Foreigners Department helps residents to fit in

Transcription

1 NEwS AND information FoR FoREiGN RESiDENTS benalmadena monthly april 2014 issue nº 26 Foreign residents department: news page 3 THE CoAST S FAvouRiTE BowliNG CoMPETiTioN news page 4 ST. DAviD S AND ST. PATRiCk S FuNDRAiSiNG WHat s on page 7 EvENTS THiS MoNTH AND EASTER PRoGRAMME Foreigners Department helps residents to fit in THE Foreigners Department dealt with more than 6,000 enquiries throughout This is a slightly higher number than last year, and mainly helped British, Danish, Finnish and Russian residents who requested free legal and administrative guidance. According to the Councillor for Foreign Residents, Adolfo Fernandez, most queries were regarding registering on the padron, the treasury department and urban development. He explained that volunteers are present at the Casa de la Cultura in Arroyo de la Miel to deal with queries and that there are interpreters at the National Police station, Arroyo de la Miel library, the three health centres and at the Anica Torres Centre for the Elderly. They speak Spanish, Councillor Adolfo Fernandez wants to help foreigners integrate in the town. English, German, French, Swedish and Finnish. Twenty per cent of the enquiries were received via and 10 per cent by phone, while the rest were in person. People of more than 120 nationalities make up 30 per cent of the population in Benalmadena, and the councillor pointed out that it is a priority for the town hall to help them to integrate. Continued on P2

2 2 BENALMADENA MONTHLY APRIL 2014 Town woos tourists from Germany BENAlMADENA was presented at the international Tourism Fair in Berlin, to consolidate its position as a favourite destination amongst German tourists. Thanks to an agreement reached with the Schlosser- Reisen travel agency, the town is amongst those which are being promoted in Germany this year. For 2014, reservations from Germany have already risen by 17 per cent compared to The mayor, Paloma Garcia, said that the aim of attending the fair was to continue to promote Benalmadena as a family tourism destination with the best theme parks and leisure activities in the South of Europe, as well as natural resources such as the sea and the mountains for active tourism. She was accompanied at the fair by the local Councillor for Tourism, Adolfo Fernandez, and the President of the Costa del Sol Tourism Board, Elias Bendodo. She also pointed out that the number of German tourists TOURISM: Hoping to make it a family destination. who visited Benalmadena in 2013 had increased, and that they weren t only interested in the sun and beaches. The initiative also aims to beat seasonality, as the offer for German tourists focuses on the quieter months with a calendar of events to attract visitors off season. Council contributes to foreigners integration one of the initiatives carried out by the Foreign Residents Department is the publication, in collaboration with Euro weekly News, of this monthly bulletin. Printed copies can be found in municipal buildings and it contains local news and information in English. There are 2,000 copies printed every Malaga CF Campus comes to town benalmadena will be one of the locations of the malaga Football club campus 2014 this summer. at the end of June, the event will be held at the municipal sports centre in benalmadena pueblo and will have former malaga players amongst the monitors and visits from current players. it is aimed at children between five and 15 and held from June 14 to 30, from 9am to 2pm. it will cost 200, with a discount of 25 per cent for holders of the municipal sports board card. month, but it is also distributed via . Anyone interested in receiving it should residentes@benalmadena.com and give their address. The department also organises language exchanges, conversation classes for local youths, Spanish and cookery classes and meetings with groups of foreign residents. There are also trips so that foreign residents can get to know other areas, and the department collaborates with celebrations organised by foreign residents, including the international Christmas Encounters. Beaches ready for the summer BENAlMADENA Council is working to prepare the local beaches for the summer. The mayor, Paloma Garcia, met with the head of the Coastal Department, Angel Gonzalez, to identify the areas in which sand is most needed so that work which will be carried out along the coast will be complemented. The mayor pointed out that the town s main industry is tourism, which is why the council makes a huge effort to make sure that locals and tourists are able to enjoy the beaches. She estimated that more than 115,000 would be spent this year by the Coastal Department on the local beaches.

3 APRIL 2014 BENALMADENA MONTHLY 3 Leading the way for tourism HoTElS in Benalmadena registered more than 2.6 million overnight stays in 2013, 4.81 per cent more than in The average stay increased by 6.32 per cent to 6.22 days and made Benalmadena the leader on the Costa del Sol in this aspect during the summer. it was also the first for hotel occupancy levels, which were at almost 66.5 per cent, according to the National institute of Statistics. The mayor, Paloma Garcia, and the Councillor for Tourism, Adolfo Fernandez, announced the results and said that Benalmadena played a major role in the success seen by the Costa del Sol. The efforts which have been made in collaboration with local companies to promote the town and improve the activities on offer for tourists have proved vital to the financial recovery of the local tourism sector, the mayor said. Transport junction now open T o R R E M u E l l E transport junction is now up and running and aims to improve the transit of passengers from Malaga airport and train station to any part of the town s coast. The new bus stop for tourist and intercity buses is part of plans to improve access to the Torremuelle area. The Councillor for Roads and works, Concha Cifrian, explained that the buses which will stop in the new area are the number 120 route, which covers Malaga- Torremolinos- Benalmadena- Fuengirola; the 320, Malaga-Torremolinos- Benalmadena- Fuengirola-Marbella, and the number 128 from Malaga Airport to Torremolinos and Benalmadena. in future it will also include the number 110 Malaga-Torremolinos- Benalmadena bus, the timetables for which are yet to be decided and will be based on the needs expressed by local residents. Almost 250 people took part in the Benalmadena Open Bowling Competition. Coast s favourite bowling competition AlMoST 250 players, mostly British, took part in the Benalmadena open Bowling Competition held at Benalmadena Municipal Golf Club. The event was organised by the Benalmadena Bowling Club and gathered members of Local companies awarded for quality of services provided SEvEN local companies received the Tourism Quality Commitment Certificate of the integral System for Tourism Quality at Destination (SiCTED) awarded by the Spanish Tourism institute and Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces. The certificate rewards their effort and guarantees that they meet requirements established for customer satisfaction. at least 10 clubs from throughout Malaga province. it has become the most important bowling competition on the Costa del Sol and has five categories: triples, women s pairs, women s individuals, men s pairs and men s individuals. The Councillor for Foreign Residents, Adolfo Fernandez, accompanied by the club s president, Mike Stapleton, inaugurated the competition and congratulated the organizer, Greg Ellwook, for the excellent work he had done.

4 4 BENALMADENA MONTHLY APRIL 2014 Welsh funds for premature babies Councillor Adolfo Fernandez attended the event. the Welsh society benalmadena raised 1,500 with the st david s day event at cjs Karaoke bar. almost 500 people attended the celebration, and the money will be donated to the premature babies unit in malaga. cath John from cjs Karaoke bar, in the bonanza area, thanked all the performers, including ricky lavazza, stephen lloyd-morgan, the tapas choir, Kt peters, Johnny Westwood, the children from banana studios and everyone else who helped to make the event a success. there were stalls, live music, food and a raffle which all went towards raising the total. benalmadena councillor for Foreign residents, adolfo Fernandez, attended the event and thanked members of the Welsh society for their fundraising efforts. Saint Patrick s Day fun MoRE than 1,000 people, mostly foreign residents, took part in Saint Patrick s Day celebrations held in Benalmadena. The event, which was attended by the mayor, Paloma Garcia, began with mass at midday in the inmaculada Concepcion Church in. After that came a parade through the main streets of the town, which included performances, and finally, the celebration reached the Parque de la Paloma where a huge party with live shows and typical irish products was held. The mayor was accompanied by Foreign Residents Councillor, Adolfo Fernandez, and the President of the irish Association, Terry Mckinley, as well as other members of the local council. They thanked the irish community for organising the event. The mayor pointed out that the town has held celebrations for such an important day for the irish for many years now, and invited everyone to come and join in the party atmosphere. Dressed in green, the Irish paraded the streets once again this year. Live performances and dancing brightened up the day.

5 APRIL 2014 BENALMADENA MONTHLY 5 The International Golf Society personal information: international Golf Society (igs) the society is nearly 25 years old. What is the igs? The igs is a society of golfers who play at the Parador, Malaga on Mondays and Thursdays (barring national holidays). we have a committee and we play organised competitions. Why does the igs play at the parador? well, there are two main reasons. Firstly, the course is in great shape, having previously hosted the Andalusian open on more than one occasion and secondly, it is a course that is easily walkable and so, good exercise. You say you have organised competitions, how does that work? it works as it does in any golf club. we have a computerised system of competitions with the handicaps of our members (male and female) ranging from 4 to 36 very much a mixed Members of the society at one of their many events. ability group. At the end of the month we meet socially (golfers and their partners) for dinner, usually at a local restaurant, and all the winners are presented with their prizes yes, you do receive a prize for winning! is it just for golfers who live here? No. we do have members who live in the Benalmadena area all the year around, but we also have members who are here for maybe six months; two months; one month or even two weeks a year. is it a society just for british golfers? No. Previous members have come from Sweden, Finland, Holland, Germany and the united States. Although at present our membership consists of players from England, ireland, Scotland and Holland, we would encourage and welcome golfers from anywhere in the world hence our name international. is it expensive to join the igs? Presently, you pay 30 to join and 30 yearly subscription and as a player with the igs you will receive reduced green fees from the Parador. can i play with the igs before committing myself? of course you can. we usually invite players to join as a guest for a few games before making any decision. if you would like more information, then you can always find members of our group around the refreshment booth (19th hole) after midday on a Monday or Thursday or ring June on or Mo on

6 6 BENALMADENA MONTHLY APRIL 2014 Cazorla with Benalmadena Foreign Residents Department by eleonor smith (February 24-26) on February 24, about 40 pensioners of different nationalities set off early in a bus. our hearts sank because it was pouring with rain and the forecast was not good. we stopped in Baeza and were able to have a look at some of the beautiful Renaissance monuments in spite of the rain. we had an excellent lunch in the Hotel de la luna and moved on to ubeda, another city with incredible architecture. Both cities together are a unesco site and owe their unity of style to one prolific architect in the late 16th century, Andres de vandelvira. we saw some remarkable monuments such as the Capilla del Salvador, almost unique in Spain for being built within a very short period and with hardly any later alterations. it is the size of a Cathedral but was built as a private chapel for the secretary of state to king Carlos v. we got to our splendid, 4* hotel in Cazorla in good time before dinner and were delighted with our palatial rooms. Meals were good and plentiful. The next morning was very misty when we entered the Natural Park and after a while the spectacular rocky outcrops, stunning views and green forests revealed themselves as the sun came out. Some of us Foreign residents discovered some of the gems in Jaen province. spotted some deer. our first stop was at the Torre del vinagre, with an interesting visitors centre, impressive botanical garden and a café. in the botanic garden many of the Spring flowers were out and there were all kinds of unusual trees and bushes. our next stop was at the Hunting Reserve, which has a fenced-in herd of deer and Spanish ibex. we climbed a hill and saw the beautiful reservoir, the Embalse del Tranco. we had a good view of the animals and were then ready for lunch in our hotel. in the afternoon the bus took us into the town of Cazorla where we had free time. it has the ruins of the Moorish castle, now a museum, overlooking the town. There is a lovely stream and everywhere the white almond blossom was out. The ruined cathedral of Santa Maria, designed by valdevira, is very impressive and we also enjoyed the bars and shops. on the morning of our last day we went by bus to the largest olive-oil cooperative in the world. we learned a lot about the harvesting and processing of this liquid gold, had a tasting session and a many litres of oil were purchased. After lunch at the hotel we said goodbye to Cazorla and made our way back it was a great experience and we made new friends. read on! Fluent English Book Club. Tuesday 1, 7pm. Coordinator Elise Freedman. library. Film club, Thursday 3, 9pm, Before Midnight, directed by Richard linklater, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. 108 min. usa, original soundtrack with subtitles. Casa de la Cultura. music, Friday 4, 8.30pm, Almaclara String Quartet. Tickets on sale an hour before the concert, 5. Bil-Bil Castle. exhibition de la escuela al colegio, Thursday April 10 until Sunday June 15, Benalmadena Exhibition Centre. open Tues. - Sat. 10am to 2pm and 5pm to 7.30pm; Sun and holidays 11am to 1.30pm. Closed Mon. Free entrance. Showing items which illustrate the evolution of state education between 1900 and WHAT S ON IN APRIL cultural Workshop: History, legends and myths of Spain, for Spanish and foreigners. Thursday 10, 4pm, innova Centre. Support in English, French and German. Coordinated by Carmina Martinez and three collaborators. music, Friday 11, 8.30pm, Angel l. Montilla Martos. De Ciudad Jardin a kioto a poetry recital (Spanish) accompanied by the music of group Talycual. Free entrance. Bil-Bil Castle. First costa del sol olive oil Fair. Friday April 11 until Sunday April 13. Puerto Marina. Tasting and sales, free entrance. French book club. Tuesday15, 7pm. Coordinated by Prisca varnier. organized by ufe Costa del Sol. library. minna canth Finnish book club. Thursday 24, 7pm. Coordinated by kimmo Shalman. library. 6th ibn al-baytar science Fair, open to the general public Thursday 24, from 5pm to 8pm, schools and groups promote science. Plaza de la Mezquita. Film club, Thursday 24, 9pm, Promised land, directed by Gus van Sant and starring Matt Damon and John kransinski. 107 min. usa, original soundtrack with subtitles. Casa de la Cultura. st george s day, Saturday 26, 1pm - 7pm, Plaza de la Mezquita. live music, stalls, food, raffles, karate and bowka demonstrations. Funds to ANABE and AFAB. 20 per stall. botanical Walk in parque de la paloma: Trees and Mythology, with Jose Garcia, Saturday 26, 10am. Starting from the entrance to the library. Registration required. choir music and poetry recital (spanish) on Saturday 26. Free entrance. Bil-Bil Castle. music, Tuesday 29, 8.30pm, Zagreb Flute orchestra. Free entrance. Bil-Bil Castle.

7 APRIL 2014 BENALMADENA MONTHLY 7 EASTER ITINERARY AND TIMETABLES 2014 saturday (april 12) Transfer of Ntro. Sr. Jesucristo Coronado de Espinas, and Ntra, Madre y Sra. del Mayor Dolor departure 11am - capilla de san Juan (patronato). itinerary: Cl. oropendola, Cl. Paloma, Cl. Salvador vicente, Cl. Sierramar, Cl. las Flores Alto, Calle velarde, Cl. lopez de vega, Cl. Calderon de la Barca, Cl. Juan Ramon Jimenez, Cl. lopez de vega, Cl. velardo. arrival 1pm - tinglao Transfer of Ntro. Padre Jesus Cautivo and Maria Stma. de la Esperanza. departure 6pm - capilla de santo domingo itinerary: Cl. vencejo, Cl. Salvador Balbuena, Cl. Jaramago, Cl. Hermano Francisco, Cl. Pensamiento, Plaza los Nardos, Cl. Azucena, Avda. Juan luis Peralta, Cl. Maestra Ayala, Cl. Gabriel Escobar, Av. del Chorrillo, Cl. San Miguel. arrival 7.45pm - salon de tronos palm sunday (april 13) Palms Procession departure 11am - ermita de la cruz itinerary: Cl. Hermano Francisco, Avda. Juan luis Peralta, Cl. Real, Plaza de España, Cl. Santo Domingo, Jardines del Muro, Plaza de la iglesia. arrival midday - iglesia parroquial de santo domingo de guzman. Procession of Nuestro Padre Jesus en su Entrada Triunfal en Jerusalen and Maria Stma. del Auxilio departure 11.30am - iglesia de la inmaculada concepcion itinerary: Casa Hermandad, Cl. limonero, Cl. Naranjo, Cl. orion, Avda. de la Estacion, Cl. vicente Alexander, Cl. San Juan, Cl. las Flores, Cl. Sierramar, Avda. inmaculada Concepcion, Cl. Alcalde Garcia, Cl. las Flores, Avda. de la Constitucion, Cl. vicente Alexander, Cl. Nacimiento, Cl. Naranjo, Cl. limonero. arrival 2pm - casa Hermandad de la redencion. Procession of Ntro. Señor Jesucristo Coronado de Espinas and Ntra. Sra. del Mayor Dolor. departure 7.30pm - tinglao (parque Jesus cautivo (carola) itinerario: Cl. velarde, Cl. las Flores, Avda. de la Constitucion, Plaza de la Autonomia (fuente), Cl. vicente Alexander, Cl. Nacimiento, Cl. Naranjo, Cl. Membrillo, Cl. Pino, Cl. velarde-alto. arrival midnight - tinglao. monday (april 14) Ntro. Padre Jesus Cautivo Children s Procession departure 7pm - parroquia de santo domingo de guzman itinerary: Plaza de la iglesia, Jardines del Muro, Cl. Santo Domingo, Plaza de España, Cl. Real, Avda. Juan luis Peralta, Cl. Maestra Ayala, Cl. Marbella, Plaza de España, Cl. Santo Domingo, Jardines del Muro, Plaza de la iglesia. arrival 9.30pm - parroquia de santo domingo de guzman. tuesday (april 15) Procession of Ntro. Padre Jesus Cautivo and Maria Stma. de la Esperanza departure 8.30pm - salon de tronos. itinerary: Cl. San Miguel, Avda. del Chorrillo, Avda. Juan luis Peralta, Cl. Maestra Ayala, Cl. Marbella, Plaza de España, Cl. lomillas, Cl. Alamos, Cl. Real, Avda. Juan luis Peralta, Avda. del Chorrillo, Cl. San Miguel. arrival 12.15am (quarter past midnight) - salon de tronos maundy thursday (april 17) El Retamar Park El Paso - The town represents the Passion of Christ. Festivity Declared of unique Tourist interest in the Province. 11am. Guard of Cristo de la Redencion at the Capilla de la Casa Hermandad: 10am to midday Cofradia de la Redencion. Solemn Transfer of Cristo de la ( ) Redencion by members of the Spanish Legion from Fuengirola and placement on the throne by Legionnaires and Benalmadena firemen. departure midday - casa Hermandad itinerary: Cl. limonero, Cl. Naranjo, Cl. Cipres, Cl. San Juan, Avda. Constitucion, in the church square, homage will be paid to the virgen de los Dolores, Avda. de la Estacion, Cl. vicente Alexandre, Cl. Nacimiento, Cl. Naranjo, Cl. limonero. arrival - casa Hermandad. Procession of Ntro. Padre Jesus Nazareno and Maria Stma. de los Dolores. departure 8pm - salon de tronos de la Hermandad. itinerary: Jardines del Muro, Plaza de la iglesia, Cl. Santo Domingo, Plaza de España, Cl. lomillas, Cl. Alamos, Cl. Real, Avda. Juan luis Peralta, Cl. Maestra Ayala, Cl. Marbella, Plaza de España, Cl. Santo Domingo, Plaza de la iglesia, Jardines del Muro. arrival 11pm - salon de tronos de la Hermandad. good FridaY (april 18) Via Crucis in silence departure: 05.30am (early hours of Friday morning) - iglesia de la inmaculada concepcion. itinerary: Cl. Blas infante, Plaza de España, Redonda Centro (vicente Alexander), Cl. San Juan, Cl. las Flores, Cl. Ribera, Cl. Greco, Cl. Ciruelo, Cl. Parra (Casa Hermandad), Cl. Nuevo Nacimiento. arrival 8am - iglesia de la inmaculada concepcion. El Retamar Park El Paso - The town represents the Passion of Christ. Festivity Declared of unique Tourist interest in the Province. 11am. Procession of Stmo. Cristo Yacente and Maria Stma. de las Lagrimas departure 7pm - salon de tronos de la Hermandad. itinerary: Jardines del Muro, Plaza de la iglesia, Cl. Santo Domingo, Plaza de España, Cl. lomillas, Cl. Alamos, Cl. Real, Avda. Juan luis Peralta, Cl. Maestra Ayala, Cl. Marbella, Plaza de España, Cl. Santo Domingo, Plaza de la iglesia, Jardines del Muro. arrival 11.30pm - salon de tronos de la Hermandad. Procession of Stmo. Cristo de la Redencion and Maria Stma. de los Dolores departure 7.30pm -casa Hdad. de la redencion. itinerary: Cl. Parra, Cl. limonero, Cl. Naranjo, Cl. Cipres, Cl. San Juan, Cl. las Flores, Avda. de la Constitucion, Avda. Garcia lorca, Cl. Andalucia, Cl. Blas infante, Plaza de la Autonomia (fuente), Avda. de la Constitucion, Cl. las Flores, Cl. San Juan, Cl. Cipres, Cl. Naranjo, Cl. limonero, Cl. Parra. arrival 12.30am (half past midnight) - casa Hermandad. Procession of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad departure midnight - salon de tronos de la Hdad. itinerary: Jardines del Muro, Plaza de la iglesia, Cl. Santo Domingo, Plaza de España, Cl. lomillas, Cl. Alamos, Cl. Real, Avda. Juan luis Peralta, Cl. Maestra Ayala, Cl. Marbella, Plaza de España, Cl. Santo Domingo, Plaza de la iglesia, Jardines del Muro. arrival 3am - salon de tronos de la Hdad. easter sunday (april 20) The Procession of Stmo. Cristo Resucitado (Holy Christ Resurrected) departure midday - salon de tronos de la Hdad. itinerary: Jardines del Muro, Plaza de la iglesia, Cl. Santo Domingo, Plaza de España, Cl. lomillas, Cl. Alamos, Cl. Real, Avda. Juan luis Peralta, Cl. Maestra Ayala, Cl. Marbella, Plaza de España, Cl. Santo Domingo, Plaza de la iglesia, Jardines del Muro. arrival 2.30pm - salon de tronos de la Hdad.

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