Western Costa del Sol News - August 2008

Unidad Territorial de Empleo, Desarollo Local y Tecnológico (UTEDLT) (Office of Employment and Local Development)

Since its inception UTEDLT has helped more than 10,000 businesses in Casares, Estepona, Manilva, Marbella and San Pedro de Alcantara. It has directly created more than 1,500 jobs and is currently looking at 633 projects. With a budget of 18,450,000 Euros the help and advice available from UTEDLT is there for every legitimate business to take advantage of.

UTEDLT is very flexible. Each application for assistance is treated as a separate project and may qualify for different grants and support to another, similar, project. So who should apply?

Broadly speaking if you are considering establishing a new business in the qualifying area then UTEDLT should be your first point of contact with your project outline. They will assess the viability of your proposed business. More importantly they will guide you in areas such as employing staff, training staff and providing products and services that are needed in the area. Meeting their criteria will help with any grant application. You do not have to be an S.L. or an S.C., sole traders are just as eligible.

Similarly if you are an established business UTEDLT may be able to help you take on more staff, train staff, introduce new products and services and expand your trading zone. Again sole traders are as eligible for assistance as larger businesses.

You are most likely to be able to take full advantage of their assistance if your project meets one or more of the following criteria:

The list is by no means exhaustive. Your project may meet other criteria looked upon with favour by UTEDLT.

The initial contact point is: Consorcio UTEDLT Sierra Bermeja, C/ Huerta Nueva 14-16, 29680 Estepona. Tel: 951 316 630. Fax: 951 316 631 email:sierrabermeja.utedlt@juntadeandalucia.es

The information relating to UTEDLT was kindly supplied by Jesus Plaza Benitez (director).

Next month: We will examine what a project for submission should look like.

New Driving Instructor Test Answers Many Questions

Until now there has been no rational explanation as to why Spanish drivers drive like, well, Spaniards. Now a new test inflicted on trainee driving instructors last month reveals some of the concerns of the traffic department.

One of the questions set in the test was, ‘When do the effects of LSD wear off’? (It makes you wonder what some of them are on) Another was, ‘Does driving with the lights on consume fuel’? Obviously it does so let’s turn the lights out and save fuel.

Not surprisingly over 90% of prospective Instructors failed the test in Málaga province. The total would no doubt have been higher if the stranger questions had not been posted on the Internet the night before half of the trainees took the test.

Almuñécar Aquarium of Mediterranean Wildlife Opens

It has been three years in the construction but Almuñécar’s Aquarium of Mediterranean Wildlife, built at a cost of 7 million Euros, finally opened its doors to the public on the 17th July.

Twenty tanks hold 3,500 species of fish and invertebrates representing over 200 different species. There are displays of marine evolution and exhibits illustrating Mediterranean eco systems from shallow to deep-water environments. The almost compulsory surround-view tunnel is one of the largest in Europe.

The Bar Stewards Cup

The two teams assembled at Estepona, with three members of the Leisure Lounge team coming straight from the previous night out. The Three Roses contingent arrived with a kitchen fridge full of beer in tow. The morning session teed off at 9.00am with no major problems and Leisure Lounge finished 5-3 up. After lunch and a small intake of alcohol (the Magners ran dry), the singles took shape and the fun began. Stewart, captain of Leisure Lounge managed to wedge his ball in a tree, Giles playing for the Roses could only drive his ball far enough to reach the ladies tee on the 1st. The sun took its toll with most players coming in red-faced, with the exception of Jasper from the Roses who forgot to roll his socks down and ended up with red legs and white feet. The day finished with the Lounge winning 15-9 and a good day had by all.

Thanks go to Estepona Golf Club and Tosh from Manilva Leisure for helping organise the day. Any bars wishing to challenge the Leisure Lounge in this event should contact Tosh at Manilva Leisure 952 891 355.

Charity Golf Tournament and Party Night

The Flamingo Club at Marbella will host a Charity Golf Tournament on the 14th September. The tournament is in aid of T.E.A.M. Research based at Northwick Park Hospital, North London, UK. The tournament is an Individual Stableford Shot Gun start at 9am. This will be followed by a Party Night at Villa Tiberio in Marbella starting at 7.30pm with a reception and prize giving, dinner and a charity auction. Reservations may be made for the Golf and Dinner for 155 Euros or Dinner only for 85 Euros by telephoning 619 664 017, 666 648 439, emailing keithlynngolf@yahoo.co.uk or tallyinspain@gmail.com

Beach Current Warning

Every year some people ignore the beach flags and every year some of them drown. In certain wind and tide conditions there can be a vicious undertow on any of the beaches on the Costa. The lifeguards are there for your safety and do not hoist red or yellow flags for the good of their health. Please do not swim off a beach unless a green flag is displayed.

Migration

August to October are the peak bird watching months at Gibraltar. There are large numbers of Balearic and Cory’s Shearwaters offshore and there is a large westward movement of thousands of Audouins’s Gulls that pass close to the shore. August is also the peak of the southward migration of the White Stork, Black Kite and Swift. The last week of August and the first ten days of September are the best for large numbers of raptors on migration, especially Honey Buzzard, Egyptian Vulture and Montagu’s Harrier. One of the best viewing spots is Jews Gate high above Europa Point.

Nellie Revealed

Last month’s Cool Waves aditorial worked. Steve had more calls than he could cope with so when he complained to us we were a bit surprised. Fortunately his complaint had to do with Nellie, the company mascot. Apparently people were ringing wanting to know how Nellie was, what she was and whether she was enjoying her time in Spain. So here we are. Nellie is the one in the middle.

Castillo Archaeological Museum

Work has now started on rooms within the castle at Castillo that will become the new Archaeological Museum. The museum’s main theme will be Manilva’s Roman heritage, a particularly apt subject given that the remains of a 2nd century BC Roman town, fish processing plant and a villa surround the castle. It is planned to extend the museum to include finds from the Bronze Age hill fort at Los Castillejos de Alcorrin and from the more recent mediaeval period.

New Play Park for Castillo

Finished just in time for the summer season, the children’s play area at Castillo de la Duquesa

It is situated between the Roman villa and the castle on previously derelict land.

Beware of Fire

We had the first two serious campo fires during July west of Castillo. The specially trained fixed wing and rotary wing air crew once again supported the Bomberos and the fires were extinguished with no injury to humans. We were lucky. Please be aware that the smallest spark, from a discarded cigarette perhaps or the most minute piece of glass acting as a lens, can start a fire that can devastate hundreds of acres of maquis, hundreds of thousands of Euros worth of property, countless small animals and birds and at worst human life.

Geminis Opening Soon

A new business located next door to The Trading Post on Calle Duquesa de Arcos in Sabinillas, Geminis will be selling a unique range of ladies accessories, handbags, jewellery, belts and much more.

Telephone Jayne on 690 335 344 for more information.

The Coldest Place in the Universe

You may expect the coldest place on Earth to be in Antarctica, Siberia or even the Arctic but you would be wrong. At the moment, if you really want a cold drink, the Large Hadron Collider, better known as CERN, is the place to go. Situated in a 27 kilometre long circular tunnel beneath Switzerland and France the LHC has been cooled down to 1.9o Kelvin (-271C, -456F). Even the deepest parts of space are warmer at 2.7o Kelvin. This will allow the LHC to operate at an energy of five trillion electron-volts. When operational scientists expect to discover new particles, recreating conditions millionths of a second after the Big Bang. Critics fear that the collider will produce mini black holes with the potential to gobble up the Earth or particles known as strangelets that could trigger the conversion of nuclei in ordinary atoms into even stranger particles turning the Earth into a hot, dead lump. A report, issued by the European Organization for Nuclear Research says there is “no conceivable danger”. That’s all right then.

New Health Centre For Sabinillas

In July the mayoress of Manilva, Antonia Muñoz handed the keys of the new Sabinillas Health Centre over to the Junta de Andalucia Health Authority. The building will now be staffed and equipped by the Junta and should open soon.

Manilva Feria 2008

From Wednesday 6th August to Sunday 10th August it is Feria Time at Manilva. Starting on the Wednesday at 11pm, the official opening ceremony takes place at the feria ground on the Rio Manilva road and then it is sound, lights, action all the way to Sunday. There will be live music and dancing from late until the early hours every night at the feria ground. There are parades through the streets of Castillo at 7.30pm on the Friday, Sabinillas at 8pm on the Friday and 8pm on the Saturday at Manilva.

Gibraltar Airport News

The contract for the new Gibraltar Air Terminal has been awarded to Dragados SA. It is worth 59 million Euros and work has to be completed by April 2010.

Still at Gibraltar airport. Monarch have announced they will recommence their Manchester to Gibraltar flights from September.

Trip to Algeciras Water Park

BHL are organising a trip to the waterpark at Algeciras on Tuesday 24th August. Coach is 15 € and they have discount vouchers for entrance. Please call 952891276, or pop into the office in Sabinillas.

MTV Malaga Summer Festival

MTV Malaga Summer is the prelude to Màlaga summer fair and is now in its third year. On the 15th August Almeria pop star David Bisbal will perform on La Malagueta Beach. The American pop group ‘Pussycat Dolls’ will join him. Over 150,000 people are expected to descend on Màlaga for the event. All the concerts during the festival are free.

Ian Grant Sings at The Clubhouse

Every year new talent appears on the coast. Some make it and stay, some only last a season. One man who has no reason to fail is Ian Grant. Ian’s repertoire covers a wide range, from ballads to pop, rock to soul and blues. He arrived here in November 2007 and has already become an established entertainer on the coast with his sense of humour, gentle delivery and expressive singing voice.

Ian’s career started at the age of 18 years and over the years he developed to encompass singing as a solo artist, in duos, harmony groups, bands and covered many genres, from cabaret in working men’s clubs, piano bars, cruise ships and summer seasons at various holiday camps to singing rock, pop and blues with original and cover bands. Ian was also in demand as a session singer providing backing vocals for a number of recording artists and lead vocals for songwriters. Ian became known, amongst his peers, as ‘The Voice’.

Now you can hear ‘The Voice’ at The Clubhouse at Los Hidalgos every Sunday evening throughout August’

They Made It!

On Saturday the 12th of July at midday Graham Pagden, Antonio Rodriguez, Rob van der Top, Jose Manuel Delgado and Francisco Jesus Salazar Bueno took of from the beach in Tarifa to kitesurf across the Gibraltar Strait. The wind was not quite as strong as they hoped for so progress was a bit slower but they made it across in 45 minutes to be welcomed on the other side by some camels and a bunch of really nice kids giving them soft drinks. Unfortunately the team could not spend too much time there as they had not entered the country through customs so were not supposed to land at all. They will be putting a video out on their website www.crossing4cancer.com and hopefully have some more photos out soon. Due to the choppy seas the video is a bit rough although the cameraman did an amazing job seeing as most of the way he was being drenched by waves.

The team would like to say thank you to everybody for all their support and donations and look forward to the next one in maybe 2009 Canary Islands to Morocco ( about a 9 hour trip). To date about £12,500 has been raised as a result of the trip. The money will go to the Macmillan Cancer Trust.

Jimena Music Festival

In June it was doubtful that the 8th Annual International Music Festival at Jimena de la Frontera would actually take place but the mayor of Jimena, Pascual Collado, decided that the festival, which had grown each year since 2001, was too prestigious to lose. Within one month he and his small team had put together a smaller but no less successful event. The Festival ran for three days and was concentrated at just four venues, the newly refurbished Plaza de la Constitucion, the Llano de la Victoria, the Reina Sofia centre in Estacion Jimena and the castle. The concert by Kenny Garrett on the Saturday night was a resounding success, the highlight of the event.

Pascual Collado can be justifiably proud of himself for overcoming the financial and political problems that threatened this year’s festival.

The provisional dates of the 9th Festival have been set for the 2nd to 4th July 2009.

Thanks to El Moscatel

El Moscatel set the scene for the marriage celebration of Jenna and Menno on the 4th July. Over 40 guests enjoyed the food prepared by Mark and served by Ninke in the gardens of the restaurant that provided an atmospheric backdrop for the occassion.

Both Jenna and Menno would like to thank Mark and Ninke for helping make their day so special.

The Team at La Taberna del Pueblo

For the 2008 season and hopefully longer, a team that has been working together here in Spain for five years are looking after diners at La Taberna in Castillo. Paul White has been in Spain seven years and was head chef at Gemojos for over three of those years.

Phil Lilley from Padstow in Cornwall worked with Paul at Gemojos. Their aim is to retain the well-known and liked menu at La Taberna and introduce a new generation of diners to imaginative food through the Specials board. The Daily Specials are all Paul’s creations. The pair also wants to emphasise seafood, moving away from the Spanish style to a more International style that enhances the flavour and look of the fresh fish that is so available here. With all their dishes, specials, à la carte or early bird menu del dia, they concentrate on presentation and flavour to produce a meal that is balanced and good value.

La Taberna has recently been extended on the first floor to allow an extra 16 covers where diners can eat in a more intimate setting with glorious views over the bay at Castillo but even so Paul reminds us that La Taberna is very popular and booking is still advisable.

First Curry Club on the Costa del Sol

Who better to organise a Curry Club than an Indian Restaurant? Massala in Sabinillas have done just that. Membership is free. Registration will entitle members to various attractive promotions all this summer.

Please call in or ring 617 655 136 to find out more.