News
The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1847
26 Nov - 2 Dec 2020
COSTA DEL SOL • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
FREE • GRATIS
SUPPORTING EACH OTHER
THERE is no doubt that when a famous celebrity gets involved in supporting a charity then dona tions increase as does the publici ty. Sports stars, actors, comedians, musicians and even politicians play their part in helping to keep funds flowing into the coffers of so many charities. In Marbella, the Council is par ticularly wellknown for its finan cial support of all types of different charities and those funds are so badly needed, especially at a time when it has been increasingly diffi cult to run normal fundraisers. Even now though, with so many restrictions on events and restaurants having to close by 6pm, people all over the Costa are still doing their bit to help. A per fect example are the Food Fairies who are determined to raise funds in order to not only feed those in need, but also to ensure that every vulnerable child has a Christmas present. Companies have been fantastic in donating gifts for raffles, for ex ample, the Positively Blue charity which is now holding events dur ing December and are sponsored by Nero Premium Vodka. Golfers are fantastic supporters with huge amounts of money raised for charities such as Concor dia, Debra Butterfly Children and Cudeca in Benalmadena. We have seen popular celebri ties such as Ronan Keating and Antonio Banderas perform on the Costa to show their support and it does seem that there really is no limit to people’s goodwill from the most famous to children who want to do their bit to help. It is difficult to mention every charity across the region, but there is Age Care, Age Concern, Adana, Triple A, La Cala de Mijas Lions, Caritas, Red Cross, Rotary Club and so many more that raise funds for animals, cancer victims, children, the elderly and to a great extent, the British can take the plaudits for introducing charity shops to the Costa del Sol. All of these and so many more charities need to keep raising funds and the other problem that
Victoria Iglesias with the renamed Zaza.
has arisen with the pandemic, apart from the difficulty in holding large events is the fact that so many people have been affected financially by loss of work which means that some can no longer afford to support charities and others are now needing assis tance from groups such as Collec tive Calling. One charity that has benefited from celebrity support in a real way is ARCH, the Andalucian Res cue Centre for Horses and Don keys, which has been saving ani mals from abuse, for almost 12
years and this year has been par ticularly challenging for them as with fundraising events mainly cancelled, the charity is relying heavily on the generosity of their supporters. Among these are Victoria and
Cristina Iglesias, longtime horse lovers and proficient horsewomen who are the twin daughters of Julio Iglesias. They arranged a visit to the rescue centre in Alhaurin el Grande around a year ago, since when they have been enthusiastic
followers and generous donors. This year the girls went one step further, offering to foster one of the rescues over the summer, in order to help train her with a view to finding her a permanent home. The horse they chose, a 12
yearold mare known as Moni, had been at the centre for several months. Neglected and virtually abandoned, she was tied to a tree on waste ground near Malaga. She was also heavily pregnant. and as the weather worsened, she gave birth to a small colt foal in torrential rain. Mother and baby thrived over the months that followed and once Lucky was weaned, ARCH were looking to rehome Moni, who needed to regain her figure and fitness after maternity leave. So, she went to the Iglesias sta bles where the girls gave her care and attention and they fell in love with her gentle and sensitive na ture and also discovered that she had a talent for jumping. It was not long before they decided to keep her and renamed her Zaza! Whilst few charities will ever say that they have enough funds, they are not greedy and many in volved give their time for free in order to help support their com munity or animals in need, so all of them do welcome whatever can be spared, be it time, commit ment, funds or donations to their charity shops.