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.

TV COMMERCIAL BROUGHT 80,000 EURO TO CASARES

The TV commercial that was filmed in Casares over three days last week brought an economic boost of 80,000 Euro to the town. The ad for a brand of crisps owned by Pepsi involved 150 locals as extras and transporters for the TV crew. Members of the crew also stayed in local hotels in the area, including two hotels in Estepona and local shops and restaurants benefited from the extra business. Mayor Antonia Morera said the commercial shoot in Casares had brought many economic benefits to the town. It is estimated that the total spend for the shoot was 80,000 Euro - 20,000 for extras, 30,000 for transportation staff and 30,000 Euro for hotels, restaurants and shops. The producer decided to use Casares as a location because of its beauty and the friendliness of the locals. As a parting gesture they left 25 boxes of crisps with the Ayuntamiento for distribution to the residents.

ANTONIA MUNOZ RESIGNS AS MAYOR OF MANILVA IN SURPRISE MOVE

Antonia Munoz has resigned as Mayor of Manilva in a shock move which has taken everyone by surprise. Munoz  has not been aligned with any political group since the middle of 2013 following a request by the United Left to remove herself. She announced her resignation and said that the decision was caused by many factors but above all by her wish to see the work done. Munoz has been denounced in court for alleged cronyism and in 2013 six councillors of the United Left requested that she leave their group. Munoz first entered local politics in Manilva, which has 14,000 residents, in 1987 and she became the first woman mayor of the town in 1999 under the banner of the United Left. She left the position between 2003 and 2007 but returned to the post in 2007 following the local elections.

DEADLINE GIVEN FOR COMPLETION OF THE BRIDGE LINKING MANILVA WITH CASARES

The Ayuntamiento has given a new deadline of mid November for the completion of work on the new bridge linking Manilva with Casares. The ultimatum was given to the company awarded the contract, Vallejo Aplicaciones and they have agreed to finish the original design. The Mayor of Casares Antonia Morera recently expressed her disquiet at the delay in completing the work which was caused by the company changing the design of the boardwalk. The company failed to meet the original deadline and was warned by the ayuntamiento that they were in breach of contract. Mayor Morera has said she hoped the work will now be speedily finished as the bridge is eagerly awaited by the residents of Casares Costa and Sabinillas.

CASARES DANCE SCHOOL TO OPEN FLAMENCO COURSES ON CASARES COSTA

The Casares Dance School is to offer a  new flamenco dance course at Casares Costa this year following many expressions of interest from local residents. Casares Costa councillor Antonia Pineda said there has been a demand from residents in the area for the course which has been fuelled by the increase in population at Casares Costa. The classes will be held every Tuesday afternoon for children aged between 4 and 12 and in the evening for adults. The course will cost 6 Euro an hour and will begin on October 1st.