Voted Best
14 - 20 March 2019
COSTA DEL SOL
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION CREDIT: Hessia Fernandes (main), Ronan Maguire, via Facebook (inset)
ISSUE NO. 1758
Newspaper in Spain 2017 & 2018
THOUSANDS RAISED: Ms Fernandes’ hike helped buy the bus (inset).
EXCLUSIVE
Scaling heights Expat and Spanish communities join forces to help school
By Joe Gerrard THE expatriate and Spanish communities came together to support a San Pedro woman’s Everest challenge in aid of a school for disadvantaged children. Hessia Fernandes’ arduous trek to base camp of the world’s highest mountain inspired Irish expat Ronan Maguire to help after hearing about her expedition to the Everest base camp in 2018. The efforts to raise money for a bus to cater for some of the 400 children who attend the Nena Paine Association school in Malaga bore fruit earlier this month. The bus, emblazoned with the school’s name and logo, has been delivered to staff there after €14,280 was raised. Ronan told Euro Weekly News he and others were very
SCHOOL
happy to help Hessia raise the money. They were inspired to do their bit after hearing about her expedition. He and others organised a golf day on Tuesday November 20 at Marbella Golf Club resort to help Hessia after she fell short of the total needed for the bus. “Raising almost €13,000 at one event was way beyond our expectations,” Ronan said. “It was a really wet start to the day so I expected a huge no-show, but boy was I wrong. “Every single golfer showed up and I am 100 per cent sure they came because they cared about the charity and really wanted to show their support,” Ronan added. Ronan went on to thank all the golfers and sponsors for taking part saying they should
16 Pages
be more than proud. “Handing over the keys the other day was a great achievement,” he said. “Isn’t it amazing how the simplest ideas can sometimes make the biggest difference?” Ronan added. Hessia reached 5,364 metres of Everest’s 8,848 metres total height to get to the base camp. Her round trip trek covered 130 kilometres. The Nena Paine Association serves disadvantaged
children in inner-city Malaga. It provides them with education as well as food and care. Ronan said the school did “unbelievable work” to ensure the children were looked after and had the chance to get quality schooling. Editor’s note - Ronan and Hessia’s story is a fantastic example of how expatriates and local Spanish people can work together to make a meaningful difference in their communities. Well done!
WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM