Olive Press Andalucia issue 479

Eyes Out for All

THE Olive Press is teaming up with one of the Costa del Sol’s leading hospitality groups to highlight the growing danger of spiking.

We are relaunching our Smash the Spiking campaign alongside Sala Group Holdings to warn and protect revellers in the run up to the festive period.

As well as encouraging other nightclub and entertainment organisations to take a stand, we hope local politicians and law enforcement agencies also support it. Aiming to unite them under one umbrella, our message is simple: ‘Eyes Out for all!’ Our appeal comes after hearing a string of stories of victims - both

The Olive Press is relaunching its ‘Smash the Spiking’ campaign with Sala Group Holdings to tackle the growing menace of drink spiking across the Costa del Sol

By Jon Clarke

hotels in Marbella, it is a very worrying crime.

SMASH the SPIKING

men and women - being attacked around Marbella, Fuengirola and Malaga, this summer. While we have been frustratingly unable to get clear, up-todate statistics from the authorities, we have received various reports from readers and fellow holidaymakers. Happening in front line Puerto Banus, nightclubs in Malaga and even five-star

As well as slipping drugs in people’s drinks, it also sometimes involves pricking them with a syringe. Whether it is victims then having their watches snatched in a taxi queue, golfers falling out of a bar in Banus, or girls getting sexually assaulted on a beach, it is occurring far too often.

Responsibility

One of our journalists is even convinced his drink was spiked while on a night out in Ronda, while a female intern was previously assaulted in the UK.

“Mostly for robbery, as opposed to the sexual side luckily. But that is far too often.

“It is time to make a stop. We need to do something about it and as business owners we need to be responsible.”

“I know as many as 20 people over the last five years who have been victims on the coast,” explained Sala Group boss Ian Radford.

The 56-year-old, who owns La Sala restaurant, The Clubhouse and another beach club, is pledging to tackle the crime head on by training up all staff and making CCTV available to anyone who believes they may have been spiked. Staff will be trained to understand the ‘Ask Angela’ system that is big in the UK, as well as helping potential victims leave the venue

safely, often by calling a taxi.

Based in Marbella for nearly three decades, the father-ofthree adds:

“We are committed to beating this problem. We will be looking out. Eyes out all the time and I urge all businesses in our sector to come and join us.

“We need to raise awareness with the support of all local media and

the authorities.”

Have you been a victim? Have you got something to add? Contact us at newsdesk@theolivepress.es

BACKING:

From La Salas boss Ian Radford (below)

Stab in the dark

A WOMAN has been arrested in Malaga for allegedly stabbing her sleeping partner early in Monday morning. Police say his injuries were minor and are investigating the case as domestic violence.

Fuel dump

THREE narcos were arrested off Marbella after a high-speed chase saw them dump nearly 200 petrol canisters into the Mediterranean, creating a major environmental hazard.

Dog mauling

A SPANISH woman aged 36 from Lepe is fighting for her life after two dogs mauled her in Bath, UK, when she tried to shield her three-year-old son from the attack. She needed 196 stitches.

Sex arrest

A BRITISH man accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a child has been arrested in the Canary Islands, following a joint UK-Spain operation; he awaits extradition to face trial in the UK.

A NOTORIOUS Costa del Sol cocaine trafficker has finally been extradited to the UK to stand trial.

Andrew Doran, 41, is accused of ‘supplying large quantities of cocaine’, worth €9.2 million, and conspiracy to kidnap.

He was arrested after an alert bank intelligence officer recognised his face from an appeal by UK crimefighters.

The employee realised that a wanted cocaine trafficker was operating a bank account with a local branch and from there tracked down his address.

LINED UP

Policia Nacional officers swooped to arrest him on July 8 this year with the help of their British counterparts at the UK’ National Crime Agency (NCA).

WANTED:

Drug traffickers who managed to escape from the UK

British police praised the bank intelligence officer’s ‘vigilance and inquisitiveness, which helped make this arrest happen’.

The NCA is still hunting for two other traffickers; Thomas Dunwoodie and

Paul Elsley, who are wanted in relation to separate – but connected – investigations.

Both Dunwoodie and Elsley were arrested in 2020 but in 2022 they escaped the UK prior to being charged and have not been heard of since.

EXECUTION

THE victim of a grisly shooting that has shaken Marbella has been identified as a Swedish rapper with a violent past and links to Stockholm mafia.

Hamza Karimi - known as Hamko - was on holiday after serving a five-year prison sentence for the attempted murder of a 14-year-old, who he shot several times in the stomach.

In a likely settling of scores,

By Alessio Ghirlanda

Karimi (pictured) was executed in a hail of bullets as he chatted on the phone outside a cafe in Banus at 2pm on Friday.

Shocking footage shows his attacker, a 38-year-old Afghan-Swede, gunning him down as he attempted to dodge tables and chairs on a

Despite eventually fleeing into the cafe and pleading for help, he died from his injuries in hospital.

The attacker was later arrested by police, with the case now being handled by the crack Udyco outfit, based in Malaga.

Swedish media reported that Karimi may have defected from south Stockholm crime group Dalen to deadly rivals Foxtrot, which may have prompted the revenge killing.

Various Dalen members posted Instagram stories featuring skull emojis and fireworks to celebrate, according to El Español.

Ironically, Karimi had released a new song earlier this year with the lyric ‘shots can burn but don’t panic if you’re shot.’

A pair of Karimi’s closest friends, fellow Swedish rap-

Swedish rapper slain in broad daylight Banus shooting had tried

to kill 14-yearold back home

pers Mariaci and Einar, were also both shot dead at the ages of 19 and 18.

The three dead artists appeared together in the 2019 music video for their hit track Nu Vi Skiner (‘Now We Shine’).

According to Svenska Dagbladet the Swedish ‘gangsta rap’ scene is being used as a ‘cash-laundering machine for organised crime’.

Gangs are funnelling illicit funds into Spotify, buying fake streams with cryptocurrency to artificially inflate plays that, in turn, earn the artist more ‘clean’ money via royalties.

Some artists connected to these schemes have even topped Spotify charts and won awards.

Tinder rapist

A CONVICTED rapist who staged his own death before fleeing to southern Spain has finally been jailed in Scotland. James Clacher, 57, carried out two serious sexual assaults on women he met through dating apps in 2019 and 2020 –before disappearing in 2022. He was discovered by police living in Nerja calling himself ‘Johnny Wilson’. He was arrested and extradited to Scotland and has now been sentenced by Edinburgh High Court to a 10-year extended sentence – eight years behind bars and two under supervision.

LINE AND A PRAYER

A HIGH-RANKING priest from Toledo has been arrested in Torremolinos caught with a stash of ‘pink cocaine’as he headed for a night out.

Father Carlos Loriente, a 45 -year-old canon at Toledo Cathedral, has now been suspended from his duties and is under criminal investigation. Loriente, who had been holidaying on the coast, was pulled over during a routine police check. In his possession were 10 small packets of the drug - a volume exceeding what might be acceptable for personal use.

cafe terrace.

ROD’S ORIENTAL DATE

POP legend Rod Stewart has chosen Valencia for his only concert in Spain next year.

The veteran will take to the stage of the new Roig Arena on June 30. Stewart, 80, took to social media to

say: “I'm bringing the show to you next year!” Tickets will go on sale from midday this Friday (October 10) via the venue's website.

BIG WIN

THE Olive Press has been hailed as the ‘best English newspaper in Spain’ for its honest, accurate and fearless reporting.

The paper scooped the coveted Joan Hunt Communication Award at the prestigious Diputacion de Malaga ceremony. Malaga President, Francisco Salado, praised editor Jon Clarke and his team for helping integrate expats into Spanish life through ‘up-to-date and accurate information’.

A short film shown to the 400-strong audience highlighted the Olive Press’s reputation as a trusted source, regularly quoted by the

Olive Press crowned Best English newspaper in Spain

BBC , New York Times and The Guardian.

It also pointed to its ‘top-tier professionals’ and the paper’s million monthly readers, which make it the most widely read English-language publication in Spain.

La Opinion de Malaga praised the Olive Press for ‘combining independent journalism with an international feel’ and for ‘building bridges between cultures on the Costa del Sol’. Clarke, 56, who was nom-

The Scotsman has regularly performed in Spain in recent years but not in 2025. His last gig in the country was in December when he brought his ‘One Last Time’ tour to the Coliseum A Coruña.

inated by former Sur in English editor Liz Parry (above), collected the award at the Edgar Neville Auditorium in Malaga. Speaking in Spanish, he joked it was rare for a ‘ gui ri periodista ’ to win such recognition before thanking his team and reaffirming the

mis - sion to ‘ask the difficult questions’ and ‘fight for the underdog’. He cited campaigns such as Save Our Costas and the investigation into Ronda’s controversial Los Merinos macro-golf project. Other winners at the awards included the Mijas Lions Club, poet Lorenzo Saval, Olympic swimmer Nina Zhivanevskaya, Estepona Town Hall and Los Castanos Hotel in Cartijima.

LINE UP: The award winners including editor Jon, at the back

MULLINS IT OVER

WHO’D HAVE THOUGHT? FROM LEAVING SCHOOL AT 15 TO AWARD-WINNING COLUMNIST ON AN AWARD WINNING NEWSPAPER!

... And would you believe it!

There’s not much that pulls me back to the UK these days. Visiting family is the main exception - but my son Scott and grandson Ashley now run the family business, WeFix London, and most of my media work can be done from my villa here in Spain. Truth be told, I think the lads prefer me out of the way so they can run the show without interference!

There is one other thing that gets me on a plane: the charities I’ve supported for years. When one of my all-time favourites, Variety, calls me to Manchester for their annual charity dinner, I don’t think twice.

Last year, at the same event, I had the honour of presenting my good friend James Whale MBE with a Broadcasting Legend award - an emotional moment for us both. And speaking of awards... I’m now a columnist for an award-winning newspaper, since the Olive Press scooped the Best English Newspaper prize at last month’s Joan Hunt Diputacion de Malaga Awards (see above). Quite the achievement!

Oh, and while I was up in Manchester helping Variety raise an impressive £150,000 on the night, I was also sur-

prised with an Entrepreneurial Legend award. A great honour - and for once, I managed to get off stage without cracking any terrible jokes.

Since founding WeFix London, we’ve donated £1 from every job to Shooting Star Children’s Hospice. Alongside Variety - a children’s charity dedicated to helping disadvantaged and disabled young people across the UKit’s been a core part of what we do. I’ve always believed that part of the obligation of businesses is to be part of, and give something back to, the communities that keep them afloat.

And another winner is…

OSCAR winner Jennifer Lawrence picked up the Donostia Lifetime Achievement Award at Spain’s prestigious San Sebastian Film Festival, becoming its youngest-ever recipient at 35. Lawrence received the award from Spanish director J.A. Bayona to a standing ovation.

In her speech, she praised the festival’s love of storytelling and confessed a passion for Basque cuisine, joking, ‘I’m so happy to be here – not just for the food, which is reason enough to visit’!

The star’s speech skirted around political themes, though at a press conference earlier in the day Lawrence denounced Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, saying: “What’s happening is no less than a genocide and it’s terrible.”

I know the Olive Press are big fans of Ecologists in Action, and one I’ve worked with in Spain, Cudeca Cancer Care Hospice. It’s also good to see the paper launch a new campaign into drinks spiking this issue.

As a newspaper with a very defined

community – the readers of 100,000 copies a month and the 1 million monthly visitors to the website – I know that a huge part of what makes the Olive Press Newspaper of the Year is being in tune with its readers. It’s a shame more businesses in the UK and Spain do not understand this crucial relationship with customers. Politicians the world over could also do worse than carry through on the promises they make to their communities.

Offering a scathing critique of politics in her native US, Lawrence added: “What makes me so sad is the disrespect in the discourse of American politics right now and how that is going to be normalised to the kids right now. It’s going to be normal to them that politicians lie.”

Previous Donostia recipients include Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Antonio Banderas.

€30 MILLION ‘RIP OFF’

THE Costa del Sol’s annual summer toll ‘rip-off’ has seen the government collect a staggering extra €30 million. It came after Spain’s priciest highway, the AP-7, saw its tolls rise by 62% from June 1.

While the fees have now dropped back to the winter level, the rise has been slammed by commuters, business owners, and the opposition PP party.

The party slammed the lack of discounts, despite pledges made by Madrid in July 2024 to lower fees between Calahonda and Sotogrande. Drivers were forced all summer to take the choice: pay high tolls or sit in traffic on the A-7 coast road.

Meanwhile, regions like Galicia and Valencia enjoyed toll cuts or removal.

OPLIVERESS

Must remember Maggie!

HOUNDED: Maggie and Collin ‘lived in fear’

SPAIN is planning to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right to protect it from future rollback by conservative governments.

The move comes after the PP and Vox parties backed a proposal promoting the idea of ‘post-abortion depression’.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused the PP of aligning with extremists and pledged to ‘put into the constitution the right to voluntary termination’.

This would in theory ‘block any future threat to women’s rights’ amid global rollbacks.

But with Sanchez’s minority status, the proposal faces slim chances of passing into law as it needs three-fifths of Congress and the Senate together, or twothirds of Congress alone.

The Official Distributor of Sunflex Glass Curtains Enhance your property with a

Police probe after tragic British pensioner ‘took her life’ over fears for her home of nearly four decades

By

AROUND 50 people protested outside a Spanish campsite after a British resident allegedly took her life because she was worried about her future there.

The demonstration saw the group, including many expats, wave banners outside the gates of the El Portus campsite demanding justice for Margaret Stewart, 82. Margaret, who ‘lived in constant fear’ of being evicted, had lived with her 89-year-old husband, Collin, at the naturist site for 36 years.

The pair had sunk their entire life savings into their home, revealed the organisers of the protest, the Cala Morena Association.

Her body was discovered inside their property on Friday with the Guardia Civil now investigating the circumstances behind her death.

Protestors claimed her mental state had suffered due to the pressure of not knowing whether they could stay much longer at El Portus.

Problems started two years ago when the site was bought by Newtown Capital S.L.

The total of 400 long-term residents, most from the UK, France and Germany, has since dwindled to just 20.

And many were allegedly forced to leave via illegal tactics and restricted access to their homes plus properties

being demolished for no good reason.

There have also been accusations about violence used against residents.

Newtown refuted such comments saying there have been 'no forced evictions' or 'violence'.

Suffered

As for the problems faced by the Stewarts, a friend, Miguel Alamagro, said they suffered water and electricity cuts 'for days' at a time. They also lived in 'constant fear' that they might not get back into their home if they went out, even for a day. It came despite Cartagena City Council agreeing to mediate

between the residents and Newtown in November 2023.

But nothing happened.

“In the end there had to be a death and we don't know what has to happen for this to be solved," explained former resident Juavier Suarez.

The council claims the Stewarts rejected help from social services to find new accommodation on three occasions.

“But they didn’t want to go somewhere that did not belong to them,” continued Suarez.

“They just wanted to stay in their home and for someone to explain to them why they had to move.”

A spokesman for the campsite told the Olive Press: “Above all else we wish to express our most sincere condolences and to express our sorrow and shock”.

HORSE TRADING

MALAGA has finally moved to ban horsedrawn carriages with immediate effect – with the fate of the 60-plus nags yet to be determined.

The decision comes after years of campaigning from activists who argue it is a form of animal abuse.

Chief among their complaints are punishing summer temperatures, the perils of navigating city traffic, as well as the physical burden.

Mayor Francisco De la Torre announced the decision was made ‘with the welfare and safety of the animals in mind’.

Each of the 25 license holders have been offered €125,000 as compensation – but there are no confirmed plans for the 61 horses.

Animal rights party PACMA expressed concern there has been no discussion of the horses’ futures.

The group insists the mayor should now take responsibility for the ‘life, health and well-being of the horses involved’.

The horses deserve a ‘dignified retirement’ at either municipal facilities or private sanctuaries outside the city, said a spokesman.

EXCLUSIVE

Alex Trelinski

Lifeline thrown

Illegal

farms to be axed in bid to rescue Doñana’s

thirsty wetlands

By Dilip Kuner

SPAIN’S most important national park is finally getting the cash to tackle its depleted water resources.

Doñana National Park – one of Europe’s last great wetlands – will have money pumped in to save it from drying up.

After years of hand-wringing and empty promises, central government and the Junta have finally agreed to rescue the critically endangered aquifer beneath the park.

Under the so-called ‘Agreement for Doñana’, Madrid approved the first €28.5m to pay off farmers willing to ditch their water-guzzling crops.

The plan will see 400 hectares of thirsty farmland taken out of production to return to nature. Working out at €70,000 per hectare, paid over 10 years.

Once a lush haven for migratory birds, lynx and wetlands bursting with life, the water table has been slowly drying out – parched by rogue wells and illegal berry farms tapping into its veins.

The berry boom in Huelva province – famous for strawberries and other ‘red gold’ – has come at a heavy cost.

Each hectare slurps an alarming 5.7 million litres of water per season, sucked straight from the aquifer.

Now, after years of looking the other way, the authorities have shut hundreds of illegal wells and are offering farmers a way out.

Andalucia’s regional government is sweetening the deal with another €20,000 per hectare, while Huelva’s local council is chipping in €10,000 more.

Wolf woes

A SPANISH region is allowing hunters to keep wolves’ heads or pelts as trophies, sparking fury from conservationists.

The WWF has slammed the right of hunters in La Rioja to pay just €1,298 for a permit to claim a wolf trophy. “It could lead to indiscriminate wolf killing,” said coordinator Luis Suarez, adding it was ‘political and incomprehensible’, with no scientific basis. La Rioja is home to just one resident pack.

Although wolf hunting was banned nationwide in 2021, Spain reversed the ban earlier this year in northern regions - a move backed by conservative parties. Farmers blame wolves for livestock attacks, but critics, including PACMA, say the law is a massive step backwards.

Asturias and Cantabria have already authorised culls of 53 and 41 wolves respectively.

Good walk planned

ESTEPONA will extend its coastal footpath with a new wooden boardwalk connecting La Galera Beach to Bahia Dorada.

The three-metre-wide, raised walkway will include railings and LED lighting. The town says 95% of its coast is now walkable, with further progress including a 673-metre concrete path between Guadalmina Baja and Casasola in the planning stages.

Mayor Jose Garcia Urbano called the works ‘another step’ towards completing the Senda Litoral - a 160km project linking Manilva to Nerja.

FIRE

SEASON

WIN, BUT NOT FOR ALL

MALAGA has largely avoided the devastating wildfires seen elsewhere in Spain this summer, recording just one blaze larger than one square kilometre.

While over 1,200 hectares burned in Leon, Malaga’s swift-response Plan Infoca teams contained 80% of wildfires to under one hectare.

The largest, in Montecorto on July 4, burned 1.6 hectares, leaving the grounds of one of the region’s most charming hotels, La Donaira, badly burnt.

While the fire - which allegedly

started from a car malfunctiondidn’t destroy the main buildings, it tragically razed its vineyard and bodega with ‘40,000 bottles’. A second near Villanueva de la Concepcion destroyed 950,000 m².

Others, including fires in Ronda, Antequera, Mijas, and Malaga city, were far smaller.

The success follows €257 million in prevention-focused investment, with 57% spent in winter on firebreaks, vegetation control, and grazing programs.

That brings the total to €100,000 per hectare for those willing to walk away. In total, some €1.4 billion is being thrown at the problem by 2027 – split

more or less evenly. The aim is to restore the aquifer, stop the illegal water grabs, and rewild what was once Europe's crown jewel of biodiversity.

HOPE: The wetlands may escape a dessicated death

Voted

top expat paper

in Spain

A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than two million people a month.

OPINION

Let’s smash the spiking menace

AS the festive season approaches, the Olive Press is relaunching its Smash the Spiking campaign.

First launched in 2014, our new call to action goes under the banner: ‘Eyes Out for All’.

SWASTIKA RISING

Hitler tattoos and SS skulls: How Spain’s farright extremists are emerging

SMASH

the SPIKING

Joining forces with Sala Group Holdings, one of the Costa del Sol’s leading hospitality firms, we aim to tackle the growing menace of drink spiking across Spain. It’s happening far too often – in Marbella, Fuengirola, Benidorm, Alicante, Palma and beyond - to both men and women.

Victims report being pricked with syringes or having something tipped in their drinks and often wake up hours later, usually robbed but sometimes worse. These attacks not only ruin nights out, but can have long-lasting emotional and physical consequences. Yet despite repeated requests, police have failed to provide up-to-date figures for us. That silence must end.

Sala Group boss Ian Radford is taking decisive action - training all staff at his bars and restaurants to spot the signs, making CCTV available to victims and introducing the Ask Angela system so anyone who feels unsafe can ask discreetly for help.

“I know as many as 20 people who’ve been victims on the coast over the last five years,” he told us. “It’s time to stop it. As business owners, we must be responsible.”

He’s right.

The Costa del Sol’s nightlife is one of its greatest attractions – vibrant, welcoming and fun. We refuse to let fear, silence or predators destroy that. This campaign calls on venues, police and revellers alike to keep their eyes out – to look after each other, report suspicious behaviour and make our nightlife safer for all.

Eyes Out for All. Always.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

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Deposito Legal MA: 834-2017

THE sight of a stag party marauding through the Costa del Sol wearing t-shirts emblazoned with huge swastikas was certainly a shock for tourists and locals alike.

Organised by the leader of an infamous Madrid hooligan firm who was letting off steam before his impending nuptials, it saw the dozen or more men fully embracing former nazi Adolf Hitler’s ideology down to the very symbol.

This was the notorious Suburbios gang led by Daniel MF – alias El Ratilla – so abhorrent that even their own football team, Atletico Madrid, has banned them from home or away games.

According to eyewitnesses they tore up Malaga, drinking heavily, openly making Nazi salutes and singing fascist songs in the sunshine.

They even uploaded photos of their antics to far-right social media channels –some with right arms raised, others with clenched fists, and all united in wearing the notorious symbol of the Nazi party.

from under the rocks and growing bolder

By Walter Finch

This little jaunt south well illustrates the current climate in Spain, where Nazis feel increasingly emboldened and free to show their true faces.

Little did the hooligan leader realise, however, that the Spanish police were watching his every move.

El Ratilla - who boasts a swastika tattoo, plus a Hitler portrait, a SS skull and even a speech by the Fuhrer inked on himwas arrested shortly after his wedding, just as he was preparing to depart on his honeymoon on September 20.

A dozen or so members of his gang were also swept up by police.

Raids uncovered a trove of Nazi propaganda, including T-shirts with Hitler’s

Nacional press conference

portrait, the Suburbios logo with the phrase ‘Sons of Hitler’, alongside numerous fascist pamphlets and literature. But it soon emerged he was not being arrested for his political affiliations, but for his deep involvement in organised crime and drug trafficking.

Police unearthed five kilos of cocaine, more than €100,000 in cash, and a series of weapons including ‘nunchucks’. Unfortunately, El Ratilla’s swastika-tattooed hooligans are far from the only Nazis to recently emerge in Spain’s social fabric.

DEFENDING CHRISTIANITY WITH ‘STREET MILITANCY’

A relatively new, youthful group is called Nucleo Nacional.

Fronted by a mysterious pair of brothers, Ivan and David Rico, they address the public wearing black balaclavas, refusing to reveal their identities.

The duo have fostered a new class of jack-bootwearing skinhead youth, promoting their ‘blood, soil and tradition’ ideology.

The disciplined, alcohol-ab staining group claims to de fend Spain’s white Christian identity through ‘nationalism, ra cial purity and street militancy’. It was most recently linked to an assault on three young immigrants in Hortaleza in August, although it has not officially claimed responsibility.

The Rico brothers are, well, appropriately rich, and the sons of a former Partido Popular councillor with reported links to Vox.

They have set up headquarters in the up -

At last I am a retired man!

SEPTEMBER 2025 marked a personal landmark: after literally years of chasing it, I’ve finally secured my Spanish pension.

If you’re hoping your journey will be smoother, I sincerely wish you luck - though I’m not optimistic.

Some of you reading this won’t need to go through the wringer. Maybe you moved to Spain with a tidy nest egg, or you’re banking on a lottery win. Good for you.

But for the rest of us - those who’ve worked, grafted and done, likely a range o odd jobs here - it’s a different story.

To qualify for a Spanish pension, you need at least 15 years of ‘cotizado’ work - i.e. taxed, registered employment.

And no, your cash-inhand gig fixing fruit machines or pool tables in British bars doesn’t count in the eyes of the Hacienda (the tax office).

To find out

RELAXED: Michael has finally claimed his pensionwhat there is of it

By Michael Coy

where you stand, you’ll need your ‘vida laboral’ - an official printout of all recognised work you’ve done in Spain. You can ask for it at your local Seguridad Social office, or better still, get your accountant to help.

Technically, you can request it online… but if you can navigate that monster of a website, you deserve a medal - or at least a pension.

Here’s a little insider tip. Spanish employers don’t always play fair. Not all of them, of course - but many (ED: quite rightly being at 34%) see social security payments as a burden.

Say you’re earning €800 a month. That may not sound like much, but your boss is probably paying up to €400 extra in taxes and contributions. Suddenly, you’re a €1,200 headache, and he’s looking for ways to cut corners.

One common trick? Falsely registering you as a part-time worker. It saves them money, but it slashes your pension contributions - and you might not even know it’s happening. In the UK, PAYE means pensions are automatic. In Spain, you need to check your contributions regularly - or risk finding

Nearly a year since his last moving missive, Michael Coy has finally got his Spanish pension. He recalls the long, sorry tale

out too late.

My Own Case: Kafka Would Be Proud

As I wrote in this newspaper in January, I taught English here for 12 years, among other things. When I hit 65, I trotted off to the Seguridad Social and said: “Right then - time to cash in.”

They told me I hadn’t met the minimum contribution period. Why? Because one of my employers had sneakily hired me as a part-timer. I consulted a lawyer. She said I could sue, but it would cost €3,000, take five years, and wasn’t guaranteed to succeed. So, not ideal. Luckily, my shortfall was relatively minor: I needed to work another 147 days (around six months).

Easier said than done. If you’re in your late 60s, employers aren’t exactly queuing up. They prefer younger, cheaper, more obedient workers.

Still, I found a job, registered as autonomo (self-employed), and worked like mad - even though my earnings were so low, I sometimes couldn’t afford the monthly autónomo fee. At the end of the six months, I had to borrow €500 to clear my back taxes.

Bureaucracy, Spanish-Style Back I went: “Pension, please!” Nope.

MEET THE GANG:

Isabel Peralta (centre) and Ivan Rico (right) at the inaugural Nucleo

scale Las Tablas district in northern Madrid, a far cry from the dingy basements or squats usually associated with extremist groups.

JEWS: THE ETERNAL ENEMY

Another high-profile figure on the far right is Isabel Peralta.

Just 23, Peralta first became notorious as a teenager, speaking at rallies praising the Division Azul, the Spanish volunteers who fought for Nazi Germany. She has labelled Jews ‘the eternal enemy’, given Nazi salutes outside the PSOE socialist headquarters and shouted ‘death to the invader’ during an unauthorised protest outside the Moroccan Embassy.

While earning herself a oneyear jail sentence for incitement in April, she didn’t have to spend a single night in prison as any jail term under two years in Spain is suspended. She has certainly got previous having already been deported from Germany and banned for life there after arriving at Frankfurt Airport in 2023 with a Nazi flag and a copy of Mein Kampf.

Two visits later, the issue was revealed: I still owed €11 in interest on the late payments. Until that was cleared, I was considered a ‘debtor’ and legally ineligible for a pension. I offered cash on the spot.

“No, señor — transfers only.”

So I did the transfer. Back again: “Pension?”

“En trámite,” they said - meaning ‘in process’. No timeline, no amount, no clarity.

In August, I finally received a letter: my application had been ‘viewed favourably’. No money, but the mood was improving.

And Finally… Now, at long last, the pension has landed. I won’t say how much - but if you see me in the pub, the crisps are on me!

Undeterred, Peralta has impeccable far-right connections around the globe, notably as European correspondent for Heritage & Destiny, a UK-based fascist magazine.

It led to her being stopped by UK counter-terrorism police, questioned for several hours, and had her devices examined before being released in 2023. If Peralta represents the sharp end of the Nazi wedge, there are more figures in Spain’s political establishment offering indirect cover for extremism.

ANTI-IMMIGRANT CAMPAIGNS

Chief among them is Alvise Perez, a selfstyled anti-system crusader who rode online outrage to win 800,000 votes and enter the European Parliament in 2024. While not a swastika-saluting Nazi, Perez became infamous for conspiracy rants, anti-immigrant campaigns and attacks on institutions, generating the paranoia and disinformation that fuel Spain’s neo-Nazi scene.

During the Covid era, he spread hoaxes, including a false claim that Madrid’s former mayor Manuela Carmena received a respirator while ordinary citizens died.

He doctored images of ministers, leaked a politician’s private medical records, pushed election-rigging conspiracies, and even proposed Europe’s largest prison to detain immigrants and anyone with ‘gang tattoos’.

NEW BROOM

But the new kid on the block of Spain’s panoply of far-right figures is undoubtedly Silvia Orriols.

Dubbed the ‘Le Pen of the Pyrenees’, the 44-year-old mayor of Ripoll – a small town north of Barcelona – has built her platform on an ugly fusion of Catalan separatism and far-right ultranationalism.

Her Aliança Catalana party has declared Islam ‘incompatible with Catalan identity’ and vowed to expel foreigners from

the town, which acquired notoriety as the hometown of the jihadists behind the 2017 Barcelona attack.

Since then she has faced hate crime investigations for her speeches, but continues to use her office to push an openly Islamophobic agenda while draping herself in Catalan separatist colours – a movement more commonly associated with the far left.

Alianca Catalana is now surging in the polls and could multiply its seats in the Catalan Parliament, while those same surveys indicate its popularity has climbed from a piddling 4% last year to currently 12% – on a par with far-left Sumar and even catching up with Vox itself.

MUCH MORE THAN JUST A PAPER

WHILE the Olive Press has just been recognised as Spain’s leading English-language media group, it is for much more than just a printed paper!

The Joan Hunt Communication Award was presented by Malaga’s President for our fearless and trusted journalism and for connecting expats and English-speakers across Spain. And the vast majority of them find us online or on social media, NOT in print. Thanks to our daily newsletters, pod casts and thriving digital platforms, we are keeping millions informed every week.

As well as half-a-million monthly read ers online we have five million Face book hits a month and millions more on Instagram, X, LinkedIn and TikTok

Most newspaper readers don’t re alise our website delivers dozens of stories every day on everything from local politics to the environment and from travel to property.

Meanwhile, over 100,000 people subscribe to our weekly newsletters on Business (below), Travel and Property (right), sponsored by Linea Directa, DeVere and the Valencia City of Arts and Sciences among others. They also get daily newsletters and access to exclusive offers, via SOLUS emails from our trusted partners, including restaurants and concert promoters. As editor Jon Clarke explains: “This award recognises the hard work of our entire team across print, digital, and social platforms. We’re proud to be the voice of the expat community and to keep building bridges across Spain.”

Stay informed, inspired, and connected – visit www.theolivepress.es today and sign up for our free newsletters or follow us on your favourites social media platform.

And remember: ‘No OP, No comment’.

STAG PARTY: El Ratilla and friends in Malaga (above) and wedding dinner (right)

NEW KIDS: Silvia Orriols is the ‘Le Pen of the Pyrenees and Alvise Perez is famous for his conspiracy rants

Smoke and mirrors

PRIME Minister Pedro Sanchez has sparked controversy by insisting climate change and disaster management should count as part of Spain’s defence budget.

While NATO allies pour money into tanks and weapons, Sanchez is pushing a ‘360º approach’ that frames climate action as national security.

He argues Spain has already boosted defence spending by 43% to reach NATO’s 2% of GDP target – but around €1.75 billion of next year’s €10.5 billion increase is earmarked for emergencies, not arms.

“Climate change kills,” Sanchez told reporters, pointing to €30 billion in damage and 20,000 deaths in Spain over the past decade.

But European leaders want more firepower. Denmark, Finland and Brussels are urging bigger military commitments.

‘Unsustainable consumption threatens European way of life’

By Ben Pawlowski

CLIMATE change is undermining Europe’s way of life despite ‘significant advances’ in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, a stark new report has warned.

The European Environment Agency’s five-yearly State of the Environment study brands Europe the world’s fastest-warming continent. While emissions are falling, the 288-page assessment – based on data from 38 countries –concludes the state of the continent’s environment is ‘not good’.

Biodiversity loss, water

Soaring solar

SPAIN’S solar capacity is projected to reach 152.8 GW by 2035, driving the country’s total renewable energy capacity to 218.1 GW, according to GlobalData.

Solar PV will lead this growth, supported by favourable policies like the Renewable Energy Economic Regime and the Climate Change Law. Despite challenges - such as permitting delays and grid constraints - wind and green hydrogen are also expanding.

Strong investor confidence, limited reliance

Life change

scarcity, overuse of resources and unsustainable consumption, especially in food production, are high-

on Russian gas, and new interconnections with France and Portugal position Spain well to meet its 2030 and 2050 decarbonization targets, the GlobalData report concludes.

lighted. Only 28% of protected species and 15% of habitats are in good condition, while the average European consumes 14 tonnes of resources a year – double UN recommendations.

Extreme heat and drought, increasingly frequent in Spain, now affect 34% of Europe’s population and 30% of its territory.

The report urges lawmakers to protect natural resources and resist rolling back green legislation, warning that political instability, including the war in Ukraine, has diverted vital investment.

EEA executive director

Leena Ylä-Mononen said: “We cannot afford to lower our sustainability ambitions. What we do today will shape our future.”

Spain’s Teresa Ribera, EU executive vice-president for Clean Transition, echoed the call: “Recent extreme weather events show how fragile our prosperity becomes when nature is degraded. Protecting nature is not a cost but an investment in resilience and well-being.”

The report insists Europe has the tools and knowledge to act – but warns delaying action will deepen inequalities and raise future costs.

Getting cleaner

GREENHOUSE gas emissions from Spain’s power sector fell by 16.8% in 2024 – down 1.5 million tonnes from the previous year, according to the Ministry for Ecological Transition. Emissions are now 75.7% lower than in 2007, and 38.5% below 2005 levels. The ministry credited renewables, which hit a record 57.2% of electricity output. Solar overtook wind power for the first time, boosted by self-consumption installations, while hydropower jumped 37.6% and solar 23.7%. Natural gas use dropped 23.4% and coal fell to just 1.2% of generation. Energy Secretary Joan Groizard (below) said Spain’s economy was ‘growing with fewer emissions and more competitive prices’. Transport, however, remains the biggest polluter, with petroleum use up 5.6% despite a surge in electric car sales.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Protecting nature is an investment, says Teresa Ribera (right)

LA CULTURA

TOO successful

Art expansion

FINE art enthusiasts visiting Bilbao will be able to enjoy over 5,000 square metres of additional exhibition space after the city’s Museo de Bellas Artes finally reopened its 1970 building following a four-yearlong renovation.

The museum’s modernist extension, first opened over five decades ago, has undergone a major revamp as part of a €45 million project designed to enhance the visitor experience.

To celebrate the major facelift, the gallery’s curators are putting on two brand new exhibitionsone celebrating the works of German painter Georg Baslit and another saluting the dynamism of contemporary artists such as Itziar Okariz and Richard Serra.

A major highlight is the presentation of Vista de Bilbao, an anonymous painting considered to be the earliest known view of the Basque Country’s largest city.

Over 207,000 connoisseurs visited the gallery in 2024.

HOLLYWOOD stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jared Leto helped Malaga’s first Comic-Con surpass all expectations, attracting over 120,000 fans from 20 countries - double the 60,000 originally forecast. The four-day event, held at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos from September 25–28, injected an estimated €50 million into the Costa del Sol economy, with hotel occupancy hitting 94% and bookings overflowing

into towns like Marbella, Torremolinos, and Nerja. However, the event quickly became a victim of its own success. Fans voiced frustration over overcrowding, long queues, and the high cost of tickets - some VIP passes reportedly exceeding €1,000 online. Many were disappointed at not getting the chance to meet their idols, despite the star-studded guest list, which included

Gwendoline Christie and Luke Evans.

Organisers transformed 80,000 square metres into a pop culture haven with 300+ hours of programming, but logistical challenges left some attendees disillusioned. Despite the hiccups, tourism officials hailed the event’s economic impact and hinted at Malaga becoming a regular Comic-Con fixture - if lessons are learned for the future.

A NEW exhibition at the Museo Carmen Thyssen Malaga is throwing out the rulebook to spotlight the raw, earthy energy behind Spain’s modern art movement.

Titled Teluricos y Primitivos: From the Vallecas School to Miquel Barcelo, the show opened yesterday (October 7) and features 64 works from 45 major Spanish artists – including Picasso, Miro, Tapies, Chillida, and Manolo Millares.

Get primitive GOLDEN FIND

LONG-LOST Spanish treasure worth an estimated $1 million (€856,000) has been found off Florida.

A team of divers discovered over 1,000 silver and gold coins that were minted by Spanish colonies and lost when a hurricane wrecked a Spanish fleet’s ships on July 31, 1715.

On many of the coins, the dates and mint marks are still visible. These can be used by historians to gain more information about the Spanish treasure.

The condition of the coins suggests they formed part of one chest or shipment that was sent overboard due to the

Curtain up!

FOR years, Marbella has been a beacon for international culture, sun and style. Now, thanks to the vision of Andy Atkinson, the city’s vibrant youth community has an exciting new stage to call its own – The Playmakers Youth Theatre.

Launched to much anticipation, this dynamic venue is set to become the English-speaking home for aspiring actors, singers and dancers from both the international and local Spanish communities.

Their annual termly programme has just been announced, with students already signing up for places through September and October.

The brainchild of Atkinson – a for mer head teacher of international schools with a rich background in theatre and the arts – The Playmakers was founded on a simple but powerful belief: every child deserves the chance to experience the magic of theatre and the confidence it inspires.

$1 million-of centuries old Spanish treasure found

By Rachel Gore

in Florida

1715 hurricane. Historians believe that, in total, as much as $400 million (€343m) worth of treasure was lost that day. This discovery of 1,000 coins in a single finding is ‘rare and extraordinary’, according to Sal Guttoso, director of operations for the salvage company. Guttoso stated that ‘each coin is a piece of history, a tangible link to the people who lived, worked, and sailed during the Golden Age of the Spanish Empire.’

The Playmakers youth theatre brings a new stage for young talent to Marbella

“Our goal is to build more than just future star performers; we’re building character, resilience and a supportive community for all,” Atkinson explains.

The Londoner, a former headmaster of Laude school in San Pedro Alcantara, saw a clear gap for a dedicated, high-quality youth theatre in English that catered to the diverse, multilingual families of the Costa del Sol – and was determined to fill it with excellence.

While there are dance schools and music schools, few combine the entire range of performance needs.

Since the hurricane, centuries ago, searches for the missing treasure have occurred.

In 2015, 101 gold coins were salvaged from the shipwreck. Some 51 were ‘reported correctly’ but 50 were stolen. Investigations in 2023 and 2024 revealed the illegal sale of the coins and led authorities to recover 37 of them. The newly discovered coins will be restored and protected before going on public display at local museums in Florida.

This commitment to quality is reflected in the exceptional team Andy has assembled since January. The Playmakers isn’t a one-person show – it’s a powerhouse of passionate industry professionals and top-class drama teachers.

From seasoned performers to dedicated vocal coaches and choreographers, the team brings a wealth of expertise to the studio. This

ensures that every child, from the shy beginner to the seasoned young thespian, receives training that is both nurturing and world-class.

The Playmak-

Avant garde

The exhibition explores ‘how Spain’s avant-garde forged its own path in the 20th century, inspired not by Paris salons but by the soil beneath their feet and the primal instincts of early human expression’. Visitors can expect an eclectic mix of painting, sculpture, photography, textile art and more – from earthy abstracts to cave-painting-style figures – all pulsating with a back-tothe-roots energy.

The show connects bigname movements like the Vallecas School, Dau al Set, and El Paso, revealing a wild web of influence from the 1930s to today.

The exhibition runs until March 1, 2026.

ers curriculum is designed to offer a comprehensive performing arts education.

Weekly classes from Monday to Wednesday after school (5-8pm) hone the four key pillars of performance: acting, singing and dancing, alongside the often unseen world of stagecraft.

Students learn to embody characters, project their voices with confidence, master movement and even discover the magic that happens backstage – from set design to lighting.

This holistic approach means a child fascinated by storytelling can find their place, whether they dream of being in the spotlight or creating the world behind it.

The core of the experience culminates in playmaking rehearsals from Thursday to Saturday. Here, skills truly come to life. Unlike traditional classes, these sessions are a dynamic, project-based process where students collaborate to create a full-scale production. They are involved in every step, from script readings and blocking scenes to learning dance steps and harmonising melodies – fostering a profound sense of ownership and teamwork. And the theatrical adventure doesn’t stop

when the school term does.

The Playmakers is also running holiday camps, with the second one scheduled for October half-term (October 27-31).

These intensive camps offer children the chance to dive deep into performance, make new friends and create unforgettable memories during their break.

The Playmakers Youth Theatre is more than just an extra-curricular activity – it’s a launchpad for confidence, creativity and lifelong friendships. For families looking to unlock their child’s potential in a professional and joyful environment, the curtain is finally up.

BUILDING CHARACTER: Theatre is about more than just fun

FAN AND GAMES: And sometimes downright scary

PRICELESS: Incredible hoard of coins

BATMAN AND ROBBING: Fans criticised the high costs

LA CULTURA

November 29thDecember 12th 2023

LOOKING FOR MORE CULTURE STORIES?

DRAMATIC DON

EVERYONE knows Don Quijote, the world’s most famous novel. Most can even name its author - Miguel de Cervantes.

But there’s still much we don’t know about Cervantes.

Born into a debt-ridden family in Alcala de Henares, near Madrid, much of his life was spent in poverty and on the wrong side of the law. Though he spent time in Sevilla and Cordoba, much of his early work has been lost to history.

Through Don Quijote and other writings, Cervantes gave the world the picaresque novel - a genre that continues to influence storytelling today.

The picaro is an innocent figure, constantly caught up in one misadventure after another, yet nev -

CERVANTES:

One of Spain’s greatest writers, Miguel de Cervantes, led a life as dramatic as his novels. Michael Coy takes a closer look at the man behind Don Quijote

er losing his cheerful disposition, no matter how hard fate seems to work against him. In many ways, Cervantes’ own life was like a picaresque tale.

In September 1569, at the age of 22, Cervantes found himself in Madrid. After a duel left a man wounded, an arrest warrant was issued for him.

Instead of facing years in jail, Cervantes chose to flee Spain, turning up in Rome shortly after.

At that time, Europe was on the brink of war. The Ottoman Empire had conquered much of Eastern Europe and was threatening Venice and Vienna. In one of the most famous naval battles in history - the Battle of LepantoChristian forces triumphed, and Western civilisation was preserved.

Cervantes, eager to fight for his faith, enlisted in the Venetian navy and partici -

OP QUICK CROSSWORD

pated in the battle. He was badly wounded, and his left arm was rendered useless. Nicknamed El Manco (the one-armed man), Cervantes spent six months in a Sicilian hospital recovering, only to face yet more misfortune. In 1574, Cervantes was capdie, and Cervantes persuaded his sister to raise his child for him.

tured by pirates while sailing from Naples to Barcelona and sold into slavery in what is now Algeria.

6 Fidget (6)

8 Leaving already? (2,4)

9 Ms. Perón (3)

10 “--- and Mrs. Muir” (1947 film) (3,5)

11 Bananas (6)

12 Start of a coin tosser’s thought (1,4)

14 “... --- iron bars a cage” (3) 16 Abrupt policy change (1-4) 18 Ogling (6)

21 Prominent former New York mayor (8)

23 Put on (3) 24 Nearby pubs (6)

25 My seat moved about like jungle air (6)

1 Water conduit (8)

2 Seize

(6) 20 Narrowest part of the

(5)

De-wrinkle (4)

All solutions are on page 30

For five long years, he remained a captive. But on September 19, 1580, at the age of 33, a Christian charity paid his ransom and set him free. Though penniless, Cervantes remained unbowed, ready to dive into more adventures.

Returning to Spain, he found himself in Toledo, where he married a much younger woman and fathered an illegitimate daughter. But his personal life was messy - his wife was soon to

In the 1590s, Cervantes was back in Sevilla working as a supplier for the Spanish navy. When funds mysteriously went missing, he ended up in prison. By this time, William Shakespeare was beginning to rise to fame in England, but Cervantes, 17 years older,

was still wrestling with debts and misfortune.

A plaque in Sevilla’s Calle Sierpes marks the spot where Cervantes was likely held in custody for debt. In his 40s, Cervantes landed a job as a tax collector - hardly a dream role, but one that kept him on the move and out of creditors’ reach. He claimed to have visited every town in Spain, and in many places, locals proudly mark where Cervantes once stayed with the motto, ‘Cer-

vantes slept here’.

He remained unbowed, ready to dive into more adventures

The job also gave him precious time to write. He churned out plays, poems, and novels, but it was Don Quijote that truly made his name. The book was so successful that multiple bootleg versions began to surface, forcing Cervantes to write a second part to protect his masterpieceand his royalties.

By 1616, Cervantes was nearing the end of his life. At nearly 70, he had no idea that his great rival, Shakespeare, had also reached the final stages of his own life. In a strange twist of fate, both men died within days of each other - Cervantes on April 22, 1616 and Shakespeare on April 23. Cervantes may have died in relative obscurity, but his legacy as the creator of Don Quijote and as one of Spain’s most celebrated writers lives on. His life, filled with scrapes, escapes, and relentless optimism, truly reads like a picaresque adventure.

FAMOUS: A statue of Don Quijote in front of the Cervantes birthplace museum Alcala de Henares

MADRID: The imposing monument to Miguel de Cervantes with a statue of Don Quijote and Sancho Panza

CERVANTES: The author of Don Quijote (above) was a contemporary of Shakespeare (top)

A focus on

Marbella’s sibling has finally had her glowup – and she’s now strutting down the Costa del Sol catwalk with the confidence of a supermodel

By Dilip Kuner

SAN Pedro Alcantara was once little more than a dusty stop-off on the way to Estepona or Gibraltar. But it has slowly but surely transformed, into the place everyone wants to be. Even the locals are turning their noses up at being called Marbellis . “No,

HEY LITTLE SISTER

no – we’re Sanpedreños ,” they say with a grin. And they’ve got plenty to be smug about.

“It’s the best part of Marbella to live in,” declares 52-year-old homemaker Elsa Romero, who knows a thing or two about moving around after decades in Germany and England before settling here.

“You’ve got everything – wonderful beaches, international schools, fantastic dining,” explains the mother-of-three who works in a lawyer’s office. “But none of the traffic chaos of Banus or Marbella centre. And the parking! You can always find a space. Honestly, that’s half the reason I stayed.”

Not long ago, that sort of statement would have had people rolling their eyes.

For years, San Pedro’s claim to fame was the N-340 traffic jam, a rolling car park

where tempers flared and exhaust fumes choked the town. Drivers could wait for more than an hour just to crawl past the dreaded Ronda junction. If your air-con packed up, you were doomed. The salvation came in the form of a tunnel burrowed under the town. Above it Marbella Town Hall splashed the cash on a gleaming new boulevard.

Out went the honking horns and endless queues, in came fountains, gardens, play areas and teenagers showing off their skateboarding tricks. It was like Cinderella swapping her rags for a ballgown. Suddenly, San Pedro had a heart, and it was beating to a far more glamorous rhythm.

But while the shiny newness grabs attention, scratch the surface and you’ll find plenty of history clinging on. Stroll along the boulevard and at either end you stumble across relics of a very different time. The Trapiche de Guadaiza sugar mill and the hamlet of El Ingenio, with its protected cottages and old distillery, tell the story of San Pedro’s origins as Spain’s most modern agricultural colony.

Back in 1860, the Marques del Duero and his formidable wife, the Marquess of Revilla, turned 5,000 hectares into a sugar empire. Nearly two dozen mills dotted the coast, with two of them right here. Workers streamed in from Valen-

Continues on next page

TRADITION: The Virgen del Carmen is carried to the sea in San Pedro

The beaches proudly fly blue flags, the global seal of excellence, while chiringuitos like Macaao and Playa Nini have become hotspots for the bronzed and beautiful. Order a cocktail and you’ll be forgiven for thinking you’ve stumbled into an Ibiza beach club.

cia, Murcia and Almeria, lured by the promise of jobs and prosperity. For decades, San Pedro’s lifeblood was sugar (see Sweetest barrio , p16) –sweet by name, sweet by nature. Fast forward to 2025 and sugar has been replaced by something equally addictive: lifestyle.

The palm-lined seafront promenade now connects seamlessly to Banus and Marbella, and it’s packed every morning with joggers in neon Lycra, cyclists who look Tour de Franceready, and dog walkers pulling double espressos.

What used to be a barren strip between the town and the sea is now wall-to-wall with shops, restaurants and sleek new apartment blocks. Fitness fanatics flock to the NAC Nueva Alcantara paddle and tennis club, while San Pedro now boasts something Marbella itself doesn’t – its very own flashy indoor sports stadium.

The Pabellon Sergio Scariolo, named after Spain’s legendary basketball coach, has already opened its doors, hosting matches, community events and enough slam dunks to make the NBA blush.

For newcomers, the appeal is obvious. “I came here for a month and

Hughes, a 34-year-old tech consultant from London who now works remotely from his apartment near the promenade.

“The internet’s fast, the cafes are full of laptops, and when I finish work I can go for a swim or a bike ride. My mates back home think I’ve retired early. I just tell them I’m working on my tan.”

Even young Spaniards are switching allegiance. “Before, people my age only wanted Banus,” says 28-yearold architect Maria Delgado, who moved from Malaga last year. “Now everyone wants San Pedro. It feels authentic, but still modern. And you can actually get some sleep.”

And then there’s Guadalmina, San Pedro’s leafy satellite suburb that looks like it’s been lifted straight out of Beverly Hills.

Guadalmina Baja is dripping with multi-million-euro mansions,

shaded by palm-lined avenues where former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar is often spotted jogging – flanked by bodyguards struggling to keep up.

Across the A7, Guadalmina Alta has an 18-hole golf course and the coast’s only cable-ski lake, where thrill-seekers zip round on wakeboards. It’s Marbella, but with fewer paparazzi and a lot more privacy.

Irish retiree Debbie O’Connor,71, who’s lived in Guadalmina for over a decade, reckons it’s unbeatable. “I adore it here. You’re close to Marbella and Estepona, but without the madness of Banus. It’s perfect,” she says. Her only gripe? “The bodyguards never smile back.”

Despite more than €100 million of investment, San Pedro hasn’t lost its soul. Pensioners still gather on benches around St Peter’s statue outside the parish church, trading gossip in the shade.

Families still pack the ice cream parlours on Sunday evenings, and you can still hear the clang of church bells cutting through the summer air. Beneath the shiny boulevards and glamorous beach clubs, San Pedro remains, at heart, the same unpretentious town it was in its sugar cane days. That’s the magic of San Pedro: it has managed to reinvent itself without losing what made it special. It’s stylish, yes, but also welcoming. It’s modern, but steeped in history. And while Marbella continues to hog the headlines, San Pedro is quietly winning hearts. So don’t call it Marbella’s little sister anymore. She’s grown up, got herself a flashy new wardrobe, a shiny stadium, and a whole lot of confidence. And the locals? They’ll happily tell you:

“I’m not Marbelli. I’m Sanpedreño.”

SCENIC: in the town centre and historic sites by the beach

Ancient awesome

A Roman bathhouse and one of Spain’s oldest churches lie next to San Pedro’s beach, writes Jon Clarke

AS the lineup of SUVs edges slowly closer to the entrance of popular Calpe primary school each morning, one hopes the parents get a lift from the view off to the south.

For right there in plain sight is one of the true hidden gems of the Costa del Sol - the sixth century Basilica de Vega del Mar.

The remains of this Visigothic church - one of the oldest churches in Andalucia - is just a stone’s throw from the end of the popular promenade.

this is an intriguing doorway into pre-Islamic Spain.

The remains in Lindavista - along with the nearby Roman baths of Las Bovedas (below) - are on the site of the Roman settlement of Cilniana

While its exact location and size is lost in the mists of time, every year the coastal area gives up more clues, such as the beachside ovens appearing after a storm in November 2021.

The basilica was first discovered in 1915 by a farmer planting trees, but extensive excavations only began in 1929, led by archaeologist Jose Perez de Barradas.

He and his team mapped out the basilica and initially unearthed 148 tombs, though later excavations have found a total of over 200.

The most significant is that of ‘Constantine Crimson’, named

after the Holy Roman Emperor Constantine, which may be the oldest Christian tombstone yet to be discovered in Spain.

Protection

While the adjacent necropolis dates back to Roman rule in the fourth century, archaeologists disagree over the construction of the basilica.

Perez de Barradas initially believed it was built around then, although today historians insist it was built by the Visigoths from the north in the sixth century.

The significant features are its rectangular plan and the presence of three naves, along with its apses. Unlike most churches of the time, it has two apses, which are the semicircular terminations or recesses of an ecclesiastical building. And most unusually,

its western apse is its main one.

The basilica is usually open from 11.15 am to 2pm but it’s best to call Marbella’s Delegacion Municipal de Cultura on 952 825 035 to check.

Nearby, just across the stream by Macaao restaurant you will find

the remarkable Las Bovedas Roman bathhouse. Sitting on private land in someone’s garden, it is not often open to the public and you will need to ask when to visit. But it is a remarkable construction, in urgent need of protection and repair.

VISIGOTH TO ROMAN: Basilica and (top) Las Bovedas

For lovers of ancient history,

Looking a million dollars

HE’S the most expensive men's hairdresser in Spain… yet he arrived in the country with just a few hundred euros to his name soon after both his parents died.

Colombian Edward Medina - aka Silver - is the man the big celebrities and captains of industry turn to when they need to look a million dollars in Marbella. A host of sportsmen, singers and the super-rich bust a beeline to his door at Groomers & Ballers, in San Pedro Alcantara, to get their tresses cut, at up to €110 a pop.

They often even chauffeur him up to their luxury villas and five star hotels to snip their locks, paying him €350 a time! And then keep him on standby for days on end.

How Spain’s priciest barber rose from poverty, hustle and heartache to the heady heights of the Golden Mile of Marbella

But it wasn’t always this way for Medina, 26, who landed at Malaga airport from Cali, via Madrid, with just €210 and his suitcase in 2018.

After finding the sofa of a family friend to sleep on in Fuengirola, the 18-year-old headed out to buy a pair of hair clippers and other hairdressing paraphernalia with the idea of working door to door.

“I was alone and broke and, above all, hungry,” he tells the Olive Press. “I figured by investing in a pair of clippers I could go out and make some money.

“So I literally started going round knocking on doors. Looking for anyone who needed a trim.”

It didn’t always work, though, and some weeks went by when nobody was interested.

It was then that he took a whole range of jobs, mostly cash in hand, in gardening.

“Whatever I could get I took, but I never stopped wanting to be a barber, so on Saturday I always cut hair.”

As he got better and better at cutting hair he started to become in demand.

“I’d walk long distances, cutting hair in dingy

basements, poky flats, often in the kitchen… and usually for just €5 a time.

I realised I needed to keep the price down to get enough work.

“It meant I would often set off at 7am and sometimes not get back to 2am the next morning, but at least with some cash in my pocket!”

It was finally during COVID that a Moroccan family saw the potential of employing Edward in their newly opened barber shop in Marbella.

Run by a brother and sister from Tangier, they needed someone with the talent and vision of the Colombian cutter.

Now a rapidly rising urban grooming hub, it is expanding to open a new shop and even an academy, under Edward’s tutelage.

“He’s a huge inspiration to us all,” explains owner Amira Ben Said, 28, who studied at nearby Laude school, before going to university in Holland.

“I’ve rarely met anyone as hard working as Silver and with him we are able to build for the future.”

She continues: “We saw a gap in the market here, with men also loving the pampering, particularly with good quality products.”

This includes Tea Tree oil and Paul Mitchell products and wax that costs €30 a tub.

“We also realised that in a place like Marbella customer service is amazing and the old fashioned dirty barber

shops didn’t work.

“And we soon found out a lot of men liked having their nasal hairs cut as well as getting a manicure.”

And, as Amira adds: “A client will stop coming when you stop making them

feel special. At Groomers & Ballers we always go the extra few yards to guarantee that.”

Contact Groomers

TALENT: Now Edward is a teacher and charges up to €110 a time

RISING STAR: Edward began going door to door for €5 a cut

CURL UP AND ESCAPE

THE Autumn season always brings a wave of exciting new books, from long-awaited releases by beloved authors to the hidden gems already making readers talk.

It’s the season when publishers unveil some of their biggest titles, and there’s plenty to tempt every kind of reader.

The Secret of Secrets

by Dan Brown

Brown’s best, this thriller blends ancient mythology, cutting-edge science, and relentless suspense. Robert Langdon navigates a high stakes chase across Europe and New York, uncovering hidden truths and facing deadly adversaries. Fast-paced, intelligent, and gripping.

As the autumn weather draws in it’s always time for a couple of new books, writes Alicia

Duggan

Whether you’re in the mood for a gripping thriller, an uplifting novel, a steamy romantasy, or non-fiction that sparks new ideas, these are the stories set to define the months ahead.

Here’s my pick of the most popular and anticipated books this autumn, the ones you’ll want to add to your ever-growing ‘TBR’ pile.

This collection offers an unprecedented glimpse into Harper Lee’s evolution as a writer, combining early short fiction with later essays. Spanning Alabama schoolyards to mid-century Manhattan, it illuminates her voice, her reflections on politics, art, love, and the American South, and invites readers to rediscover the enduring creativity behind her classics.

A gripping new instalment in the beloved Strike and Ellacott series. Intricate, suspenseful, and richly atmospheric, it combines a twisting mystery with deep character drama, showcasing Galbraith’s (aka JK Rowling) masterful storytelling. Fans of the series will be enthralled from the first page to the last.

Always

Remember: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm by Charlie Mackesy

A heartfelt new adventure in the world of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. Featuring his beautiful, evocative illustrations, this much-anticipated follow-up combines warmth, wisdom, and gentle humour, celebrating friendship, resilience, and the small joys that help us navigate life’s storms.

Eat Yourself Healthy by Jamie

Oliver

A joyful, vibrant guide to better long-term health. With 120 mouthwatering recipes, a two-week meal plan, and 50 practical health hacks, Jamie shows that improving your wellbeing can be delicious, satisfying, and full of energy, a positive, achievable approach to long-term vitality.

Captivating readers of all ages with astonishing feats, quirky achievements, and record-breaking moments. A perennial favourite, this edition celebrates human ingenuity, endurance, and imagination, offering hours of fascination, inspiration, and jaw-dropping facts for curious minds.

The fourth instalment in the Woven Kingdom series brims with fiery romance, breathtaking magic, and high-stakes intrigue. Devastating choices, perilous journeys, and shattering secrets collide as love and loyalty are tested, delivering heart-stopping storytelling that fans of Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo, and Carissa Broadbent will adore.

The Thursday Murder Club is back in this unmissable new mystery. With weddings to plan, family troubles, and grief to navigate, Joyce, Elizabeth, Ron, and Ibrahim are drawn into their most explosive investigation yet. Full of wit, humour, suspense, and clever twists.

A masterful legal thriller blending high-stakes suspense, sharp courtroom drama, and unforgettable characters. Fans of Grisham’s signature style will find themselves riv-

eted from first page to last, as he delivers another compelling story of deception, danger, and the pursuit of justice.

The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith

Guinness World Records 2026

The Widow by John Grisham

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

Every Spiral of Fate by Tahereh Mafi

The Land of Sweet Forever by Harper Lee

SWEETEST BARRIO

IT is in the heat of the summer, in mid July, when she finally makes an appearance.

That is the Virgen del Carmen, the patron saint of fishermen in Spain. The beautiful wooden figurine is brought out from one of the oldest buildings in San Pedro, the celebrated Alcoholera, in the barrio of El Ingenio.

Atop the shoulders of two dozen local

By

An important Virgin and a historic link to rum-making from sugar cane make El Ingenio well worth a visit, writes Jon Clarke men and

Jon Clarke

A VERY RUM PAST: the Alcoholera once made Barcelo rum, while (below) snapshots from around 1900

opened in 1871 in San Pedro.

Heavily protected for its industrial significance, it is most striking for its 15.5 metre tower and eclectic Neo-Mudejar architecture. The former mill used to be one of 50 in Malaga province and was principally used

to make rum out of sugar cane.

Back then the land was owned by the Marques del Duero who had properties and estates all the way up the coast to Motril, in Granada. With the land not seen as productive for farming, it was mostly given up to growing sugar cane that ended up making liquor for companies, some that still survive to this day including Barcelo. An interesting display of photos and

plans from centuries past, plus one of the original sugar cane harvesting machines sits next to the nearby boulevard roundabout.

The Angel sugar factory, later known as the San Pedro Sugar Mill, continued to function until at least 1934 and is now a theatre and cultural centre.

This wonderful building anchors the centre of El Ingenio, a buzzing working class barrio, that was once full of fishermen and those that worked in the mill.

It is now home to the Olive Press newspaper, as well as a string of other well known companies, including Simply Shuttles and Immersion language school.

There is also a pottery studio, a boutique and various other shops including a bakery and ferreteria that’s been open for decades. There is also a wellstocked Spar.

The area’s beloved family-run restaurants, El Churrero and Bar Anon, have expanded their outdoor seating areas, where patrons can now dine surrounded by lush flower boxes and greenery. A

giant pepper tree provides natural shade, making the street a comfortable place to stroll and socialise.

Next to the sugar mill is a basketball and football pitch, plus a beach volleyball court.

Just a short 800 m walk to the

GROWTH: But in the 1960s, El Ingenio was well established

nearby Linda Vista beach, it has become one of the hippest areas to look for property in San Pedro and when homes become available they normally sell in days.

“It’s the most typically Spanish area and it keeps its roots,” explains Ana Troyano, boss of local agency iHome Property, that has covered San Pedro for decades.

“Even better, it’s nicely hidden away and little known.”

BURDEN: The Virgen del Carmen is carried around town and down to the sea, while (above right) the Marques del Duero who founded the agricultural colony

Wine Time

San Pedro has a great new wine bar where you can also eat well… and all day, discovers Jon Clarke

IT’S rare to find a wine bar where you can actually eat properly.

La Tizona in San Pedro Alcan tara is one such rarity.

Drinks-wise it is certainly hard to go wrong when the restaurant is owned by a wine importer and distribu tion company.

And El Cid has been providing Andalucia and further afield with

a range of top quality plonk since the early 1980s. At La Tizona you’ll find a few hundred references of what’s available from the nearby bodegas of Ronda to the faraway chestnuts of Mendoza, in Argentina. Even better, there are over two dozen available by the glass including a Sauvignon from Italy (Saude) and a Pinot Noir (Domaine de l’Aigle) from Valle de l’Aude in France. And the wine list also changes every few weeks, while it counts on one of Spain's best beers by the glass, Ambar, one of only two independent breweries left, owner Agustin tells me.

all-day kitchen and an adventurous menu that matches its wine.

It also has one of the nicest terraces in town, a superb place to watch the world go by.

Keep an eye out for Agustin, a well known padel player, who knows a lot about the local

But that’s not my favourite thing about La Tizona, which has been open in the heart of San Pedro for a few years now. This strategic spot has an culinary scene.

“We know how important it is to serve up quality dishes and ingredients as San Pedro keeps going further and further upmarket,” he explains.

Menu-wise it has a big range of things: great Iberian ham, superb local cheeses and a good mix of starters including a cold salmorejo soup from Cordoba and a guacamole with garlic octopus and smoked chili sauce.

I really liked the Gildas with an olive, pepper and anchovy and truffled Iberian burrata, tomato, oysters, with an avocado and smoked fish salad.

There was a decent range of specials of the day including poached leeks in olives with chives in lime juice cooked in a wood oven very slowly. Another special was the rabo de toro (oxtail), nicely braised and served with puree potato. Next up we had the avocado and smoked fish salad, which was salmon, cod and trout and should have been a disaster but actually somehow worked really well.

To finish I tried the lovely blue cheese Stilton soaked in a Pedro Ximenez from Huelva for 90 days. Talk about punch. I was still tasting it the following day. Lucky I like strong cheeses! For more information visit www.latizona.com

CHEESE AND WINE: and plenty more at La Tizona

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100 POINT HEAVEN

Turn your head and a new restaurant has opened in San Pedro Alcantara, writes Jon Clarke

By Jon Clarke

years now, I’m a huge fan of the rapidly developing food scene here: A new joint opens every month, with La Barquita fish restaurant, Tafi, an Argentinian ‘parilla’ and Degusto three of my favourite newbies.

Take the words of Ross Duggan, the man behind the busiest Irish pub in town, the Hogan Stand, that serves up a terrific Guiness and great grub.

“San Pedro has a completeanywhere else in town. I particularly enjoyed the simplicity of La Barquita , where you will rarely eat as good a prawn pil pil, with just the right spice, garlic and chorizo sauce. Also go for their tomatoes ‘alinados’ when in season and the razor shells that were caught fresh that morning in Malaga.

This is all about simple, fresh ingredients and with some buzzing flamenco music and friendly service it’s hard to go wrong.

Stepping up a notch is La Bodega del Cantinero on the next corner.

Aside from having the best selection of sherries in Europe (there’s only one place in Japan ly different atmosphere these days,” he explains. “Long gone are the scruffy builders and fraudsters and now it’s all about quality.” And he knows best, with his fish and chips and rack of lamb as good as

MASTERCHEF: Marina and wonderful artichokes at La Bodega del Cantinero

apparently that trumps it), the food here is also excellent. This is thanks to owner Al berto and his Ukrainian wife, Marina, who have re ally focused on the quality of the kitchen and, in particular, the in gredients over the last few years.

A real haunt of celebrities, politicians and captains of in dustry, Alberto, a sommelier by trade, stocks all of the 100/100 point sherries in the world, according to American critic Robert Parker. It is an amazing feat and many of them are

as understandably, thanks to Marina’s background, one of the best Ensaladilla Kyiv’s in Malaga. It is not always on offer but Cantinero often serves up a mean dessert of mature stilton, with a bottle of vintage Pedro Ximenez decanted into it.

“It takes 30 days to completely soak in,” explains Alberto. “And it sells out fast.”

Also in the centre of town look out for La Tizona (see separate review), which serves up the best wines of Spain of a different kind.

usually available by the glass (for a price!), as well as plenty of other chestnuts such as a 30-year-old Oloroso, from Bodegas Tradicion (earning a ‘98’ from Parker), which at €14 is a bargain.

Grab a glass of this alongside a splendid tuna tartare or a generous serving of rabo de toro oxtail, as tender as any served in Cordoba, and you’ll be close to heaven.

I also recommend the clams, as well

Effectively a wine bar, it has developed an excellent menu over the last year, which well compliments its wines, that come courtesy of one of the biggest wine distributors on the coast, El Cid.

They also own fishing boats so you will definitely eat great fish

door.

Heading down to the beach you are spoilt for choice with a string of chiringuitos, some more established than others.

El Ancla has been here for years and is run by the oldest expat family, who arrived from Scotland nearly a century ago. They also own fishing boats so you will definitely eat great fish, not to mention love the ambience of the place, an old factory right by the sea, replete with its own seawater swimming pool. It’s a bit pricey, as is my other favourite stalwart, Macaao, almost next

Run by the Dhondt family,

from Belgium, the fantastic service is only matched by the food, in particular, the black cod and hake, which is among the best fish on the coast. Their specials often include mussels, predictably perhaps being Belgians, while I am always a sucker for his crunchy Vietnamese nems, which come out on a bed of lettuce and mint.

Over in Guadalmina, you will find another great place to sip wine and watch the world go by with a few decent tapas. Nicolas is part of the centuries-old

French wine chain, with dozens available by the glass and hundreds of different bottles of Champagne, Burgundy and Bordeaux to boot.

There are three local shops on the Costa del Sol, owned and run by husband and wife team, Pierre-Carlos and Georgina Galvan.

Part-French, part-Mexican, they have a great taste for cheeses, plus pates and other delicacies.

“We try to find a bottle to match everyone’s taste and budget,” explains Pierre.

SERVICE WITH A SMILE: Pil Pil at La Barquita

LETTERS

What the UK can learn

Spain fines luxury property giant Engel & Völkers €16 million for ‘bogus self-employed’ scheme to avoid social security payments

SHAME they don’t do that in the UK.

Ten years ago I won an employment tribunal claim where the tribunal ruled I was an employee of the company despite the fact I was using a limited company to invoice.

I had previously worked for them as a permanent employee for a year.

They then liquidated that company, claimed their redundancy for 20 years from the government insolvency fund for two directors and a company secretary, then carried on business as usual under a different company and I suddenly became a ‘freelancer’ despite sitting at the same desk during the same hours and getting the same pay (though now I had to invoice them and do my own tax returns).

I got a settlement from them just before the final award hearing in 2016, but there was never any mention of any action against them beyond compensation for me.

Adda Macchich

THIS news has made my day!

They expect you to be there all day, whilst YOU pay the autónomo fee (approx €280) each month.

As a freelancer, you HAVE to work for more than one person – period.

If you only work for one company, you must have a contract plus employer’s social security contributions.

Oh no, will this mean the owner won’t be able to afford his polo estate in Mallorca, and, and, and?

Doubt it, but it’s a step in the right direction as E&V has been diddling the Spanish state out of rightful social security payments for years!

Caroline Stapley

Oranges all around

I HOPE you are all enjoying the lovely October weather this sunny Sunday!

I have a rant so I hope you won't mind me using your media outlet to vent please?

It's about fruit. In particular it's about oranges. Yesterday I found myself in two well known supermarkets, Mercadona and Consum.

I wanted to purchase both oranges and mandarins. But here’s the rub – I could only find them from South Africa! No Spanish oranges to be found. No mandarins either.

Not too many kilometres up the road from me here in Murcia, the eye is treated to acres and acres of the glowing orange fruit and that's just what can be seen from the car!

There are thousands more acres of the stuff in the region alone.

Yet, we have to have oranges transported half way around the world if we want them.

Why Choose AnyTech365?

To add to my frustration, upon opening the first orange it turned out to be dry, tasteless and without any of the sweetness of Valencian oranges. Ouch! Okay, I know there may be times when scarcity ensures we must import them and I am going to write to both supermarkets for an explanation but in the absence of hard facts as to the reason, the fact is that I had to buy oranges from half way around the world in the middle of an

Editor’s reply: Hi Ann, that’s such a good point and it really gets on our goats as well. That said, there will sadly be four or five months of the year when there are no oranges in Spain at all due to the seasons. From experience in Ronda, where we have a few orange trees, we start getting them from around December time, but I’m guessing in Valencia and in Murcia, they must be coming from any moment now. I’m really happy that you are going to write to the supermarkets to ask, but ultimately people need to be eating fruit and vegetables that are seasonal like we used to do in the olden days.

Malaga bans horse-drawn carriages

WHAT do you think happens to these horses when they can’t pull carriages anymore? They’re not lovingly rehomed — they’re discarded. These aren’t pampered pets; they live lives of exhaustion, pain, and neglect. It’s time to end this cruelty.

Why Choose AnyTech365?

Comprehensive Cybersecurity

Dawn Bowling

Introducing an exclusive partnership between Olive Press and AnyTech365 AI-Powered IT Security

THE money they have been paid, some could go towards a sanctuary or the government could help, as they did with the donkeys in Mijas. Now Marbella it’s your turn to stop carriage rides.

Helen Dulson

Their services include cybersecurity, device maintenance and performance optimization, and malware removal, enhanced by AI for faster and accurate solutions.

CAN you imagine the horses being put down now, turned into bloody salami?! I am not sure that animal rights activists and politicians think these kinds of decisions through! The fate of the poor horses should be cleared beforehand! Put them up for sale or make sure they can stay at animal sanctuaries if the owners won‘t keep them.

Personalized User Experience

AnyTech365 adapt its product and technical support solutions to individual needs, offering a safe online experience to any user.

Becky Barum

Introducing an exclusive partnership between Olive Press and AnyTech365 AI-Powered IT Security

Olive Press is excited to announce a partnership with AnyTech365, the leading IT security and support company on the Costa del Sol. This collaboration offers Olive Press readers enhanced tech support and cybersecurity solutions. Subscribers will receive exclusive discounts on AnyTech365 services, ensuring their digital safety and worry-free use of any Internet-connected device, personal, or within the household or their small business.

Comprehensive Cybersecurity Their services include cybersecurity, device maintenance and performance optimization, and malware removal, enhanced by AI for faster and accurate solutions.

Personalized User Experience

Olive Press is excited to announce a partnership with AnyTech365, the leading IT security and support company on the Costa del Sol. This collaboration offers Olive Press readers enhanced tech support and cybersecurity solutions. Subscribers will receive exclusive discounts on AnyTech365 services, ensuring their digital safety and worry-free use of any Internet-connected device, personal, or within the household or their small business.

OOPS! I CLICKED A DODGY LINK… NOW WHAT?

Founded in 2014 by Janus R. Nielsen, a seasoned IT entrepreneur, AnyTech365 leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to offer unparalleled service quality and efficiency in tech support and cybersecurity, keeping your digital life secure and hassle-free.

ONE click. One flicker of curiosity. And suddenly, you’ve ‘won’ a free cruise you never entered, been promised eternal youth in a jar, or received an ‘urgent’ message from your bank (or one you don’t even bank with).

AnyTech’s simple, step-by-step guide to staying safe online - without losing your mind

STEP ONE: SHUT THE DOOR

STEP FOUR: CULTIVATE A HEALTHY SCEPTICISM

Introducing an exclusive partnership between Olive

Close that suspicious tab faster than you’d slam the door on a pushy salesman. Out of sight, out of malware.

Founded in 2014 by Janus R. Nielsen, a seasoned IT entrepreneur, AnyTech365 leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to offer unparalleled service quality and efficiency in tech support and cybersecurity, keeping your digital life secure and hassle-free.

Your heart does a little drum solo. Your palms get sweaty. You picture hackers gleefully emptying your bank account before you’ve even dunked your first biscuit. Deep breath.

Step away from the panic button. You are not doomed, and you are certainly not alone.

Here’s the good news: clicking on a dodgy link isn’t instant cyber-apocalypse: The real trouble starts if you download something nasty or hand over personal details.

The company and their solutions have been widely recognized and won multiple awards on local, national, and international level such as “The Fastest growing technology company in Spain and the 27th fastest growing company in Europe across all sectors” (Source: Financial Times FT1000), the Andalucía Excellence Award in New Technologies, and others. Making a meaningful local impact, AnyTech365 has been a proud title-sponsor of the Andalucía Open tennis tournament, including the ATP 250 tournament in 2021, the biggest sporting event in the region. It has excellent online reputation scores with tens of thousands of end user reviews on Trustpilot (4.8/5) and Google Reviews (4.9/5).

If all you did was click and nothing downloaded, odds are you can relax.

Still, it’s smart to take a few sensible steps - think of it as digital first aid.

STEP TWO: WASH YOUR HANDS (DIGITALLY SPEAKING)

Run a scan with your antivirus or security software. It’s the online equivalent of washing your hands after touching something sticky on the Tube. Quick, simple, effective.

The company is currently in the process of becoming publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), with the transaction expected to complete in Q3 of 2024.

Phishing scams are sneaky little tricksters. They’ll pose as banks, delivery services, even Aunt Mabel demanding you wire her money. Remember: real companies don’t shout, don’t rush, and definitely don’t hand out free cruises. (If only.)

Press and AnyTech365 AI-Powered IT Security

BONUS LIFE HACK: ASK BEFORE YOU CLICK

The company and their solutions have been widely recognized and won multiple awards on local, national, and international level such as “The Fastest growing technology company in Spain and the 27th fastest growing company in Europe across all sectors” (Source: Financial Times FT1000), the Andalucía Excellence Award in New Technologies, and others. Making a meaningful local impact, AnyTech365 has been a proud title-sponsor of the Andalucía Open tennis tournament, including the ATP 250 tournament in 2021, the biggest sporting event in the region. It has excellent online reputation scores with tens of thousands of end user reviews on Trustpilot (4.8/5) and Google Reviews (4.9/5).

Olive Press is excited to announce a partnership with AnyTech365, the leading IT security and support company on the Costa del Sol. This collaboration offers Olive Press readers enhanced tech support and cybersecurity solutions. Subscribers will receive exclusive discounts on AnyTech365 services, ensuring their digital safety and worry-free use of any Internet-connected device, personal, or within the household or their small business.

you get on with

The company is currently in the process of becoming publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), with the transaction expected to complete in Q3 of 2024.

STEP THREE: CHANGE THE LOCKS

If you typed in any personal info - passwords, emails, card details - change those passwords immediately. And this time, make them strong. ‘123456’ and ‘password’ don’t count, folks (yes, we’re looking at you).

When in doubt, check with a friend, family member, or - better yet - a tech support team. A two-second sanity check can save you a two-week headache. And if you’d rather not play digital detective every time you open your inbox, there’s an easier way. AnyTech365 SafeBrowse is like a bouncer for your browser - keeping out the riff-raff before they can even show you their dodgy offers. With round-the-clock support, their experts keep you safe while

So, let’s recap: Clicking a shady link doesn’t mean the sky is falling. If you act quickly, stay calm, and keep your wits about you, you’ll be just fine.

Founded in 2014 by Janus R. Nielsen, a seasoned IT entrepreneur, AnyTech365 leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to offer unparalleled service quality and efficiency in tech support and cybersecurity, keeping your digital life secure and hassle-free.

The company and their solutions have been widely recognized and won multiple awards on local, national, and international level such as “The Fastest growing technology company in Spain and the 27th fastest growing company in Europe across all sectors” (Source: Financial Times FT1000), the Andalucía Excellence Award in New Technologies, and others. Making a meaningful local impact, AnyTech365 has been a proud title-sponsor of the Andalucía Open tennis tournament, including the ATP 250 tournament in 2021, the biggest sporting event in the region. It has excellent online reputation scores with tens of thousands of end user reviews on Trustpilot

and

Think of it as surviving a minor scare on the digital high street: lesson learned, pockets intact. And if you’d prefer never to panic over phantom cruises or miracle creams again, why not let the pros handle it? Call AnyTech365 today and claim your FREE exclusive introductory offer.

Peace of mind, no panic attacks - and definitely no sweaty palms.

acute stage in climate and environmental concerns. How can this be right?

Rant over and thank you for indulging me. Ann McKiernan, Murcia

Every

Lidl helps

GERMAN discount giant Lidl will open 50 new or revamped stores in Spain this year, investing €330 million and creating 1,000 jobs.

The move will boost its workforce to over 20,000 and push its network beyond 700 outlets.

Lidl spent €8.2 billion on Spanish products in 2024, including €3.3 billion on fruit and vegetables, making it the country’s top buyer of fresh produce. More than half was exported to 30 countries.

The chain has also expanded logistics with a new hub in Tarragona and raised salaries by 3.5%.

While Mercadona dominates and Carrefour holds second place, Lidl – now on 6.5% market share – is the fastest-growing, with analysts predicting it could soon challenge Carrefour.

Fueling the rise

Petrol costs blamed for pushing inflation to highest rate for months

HIKES in petrol prices caused Spain’s inflation rate in September to inch up by 0.2% to 2.9%.

Provisional figures released by the National Statistics Institute put the Consumer Price Index at its highest level since February.

Electricity prices rose slightly but forecourt fuel price increases were the main factor for last months’ rise.

Core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and

By Alex Trelinski

fresh food prices, fell by 0.1% in September to an annual rate of 2.3% - the same figure as in July.

Intense

It’s believed that the overall inflation rate will start falling for the rest of the year. The last time inflation was below the European

LOW-COST FASHION WAR

GERMAN fashion retailer KiK is challenging the likes of Primark and Pepco to become Spain’s ‘top dog’ in the bargain clothing market.

KiK stands for Der Kunde ist Konig (The Customer is King) and claims to ‘dress from head to toe for €30’. It opened its first Spanish outlet three years ago in Sevilla and has already grown into a network of over 100 stores. It has 29,000 employees with an annual turnover of €2.4 billion.

WINNING AGAIN: ARE TENS OF

IT was yet another giant victory over the banks for Marbella lawyer Diego Echavarria in the courts this month.

Handing his clients a €16,000 cheque in their battle against Sabadell bank was ‘yet another proud moment’ for the bilingual brief. The Madrid-born boss of Fairway Lawyers won Peter Cooper, from Fuengirola, the healthy sum in a one-off payment.

“He got it after we found that he had a floor clause inserted into the mortgage he needed to buy a property in 2005.

“He had literally no idea that for many years the rate never went below 3%, even when interest rates dropped to nearly zero.

“To say he was overjoyed with the payout is an understatement.

The key points

● Was your mortgage acquired between 2000 and 2010?

● Payments were the same amount for often many years.

● Despite paying off the mortgage and even selling up you can still claim

● There is no deadline since the latest ruling from TJUE (Tribunal de Justicia de La Union Europea)

● Fairway Lawyers acts on a No Win, No Fee basis

“It was a giant gift for his family, who are planning a big holiday this Christmas and a new car.” The battle against Sabadell came after the British family took on Fairway Lawyers in a ‘no win, no fee’ deal three years ago.

While it wasn’t a quick process, Diego admits, it is just a matter of doing things by the letter of the law.

Popular lawyer beats Banco Sander again and believes there are thousands still owed big bucks, plus compensation over shameful ‘floor clause’ mortgages

“You just need to be diligent and cross the t’s and dot the i’s,” he explains.

Having taken on and won over three dozen cases over the last decade, he has become probably Spain’s number one legal specialist on the so-called ‘Floor clause scandal’.

The scandal stems back over two decades when many Spanish lenders secretly insert ed a clause in their clients’ contracts that ensured interest rates could not drop below 3.5% or 3%.

This was called the ‘floor clause’ and when for a decade, between 2011 and 2021, the interest rates in Spain sat at a record low, between 0% and 1%, they did not benefit.

It meant hundreds of thousands of peo ple spent years paying usually hundreds of euros more per month above what they should have paid.

Diego (right) estimates that tens of thousands of home owners - over half of them British - could be owed €50,000 or more in compen sation.

Central Bank's target of 2% was in October 2024, when it stood at 1.8%.

Economist, Javier Santacruz (right) said: “In addition to electric ity and fuel, there is a September seasonal effect when spending on education, leisure and transport rises. “It has been more intense this year, and fresh food prices have not yet eased,” he added.

be above the European average, and suggested it will close the year at 2.5%.

Raymond Torres, from the economic think-tank Funcas, added that Spanish inflation will continue to

“There are two major challenges to be faced: the persistent rise in prices of services, which have been above 3% for months due to the strong pull of tourist and non-tourist services in Spain,” he commented.

“The second factor is the cost of unprocessed food, with year-on-year rates of more than 5% throughout the year except January,” stated Torres.

Jobs surprise

SPAIN'S September jobless total recorded an unexpected fall of 4,846 compared to August. Forecasters had predicted a rise of around 15,000 which normally occurs after summer seasonal job contracts end. The Labour Ministry said those registered as unemployed totalled 2.42 millionthe lowest figure for a September since 2007, with the exception of the Covid pandemic period.

Year-on-year, the number of people out of work fell by 153,620 - a 6% reduction. Spain registered 31,500 more workers with Social Security to reach an all-time September high of 21.7 million.

In the lead

SPAIN’S economy defied global trends with 0.8% GDP growth in Q2 2025, surpassing forecasts.

Year-on-year growth hit 3.1%, solidifying Spain’s lead in the Eurozone. Growth was driven by household consumption, investment, and domestic demand. While exports slowed, industry and construction rose.

Only the primary sector contracted, falling 6.4%, amid international uncertainty from tariff tensions and weakened external demand.

THOUSANDS OWED TO YOU?

“The average is likely a little lower, but whatever happens they are owed money and with interest on top,” he explains this

“It was a really shocking abuse of legitimate trusting clients and the banks were very crafty,” he adds.

“I have spent years exposing these hidden clauses inserted into their mortgages.

“And there are around 100,000 mis-sold mortgages that have yet to be resolved in Spain.”

He explains that most banks, including La Caixa, Sabadell and Banco Popular, used such clauses.

“And it will only take me a few minutes to work out what you have paid and what you are owed today,” he continues.

Over the last year he has had a series of payments, including one for €21,075, plus legal costs, in Mijas, and another for €48,359 for a British family, the Brighouses in Estepona. In one urbanisation in the Malaga resort, Mirador de Costalita, he has four happy clients alone.

The huge golf lover, who named his firm after the sport, added: “It always involves lots of legal letters being sent and it’s a bit of a game, to be honest.

“Luckily I know all the tricks and how the banks try and slow things down.”

He currently has ‘over 100 clients’ he is working with around Spain, most of them expats, who became victims, but also some Spanish buyers.

“I am handling cases all over the country and travel around the place all the time” he adds.

If you want to claim for a mis-sold mortgage - NO WIN, NO FEE - or feel you may have been affected, contact diego@fairwaylawyers.com or send a message via

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

Spanish beauties

TWO Andalucian gems have been named among the top three cities in Europe, beating Madrid and Barcelona in a major new ranking.

Sevilla (abov) stormed into second place in Travel + Leisure’s 2025 list of the 15 best cities on the continent – a huge jump from 11th last year – scoring 89.49 out of 100. Readers hailed its art, architecture and spectacular plazas.

Just behind, Granada (below) took third with 89.48 points, praised for its winding streets, rich mix of cultures, top gastronomy and the world-famous Alhambra palace. Florence held onto the number one spot with 90.08 points, while Istanbul and Rome rounded out the top five.

Back in Spain, Madrid ranked eighth and Cordoba 13th.

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October 8th - October 21st 2025

BARGAIN HUNT

Cheapest supermarkets revealed – and you could save thousands

SHOPPERS in Cadiz and Valencia are paying the lowest grocery prices in Spain, according to a new report.

Consumer group OCU (Organisation of Consumers and Users) found Sanlucar de Barrameda in Cadiz and Torrent in Valencia topped the list of cheapest places to fill the trolley. Roquetas de Mar in Almeria also scored well, though savings there were smaller.

For bargain hunters in Malaga, Granada, Jaen or Almeria, Dani supermarkets

By Walter Finch

came out on top – but the chain is limited to Andalucia. Nationwide, Alcampo was rated the best value, with its hypermarkets and MiAlcampo stores among the cheapest in nearly three in ten towns. Family Cash and Tifer were also lowcost options.

At the other end, Sorli Discau, Supercor and Sanchez Romero were the priciest. OCU’s survey of 718 supermarkets across 183 towns

BUDGET airline Wizz Air is cashing in on Ryanair’s spat with Spanish airport operator Aena, launching 40 new routes to and from Spain.

Ryanair has already cut two million seats this year and threatened another million unless fees are reduced, pulling out of seven regional airports. Wizz Air, by contrast, describes charges as “competitive” and plans to exploit the gap.

Many of Wizz Air’s 40 new services are already running, with the rest launching by March 2026. The Hungarian carrier hit a record 10 million seats in Spain this year, operating 120 routes to 15 countries. At Barcelona’s El Prat, it’s now the third-largest opera-

revealed families could save an average €1,132 a year – around 18% – by shopping smart. The biggest gaps were

Wizz-ing in

tor, perfectly positioned to fill Ryanair’s void. Domestically, Wizz Air remains small at 1.4% market share, far behind Ryanair’s 22.9%. But with aggressive expansion and Ryanair’s pullback, Spain’s budget airline scene is set for a shake-up.

found in Madrid, where the difference between cheapest and most expensive stores hit €4,270 a year. Alcobendas and Majadahonda followed with €3,959, and Pozuelo de Alarcon €3,714.

By region, Valencia, Murcia, Galicia, Extremadura and Andalucia were cheapest. The Balearics, Catalonia and the Basque Country were most expensive.

Food prices are still climbing – up 2.5% overall – with fruit and veg (+8.2%), meat (+7%) and fish (+3.4%) hardest hit.

Coffee rocketed 54% and bananas 36%. But olive oil plunged 53%, sugar 26% and orange juice 24%.

Tax hike delayed

HOLIDAYMAKERS heading to Catalunya can breathe easy after plans to double the region’s tourist tax were postponed until April 2026.

The rise, originally due in May 2025, would have seen five-star hotel guests paying up to €7 a night, meaning a single visitor to Barcelona could face €15 per night including the city tax.

The delay comes as the regional government seeks parliamentary approval rather than pushing the measure via decree, avoiding legal challenges from hoteliers.

At least 25% of the revenue will fund housing policies to ease the accommodation crunch.

Barcelona collected €106.5 million in tourist taxes in 2024, with Catalunya earning over €90 million – a record year for the region’s 19.9 million international visitors.

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

What more could you want - a literal fountain of wine

By Alessio Ghirlanda

ENSCONCED in a sleepy valley among Granada’s Alpujarra mountains, the town of Cadiar is a cluster of quaint, whitewashed buildings where the air is crisp and life runs slow.

At the centre of its main square stands a curious structure. A white wall (pictured left and bleow), with copper taps jutting out of the plasterwork, rises above a horseshoe-shaped stone parapet; above it, luscious strands of ivy coil around the top of a stripped-down wooden gazebo.

Though you would be hard-pressed to guess it, this is Cadiar's fuente del vino – an actual fountain of wine. Disappointingly enough, it sits idle most of the time; but for a glorious few days once a year, locals take their posts at the taps and pour free wine for the thousands of visitors who flood the town’s streets for its feria – one of Andalucia’s most popular wine festivals. Held annually over a long weekend in early October, the festival is a four-day fiesta where food is served aplenty and taps never run dry.

The event is technically a religious celebration in honour of Christ and

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DREAM FIESTA!

fountain during the opening ceremony.

In the run-up to the festival, Cadiar dresses up to welcome attendants in grand fanfare. Glittering lights are festooned across the town’s buildings as pop-up fairground stalls emerge along the main street; bars and restaurants set up refreshment posts in the town square, bracing for the waves of customers to come.

Throughout the event, Cadiar’s cobbled alleyways throb with a roiling crowd of revellers from midday till the small hours of the morning.

Long lines form in front of the chief attraction – the fountain of wine – snaking all the way back to the church of Santa Ana, a sombre brick-and-stone construction at the edge of the square.

Queuing punters are rewarded for their patience with a complimentary cup of exquisite local vino – you get to choose

between a red, a white, or a rosé, and are always welcome to come back for more. All around the fountain, people congregate and mingle as a set of four large speakers blasts music from the bottom of the main street. Occasionally, someone will slip into the bars that line the perimeter of the square, wolf down some tapas, and muster up the strength to head back out for more wine or beer.

Further up the main street, hawkers peddle local delicacies and souvenirs from behind their stalls – candied fruit, toasted nuts, olive oil. A must-try is the locally-produced honey nougat, which is traditionally moulded into large, square blocks and then hacked into pocket-sized cubes with a hammer and chisel.

Children have their own entertainment options here, from a haunted house staffed with actors in spooky costumes to playground games galore – and even a few

the Virgin Mary, concluding on the fourth day with a mass and procession; but locals affectionately refer to it as feria del vino – the 'wine fair' – and can often be seen swarming around the small rollercoasters. Prize stalls also abound along the main street, and adults are often spotted trying their luck at dart games, tin can alley, and fish bowl toss.

In a clearing at the top of the street, a marquee the size of a small stadium rises above the shingled roofs of Cadiar’s homes. Inside the marquee is a music stage – bands play

ALL THAT IS HOLY: The town church and (below) locals enjoying free wine at the fountain

EVER POPULAR: The wine festival draws the crowds hoping for a free tipple

WATER TO WINE:

During the festival dates the clear water runs red

FOOD, DRINK & TRAVEL

October 8th -

pop classics. After dinner, locals trickle into the marquee to have a dance and enjoy a few more drinks before tucking in for the night. But there is one last stop nearly everyone likes to make before bed – the churro stalls.

Churros are deep-fried whorls of dough served with sugar and a hot chocolate dip.

A quintessentially Spanish late-night snack, churros are caloric bombs - but they just hit the spot after a long night of revels.

At the centre of Cadiar’s old town stands the San Blas Hermitage, a stunning 17th-century brick-fronted church dedicated to the town’s patron saint. Up a gentle slope leading away from the shrine is the picturesque Casa de los Chacón, a former nobleman’s home now housing the town council.

A 20-minute mountain stroll through wooded knolls and bubbling creeks culminates

at the agua agria ('sour water') spring – a source of ferrous water once prescribed by doctors as a cure for all ailments. A very rare natural phenomenon, this rust-coloured water is so saturated with iron that large swathes of soil in the sur-

rounding areas have turned a vivid orange. Finally, farther up the mountain, the Cadiar observation deck provides a jaw-dropping view over the verdant Alpujarra valleys below. The landscape here is unique, with jagged crags erupting into the sky out

of a sea of green and gold. All in all, Cadiar has plenty to offer. The wine festival, took place from October 4 through 7 this year. If you have been longing to experience an authentic Spanish fiesta, this might just be the place for you this time next year.

CUT THE PIE, SKIP THE SHORTCUTS

HELPING people with financial planning is my job. When I’m asked for ‘shortcuts’, ways to bypass the effort but still reap the benefits of financial planning -- I respond subtly, by pointing out how this might end up undermining results: --“It sounds like you want to skip main courses and jump to dessert,” I tell them.

--“Exactly!” they respond.

Subtlety, apparently, isn’t always an effective way of communicating.

Still, I’m aware of why I’m asked this question. It’s a way of saying, “I want a ‘sampling’ of the advantages of hiring a financial planner to evaluate whether to hire one.” Said another way: “I want to know if it’s cake or just frosting before I take a bite.”

Okay, I get it, I’ll share two simplified money management ideas with you today. There is a wide array of methods to look at financial planning data. This

list includes the metrics approach, ratio analysis, the life cycle approach, and many more. Using a single method may not be enough to develop a comprehensive financial plan. On the other hand, employing too many approaches simultaneously can create redundancy or confusion. Let’s have a look at the pie chart approach. It provides a visual representation and a broad perspective of how we allocate our financial resources.

PIE CHART APPROACH

The pie chart below visually displays our ‘income statement’. It divides up how we use our income as if it were a pie. We can only spend 100 % of what we earn and seeing where we spend our ‘dough’ (sorry, it’s a pie pun I couldn’t resist) is sometimes an eye-opening exercise. The twin ‘balance sheet’ pie charts answer the questions of what we own (chart on top left) and the pie chart on the top right shows whether we owe a debt

(liabilities) -- if not, it’s part of our net worth. These two pies are the same size: the chart on the left depicts our assets whereas the chart on the right cuts this same pie into slices of what we owe (liabilities) and a slice for what is ours without debt (net worth). Some finance experts would tell us these pie charts oversimplify complex financial realities. Nonetheless, they are helpful for visual learners and can be compared to benchmark pie charts to target where we should be to meet typical goals and objectives. Another example of the merits of financial planning I’d like to share with you is not a method or approach, it’s more of a ‘mirror question’ because it reflects back at us and invites self-examination.

TIME MACHINEWHAT YOU’D TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF

If you could climb into a time machine and have a chat with your 18-year-old self about money, what would you say?

In my case, I would give my ‘past self’ three tidbits of financial advice:

1. Start earlier than feels comfortable. Small amounts invested early grow more than big sums invested late.

2. Buy ‘experiences’, not stuff. In hindsight, lots of the goods I thought I needed when I was younger are now landfill. On the other hand, expenditures on education, travel, and health continue to pay “dividends”.

3. Avoid debt unless it’s inescapable. Loans and credit cards seem like easy solutions, but interest robs from my future self. Only borrow when necessary (mortgage, student loans) and be disciplined when doing so.

While none of us get to step into a time machine, the good news is that our ‘future self’ still exists -- and he/she is pleading with us to plan wisely. Every smart choice we make today is sending them a gift through time.

Hopefully, these two samplings illustrate how hiring a financial planner might increase our clarity, decision-making and ‘peace of mind’ about money. Both should come with a warning label, too: 1) try not to eat the savings slice in the pie chart and 2) don’t be surprised if, when you have a chat with your younger self, you second-guess your past haircut choices.

DELIGHTFUL: Cadiar comes alive at night, while (below) a series of giant paellas keep the hordes happy

FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL

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Ham-azing

The Olive Press explores the authentic, inland wooded region of Aracena where the happiest black pigs on earth make the very best jamon

FROM my perch high above Almonaster la Real, I sit contemplating the spectacular vista from what must once have been the Moors’ most scenic mosque.

Swallows swoop around the historic monument as I gaze into the far distance across a rolling sea of oaks, chestnuts and pines.

Almost on cue, a lone piper starts belting out a medieval standard from somewhere below.

It is almost enough to consider converting… but then that would mean missing out on easily the best delicacy Spain has to offer.

For in the cork woodlands in front of me graze what must be the happiest pigs on earth.

Going on to produce the best ham in the world, the famous black Iberian pigs live free-range for up to four years, grazing on a diet of almost entirely acorns.

By Jon Clarke

erra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche, even many who live on the nearby Huelva province coastline.

A LINARES FOUNTAIN

Close to the Portuguese border, an hour north of Sevilla, the Sierra de Aracena – Andalucia’s second-largest natural park – is sandwiched between the wild plains of Extremadura and the heat of the Andalucian heartland. It is about as different to the Costa del Sol as Fortnum & Mason is to Mercadona.

You can clearly taste the sweetness of the jamon Iberico

First noted by Laurie Lee in his classic tome As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, you can clearly taste the sweetness of the jamon Iberico the minute you enter these verdant hills.

A breathtakingly beautiful area of woodland, scenic walks and authentic, unspoilt whitewashed villages, yet almost nobody has heard of the Si -

But that’s not to say that the English haven’t discovered it yet. On the contrary, it is close to here – at Minas de Riotinto – that in the 19th century, British miners and engineers laid out Spain’s first golf course and football pitch.

The nearby hills – a romantic, almost melancholy sweep of wilderness – was their playground.

“But it has also long been an exclusive escape for rich Sevillanans,” explains Aracena mayor Manuel Guerra.

“The grandparents of the king used to holiday here and the aristocracy built grand houses.

“They came to enjoy the wonderful countryside and nature,” he adds.

It is certainly the perfect antidote to the ribbon development that has scarred much of the costas.

And while Aracena has never courted the hordes of Brits who flock to Spain, to be fair, it’s probably not their cup of

tea either.

Indeed, as the expatriate locals are quick to point out, the rainfall figures are the second highest in Spain and apart from walks and nature, there is not a lot else to do.

They have got a point. There are no beaches, casinos or Chinese take aways in Aracena and the locals most ly don’t speak English.

That said, according to one local es tate agent increasing numbers of Britons are flocking there to find a home with Julie Christie, Bryan Fer ry and Roland Olazabel from Tears for Fears all casting an eye over its housing stock over the last two de cades.

While British aristocrats Lord and Lady Leatham, she of the much esteemed Cecil family, have long had a wonderful country estate here, former journalists such as Sam Chesterton, retired here to run a farm.

Without a doubt, he and his catering svengali wife Jeannie, were the British pioneers to Aracena.

They rocked up in 1982 with Sam wanting to concentrate on his writing and Jeannie up for running a B&B, Finca Buen Vino, which became one of the seminal rural escapes of the last half century and even produced a cookbook.

The decision to move south had been made soon after the pair met at a party in London.

“I put two propositions to her in one breath,” explains Sam. “I asked her to marry me and move over to Spain at the same time. Luckily she also loved the mountains and was up for the idea of catering.”

While they pined for a classic cortijo to renovate, it was a far from easy task as most of the places they visited came with 500 hectares and cost too much.

Then one day they stumbled across Buen Vino, covered in primroses and heather and with wonderful views. “By the next morning we were hooked,” continues Sam. Taking a look around from their terrace, or by the grand romantic-style pool (below), it is not hard to see why, with the views over rolling Sierra Morena hills second to none. But the word is really out that this is one of Andalucia’s last unspoilt zones.

It is already relatively expensive due to the exclusivity of being in a natural park, which puts tough restrictions on building. There is a lot of competition from wealthy Spaniards, who also have the romantic no-

UNSPOILT: From Buen Vino you can see how unspoilt Aracena is and what Sam and Jeannie Chesterton fell in love with

DISGUISED: Almonaster’s church was formerly a perfectly preserved mosque

tion of owning a retreat here.

The reasons for its popularity among thosein-the-know becomes quickly obvious as you drive up from the dusty dry plain of Sevilla, its sun-baked expanses slowly giving way to a rich, muddy green spread of oak and chestnut woodland.

But while its crystal-clean air and natural setting has so much allure, it is the timeless, picturesque villages and their sylvan hinterlands that make the region so special.

Alive with the chatter of children and served by a surprisingly good network of shops and restaurants, somehow the two dozen or so settlements manage to maintain their pastoral identities and continue thriving without modern development.

It is this anomaly unlike so many other parts of Spain that is truly worth championing.

The reason behind it is that Aracena is one

of the few areas of Spain where the latifundia, or big landowner system, never took root. Too difficult to support large estates, instead the locals shared out the smallholdings that surrounded their villages.

Similar to that in La Alpujarra, near Granada, most would have a small olive grove, a few chestnut trees and an orchard for fruit. And as there was never usually a water shortage (between 600 and 1000mm of rainfall a

year here) they always had food and used to make money sending their produce by bullock cart to Sevilla every week.

As a result the area never got divided between the haves and have-nots. With land, the locals could access loans and improve their lot. Maybe this is why the Moors built what is easily one of the most beautiful mosques in the world here… and why the famous black pigs are so darn happy.

Futura Hearing marks 25 years of care on the Costa del Sol

FOR 25 years, Futura Hearing has been helping peo ple across the Costa del Sol look after their hearing. Established in 2000, the family-run business now has several branches, each managed by different members of the same family.

Carla runs one of the shops with her husband Fernan do, while her daughter manages another branch and her brother-in-law oversees the third.

The centre offers free consultations and hearing tests, repairs for all makes of hearing aids, and custom-made plugs for swimming, music, or sleeping. Many clients first come in after relatives notice the TV volume creeping up or conversations being missed. Staff encourage people to drop in for advice, whether or not they are looking to buy. Futura is also known for its transparent pricing. Hearing aids come with a five-year guarantee and unlimited servicing, which helps keep care affordable, especially for pensioners.

What sets the company apart is its personal touch. As Carla put it: “We treat everybody as if they’re special – you come in and you’re somebody.”

This philosophy has helped build a loyal base, with many customers recommending Futura to friends and family. Reflecting on the milestone, Carla described the journey as one of pride and satisfaction, noting that the business has weathered challenges and, most importantly, made a difference to people’s lives.

After a quarter of a century, Futura Hearing remains proof that small, family businesses built on trust and care can thrive.

For more information visit www.futurahearing.com or call (WhatsApp) on +34 605 986 880

Benalmadina

Calle Flores, 3, Arroyo de la Miel

Fuengirola Avenida Conde, San Isidro 1

SYLVAN LANDSCAPES: Aracena church, its famous free range black pigs and two local dishes (right)

October 8thOctober 21st 2025

CONSTRUCTION

COSTADIGGERS & CONSTRUCTION

DIGGER & DUMPER HIRE (with operator)

BUILDING SERVICES

678 45 00 51 costadiggers@hotmail.com www.costadiggers.com

CONSTRUCTION

work in and around Alcaidesa, Sotogrande, Manilva, Estepona, Cancelada, San Pedro, Marbella, La Cala, Fuengirola and everywhere in between including inland areas.

Across: 6 Squirm, 8 So soon, 9 Eva, 10 The Ghost, 11 Cuckoo, 12 I wish, 14 Nor, 16 U-turn, 18 Eyeing, 21 Giuliani, 23 Don, 24 Locals, 25 Steamy. Down: 1 Aqueduct, 2 Hijack, 3 Usher, 4 Eschew, 5 Sots, 7 Mutton, 13 Synonyms, 15 Remiss, 17 Reload, 19 Eddies, 20 Waist, 22 Iron.

MENTAL health has become Spain’s second-biggest cause of work absenteeism, overtaking trauma injuries, according to a study by Umivale Activa and the Valencian Institute of Economic Research. Along with pain-related conditions like back and neck problems, it accounted for over half of all sick leave days be-

SICKIE STATS

tween 2018 and 2023 – and more than two-thirds of the increase in overall absenteeism.

The study revealed an 88% rise in days lost to mental health issues since 2018,

dropping slightly to 75% among the self-employed.

The pandemic is seen as a major factor. Among workers under 30, mental health is now the leading cause of absence, with young women most affected.

Managers recorded the highest absenteeism rates.

SPANISH FIRST

Hope and tragedy in Alzheimer’s ‘game-changer’

A NEW treatment for Alzheimer’s has slowed the disease’s progression ‘for the first time in history’, Spanish scientists revealed – though the breakthrough remains clouded by safety concerns, high costs and limited effectiveness.

By Alessio Ghirlanda

Published in The Lancet, trials of experimental drugs Donanemab and Lecanemab showed they reduced cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s

Baby brilliance

HOSPITALISATIONS for baby bronchiolitis in Malaga have plunged by 90% in just two years, thanks to a new antibody jab given to infants under six months. In 2022, 239 babies were admitted with the virus. Last year that number fell to 48 – and this winter, just 23. “It’s been a total turnaround,” said Patricia Navarro, delegate of the Andalucian Government.

The jab, rolled out in 2023, is not a vaccine but works like one by providing ready-made immunity. It is now given to almost all newborns, with coverage reaching 97% last year. The Junta has invested €15.8 million this season to secure 73,000 doses, hailing the campaign as a lifesaver for families – and a huge relief for hospitals.

patients by 35% and 27% respectively. Nearly 3,000 people took part in the studies. Juan Fortea, head of the Neurobiology of Dementia Department at Barcelona’s Sant Pau Institute, called it a ‘paradigm shift’. He said: “We have not cured the disease, but this is the first time in human history we successfully slowed its progression.”

Both drugs are already approved in the US, Japan, China and Australia. The European Medicines Agency cleared Lecanemab in 2024, but Donanemab is still under review. Trials have not been without tragedy: in 2022, two patients died of cerebral haemorrhages while taking Lecanemab.

Overall, severe side effects were reported in one in 65 Donanemab patients and one in 300 Lecanemab patients. Cost is another hurdle, with annual treatment averaging €24,000. Last year the NHS blocked Donanemab over its price.

Effective

Effectiveness is also limited, with the drugs believed to benefit only around 5% of patients – and only in early stages of the disease. Even so, Fortea insisted the drugs make a difference, slowing decline and improving quality of life. “Patients still deteriorate, but more slowly,” he said.

Floor, Marbella, Malaga, 29601 www.britishcareservices.com

On private health insurance

Health insurance expert TERESA MORENO on why it’s the key to your visa in Spain as well as overall peace of mind

MOVING to another country always brings with it a mix of excitement and paperwork that can sometimes be overwhelming. In Spain, one of the most common requirements for those applying for a residence visa is to have private health insurance.

It's not just a simple piece of paper to comply with regulations, but a key tool to ensure your well-being and enjoy a more peaceful life in your new home.

WHY IS PRIVATE INSURANCE MANDATORY?

The Spanish authorities require visa applicants to demonstrate access to healthcare during their stay in the country. This means having private health insurance that meets certain criteria:

● Full coverage in Spain

● No waiting periods or extra payments, meaning immediate care with no additional costs

● Guaranteed emergency care, which not only protects the public healthcare system from additional burdens, but also ensures that, as an expat,

you won't be faced with unexpected medical expenses

THE PEACE OF MIND OF HAVING MEDICAL COVERAGE

Beyond the legal requirement, private insurance provides benefits highly valued by expats:

● Speedy care. While wait times in public healthcare can be long, in private healthcare, appointments are usually obtained almost immediately

● Freedom of choice. You can choose which specialist to see and which medical centre, from a wide network of private hospitals and clinics

● Care in your language. Many insurers offer multilingual assistance, a crucial detail when explaining symptoms or receiving a diagnosis

● International coverage. Ideal if you travel frequently or visit your home country

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE RIGHT INSURANCE WITHOUT OVERPAYING?

This is where many expats feel lost. The market offers multiple options, and com-

paring coverage can be confusing. Here are some key points to the right insurance for you:

1. Verify that it meets the legal requirements for your visa. Not all insurance policies valid in Spain are accepted for foreigners

2. Avoid ‘co-payments’. It may seem cheaper at first, but in the long run, it makes the actual use of the insurance more expensive

3. Check the medical network available in your city of residence

4. Seek professional advice. A specialized insurance broker can help you compare policies and find the one that truly suits your situation, avoiding unnecessary expenses.

Investing in health is investing in quality of life. Taking out private health insurance in Spain is, at the same time, a legal obligation and a smart choice. It will allow you to comply with immigration requirements and, most importantly, will give you the peace of mind of knowing that your health and that of your family are protected from day one. After all, moving to a new country is a challenge in itself. Having your health covered will allow you to focus on what's truly important: enjoying your experience in Spain, building your new life, and feeling at home, even far from your home country.

O P LIVE RESS ANDALUCÍA

Stone me!

Rights move

MICHAEL Riley (44) accused of gunning down two Scottish gangsters in a Fuengirola pub has told Westminster magistrates that extradition to Spain would breach his human rights, citing depression.

Crime stats

NEW data reveals that Barcelona tops the crime list with 8,563 offences per 100,000 residents, followed by Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia and Malaga, though overall crime fell slightly in early 2025.

Cheap deal

SPAIN is now among Europe’s cheapest countries for electricity, with renewable energy slashing gas reliance and costs, though experts warn grid upgrades and storage are crucial to avoid future blackouts.

Spain’s new plan to tame the weather is to name it

WHO THE **** IS ALICE?

SPAIN has decided the real problem with terrifying flash floods and apocalyptic downpours isn’t the actual weather - it’s the branding The Spanish weather agency AEMET has announced it will now give names to really bad ‘DANAS’. The logic? If you

By Dilip Kuner

name the weather, apparently people stop freaking out.

Because nothing says ‘don’t panic’ like Storm Alice casually drowning your garden. These names will only be used

for extra-spicy storms - the kind that trigger orange or red alerts and send umbrellas flying down the street. The first one up? ‘Alice’.

It’s all part of a Europe-wide effort to coordinate storm-naming with countries like Portugal and France, who also enjoy a bit of drama in the sky. Officials claim it’ll make com-

munication clearer, emergency responses faster, and research easier. But mostly, it’ll help us all bond emotionally with our weather-based trauma. “Remember Alice? She soaked my nan’s basement.”

Malaga out Getafe in RUSSIAN TO CONCLUSIONS

LIVERPOOL’S US owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have pulled out of a deal to buy Malaga CF, turning their attention instead to Getafe.

Malaga had impressed the £10bn conglomerate with its fan base, academy, and 2030 World Cup potential. But talks collapsed due to Qatari owner Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani, who reportedly stalled negotiations for months.

FSG – who own Liverpool, the Boston Red Sox and more –are now eyeing Getafe. Club president Angel Torres, long resistant to selling, may be softening due to financial pressures. A deal could top €120m, with Getafe’s infrastructure, stability, and renovated stadium making them an appealing prospect for FSG’s expanding European portfolio.

A MILITARY plane carrying Spain’s Defence Minister Margarita Robles suffered GPS interference near Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave, officials say.

The incident occurred as Robles travelled to Lithuania for a bilateral meeting. The Airbus A330, also carrying journalists and military families, was unaffected thanks to encrypted satellite navigation.

Spain’s defence ministry blamed an attempted GPS jamming attack, echoing recent incidents, including one involving European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Robles condemned Russian interference, warning of real threats to NATO.

THE Rolling Stones are being dragged into a rock ’n’ roll legal row after a Spanish singer claimed the band stole two of his songs for their 2020 lockdown hit Living in a Ghost Town.

Sergio Garcia Fernandez, frontman of Madrid-based band Angelslang, has filed a plagiarism lawsuit in Spain, accusing Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of lifting key elements from his tracks So Sorry (2006) and Seed of God (2007). He alleges the Stones ‘Frankensteined together’ his music, claiming he once gave a demo CD to Mick’s brother, Chris Jagger, who later said the band might use the songs.

Lyrics

Fernandez says there were follow-up emails with the Stones’ camp discussing lyrics. He accuses the group of copying the melody, tempo, harmonica lines and chord progression, with experts citing ‘fragmented plagiarism’.

A previous lawsuit in New Orleans was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction, but the case now sits before a Madrid court. The Stones have not commented, though Fernandez says their filings acknowledge ‘similarities’.