MORE RESIDENTS TAKE PLART IN THIS YEAR’S BLAS INFANTE AWARDS

More residents than ever before are taking part in this year’s Blas Infante awards. More than 15 residents will be the jury for the 39 projects in this year’s awards and will read summaries of the projects before deciding on the best one in the international co-operation category and the in the values education category. Before the gala event on July 5th the winners will travel to Seville to meet the ombudsman. The ayuntamiento in Casares has been donating money for the past 13years to help international co-operation. This year’s awards are worth 50,000 Euro.

SECOND FESTIVAL OF NEW ANDALUSIAN CINEMA NEXT MONTH

The second Festival of New Andalucian Cinema takes place in Casares from June 8th until 13th. The festival office will be located at the Blas Infante Cultural Centre where two photo exhibitions will also be held from the beginning of next month celebrating the work of Granada film maker Jose Val de Omar. The festival itself starts with screenings on Monday, June 8th. Each film will be introduced by a member of the film team and afterwards there will be a discussion. A script writing course will be held from June 8th to 10th hosted by Rafael Cobos, a well known scriptwriter on many films. There will be a free concert by actor and musician Pablo Carbonell on Friday, June 12th at Casares disco from 11.30 pm. The Festival concludes on Saturday, June 13th with a Gala performance introduced by scriptwriter Ester Lara and Santiago Ruiz. Prizes will be awarded for short films. The Festival is organised by the ayuntamiento and EcoTourCasares.

The first meeting to decide on this year’s Blas Infante solidarity prizes will be held next Thursday.

This is the thirteenth year of the prizes which have a budget of 50,000 Euro. Residents will have a chance to get details of this year’s 39 projects on July 4th.

BIG TURNOUT FOR SECOND EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE AT BLAS INFANTE COLLEGE

More than 250 people took part in the second educational conference at Blas Infante college last Saturday. The conference was attended by students, family members, teachers and educational volunteers. There was an activity programme with a sports instructor for the children to keep them busy during the day, while parents and teachers took part in discussions  which covered topics such as intelligence and educational interaction. Workshops were also held to decide on the composition of working groups for the next academic year composed of teachers, parents and students to set the agenda. The day was organised by the ayuntamiento along with the Mothers and Fathers Association and the school. Councillor Pedro Gonzalez was honoured for his 16 years contribution as education councillor which he is leaving this year.

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.

RESIDENTS ARE ARE ASKED TO PUT A SMILE ON THEIR HOUSE WITH A NEW COAT OF PAINT

The Residents of Casares have been asked to put a smile on the face of their houses with a new campaign. The Ayuntamiento is distributing pots of paint for locals to spruce up their house facades with a new coat of paint. Residents must enrol for the programme at the Casa Natal de Blas Infante. Fifty residents have already signed up for the painting programme and the ayuntamiento has acquired over 200 pots of paint. It is planned to decorate the old quarter of the town with newly painted houses and potted plants.

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.

TOURISM DEPARTMENT MEETS OVER THE BLAS INFANTE ROUTE

 

The Casares Tourism Department held a meeting this week with the Deputy Tourism Minister about the Blas Infante route project. Councillor Pepe Carrasco met various officials to discuss the tourism initiative. The Deputy Minister has promised technical support for the implementation of the new route. Casares Town Hall is behind the setting up of the tourist route of Blas Infante which seeks to remember the Casares native son who is the father of Andalucian nationalism. The Deputy Tourism Minister said that a meeting will be held in September to report on the progress of the initiative.