising the works to ensure it is all is done to agreed guidelines.

Regarding sustainability and the environment, since 2020, the Santa Pola City Council has been immersed in an important project, Green Health - URBACT. You can find more information about this on the Santa Pola website.

In GA, we live in an environment with two large green areas, the Clot of Galvany (which borders with Elche) and Sierra Santa Pola itself. Our intention is to develop an action plan to extend more trees and green spaces on the main avenues of GA. In addition to continuing with the URBACT and GreenHealth project regarding the conditioning of the sierra and green areas in urban areas too. We will do all this progressively in the same way that you have been able to see in other projects achieved in recent years.

Q: Petanca

We use the petanca courts at least 2-3 times a week. During the summer, the pine needles have built up around the courts and the area around the seats. Could you please ask Oscar to arrange to tidy up this area particularly as we have visitors playing with us some of the time and this does not show Gran Alacant at its best. Many thanks for your help in this matter.

Kind Regards Philip

GA Advertiser Answer:

We made Oscar aware and hope you can enjoy playing on clean courts soon. Please keep us updated.

NEW CLEANING CONTRACT AWARDED TO URBASER

The new cleaning contract for Gran Alacant and Santa Pola has provisionally been awarded to Urbaser.

According to the technicians who carried out the bidding process, Urbaser presented the best offer for the contract for the municipal solid waste collection service, street cleaning, beach cleaning and complementary services for Gran Alacant and Santa Pola.

Mayor Loreto Serrano stated, “It has been

NEW MARKET LOCATION

The Gran Alacant market moved location on Thursday 31 August to make way for the new temporary school facilities. The new location of the market is next to Aldi supermarket.

The Councillor for Markets, Joaquín Lozano, announced, “The installation of the temporary school modules has been carried out on the plot of Escandinavia Avenue where the Thursday market used to be held making holding a weekly market in this area no longer viable. After studying several options, Antoñita Sanchis Buades Street on the corner of Calle Chipre turned out to be the best and only viable option. This offers greater visibility from the Aldi

hard work for the municipal technicians. All sections have been studied point by point. There was not much difference between the proposals presented by the 5 companies.”

Cllr Oscar Valanzuela said, “Urbaser have a new bigger budget. Previously they were working to an old contract based on less people living in Gran Alacant”.

The tender process established Urbaser's offer as the most advantageous for the City Council.

and Gabe Market shopping areas and from Avenida Noruega itself”.

Mayor Loreto Serrano said, “We are very satisfied with the involvement of the educational inspection and the teaching team so that everything works well and I thank them all. We have fought hard to make this a reality and it is of great

satisfaction for me as mayor to be able to see the development come to fruition in Gran Alacant”

Gran Alacant Councillor, Oscar Valenzuela, stated, “The children will have the entire sports centre at their disposal, facilities that do not exist anywhere else at the provincial level. Everything has been done jointly between the Departments of Education, Gran Alacant and Sports”.

Mayor Loreto Serrano and the Councillors of Gran Alacant, Oscar Valenzuela and Borja Merino visited the new temporary school facilities.

HUNTING RESTRICTIONS

Hunting in the Santa Pola mountain range will be restricted to 200 meters from the perimeter of the Gran Alacant urbanisations and the activity will be prohibited on Sundays.

Sundays have been removed as hunting days and it can only be practiced on Thursdays and Saturdays from 8am to 2pm. Restrictions have been implemented to reinforce the safety of residents and to aid the coexistence of all recreational activities in the mountains.

NEW BUS SERVICE

The Gran Alacant to Elche bus service returns!

Vectalia launches a bus route that connects Elx and Alicante in 25 minutes (line 250).

Elx Rodalia has expanded its bus fleet and has created three new routes that link Elx, Crevillent, Santa Pola, Gran Alacant and Alicante city.

This new express bus service (line 250) connects Elx and Alicante in just 25 minutes,

since it does not make any stops along the route. In total, each day it makes 54 expeditions (27 outbound and another 27 return) and the first departure is at 6am in the morning and the last at 10:15 p.m.

Vectalia now operates this metropolitan network that connects Elche with Alicante, Crevillent, Santa Pola and Gran Alacant through 18 new low-emission buses with capacity for 80 people, accessibility, Wi-Fi and on-board chargers. It will be the first direct connection between Gran Alacant and the Elche General Hospital (line 255b).

For all information on bus, timetable and prices use the following link.

https://elxrodalia.vectalia.es/linea/elchegran-alacant/#linea=255b

If you would like to supply news or info for our next edition, or have a question for Gran Alacant Councillor Oscar Pedro Valenzuela, please email:

info@granalacantadvertiser.com

MONTEMAR BOWLS & SOCIAL CLUB

Sponsored by The Pub, Gran Alacant Insurances, Dialprix, The Belfry, Skippers and La Piedra.

CHICKEN RUN

Sunday 27th August

Another successful chicken run once again as it was still hot we only played sixteen ends with a break after eight. The winners of the chickens were Julia Hamilton with twenty points and Chris Harding with nineteen points. The winners of the eggs were Jan Parker and Colin Bedford. Thank you to Pauline and Chris Merry who donated the chickens, Julia and Ian who donated the eggs and the chickens who laid them. The winner of the football card was John Hunt the team was Leicester.

MONTE MAR WEEKEND COMPETITION

September 9th and 10th

Twenty four members took part in the two day trips competition. Each team played four games of nine ends over the two days. We had a break between games for refreshments we also enjoyed savouries and cakes made by members of the club. On each day before the competition started we had a spider the winners were David Eades and Steve Leatherland well done to you both. The winning team was Lynne Armitage, Steve Leatherland skip Phil Goble and the runners up were Rita Towle, Tony Kershaw skip Barry Watson well done everyone. The football cards were won by Phil with Liverpool and Lyne with Blackburn. Thank you Cindy for organising the competition and to all who made cakes and savouries, also Sue and Les who maned the control desk.

further information about Monte Mar Bowls and Social Club check out our website www.montemarbowls.com or email us at info@montemarbowls.com We are also on Facebook

Book of the month

by Beth

This author is one of my favourite crime novelists

My Recommended Book of the Month

Peter May

The Night Gate

Beth worked as a Qualified Librarian in Aberdeen for 20 years. She loves reading and delights in finding exciting new authors as well as reverting back to favourite writers of all genres. Beth has lived in Gran Alacant for the last 15 years.

In a sleepy French village, the body of a man shot through the head, is disinterred by the roots of a fallen tree. A week later a famous art critic is viciously murdered in a nearby house. The deaths occurred more than 70 years apart.

Former forensics expert Enzo MacLeod is asked by a colleague to inspect the site of the disinterred body.

But finds himself embroiled in the investigation of the recent murder. His investigations reveal an unexpected link between the murders – The Mona Lisa.

The Night Gate spans 3 generations, taking us from war-torn London, the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, Berlin and Vichy France. to the deadly enemy facing the world in 2020.

Enzo MacLeod solves murders and crime through forensics and this is Peter May’s 7th book in this series. I have not read them all yet but it is my intention to do so.

NEXT BOOK CLUB MEETING

Wednesday 25 October 2pm, Skipper Bar MASA Square

We meet up once a month, discuss the books we are reading now and suggest new ones. Anyone interested in joining us or looking for more information please contact Beth on Whatsapp +44 7853 363060

+34 690 195 498

stuart.markham@opgroupspain.com

www.opgroupspain.com

Centro Comercial Avd. Finlandia 19 CC, Local 3, Gran Alacant, 03130

BUSINESS INTERVIEW

OP GROUP SPAIN have been established since 2006 working within Property Management, Sales and Rentals centered in Gran Alacant covering all of the Costa Blanca.

About OP GROUP SPAIN

OP GROUP SPAIN is a family run business established on the Costa Blanca South since 2006. Stuart Markham, Director, and his father in law originally started the business 17 years ago.

What did you do Before

I did a Degree in Marketing and Economics worked in Marketing for one of Britain’s largest newspapers for 16 years before moving to Spain from East London.

What do you do Now

We find the right investment opportunity for our investors and the right property for our clients. The most important thing is to listen to what they really want then give them the best advice we can. We take great pride in finding the right property to suit our clients.

“Making connections and linking the right buyer to the right property”

How many hours PW do you work

Residential Properties, Short & Long Term Rental Properties, Golf Properties, Investment Properties, Investment Advice and MORE!

ADVERTISE WITH US

If you are a business owner and would like to be interviewed, contact us on: info@granalacantadvertiser.com

I would say about 50 hours a week. We live in a 24/7 society with the advances of new technology. I can still be answering messages to clients at midnight.

What are your Hobbies

I enjoy hiking. I have hiked every step of the coast from Barcelona to Malaga. My next trip I plan to take 5 days off and walk from Estepona to Tarifa through Gibraltar. My intention is to walk the full coastal route of Spain including Portugal.

The landscape for most of Spain is spectacular, if walking on a beach the scenery might not change much, but up on a cliff scenery changes often. It can be breath taking. Spain is steeped in history, so many castles and beautiful places to explore.

OP

Market Changes

We have been through recessions, the pandemic and now the war. We have more nationalities buying now. This year has been a lot of interest from Czech Republic, Poland, and other countries bordering Ukraine. This has resulted in a big change in the demographics in the area.

Since the pandemic, many people are relocating because they can work from home. There are many Madrid city dwellers relocating to enjoy coastal living. You get more for your money in GA with the added benefit of being close to Alicante city and the airport.

Which Nationality likes to Negotiate

Most nationalities would pay full asking price in today’s market conditions if they know it is priced correctly, however the Brits expect to negotiate.

Do you have any TOP TIPS

Use a Registered Estate Agent with a good track record. Use an independent lawyer who will undertake all due diligence checks.

Buyers

Location is key. When you buy consider your investment and think of your exit strategy if you need to sell or rent it out quickly.

High demand areas in the Costa Blanca areas are coastal (or within 15 minutes’ drive of the coast) and near golf courses.

Sellers

To get best price for your property it needs to look as close to a show home as possible. Make the necessary repairs, do the painting to freshen the place up as any minor repairs will be noticed and buyers could potentially try to negotiate money off the asking price.

Best Part of The Job

Most interesting part of job is meeting people wanting a better lifestyle. Linking investors with investment opportunities and helping people buy their dream property.

We have built up such a good network of contacts over the years. I have 284 Estate Agents I am in regular contact with here in Spain!

“Helping people buy their dream property”

“Stunning Spain. An incredible place to visit, an inspiring place to live!”

ANTI HUMIDITY PRDUCTS

TABLE

BEFORE: 3.044,00€ NOW: 1.699,00€

Gran Alacant

BARON 490 SIDE BURNER SHOP ONLINE OKBRICO.COM FOR BARBECUES OKBARBACOAS.ES

Out & about ...

... in Gran Alacant

Home Turf

Perfect autumn day in Gandia

Spain’s history has been much influenced by the power and culture of the Roman Catholic church and the Spanish aristocracy. The direct power of these two groups is today much reduced, although they do retain some of their former cultural influence and cachet. Both the church and nobility had a passion for building and their construction of grand and expensive buildings has left Spain with a fascinating legacy of cathedrals, monasteries and palaces. These structures were often products of Spain’s “golden age” in the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries when the treasure of imperial conquest and subjugation flowed into the country.

We made a visit to Gandia, in the province of Valencia, to see some friends. As the weather felt like early autumn we took the opportunity to visit the famous city palace to see for ourselves a striking example of aristocratic and church taste of the golden age. The palace was originally a small royal residence of the Aragonese royal family. In the 15th century it was acquired by the famous Borgia family. The Gandia branch of the Borgia family was founded by the sons of Pope Alexander VI. As Dukes of Gandia the Borgias ruled the local area until the 18th century when they died out in the male line and their land and titles passed through marriage to other noble families. We referenced this famous family in our article from March 2021 about the city of Xativa “The anteroom of the Borgias”.

The palace at Gandia was the visible centre of the family’s power and as such was designed to impress and show their lineage and prestige. The original late mediaeval building was enlarged and altered during the Borgia occupation and consequently contains features and decoration from a number of different periods and styles. The building is also notable for its examples of local craftsmanship and design of the Valencian region. The tour route taken by

visitors broadly follows the chronological development of the palace and it is fascinating to see the evolution of the building as a public noble residence.

Crossing the great internal courtyard visitors proceed to the public audience hall on the second floor where the Dukes held court

Follow us on Instagram: juanruano.oficial & archiemaddan

and dispensed justice. The room contains a number of features from the 16th century including an impressive coffered ceiling and tiled walls. The red bull insignia of the Borgia family appears on the stained glass of the windows overlooking the river Serpis below. Passing from the great hall visitors enter the private rooms of the Dukes, these are richly decorated spaces with religious themes rather than the heraldic pomp of the public areas of the palace. The intricate craftsmanship of the ducal private chapel

enfilade of rooms decorated in white and gold carving known as the Golden Gallery. This extraordinary set of rooms is of a type normally only seen in royal palaces. Every surface is covered in rich gilded carving, painted ceilings and inlaid floors. The overriding theme is a celebration of the lineage of the Borgia family. Two hundred years after the founding of the Borgia ducal house of Gandia these sumptuous rooms included images of the two Borgia popes as well as the famous 4th Duke of Gandia who later became a saint of the Roman Catholic church. The Golden Gallery is a magical space, light floods in through large windows and bounces off of mirrors and gilding and washes over the vibrant blues and yellows of the beautiful locally crafted Valencian floor tiles. The effect upon 18th century visitors who were used to small dark spaces with shuttered windows must have been quite overwhelming; it still works its magic today with audible gasps from visitors when they first enter the rooms.

This 18th century apogee was however to be a final hurrah for both the house of Borgia and the Palace of Gandia. The Borgia family died out and the palace was sold off. After a number of uses the building was eventually purchased by the Jesuits who restored it and in particular emphasised its links to the saintly 4th Duke; hence the numerous paintings and references to him to be found in the palace today.

is exquisite and a reminder of the strong links between the Borgias and renaissance Italy.

Visitors are then swept into the 17th and 18th centuries in huge reception chambers decorated in the baroque style. The most famous showpiece in the palace is the

The Palace of Gandia is well worth a visit for anyone interested in the decorative arts as well as being a monument to the ambition and status of the Roman Catholic church and the Spanish aristocracy. Above all however it serves as a reminder that all things, including earthly glory, pass away; a conclusion which the holy 4th Duke of Gandia would surely have agreed with.

CLINICA VETERINARIA GRAN ALACANT EXOTICS

Calle Holanda 9, MASA Square I T: 966 698 569

Monday - Friday 10:00 -13:00 & 17:00 - 20:00

Saturday 10:00 -13:00

Liliana Aldeguer Cerdán 793

English translation by Sergio Reina Esteban col 747

SPANISH ANIMAL WELFARE ACT: UPDATING

Spanish Animal Welfare Act has come into effect recently. It’s a national law (not local, not autonomic). Apart from this, there is a new Valencian (that is, autonomic), Animal Welfare Act which started coming into effect last March, and nowadays is fully effective. A national law, as anyone can imagine, prevails over an autonomic one, if there is any kind of contradiction between them, which hasn’t happened at all in this case: autonomic one complements national one.

National Act is fully “active” nowadays, but there are still some aspects that are not fully regulated yet, which means they are going to be developed later. For example: Mandatory training course for pets owners is not defined yet. The only thing we know about it is that it will be free of charge and the owner will just need to do it once in life. The exact way the owner has to take the lessons is supposed to be published by the authorities when they decide the best way to do it.

Another thing that hasn´t been regulated yet is the mandatory civil liability insurance for dogs owners. The minimum quantity hasn’t been established yet, so, meanwhile, we have been informed by the Animal Rights Bureau of the Ministry of Social Rights (Dirección General de Derechos de los Animales del Ministerio de Asuntos Sociales) via our professional College (NOT via tabloids, NOT via our “know-all neighbour”!!) that the obligation of subscribing the insurance is been temporarily suspended.

VERY IMPORTANT: this suspension DOESN’T affect potentially dangerous breeds dogs, which are obliged to have the insurance by Spanish Potentially Dangerous Dogs Act since 1999. The purpose of civil liability insurance, as its name indicates, is to cover the cost of any damage the dog may cause to people, other animals, or goods. A medical insurance for covering the cost of veterinary treatments the dog may have, so far, is not mandatory. The civil liability insurance can be easily taken out in any insurance company, and in most cases, if you have a home insurance, the dog can be easily included in it just letting your company know. But, of course, we must read

carefully the small print for avoiding bad surprises.

The species allowed and not allowed: so far, the only species recognized as companion pets are dogs, cats and ferrets, and in this area, they must have a microchip, an European Pet Passport,a rabies injection and a yearly tapeworm treatment, even if they are not going to travel abroad (in case of cats and ferrets, this is the new obligation the Valencian Act introduces). What about the other species? The list of allowed species is not finished yet, but we have been guaranteed by the Ministry (despite tabloids and know-all neighbours say) that nobody will confiscate your hamster, budgie or lovebird. Of course, when the list is published, we presume highly invasive and destructive species such as Florida terrapene, Argentinian parakeet and Vietnamese mini-pig will be forbidden. There will be different lists: mammals, birds, reptiles and arthropods. As anyone can imagine, venomous reptiles and arthropods will be forbidden. The lists will be positive lists, which mean every species not mentioned at the list will be automatically forbidden.

Another questions the new national law mentions, despite local laws already do, is the fact that Town Halls are obliged to pick up from the streets and take care of lost and abandoned animals (in case of Santa Pola, via the Local Police), and the prohibition of burying animals in private (your garden) or public (the campo) soil. When a microchipped animal dies, the death must be notified to RIVIA, and the services of a crematory must be requested. When notifying RIVIA, you must prove the body has been legally cremated.

In case you have an animal not classified as a companion animal, is a very good idea to keep with you every paper, document, bill, picture, etc, as an evidence you own it before the new regulation comes into force, just in case. And, again: would you buy a house or a car without any document?? Same with pets. And if you are not sure which documents a pet must have, here we are, for any kind of info or advice you need.

Gran Alacant’s ELCHE CF SUPPORTERS GROUP

A group of football fans in Gran Alacant have their own Elche CF supporters club to attend home games at the stadium and watch away games in local bars around Gran Alacant.

Home games see the group move around different bars in Gran Alacant as their meeting place, with the usual bars used being Happy’s at the GA Centre while Tommy’s is the regular spot up the hill.

From there, the group, which is primarily made up of 19 season ticket holders who sit together, arranges carsharing to get up to the ground in time for some pre-match beers and food before returning to Gran Alacant afterwards.

Travel to the ground is problematic with no easy public transport links. With the group sharing driving duties, they have managed to shift larger groups of fans to games.

Tickets are always easy to come by this season with the club being in the second division. They can be purchased via the club website at www.elchecf.es and there is also the occasional spare ticket available through the group as well.

Jornadas in Spain have games all spread out with each match being televised. It is normal for the actual date and time of the match to not be announced until 2 to 5 weeks beforehand.

Home games in October are against FC Andorra (Monday 9 at 19:00) and CD Tenerife (weekend of 29 October - date and time to be confirmed).

Find the group on Facebook at ‘Peña

GRAN ALACANT GOLF SOCIETY

GAGS are now back to playing twice a week, Tuesday and Friday at 8am. We are looking forward to meeting up with our regular players and welcoming new members whether they be residents or visitors.

SOCIETY DETAILS ARE AS FOLLOWS: Where: El Plantio Golf Resort. The official address is A-79, Km3, 03114, Alicante.

When: the formal Society Day is Tuesdays weekly when all golfers are most welcome. In addition we have an informal get together every Friday which has always been a Gentleman’s Day.

Time: on both days normally 8am so please be there by 7.40am. Occasionally the Starter may request we change the time so unless you are a regular golfer it would be best to check with us beforehand.

Cost: usually €50 per round at peak times to include a buggy plus €1.50 mandatory insurance charge. It can sometimes be cheaper during less busy, off peak seasons. In addition the Society requires €5 sweep money which is all paid out at the end of the round.

We look forward to seeing you. For more information please contact: Michael (966 698 925) Tony (966 183 004)

Elche CF de Gran Alacant’.

GRAN ALACANT WALKING FOOTBALL

He had several visitors from his club in Gothenburg on vacation and they played with us this week.

On Monday 2nd October, after the normal 10:00-11:00 walking football session in Santa Pola, the Tango Bar will be the venue for a social day for ALL walking footballers.

What a difference a month makes... September was a very frustrating month for everyone. The much anticipated new astroturf 8-a-side pitch, situated behind the Indoor Sports Centre next to the portacabins for the secondary school on Av. D’Escandinavia became available in August, then not available as it was to be considered part of the premises for the “new” secondary school.

A compromise was reached, and the school now have exclusive use of the facility from 08:30 until around 12 noon. The booking APP for the facility hasn’t been working properly and we have been told the September sessions will be free of charge.

At the time of writing this article, the Gran Alacant Walking Football group are holding sessions on Wednesdays at 12:15am using the astroturf pitch. Entrance to the facility is from 12 noon using the side gate from the old car park for the outdoor market.

We are to use only the changing room on the left hand side of the Indoor Centre as we enter. The remainder of the centre is for the use of the school. Please be considerate to all pupils and staff of the school at all times. We will be sharing the sports facility with them for the foreseeable future.

The ladies group continue on Thursdays with the new access time from 11:30.

It was good to welcome back Lars Ericsson after his knee replacement operation.

Some of the younger members are taking advantage of the fact that you can play every weekday with the different groups. Different opinions on the amount of sessions and times now available have been expressed.

Each group are monitoring attendances and will respond to their members wishes.

John Fraser, Administrator WhatsApp +34 630 582322

AVISO AL PÚBLICO (22/23)

Se informa a los Sres. Usuarios de la línea Santa Pola<->Alicante de los horarios establecidos a partir del día 4 de septiembre del 2023.

SANTA POLA-ALICANTE (LINEA 1 y 3)

*Estos servicios realizan su paso por BABEL

*Las horas de salida desde Óscar Esplá se realizarán 10 min antes de cada salida desde la Estación de Autobuses de Alicante Para más información pueden visitar la we https://movilidad.vectalia.es/rutas/

a 3 de septiembre del 2023

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

wheelchairs, crutches, Zimmer frames, and supplies such as wigs and nappies. We can accompany patients whenever necessary and can also send cleaners and helpers to give patients families a rest. And we also provide financial assistance in the case of treatments not covered by Social Security.

3AFECTO Asociación de apoyo y ayuda a familiares y enfermos de cáncer is an independent association for the assistance and support of cancer patients and their families in Gran Alacant and Santa Pola. We would like to introduce ourselves to the residents of this area so that you know of our existence and where to turn if ever in need of such help or should you wish to become a memeer or violenteer, or attend one of our workshops. And what better moment than October, which is a breast cancer awareness month. Among our initiatives, we will be preparing collection boxes for distribution amongst all local shops that wish to take part so that customers can make their donations to this worthy cause. And with the cooperation of all those establishments that wish to take part, at which participants will be invited to a “solidarity coffee” (or beer).

We are not members of the medical profession so our associates is unable to provide medical care but we can assist by providing equipment, such as

Our association is authorised by the Spanish authorities but is independent and relies on donations and fund -raising activities for its existence. It also needs more volunteers, particularly from the English-speaking community.

We very much look forward to hearing from you.

President:

Ana Maria Vera Orts (Spanish) 0034/ 617474742

Volunteers:

Shane Stewart (English) Lilian Goldsborough 0034/660335500