RADIO CASARES PRESENTED WITH MAJOR AWARD IN SEVILLE

The staff from Radio Casares travelled to Seville yesterday to receive the first prize for local audiovisual communications in Andalucia presented by the Junta de Andalucia.  The award was given to La Voz de la Mañana, the magazine programme presented by Radio Casares journalist Camino Dominguez. The programme which features the voices of the residents of Casares was named the best local entertainment programme on radio. The staff of Radio Casares, along with Mayor Antonia Morera and communications councillor Juan Luis Villalon collected the award at the ceremony in Seville. Camino’s programme, La Voz de la mañana, won because of the high quality of its content and its commitment to promoting free speech for locals, not to mention issues such as the environment, unemployment and education. This is the fourth prize won by the Radio Casares team and is richly deserved.

NEW FILM CLUB FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN CASARES

A new film club for young people in Casares is being organised by AMPA, the Association of Mothers and Fathers of students of Blas Infante college. The movies will be screened at the Blas Infante cultural centre in the town every Sunday at noon between the months of March and April, and in the autumn in October and November. The films are aimed at young people aged between 3 and 13 years old. Admission is 1 Euro for AMPA members and 2 Euro for everyone else. The Ayuntamiento is subsidising the film programme to the tune of 2,000 Euro for a total of 16 movies. AMPA organises educational and recreational activities for the young people of Casares and also helps raise funds for the school.

MAJOR FIRE AT THE RIVER GUADIARO ESTUARY

A major fire this week destroyed two hectares of scrubland at the estuary of the River Guadiaro. The fire broke out near the mouth of the river and engulfed the wooden walkway at the river entrance. A large column of black smoke was visible for many miles and could be seen from many areas of the Campo de Gibraltar. The fire also set off many alarms at homes in Sotogrande. It took almost five hours to bring under control and almost 10,000 litres of water was used to finally quell the blaze.

FLAMENCO SINGER DEDICATES HIS NEW ALBUM TO BLAS INFANTE

The famous flamenco singer Juan Pinilla has dedicated his new album to Casares native and the father of Andalucia, Blas Infante. Pinilla has found a long lost song by Nino de la Rosafina and included it on his new album. The album has been produced in association with the Blas Infante foundation and is part of this year’s activities to mark the 130th anniversary of Blas Infante’s birth. The flamenco singer has included nine other songs dedicated to Blas Infante and Andalucia on the new album. These include works by poet Juan Jose Tellez and playwright Salvador Tavora as well as Granada poet Juan de Loxa.

And now some news in brief:

Deputy Mayor Pepe Carrasco this week visited the Church of Llano to inspect damage to the altar. After inspecting the damage he has promised funding from the ayuntamiento to repair the altar as part of its commitment to preserving local heritage.

International news:

The Greek electorate voted in a new left wing government this week after giving the Syriza party an overwhelming endorsement for its anti austerity programme. The new Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras moved quickly to appoint a radical left wing cabinet and has promised to open negotiations with the rest of the EU over the massive Greek debt.

Sports news:

It’s going to be a London derby for the Cup final with Tottenham Hotspur meeting Chelsea after this week’s semi final clashes. Chelsea beat Liverpool at Stamford Bridge by 1 - 0 to win 2 - 1 on aggregate. And Spurs held off a challenge from  Sheffield United for a two all draw to win 3 - 2 on aggregate.

And the weather for the weekend:

Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy and breezy with a high of 17 and a low of 7 while Sunday will be a sunny day with temperatures reaching 13 degrees and dropping to 6 at night.

CASARES APPROVES AN 11 MILLION EURO BUDGET FOR THIS YEAR

A special session of the Ayuntamiento this week approved a budget of just over 11 million Euro this year for Casares. The budget of 11,147,00 Euro is an increase of over 128,000 Euro on last year’s budget. Mayor Antonia Morera said that the budget will maintain public services without an increase in taxes. The budget will not impose any cuts in public services. It was approved by the 7 votes of the Izquierda Unida and opposed by the Partido Popular  and the Socialist Party. Mayor Morera said that the budget reflects the good economic situation that Casares finds itself in and focusses on the employment policies of the council and maintaining public services. The 2015 budget does not propose any increases in municipal tax and will continue the 20 per cent grant for IBI which was introduced last year. The budget also includes 750,000 Euro for investment in capital projects, 12 per cent more than last year.

MAYOR MORERA CALLS FOR GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR TOURISM

Casares Mayor Antonia Morera has called on the Spanish Government to honour its commitment to investment in tourism improvements. In particular she wants the government to contribute to the Qualifica programme which it has ignored since 2012. The Mayor called on the mayors of the eight municipalities which make up the coastline of the Costa del Sol to put pressure on the government to meet its commitments. The Qualifica programme has helped fund the building of Calle Camacha in Casares, as well as the bridge over Arroyo La Jordana and the Manilva river. There are fears that the Ayuntamientos will be left with the outstanding bills for the programme if the central government does not pay its contribution.

TEN WORKERS HIRED BY CASARES COSTA FOR NEW PROJECTS

Casares Costa has hired ten new workers as part of its employment plan. The workers, two labourers, two stonemasons, two people from the over 30’s  programme and four other young people, have been taken on for projects at Casares Costa. Three include the expansion of the Jardines del Rosario, with a new recreation area,  sports facilities and a dog park. Mayor Antonia Morera said that the project will include a mini baseball field and a mini golf area. The Mayor said that progress is continuing on completion of the sports complex at Casares Costa where the paddle tennis facilities are almost finished. The Mayor is also hoping that the bridge over the Manilva river will be completed after work was held up because of a breach of contract by the construction company.

TOURISM QUALITY BRAND FOR CASARES VISITORS CENTRE

The Casares Visitors Centre has renewed its commitment to the distinctive Sicted quality brand. The Ecotour Casares co-operative which operates the visitors centre has committed itself to the Tourism Quality brand which is awarded to companies and tourist offices in recognition of their commitment to quality and improvement. The brand is promoted by the Tourism Institute of Spain and Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces and is subject to annual review. Rosario Loring, the head of the Casares Tourist Office, said that what matters most to visitors is the personal attention given to them.

And now some news in brief:

A griffon vulture was electrocuted after coming into contact with a power line in Casares this week.

The bird is a protected species and environmentalists have claimed that the ENDESA power lines are situated in a dangerous area close to the birds’ flight paths.

International news:

The European Central Bank announced this week that it is to pump 1.1 trillion Euro into the Eurozone economy in a bid to boost growth and investment. The ECB will buy up 60 billion of assets a month from March until September 2016. The quantitative easing programme is aimed at staving off deflation and boosting growth in the economy.

In sports news:

Liverpool kept their hopes of reaching the final of the League Cup alive with a one all draw against Chelsea in the first half of the semi finals clash at Anfield this week. An equaliser by Raheem Sterling in the fifty ninth minute of the game saw the Reds match Hazard’s first half penalty score for Chelsea. Brendan Rodgers’ players will now face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for the second half of the semi finals next week.

The weather for the weekend:

Tomorrow will be a mostly sunny day with temperatures reaching a high of 16 degrees and dropping to 6  at night. Sunday will again be a sunny day with a high of 17 and a low of 6.