ANDALUCIA DAY SAW AN INFLUX OF OUTSIDE VISITORS TO CASARES

Andalucia Day was marked by a large influx of visotors to Casares. Both residents and visitors took the opportunity provided by the festival on February 28th to visit the birthplace of Blas Infante, the father of Andalucian nationalism. There were 326 visitors to the museum on the Saturday and another 54 the previous day. This was a considerable increase on the figure for last year when there were 135 visitors. The tourism councillor explained that the increase in visitors is due to the media campaign which advertised Andalusia Day and the attractions of Casares.

CASARES RENEWS ITS AGREEMEENT TO SUPPORT THE MUNICIPAL FOOD BANK

The Ayuntamiento in Casares has renewed its agreement with Desvan Solidario to keep the municipal food bank open. Desvan Solidario was the brainchild of a young Casarena Paula Lopez who set it up in June 2013. The food bank manages resources collected and donated by charitable activities to provide relief for disadvantaged families. It works closely with the local authority to manage resources allocated by the Red Cross and charitable donations from supermarkets and individuals. The food bank is open during office hours on Tuesdays and Fridays at Casares, on Thursdays at Casares Costa and at Secadero on Wednesdays. The programme currently looks after more than 107 families. 76 volunteers help the food bank to carry out its activties during the year.

THE SCHOOL YEAR STARTS IN CASARES WITH A SPECIAL DAY TO WELCOME NEW STUDENTS

It was back to school this week for children in Casares and Secadero. A special day was held on Wednesday to welcome the 800 students who will be attending the Blas Infante and Los Almendros schools. There are 350 pupils enrolled at Blas Infante and 162 at Los Almendros in Secadero. Teaching staff were making the final preparations this week for the return to school and all services, including dining and school transport, are ready. Yesterday the normal school schedule resumed from 9 to 2 in Casares and Secadero. A full programme of extracurricular activities will commence in October.

THE BLAS INFANTE AWARDS WILL BE HANDED OUT AT A GALA CEREMONY TOMORROW

Tomorrow is the birthday of Blas Infante, the father of Andalucia and native of Casares, and it will be marked with the announcement of this year’s solidarity awards at a gala ceremony. The awards are worth 50,000 Euro, that’s 0.7 per cent of the municipal budget and they are given to projects that support international development and co-operation. This year there were 49 applicants for the awards and the winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Blas Infante Cultural Centre at 12 noon tomorrow. The large number of entries this year highlights the fact that many agencies are suffering financial hardship having had their subsidies withdrawn. Representatives of various NGO’s will attend the special ceremony which should not be missed.

BEACHES ARE PREPARED FOR BUSY SUMMER SEASON AHEAD

The beaches of Casares Costa have been prepared for what is expected to be a busy summer season. The most recent work was the movement of new sand to Playa Ancha and Piedra Paloma to make them more amenable for bathers. In addition new beach equipment has been installed including 300 metres of wooden walkways, and new showers and toilets. This will allow easy access to the beaches from the paseo. The lifeguard service will come on stream from June 28th until August 31st and the ayuntamiento has awarded the contract to the local company SOS Mediterranea.

Popular Vote... "Doña Julia"

Which work do you prefer to be done en 2014? June the 13th, popular vote

NEW MEASURES ANNOUNCED TO TACKLE YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

Casares is taking part in the Youth Employment Decree of the Junta de Andalucia aimed at tackling youth unemployment in the 18 to 29 year old age group. The Ayuntamiento is studying how to incorporate the plan which has a budget of 114,000 Euro into the municipality. It is planning to hire young people who are registered with the Andalucian Employment Service to carry out social and community work. There is a two months deadline for applicants to prepare their applications. Prospective applicants must be registered with the Andalucian Employment Service and priority will be given to those registered in Casares.

ECOTOURCASARES RECORDED OVER 5,000 VISITORS TO ITS RECEPTION CENTRE IN ITS FIRST YEAR OF OPERATION

Ecotourcasares has recorded more than 5,000 tourists at its visitor reception centre in its first full year of operation. The tourism co-operative provides detailed information in different languages on hotels, restaurants and entertainment in the area. A total of 5,038 people visited the reception centre. Ecotourcasares also aimed to provide more than just information and to this end it also organised walking trips through the most spectacular natural beauty spots in the area. The co-operative is also hsoting along with the Ayuntamiento the first festival of new Andalucian cinema next July.