CASARES REPRESENTED AT INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR ON COSTA DEL SOL

Casares is represented at Euroal, the international tourism fair of the Costa del Sol which is taking place this month.Councillor Sonia Saborido and Ecotourcasares are representing the town at the annual tourism showcase. The display for Casares shows highlights of the tourism season including the festival of New Andalucian Cinema which takes place next week. The Casares stand is staffed by members of the Ecotourcasares co-operative which helps to boost tourism in the town. The Euroal fair is mainly aimed at tour operators from Europe and Latin America.

MAYOR SIGNS INVESTMENT PLAN WORTH 230,000 EURO FOR CASARES

Mayor Antonia Morera yesterday signed an investment plan that will bring 230,000 Euro to Casares. She went to the Malaga Council to sign off on the plan. The budget will be divided between Casares, Secadero and Casares Costa. In Casares the money will finance new street sanitation. For Casares Costa the money will be used to repave the roadway at Bahia de Casares. And in Secadero the extra money will be used to modernise services on Calle Guadiaro.

WORK STARTS ON NEW CAR PARK AND TOURIST CENTRE IN CASARES

Preliminary work has started on a new building at Calle Camachas in Casares which will include a multi storey car park,a  tourist centre and a new home for pensioners. The project has a budget of 1.8 million Euro. 70 per cent of the finance is coming from the Qualifications Plan of the Costa del Sol and the remaining 30 per cent has been provided by the Casares Ayuntamiento. When the building work is finished there will be an extra 133 parking spaces in Casares as well as a Tourism Interpretive Centre and a new home for pensioners. The Ayuntamiento has apologised to locals for the disruption caused by the work.

CASARES APPLIES FOR PEDESTRIAN CROSSING AT CASARES DEL SOL

The ayuntamiento has begun proceedings to instal a new pedestrian crossing between Casares del Sol and Casares Costa. Deputy Mayor Pepe Carrasco held a meeting last week with the head of the Provincial Roads Service to discuss the initiative. The ayuntamiento is arguing that the crossing is necessary because of the increased number of people now living in the area on developments on both sides of the road. The new crossing would allow people to cross the main motorway at the Jardines del Rosario and the filling station.

UNEMPLOYMENT FALLS FOR THE FOURTH MONTH IN A ROW IN CASARES

Unemployment has dropped in Casares for the fourth consecutive month in a row. The latest figures show the jobless figure at 474 in June, that’s a drop of 12 on the previous month. A similar trend was reported in Estepona where there were 380 less people on the dole, making a total figure of 6,444. Unemployment also fell in Manilva where the jobless figure for June was 1,199. The overall trend was repeated throughout Malaga province where the uneployment figure for June was 189,769, a drop of 6,612 than in May. The latest figures show that unemployment is at its lowest since 2011. However the trade unions say that much of the improvement is due to seasonal factors and the increase in service jobs during the summer months.

Popular Vote... "Bahia de Casares / URC-3 Area"

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

CASARES APPROVES A BUDGET OF OVER 11 MILLION EURO FOR THIS YEAR'S FINANCES

A full meeting of the Ayuntamiento has apporved a budget of just over 11 million Euro for Casares in 2014. The budget received the support of the united Left and was opposed by the Socialist Party and the Partido Popular. Casares Mayor Antonia Morera said that the budget will ensure that public services are guaranteed and that job creation and support for the socially disadvantaged will continue. She stressed that the expenditure will ensure the jobs of municipal staff and will provide a boost for non permanent jobs. This year's budget will be spent on the maintenance of facilities, roads, council housing, parks, gardens, street lighting and leisure and recreation projects. The budget also gives continued support to the Social Integration Programme which helps the needy.

A WEEKEND OF CELEBRATIONS LIE AHEAD AS CASARES CELEBRATES ITS PATRON SAINT

A weekend of celebrations gets undeway tomorrow when Casares celebrates its patron saint, the Virgen del Rosario del Campo. Two full days of devotion will begin with residents accompanying the Mayor and the patron to the chapel where a mass will be held at 12 noon. There will be a procession at four o' clock tomorrow where the Virgin in her carriage will be accompanied by pilgrims on foot, on horseback and in floats. The chapel stays open all night and there will be a special choral recital at midnight. Throughout the weekend there will be dances and musical performances during the weekend. The festivities continue on Sunday with the Holy Rosary, a meal and the return of the Virgin at seven o' clock in the evening. 

A FILM festival in Casares will celebrate the best of new Andalucian cinema.

Rolling out the red carpet in Casares

Featuring screenings, exhibitions and a closing gala night, the Festival de Nuevo Cine Andaluz will run from June 2-7.

Barcelona-born film director Mariano Barroso will also be teaching a course on film direction.

A jury of industry professionals – led by Barroso – will choose the film best films submitted by the region’s budding filmmakers for public viewing.

A number of prizes will be awarded including ‘Best Andalucian feature’ and ‘Best short film’.

The collaboration between Casares Town Hall and local tourism operative EcoTourCasares aims to support Andalucia’s thriving film industry.

WORK BEGINS ON PREPARING THE BEACHES FOR THIS YEAR’S SUMMER SEASON

Work has begun on moving sand and earth to prepare the beaches at Casares Costa for this year’s summer season. The Ayuntamiento has given approval for the work between Playa Ancah and Piedra Paloma and to recover the beach once the chiringuito La Sal has been relocated to its new site. Work was carried out this week to move 7 cubic metres of sand from Playa Ancha to the beach at Piedra Paloma. Work will also be carried out soon to recover the beach at Playa Chica once the chiringuito has been relocated. Councillor Juan Jesus Rodriguez said that once the work is carried out bathers will have an extra 300 square metres of beach area.

CASARES TAKES PART IN EXERCISE TO COMBAT FOREST FIRES THIS SUMMER

Casares has taken part in a simulated forest fire exercise to test the emergency services response to such an event. The exercise was held in Ojen and involved the deployment of specialist firefighting staff and other agencies such as police and ambulance services. Casares Deputy Mayor Pedro Gonzalez attended the exercise involving 112 personnel. The Ayuntamiento has stressed the importance of individuals taking their own precautions to prevent fires this summer. 

SUMMER ENDS WITH LIFEGUARD SERVICES KEPT BUSY DURING A BUSY SEASON

The summer season officially ended  last Sunday with more people than ever before using the beaches. The lifeguard service was kept busy this summer dealing with the usual problems caused by swimmers and other emergencies. The service reported that   they dealt  with over two hundred calls during this season. In addition there were a further 90 calls for help for problems such as barbecues, fishing outside the established hours and dogs being kept outside the area set aside for them. The councillor for beaches Juan Jesus Rodriguez pointed out that the influx of tourists this year is good for the Costa  del Sol.

BEACH RESCUE SERVICES CARRY OUT THIRTY EIGHT ACTIVITIES IN THE FIRST HALF OF JULY

The beach lifeguard and rescue services have reported they were involved in 38 incidents in the first half of July. The services came on stream at the beaches of Casares Costa at the end of last month. So far they have attended to eleven incidents of injuries by cuts, and six other injuries, but the good news is that this year there have only been three reports of jellyfish stings. Last year there were over five hundred jellyfish injuries when the beaches of the Costa del Sol were infested by the pest. The lifeguard services have also attended bee stings, the extraction of a hook, a concussion a a heatstroke incident. The lifeguard services will operate from 12 noon until 8 o’ clock in the evening until September 1st.

CASARES CELEBRATES THE MEDIEVAL MARKET THIS WEEKEND

The thirteenth Medieval Market will be held in Casares this weekend. The event has become a major tourist attraction on the Costa del Sol with many visitors from all over coming to the town. The market is set in the idyllic setting of the town, with the streets specially decorated for the occasion. There are activities for all ages line dup for the weekend, including a circus, theatre, live music, juggling, belly dancing and artisan stalls. This year the market's programme has been expanded to attract the younger people, with puppetry, theatre and music workshops for children. Apart from the market the Espileta sound festival will take place tomorrow with performances by the ten finalists. The Sierra Crestellina cheesemakers are also holding a workshop. Sonia Saborido invites everyone to come and enjoy this year's Medieval Market.

And now some news in brief:

An information day was held this week on the seasonal problem of jellyfish infestation on the Costa del Sol beaches. Casares costa councilor Juan Jesus Rodriguez attended the seminar which aims to put in place measures to warn holidaymakers of jellyfish on the beaches. Last summer jellyfish caused major problems for tourists on the Costa del Sol.