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COSTA BLANCA NORTH

23rd - 29th March

INSIDE THIS WEEK ...

Local government gets closer WITH the aim of bringing the municipality closer to its residents and visitors, the Office of Citizen Service in Denia (OAC) has improved both its facilities and the amount of services on offer to the public. The aim of the OAC is to inform, guide and to give advice on the day-to-day workings and procedures of the local authority by means of both face-toface and telephone consultations. Information can also be obtained via the website at oac.denia.es. The OAC carries out similar functions to that of a UK Citizens Advice Bureau. The OAC opens on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 9am to 2pm and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 6pm.

Issue 961

AN UNFORGETTABLE AFTERNOON

P2 ONE IN A MILLION

STUDENTS: From Elian’s British School.

P33

Earth Hour Benidorm STUDENTS at Elian’s British School h av e a l w ay s s u p p o r t e d v a r i o u s charities and raised thousands of euros over the years. This year, they are concentrating on environmental issues and have set up a ‘Green Team’ made up of students from Year 4 to Year 13. The team has already been busy emailing hotels, bars and restaurants in Benidorm, asking them to join in this year ’s Ear th Hour, an

initiative from WWF to help raise awareness about g lobal war ming and the impact on the local environment. Their aim is to have the whole of Benidorm turn their lights off for one hour on Saturd ay evening at 8.30pm. If this happens, the Earth Hour t e a m h o p e t o a d d fo o t a g e o f B e n i d o r m t o t h e i r p ro m o t i o n a l video for 2019, alongside London,

Hong Kong and many famous landmarks around the world so they are asking ever yone, especially those who live, work or own a business in the area to join in. The other major project the team from E li an’s will be under tak ing this year is to create a Bee Garden close to the school with the help of L a Nucia Council to help the millions of bees that are killed each year by harmful pesticides.

Spring Forward, Fall Back READERS are reminded (excuse the use of an Americanism) to put their clocks forward by one hour at 2am this Sunday March 25. Also, due to the Easter celebrations, next week’s edition of RTN will be available on Thursday rather than Friday.

23rd - 29th March

An unforgettable afternoon Photo credits: Ramon Howard and RTN

by Darren Parmenter THIRTY-NINE schoolchildren, accompanied by 13 of their teachers and carers, had the time of their lives at the Viva España Restaurant in Oliva, courtesy of the Grant A Wish charity. The children aged between six and 14-years-old, from the Preventorio Infantil Ntra Sra Del Amparo in Gandia, were brought by coach for their lunchtime treat wearing their new blue t-shirts and trainers that had also been provided by the people who generously support Grant A Wish. They were all greeted by the enthusiastic Ramon Howard and the team of volunteers, and hugged like members of the family. ‘Dreams can come true’ is the phrase often used to promote the charity and for many of the children the dream of enjoying a restaurant and a spectacular flamenco cabaret, performed by Anna and Borja, for possibly the first time ever was fulfilled. As the children tucked into a three-course Spanish meal of salad, paella and the ever-present ice cream, fundraisers Ramon Howard and Noelle Vickers exclusively told

SPECTACULAR: Flamenco dancers Anna & Borja (right) were part of the special treat from Grant A Wish.

the RTN about the work they do and why this particular school often benefits from Grant A Wish. “These children perhaps come from families where their parents struggle to cope in many ways, which have financial issues or relationship problems. They live in the school during the week and return home at the weekends,” explained Ramon.

Noelle Vickers, who runs the principal fundraising centre in Javea, said that their outlet is not the usual charity shop. “We call it a boutique as we’re proud to have many top quality items for sale, ranging from clothes to original pieces of artwork. We just need more people to visit us and we’re always looking for volunteers.” Director of the school, Maria

Jose, said that “the children will never forget this day,” and she should be very proud of her charges. Everyone commented on how well they behaved throughout their three-hour treat, being a credit to themselves and to their teachers. The afternoon ended with all the children, teachers and the Grant A Wish volunteers on the dance floor and having their photographs taken

with the professional dancers. The whole experience was a very humbling one, and everyone connected with Grant A Wish was left with more than a tear in the eye as many of the children came over as they left to simply say ‘thank you.’ Anyone wishing more details of the Grant A Wish charity can log on to www.wegrantawish.com or call Ramon Howard on 965 008 816.

23rd - 29th March

Alicante - the province of the drones Photo Credit: Ayuntamiento de Alicante

by Rob Murray NOT everyone is able to fly an aircraft , but more and more are flying drones. A c ro s s t h e A l i c a n te P ro v i n c e a s a w h o l e , 1 1 9 p e o p l e n o w h ave t h e a p proved accreditation to beco m e d ro n e o p e rato r s ; a figure that has multiplied by five over the past three ye a r s . A s s u c h , A l i c a n te now stands in fifth position a c ro s s S p a i n w i t h t h e i r number of officially recognised drone pilots. Together with six of his colleagues Jesus Lopez , a drone flight operator and a professor at the University of Alicante (UA), is part of a g ro u p t h at wo r k w i t h these drone devices and use them for a wider variety of reasons. From compiling reports for local municipalities on illegal buildings, to mapping and taking images for tourism purposes, they put

Safety first advice for Denia’s schools LOCAL POLICE in Denia have participated in a major awareness campaign in the municipality’s schools on the use of fireworks and pyrotechnics in general. This was the ninth year that this had taken place and was deliberately organised to coincide with the traditional burning of the ‘fallas’ on San Jose. A total of 468 students from Montgo, Les Vessanes, Paidos, Pou de la Muntanya, Sagrado Corazon, Alfa and Omega, Maristas, Cervantes and Llebeig schools took part in the events that gave advice on the safe use of pyrotechnics. They were made up of classroom lectures, first aid techniques and followed by the students launching a number of different fireworks in the playground under supervision.

SKY HIGH: Drones increasingly help in emergency situations. on their yellow vests and begin to use their expertise obtained during training. In Alicante, there are two t ra i n i n g s c h o o l s f ro m which a large part of the 119 authorised drone operators came from after attending intensive courses -

both theory and practical that last around one week. T h e y a re l o c ate d i n t h e M u c h a m i e l a e ro d ro m e , with the other as part of the Simcrew Pilot Training School in Alicante. The four major activities for which drones are imple-

mented at a national level are photo graphy, filming and sur veys (42 per cent); m o n i to r i n g a n d s u r ve i l lance (13.7 per cent); emerg e n c i e s a n d re s c u e ( 1 1 . 2 per cent) and research and d e ve l o p m e n t ( 1 0 . 7 p e r cent).

Gusts damage fiesta statue STRONG winds that affected the area over last weekend took its toll on one of the prizewinning ‘fallas’ that were on display in the Rincon de Loix in Benidorm. This particular wooden statue - destined to be burnt in public on the occasion of San Jose last Monday - lost the top part of the structure after strong gusts. No injuries were reported and the organisers said there was no need to reconstruct the damaged piece due to it about to suffer its fate.

23rd - 29th March

On their bikes... and their new boat Photo credit: Javea.com

by Mark Rogers THE town of Javea will now feel even more secure after adding to their f leet of emergency vehicles, both on land and at sea. Javea port has taken delivery of a new boat to be used for coastal sur veillance and monitoring, and two motorbikes, which will be partly operational from Palm Sunday (this weekend). Councillor Jose Antonio Monfor t explained that “the new boat is 5.35 metres in length and whilst smaller than the current vessel it’s easier to handle.” The previous boat will still be available to the police as a reserve. Councillor Pepa Gisbert was left to talk about the motorbikes, both Yamaha 300’s. “We had to get some new machines as the old

Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de San Vicente del Raspeig

SECURITY: Mayor Jose Chulvi (far left) is given a tour on the new police patrol vehicle.

125 models were showing signs of age,” she said. “These new motorbikes are more versatile and better suited for use in the town.” For his part, Javea’s mayor Jose Chulvi insisted that

“the security of our citizens is our highest priority, which is why we’ve improved the resources available to our Local Police.” Patrolling the coast has been something that has

been pending for some years and this enhancement to the municipality, giving more security to users of the beach and the sea in the process, has now been achieved.

OUT OF ORDER: Pool worker said ticket machines were broken, in order to take ticket money.

Employee sinks to new depths in pool A MAN who worked at a local municipal swimming pool has been found guilty of fraud. The case goes back to the summer of 2016 when the now convicted man told people using the pool in San Vicente del Raspeig that the ticket vending machine was out of action and therefore they had to pay him directly. This is something that is completely prohibited, as municipal employees are not allowed to have access to cash in this way. He kept all the money given to him and made no official record of those swimming pool users. The total amount defrauded was €163 and will be returned to the municipality, in addition to the fine of €450 that has been handed down. It has been agreed that he will pay back at a rate of €5 per day. During the trial, the man acknowledged his guilt and the offence has been classed as ‘minor fraud’.

23rd - 29th March

Empty vessels make the worst purchases Photo credit: Guardia Civil

GUARDIA CIVIL officers have arrested a 46year-old Spanish man in Altea after allegedly stealing items from a boat docked in the port. The value of the effects stolen amounted to over €400,000 and were kept in three storage facilities in the same port. Back in November 2017, and following a court order, the 22-metre long boat - Luis Campomanes - moored in Altea, was sealed after the previous owner had his property foreclosed. Shortly afterwards, the boat was bought by a company for €1.5 million. When a representative of the company went to the port to check up on the condition of the boat, he wasn’t surprised to see it in pristine condition on the outside. However, inside was nothing but a shell as everything had been dismantled and removed, that included furniture and navigation devices. It appears that in the few months that elapsed between the court order and the new owner buying the boat, it allowed enough time to take everything away little-by-little without raising any suspicion. After a very detailed and complicated investigation which focused on those connected with the boat in any way, inquiries pointed to a person who had rented three storage rooms in the Altea port. Once opened, around €300,000 worth of stolen goods were discovered and passed on to the new owner.

NOTHING ABOARD: Owner shocked on a visit to new boat.

Part-time health centres for the summer season HEALTH centres across the Marina Baixa will be closed in the afternoons in the height of the summer months. The Ministry of Health has taken the decision not to replace members of staff who take their holidays during the busy tourist season in centres based in Benidorm, Villajoyosa, Altea, Alfas del Pi and La Nucia. These are added to those located in Callosa and La Cala that were similarly closed last summer, although in their cases remained closed afterwards for the evening surgeries. The measures will come into force from Sunday July 1 and continue until Sunday September 30. As a rule, these clinics remain open until 9pm but for the summer months they will close at 3pm. However, there will still be a skeleton staff working consisting of a doctor, a paediatrician and a nurse, to help with any emergencies. The people most affected will be local residents (and mainly other Spanish visitors) who will only be able to make an appointment with their GP between 8am and 3pm, regardless of whether their work routine prevents them from going to the doctor or not during those hours.

Parents hoping for a sober fiesta Photo credit: @informacio.es Twitter

ALCOHOL FREE: Greater controls to be requested at traditional fiesta. (File image) THE tradition of the Spanish fiesta of Santa Faz takes place on April 12, and this year there are hopes that it will be a more sober affair. Both residents and parents alike have put together several initiatives to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed by young people and children at this particular celebration. Most of the partying takes place in and around the beaches in Alicante, with Playa San Juan among the most popular. Those involved in this project have shown great concern for the health of the children

and have proposed to carry out a major awareness campaign across local and social media. Local schools and sports centres where children attend are also being encouraged to participate to avoid the increasing use of alcohol on Santa Faz. The group plans to visit Alicante City to seek a meeting with the councillors responsible for police, youth and education, where they will present their ‘manifesto’ to make the forthcoming fiesta of Santa Faz a happier and healthier one, not dominated by issues of alcohol.

23rd - 29th March

Unhappy homecoming after two years Photo credit: RHaworth Wikimedia

BACK TO NORMAL: Alicante’s Playa Almadraba ready for Easter.

Storm damaged beach restored to full glory ALICANTE’S councillor responsible for beaches, Eva Montesinos, has announced that one of the city’s most popular areas has had its sand replaced following the damage caused by the winter storms. The work, now completed, has seen levels on the Playa Almadraba stretch of the Cabo de las Huertas topped up with sand from the nearby Playa Postiguet. This programme of repair work is part of the usual maintenance carried out throughout the year across Alicante’s beaches, especially with Holy Week on the horizon and the expected influx of thousands of extra visitors. The Playa Almadraba is a popular 750-metre long beach containing the full range of amenities such as sunbeds, beach umbrellas, feet washing facilities, a first aid post, a rescue boat and ample parking. With its fine, golden sand and being local to Alicante City, it attracts many local people and is one of the most popular across the province as a whole.

SQUATTING: Polop local fights to get his own house back.

by Darren Parmenter A RESIDENT of Polop who spent two years away from the area returned to find squatters in his house. As a result, he had to sleep in his own van. Francisco Lopez had been in Barcelona for just short of two years looking after his elderly and sick mother. He’d locked up his property, planning to return when she was better and resume his work as a chef. However, when he came back last week he found he was unable to access his prop-

erty as both the gate and his front door had had the locks changed. After spotting a light on he peered through a window and saw people living in the property, although using different furniture to that he’d left behind two years previously. He immediately called the Local Police, but although they tried to talk to the squatters they said that they were going nowhere and ‘you take us to court!’ The owner was also allegedly threatened with a gun and was told that he would be killed. For that evening Mr Lopez parked

his van outside the Local Police station for his own safety. The problem Mr Lopez has is that the paperwork to prove he is the legal and rightful owner of the property is inside the house... and he can’t access it. In these cases, squatters have rights and the case is in the hands of the legal system. Even though Mr Lopez is attempting to get copies of the documents to prove he’s the owner, it’s understood that this case will take some months to resolve. In the meantime, he is looking for somewhere else to live rather than in his van.

23rd - 29th March Photo credit: Chisloup Wikimedia

EXTRA BUSES: Busot (pictured) and Aigues will have more frequent links to Alicante.

New transport connections arriving soon IMPROVEMENTS to the l o c a l b u s s e r v i ce s i n A l i cante have continued their journey following the announcement of d aily bus ser vices between the San Juan Hospital and the University of Alicante (UA). T his is the latest in the

overall new transpor t inf ra s t r u c t u re t h a t c o v e r s m o re t h a n 4 0 0 , 0 0 0 re s i dents in Alicante, San Juan, Muchamiel, Campello Aigues and Busot... the route changes will allow all those to have a link with t h e h o s p i t a l a n d t h e UA

365 days a year. T he offici al announcement states that there will be a minimum of 21 buses provided by five routes; two of which will be their respective night service. Aigues and Busot, in p a r t i c u l a r, w i l l s e e i m provements to the frequency of their connections that will enable them to link up with the TR AM in Campello and onward to Alicante via the San Joan Hospital. They will now get three round trips on Monday to Saturday compared to the solitary one they currently have. Speaking to the Spanish media, Director General of Transport, Carlos Domingo, said: “There are 12 projects that form part of the new transport concession that have so far been made public, some of which come some time after others had expired. “The main objective is to improve connectivity with 100 per cent of the municipalities in the Alicante area that were previously outside the system.”

23rd - 29th March

Are you sitting in comfort? DENIA Hospital is at the forefront of using an advanced technique for the treatment of haemorrhoids. This new procedure, offered in very few hospitals across Spain, reduces post-operative pain because instead of surgically removing the offending haemorrhoids it dries it out, thus cutting off the blood supply that reaches it. The patient’s recovery time has been reduced by 24 hours and improves their quality of life afterwards. It’s also beneficial to the increasing number of patients that take blood thinning medication who no longer have to alter their daily regime prior to surgical procedures.

Spanish locals to get their own ID office SAN VICENTE DEL RASPEIG will get its own dedicated and permanent office to enable its Spanish inhabitants to obtain and renew their official DNI (National Identity Document). The municipality is one of only five in Spain with more than 50,000 inhabitants that currently don’t have such a service. The PSOE will be presenting a motion to the next council plenary meeting on Wednesday to urge the Spanish Interior Ministry to install such an office. Despite the population rising to 57,000, the service to renew the DNI has stayed the same since 1999, and particularly affects the elderly residents and those with mobility issues who struggle for various reasons to leave the local area.

Attempted pylon thieves start fire THE attempted robbery of an electric pylon close to the TRAM service has caused a fire close to Benidorm. The alarm was raised by a group of cyclists passing by the stop for Terra Mitica, and firefighters say that

their quick work allowed them to attend the blaze faster and prevent the fire from spreading. It’s understood the fire, that took hold in some nearby scrubland, was started by sparks from the saw as the thieves

tried to cut the metal tower away from its base. At the time of the incident, there was no electric wiring running through the pylon, and no injuries were reported by firefighters or members of the public.

23rd - 29th March Photo credit: Public Domain Pictures

MORNINGS ONLY: Routine GP surgeries closed in the evenings due to staff holidays.

Part-time health centres by Darren Parmenter HEALTH centres across the Marina Baixa will be closed in the afternoons in the height of the summer months. The Ministry of Health has taken the decision not to replace members of staff that take their holidays during the busy tourist season in centres based in Benidorm, Villajoyosa, Altea, Alfas del Pi and La Nucia. These are added to those located in Callosa and La Cala that were similarly closed last summer, although in their cases remained closed afterwards for the evening surgeries.

The measures will come into force from Sunday July 1 and continue until Sunday September 30. As a rule, these clinics remain open until 9pm but for the summer months they will close at 3pm. However, there will still be a skeleton staff working consisting of a doctor, a paediatrician and a nurse to help with any emergencies. The people most affected will be local residents (and mainly other Spanish visitors) that will only be able to make an appointment with their GP between 8am and 3pm, regardless of whether their work routine prevents them from going to the doctor or not during those hours.

Locals take interest in their history MUSEUMS located in San Vicente del Raspeig are proving more popular than ever. Compared to figures for 2016, overall numbers visiting in 2017 increased by 46 per cent for the Museo Didactico del Aceite (Olive Oil Museum). The Museo del Ferrocarril (Railway Museum) in particular exceeded all expectations with a growth of 57 per cent. In numbers, 709 learned about the production of olive oil whereas 1,123 visitors

discovered the rail heritage. Councillor Ramon Leyda, said that the data returned â€œvery positive news for the facilities, that represent the history and experiences of the lives of the previous generations of San Vicente people. It also shows the economic growth that the municipality has experienced in the last decades.â€? The municipality plans to continue with the collaboration with the San Vicente del Raspeig tourism office to give even greater

promotion to the important museums, not just to local people, but to a wider audience across the Alicante Province. The Olive Oil Museum is divided into two parts. One shows the different phases in the production of olive oil, while the other is full of audiovisual exhibits to enhance the understanding of the process. For its part, the Railway Museum - inaugurated in May 2016 - features a number of old signs, photographs, and pieces of station furniture from times gone by.

23rd - 29th March

HAVE YOUR SAY

“Holiday sickness scammers face £15,000 fine for fake claim.”

Photo credit: Pixabay

Popular post on Facebook reaching 3,159 people with 76 reactions

Dog poisoning back on the streets T HR E E do g s have b een found poisoned in Benissa and Senija, which brings back some nasty memories of similar experiences at the same time last year. According to the animal protection organisation A dopta B er nia-B enissa , they had already reported the death of 22 dogs and several cats due to them ingesting poison by the middle of March.

Over the weekend, two dogs were killed by poison in the Villa Jacaranda area of Benissa and another in Coma Roja de Senija. Other dogs were found and able to be treated before the as yet unknown substance had taken full effect and are out of danger. Reports in the Spanish m e d i a s u g ge s t t h at d o g owners in both areas have b e e n i n fo r m e d b y t h e Benissa Council of the poisonings and are asked to be vigilant of where and what their dogs are sniffing around and eating. It is also imperative that dogs should be kept on a lead at all times. I f any animal owner sees or experiences any incidents in Benissa , they are asked to immediately call the Local Police (965 730 733) or the Guardia Civil (965 730 722).

Dianne Sawyer Disgraceful. No wonder the Brits are thought so badly of in Europe. Make them pay everything back and apologise publically to the Hotel. Adrian C Smith The real story is hidden here: “We believe the fact that medical evidence is being produced by the husband of a partner of AMS, the firm of solicitors representing Ms Devine and Mr Melling, raises serious and obvious ethical and legal questions.”

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• Part-time health centres in Costa Blanca for the summer season • ‘Pest from the East’ may return for Easter • Squatters force Costa Blanca resident to sleep in his van

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23rd - 29th March

Chinese delegation goes for an Alicante!

Blue skies with a sea of green THE rain and the windy conditions didn’t stop thousands of people turning out for the annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations up and down the Costa Blanca. Benidorm and the Orihuela Costa saw the biggest concentration of events, boosted by an inf lux of tourists who made the trip to Spain especially to enjoy the day. The streets, the bars and the restaurants were full of the traditional Irish green, white and orange, while the pint glasses were overflowing with the black of Guinness, with many people enjoying their annual sup of the famous brew. Much of the activity in Benidorm was centred on the popular British tourist zone of the Rincon de Loix, which has been celebrating St Patrick’s Day for over three decades, where even the most ardent Englishman

Photo credit: @Lesley3xxx Twitter

MIGHTY China is set to use the city of Alicante as an inspiration for how it deals with the problems of an ageing population. A team of journalists, accompanied by a number of members from the government of Hong Kong has been in the area making a TV documentary for the TRHK channel about the kind of initiatives that have been developed for the elderly residents. They’ve shown particular interest in the ‘intergenerational’ housing project in Plaza de America and the exchange accommodation programme operated by the University of Alicante. The aim of the visit and the documentary is to see if any of these projects could be repeated in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated cities in the world and with a high elderly population. The scheme operated by the Alicante University sees older local residents offering accommodation to students in exchange for their company and help in day-to-day tasks around the home. A similar project operates in a building on Plaza de America, which has 72 homes featuring young people living with, and working for a set number of hours with the elderly homeowners. Documentary producer, Sohan Luk, said: “People have been kind and wonderful. They have treated us beautifully.” He went on to say that they learned of these pioneering projects via the internet as they were researching the documentary and it took their interest. It is understood that the documentary will also be filmed in other countries across Europe, especially in Scandinavia where they have similar projects, but Alicante is the only city in Spain to be featured.

SLAINTE: Weather didn’t stop these Benidorm revellers from enjoying the ‘craic’.

was an honorary Irishman for the day; although that didn’t extend to supporting their rivals on the rugby pitch during the afternoon. The Guinness and the ‘craic’ were also in full flow along the Orihuela Costa with the streets of the Cabo Roig hosting their annual celebration of Ireland’s Patron Saint.

Thousands of people took up every vantage point to watch the parade which was led this year by former Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen. Accompanying him were local councillors Sofia Alvarez, Luisa Bone and Damasco Aparicio. The threat of rain didn’t materialise and the skies cleared to allow the spectacle

to get underway with a parade of classic cars and motorbikes, followed by the traditional music and skills of the Torrevieja Pipes and Drums. A record turnout of 27 different elements made up the parade representing all that is good about the local people and the community spirit of this part of the Costa Blanca.

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by Darren Parmenter VISITORS to the Balearic Islands are going to get there faster than ever by sea this summer. Thanks to the ferry ‘Cecilia Payne’ that can sail at a speed of 38 knots, the Balearia high-

speed boat on the DeniaIbiza-Palma route will be in service from June 1 until October. The faster boat (formerly known as Jonathan Swift) will replace the Bahama Mama ferry and can make the crossing in just two hours.

Photo credit: Tanisla 2 YouTube

Full steam ahead to the Balearics

SWIFT CROSSING: The Jonathan Swift (pictured) before it’s renamed to Cecilia Payne for the summer.

The service will leave Palma, Majorca at 8am, arriving at 10am on Ibiza. After an hour’s break, it will depart for Denia at 11am arriving at 1pm. For the return journey, it’s a 5pm departure from Denia, arriving in Ibiza at 7pm before the onward trip to Pal-

ma that leaves at 8pm... docking at 10pm. The ‘Cecilia Payne’ - built by the Australian shipyard Austal - is 86 metres in length and can carry 800 passengers. In addition, it has capacity for 200 vehicles. The fast ferry has a number

of cabins for those tourists who want to rest on the journey, especially if it’s the longer five-hour trip, two bars, a selfservice restaurant, and a shop. She has been named ‘Cecilia Payne’ after a British-American astronomer and astrophysicist who provided an ex-

planation for the composition of stars in terms of their amount of hydrogen and helium. She was highly regarded as a trail-blazer for women who wanted to get into science during the middle of the 20th century.

23rd - 29th March

Pensioners demonstrate against ‘miserable’ rise Photo credit: @lfilellaTwitter

CITY centres across the Costa Blanca w e re f i l l e d w i t h p e n s i o n e r s at t h e weekend protesting at the ‘miserable’ rise in their annual increase. Thousands joined a number of marches on Saturday morning, giving some municipalities an extra policing headache as they were fully stretched to cover the St Patrick’s Day parades being held nearby. T he pensioners weren’t alone in their protest against the 0.25 per cent increase the y ’ve been awarded for 2018 - and described by pensioners groups as ‘miserable’ - as they were joined by many active workers supporting their cause. M a ny o f t h e p e n s i o n e r s h ave threatened to repeat the demonstration held in Benidorm in particular, o n ce a w e e k o n a Mo n d ay i f t h e i r plight doesn’t improve. The marchers in Benidorm have the support of the opposition councillors from the municipality. They base their protest on the fact that the Spanish economy has grown around 3 per cent in the past year, and so consider it ‘a joke’ that they’ve been given just a few cents extra after a lifetime of working. Meanwhile, further down the coast in Torrevieja more than 1,000 pen-

SUPPORT: One of the many pensioners’ protests across Spain. sioners took over the church square, a n d a ro u n d 5 0 p e o p l e g at h e re d i n front of the town hall in Orihuela. The Torrevieja protest was organised by the Platform for the Defence of Public Pensions of the Vega Baja, led by a gigantic banner proclaiming (translated) ‘Decent Pensions. Defend the public pension system’. The organisers were overwhelmed

b y t h e a m o u n t o f s u p p o r t fo r t h e march, which toured the city centre along some of the busiest streets, before ending up in the Plaza de la Constitution in front of the town hall. Many more councillors belonging to other than the national ruling Partido Popular (PP) also turned out to suppor t the pensioners; some coming from Los Montesinos and Benejuzar.

Local cities get their ‘chance’ on Spanish Monopoly board CITIES across the Alicante and Murcia provinces will feature on the next edition of the Spanish version of Monopoly due for release in time for Christmas this year. The public voting closed at the weekend after more than 500,000 people took part. Three Alicante cities and one from Murcia have made it onto the final board that will contain 20 locations across the country. The results came in time to coincide with World Monopoly Day on Monday. Elda topped the Alicante Province charts with 262,297 votes and finished fifth on the list. Elche received 132,139 votes (in 18th position) and Alicante, with 117,869 just scraped in at position 20. The organisers of the competition were keen to point out however, that because they are in the bottom three of the popular vote, it may mean they won’t be among the most expensive properties on the board and similar to the UK’s Mayfair. The voting procedure lasted for over two months and each city carried out its own promotion on WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook to make people aware of the competition and to get their locality recognised in this way. For the Murcia Region, Cartagena was the only city making it into the top 20 with 224,272 votes and finishing in seventh place overall. Estepona in Malaga Province topped the list with 571,778 votes.

SPOTLIGHT ON MORAIRA

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MOR A IR A will have 390 more beds in the municipality once two hotels open shortly. T he reopening of the Hotel Gema which now has new owners is due to begin taking guests in April, helping to triple the number of beds in the town. The Gema has 42 rooms and is able to sleep 90 people. In addition,

Luxury hotels to attract tourists the new five-star Hotel El Rodat de Moraira is headi n g to w a rd s co m p l e t i o n and will be one of the most luxurious hotels along the coast anywhere and r un by the Madr igal f a m i l y, w e l l - k n o w n f o r their high-class accommodation. The Hotel Rod at will have 100 ro oms with 300 beds, and in line with the ‘sister ’ hotel in Javea will have a number or bungalows on site making up a ‘village’ and accessing all the ser vices of the luxury hotel. The Moraira Rodat is hoped to open for this summer after work began on its construction as far back as 2011, when the land was acquired in 2 0 0 4 . I t to o k t wo ye a r s for planning per mission to be granted from the local council and then,

FIVE-STAR: Moraira is to have a sister hotel to the El Rodat in Javea.

when work finally got underway, the construction company became bankrupt and work stopped for eight months. Carlos Madrigal stepped in with an investment of €20 million in August 2011 with the idea of opening in 2012. The new hotels are seen as giving this part of the Marina Alta a boost to all-year round tourism in the same way as Calpe and Denia.

May he be back with the Force MEMBERS of the RED and Compromis opposition groups on the Teulada-Moraira Council have asked for an explanation from the government team relating to the dismissal of the former Chief of the Local Police. This is in light of the courts forcing the

council to reinstate Manuel Antonio Navarro after being removed from post last year. They have also been made to pay the €500 court costs. However, the ruling is not binding and so can be appealed by the council.

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Refurbished store now open for business

NEW LOOK: The opening of the refurbished JYSK shop.

IT was nine years ago that Danish furniture giant JYSK opened its third Spanish store which was based in Ondara. Since then, the group has expanded its Spanish base and now has 54 shops in the countr y as par t of its inter national chain of more than 2,500 properties. W h i l s t i t i s b u i l d i n g o n i t s s u cce s s through expansion, the group is also investing in re for ming its older stores which is exactly what it has done in the

case of the Ondara shop which has now reopened after a month of refurbishment. T his new look store attracted large numbers of shoppers thanks to its dynamic modern design featuring a great deal of wood, especially oak. So in order to see a range of exceptional Nordic style at prices to suit all pockets, visit JYSK situated in the Portal de la Marina shopping centre at Av. Costa Blanca, 1, 03760 Ondara.

SPOTLIGHT ON CALPE

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Road repairs to begin after Easter weekend Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Calpe

CALPE Council has just allocated €227,263 for a number of renovations to parts of the municipality. The planned programme will be carried out on Calle L a Niña , Avenida Gabriel Miro and Avenida Avinguda de Ifach. T he Alicante provincial government has given Calpe 66 per cent of the budget for works, mainly needed as a result of damage caused by earlier winter storms. Work on Carrer L a Niña and Avenida Avinguda de Ifach will begin at the start of April, after the Easter weekend, and has a deadline of one and a half months. T herefore, they must be completed before the summer season gets underway. The remaining repairs to Avenida Gabriel Miro, one of the main commercial centres of Calpe, will commence at the beginning of September and also with a deadline of around six weeks. In this

IMPROVEMENTS: Three major areas of Calpe set for change. case they will be finished in time for the annual Moors and Christians parade that starts at that point. At present, all three zones affected are made up of the flat cobblestone design seen

across the country, many of which have cracked following the intense rain over the past few months; and so the solution to the problem will be to replace the stones in Carrer La Niña with less of a

slope. As for the remaining areas, the stones will be replaced by a different design layout. Mayor Cesar Sanchez said that the collaboration between Calpe and Alicante

will greatly improve the look of the area and “as well as improving the quality of life for our residents, will make us more attractive to tourists... a key to creating more employment,” he said.

Council rejects ‘diversity’ proposal CALPE has taken the decision not to have a ‘place of diversity of equality’ in the town. During the town’s last LGBT Pride march, the Podemos political group proposed that the area where Avenidas Dr Fleming, Santamaria and Gabriel Miro all converge should be called ‘Plaza de la Diversidad’ (Diversity Square) in order to acknowledge and recognise people who have been persecuted or excluded because of their gender. At the last plenary council meeting, it was decided instead to be called Plaza Les Sorts, after originally planning to name it ‘Plaza de la Igualdad’ (Equality Square).

Judge supports Local Police A JUDGE has decided that Calpe must now compensate members of their Local Police force af-

ter re fusing to compensate them during the 2015 municipal elections. The decision stems

f ro m t h e l o c a l c o u n c i l stating that during an eight-hour shift, the police had enoug h time to be able to cast their votes, which went against the usual traditions on polling day. In the past, police had two options when it came t o v o t i n g a s m a ny m ay live in another municipality outside of where they work. One was to have three hours in the morning or four in the afternoon to vote OR to renounce their rights to help with local policing and receiving financial compensation. T h e l a t t e r h a s a l w ay s been the ‘internal agreement’ with Calpe’s town hall. Unions acting on behalf of the L ocal Police have n o w s e c u re d t h e c o u r t ruling against the ruling council after refusing to pay the compensation.

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by Michael Walsh

Britain’s state sponsored assassins? All medical and scientific reports and photographs of Dr Kelly’s body were classified for 70 years by Lord Hutton after the death, for reasons unspecified. In 1984, Hilda Murrell, a British anti-nuclear campaigner was abducted and found murdered five miles from her Shropshire home. She had planned to present a paper on radioactive waste management at the Sizewell B Inquiry, the first public planning inquiry into a new British nuclear power plant. Her car, in which she was kidnapped, was discovered in a country lane five miles away and her body was found in a field nearby. A police investigation failed. It was proposed she was killed by British Intelligence as part of a cover operation against nuclear protesters. Andrew George a 16-year-old local labourer was charged with her killing and sentenced to life imprisonment. His nephew, Robert Green, decided New Zealand might be a safer place to live. He said “George couldn’t drive

Photo Credit: ChameleonsEye Shutterstock

keyboardcosmetics@gmail.com INSTEAD of the uproar over an attempted murder of a British spy, media might better refocus on Britain’s apparent record of state sponsored murder. Dr David Kelly was an expert in biological warfare and a UN weapons inspector in Iraq, who it is claimed committed suicide in July 2003. Kelly strongly disagreed with government spin that Iraq President Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. After being pilloried by a parliamentary court the scientist told friends that ‘many dark actors are playing games.’ Later that day he was found dead with a cut to his wrist. At the time of his death, he was writing a book. Dr Kelly intended to reveal his warning to then Prime Minister Tony Blair, that such weapons didn’t exist, weeks before the Iraq War. His computers were later seized by police. An official inquest was started but suspended. Experts believe Kelly may have been murdered and demanded a full inquest into his death.

TONY BLAIR: With bodyguards. and didn’t match the description of the driver of her car. Since the trial I have found evidence that would’ve acquitted him, and others were involved.” Labour MP Tam Dalyell announced in December 20, 1984 that British Intelligence had been involved in the killing. Anti-nuclear activist Scottish

lawyer William MacRae, was found on April 6, 1985 in his car, dying from a gunshot wound received 10 hours prior. A Smith & Wesson .45 calibre revolver was found around 18 metres from where the vehicle had been left. It had been fired twice. Medical reports and post-mortem data relating to the case haven't

been released and there has been no fatal accident inquiry. A Scottish Sunday Express frontpage article alleged he’d uncovered evidence of a paedophile ring in Westminster during the 1980’s, and he may have been murdered to prevent him going public. Airey Neave, MP died on March 30, 1979 when a magnetic car bomb exploded under his car as he drove out of the Palace of Westminster car park. The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), a republican paramilitary group, dubiously claimed responsibility. Insider journalist Kevin Cahill suggested INLA did not kill Neave. It was instead an inside job carried out by MI6 agents working with the CIA. He cited Neave’s attempts to prosecute senior figures in the intelligence establishment for corruption as motivation. Ulster Unionist MP Enoch Powell claimed in a 1984 interview with The Guardian the American deep state had killed Neave.

Mike Walsh’s opinions are his own and do not necessarily represent the views of the publishers advertisers or sponsors.

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Read on if you possess a graspable extremity Photo Credit: YouTube

by Barry Duke

YOU need to be of a certain age - practically a fossil, dare I say it - to remember comedian, musician and radio star Jimmy Edwards. His most outstanding feature was one of the most prodigious moustaches on the planet. His facial equivalent of Japanese knotweed went way past his ears and would have engulfed his friend’s faces if they remained motionless for long enough. His name came up during a recent conversation I had with a UK holidaymaker, who reckoned, given a year or so, I could be sporting a moustache every bit as luxuriant as Jimmy’s. “Possibly,” I replied, “but I’d much rather have one like Salvador Dali’s. And, as you can see, I’m almost halfway there already.” The next question was “what do you use to get your ‘tache to such perfect points?” I replied that there are so many products on the market that one is spoiled for choice. It’s difficult to keep up with the number of waxes, oils, balms and gels being produced to satisfy an escalating demand. This was confirmed by Alun Withey, a British academic and a self-styled beard historian who recently said that beard care toiletries are among the fastest selling products

BEARDS OF A FEATHER: Barry Duke with a Benidorm Pride reveller. in the UK and the US. And the trend, I have noticed, is fast gaining ground in Spain. Withey reckons this is part of a historical cycle, but the current incarnation is different from its predecessors. “In the 18th century they disappeared and around 1850 they were back with a vengeance,” Withey said. Victorian-era beards lasted five decades, and the current beard wave has been the longest for at least 30 years, he added. Many of the products on offer don’t come cheap. For example, there’s a fella who trades on eBay who is currently selling one ounce of Layrite Super Hold for £99.99, plus £8.00 postage. I think he might be having a laugh because I use this gunk, and, via other

eBayers, have never paid more than £16.00 (postage included) - and that’s for four-ounce tubs. But does one really need expensive waxes and gels to sculpt the perfect handlebar moustache? Certainly not. Members of the Handlebar Club, launched in London by Jimmy Edwards in April 1947 - two months after my birth - offer a variety of suggestions. One tells of a man who used - titter ye not! peanut butter! Another writes “I am a Canadian handlebar moustache sporter. Have not found moustache wax, but have been using toilet bowl seal wax. This wax has no odour, spreads colourless, and does not cause potty mouth. Best part about toilet bowl wax is the price, less than a Canadian looney [dollar]

JIMMY EDWARDS: Founder of the Handlebar Club.

and you get about half a pound.” Someone from Pennsylvania suggested bog standard soap, but a Brit responded: “The trouble with it, in England at least, is that it is completely useless if you have to go out in the rain. One of our members used just soap when he ran out of wax but when the rain came down it foamed up and made him look as though he was rabid!” When I discovered the existence of the Handlebar Club - cheekily created by the gay war hero Jimmy Edwards for men “with graspable extremities” - I immediately vowed to sign up as a member because the club is a charity that raises money mainly for ex-servicemen. Maybe I could even start a nest in Benidorm. (Yes, the club’s branches really are called nests.) Currently there are three: in the East Midlands, Sweden and Norway. These nests conduct their own activities whilst keeping a close contact with the main body in London. But then I discovered that ‘beards’, ‘chin strips’ and ‘soul patches’ are strictly prohibited. As I have spent years nurturing my pointy white goatee, I guess will have to make do and simply become a Friend of the Handlebar Club for an annual subscription of £10.00 (roughly the price of three jars or peanut butter or eight pounds of toilet bowl wax).

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Translation and closed questions

Basic Spanish for everyday needs

by Jane Cronin

IN the firm belief that at least a half a dozen people have attempted to translate my little text last week, here is my version in English. I say ‘my version’ because translating is never quite as hard and fast as people think and there can often be alternative ways of expressing the same idea. ‘Hello. How are you? What have you done since last week? I have rested a little, at last! I went to the city of Almeria for two days, including New Year’s Eve. It is a small, quiet city but it has some (its) interesting things. It has an enormous castle called La Alcazaba which dominates the city. It also has a subterranean refuge from the civil war which is unique in Spain. As I like history a lot I found it very interesting (it was very interesting for me). My daughters have rested as well. One has been (went) with a group of friends to a village near Albacete. She says it is a very pretty area. My other daughter has visited her friends in Asturias. She has travelled from Alicante

to Gijon by train and has seen (saw) a lot of snow along the way. My cat has rested a lot as well. Now we are all at home again to start what the Spanish call ‘the uphill struggle of January’. Time for a change of subject and I did promise a look at ‘closed’ and ‘open’ questions, so here it comes. There are basically two different kinds of questions in a language, and in Spanish we have to deal with them in two different ways. A closed question is one that leads to a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. For example, if I asked you: “Are you English?” or “Do you like cheese?” you could make several comments in reply, but the most immediate and obvious response is simply ‘yes’ or ‘no’. This is in contrast with an ‘open’ question which requires us to give information, for example “Where are you from?” or

“What food do you like?” It is meaningless to answer these questions with a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’; to make sense we have to give some information as a response such as: ‘Ireland’ or ‘spaghetti bolognese’. In Spanish these two kinds of questions are formed very differently. The easiest type to construct is the closed or ‘yes/no’ question. To do this all we have to do is make a statement sound like a question by the change of tone in our voice. For example: “Tienes hijos” means “You have children”. To make this into a closed, question all we have to do is change our intonation, and when writing we place question marks on either side: “¿Tienes hijos?” “You have children?” or in correct English: “Do you have children?” The

initial answer to this is ‘yes’ or ‘no’, which we would say before we go on to give any more information. For those of us who are native English speakers, it is worth sparing a thought here for the difficulty foreigners have when learning such constructions in English as we add extra words, and we change our word order. First of all the word ‘do’ appears out of nowhere for no apparent reason - “Do you have any children?” not to mention the word ‘any’ - why is that there? Even worse is that we can ask exactly the same question in a completely different way: “Have you got any children?” instead of “Do you have… ” What’s all that about? Basically when we start questions with Do, Can, Will, Would, Have, Does, Did, Has and so on in English, we are forming closed questions. In Spanish, when we see something that looks like an ordinary sentence with the upside down question mark in front and, without a ‘question word’ such as ‘Dónde’ or ‘cuándo’ we are looking at a closed question.

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money APPROVAL has been given for the construction of 1,500 new homes close to the city of Alicante. It’s expected that 3,000 jobs will be created with the establishment of the project in sector APA 9 of Vistahermosa on the outskirts of the city. In addition to the homes, two schools are also part of the 710,731m2 plot, as well as a medical centre. Councillor Eva Montesinos has emphasised the importance of the project which ‘promotes the development of a vital part of our municipality and continues with our government’s priority of construction and the employment opportunities that brings.’

EU study exposes free trade fraudsters THE EU’s Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), based in Alicante, has produced a report revealing a connection between free trade zones and the export of counterfeit products. EUIPO carried out its research with assistance from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and concluded that free trade zones are boosting the value of illegal exports by 5.9 per cent. The worrying findings come on the back of a joint study by the EUIPO and OECD in 2016, which calculated that the value of counterfeit products account for 2.5 per cent of world trade, with an annual turnover of €338 million. Such illegal goods make up 5 per cent of all imports into the European Union, worth up to €85 million. There are more than 3,500 free trade zones worldwide, which generate €365 million in revenues and employ 66 million people.

Given their specialised infrastructure, lighter regulations and geographical location, these zones offer companies considerable perks. However, due to reduced customs controls and the lax regulations, they also draw those seeking to capitalise for their criminal ends. The report sources data from international customs seizures, to show that the bigger the role a free trade zone plays in a country’s economy, the greater the value of the counterfeit products that the country exports. The transit areas in Albania, Egypt, Morocco and Ukraine are believed to be particularly entrenched in a fake products network. Executive Director of EUIPO, Antonio Campinos, said: “This report takes the analysis of pirated products a step further and we hope that the findings will support governments and legislators in addressing the economic damage they cause.”

Photo Credit: Jose Angel Astor Rocha Shutterstock

Building project continues

HOLY WEEK: A previous parade.

Holy Week brings 7,000 jobs boost THROUGHOUT the province of Alicante, it’s anticipated that Holy Week - which begins this weekend - will allow the creation of 7,000 jobs. The highest growth is estimated to be in the city of Alicante itself with 12.6 per cent. Sectors that are due to benefit the most will be the hotel trade, transport, distribution and entertainment which traditionally see a spike in offering work contracts at this time of the year. These figures are the highest recorded for the Easter period since 2009 when the ravages of the economic crisis in Spain began.

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6:30am Moana: Special 7:00am The Great Wall: Special 7:30am Jasper Jones 9:15am Transformers: The Last Knight 11:50am Despicable Me 3 1:25pm Going in Style 3:05pm The Beguiled 4:45pm Transformers: The Last Knight 7:25pm Despicable Me 3 Dismissed from the Anti-Villain League after botching a mission, Gru sets off to meet his long-lost twin brother. 9:00pm Going in Style 10:45pm The Beguiled 12:30am Eat Locals 2:15am It Comes at Night 4:00am Inconceivable

10:00am EFL Goals: League One and League Two 10:30am Sunday Supplement 12:00pm One2eleven 12:15pm One2eleven 12:30pm SPFL Greatest Games 12:45pm SPFL Greatest Games 1:00pm Football Countdowns 1:30pm EFL Goals: League One and League Two 2:00pm Football 4:30pm Football 7:00pm Football's Greatest 7:30pm Football's Greatest 8:00pm Football's Greatest 8:30pm Football's Greatest 9:00pm Football's Greatest 9:30pm Football's Greatest 10:00pm Football's Greatest 10:30pm Football's Greatest 11:00pm EFL Goals: League One and League Two

4:15pm 5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:40pm 12:15am

SATURDAY 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30pm Classic Mary Berry 1:00pm Football Focus 1:30pm BBC News 1:40pm Weather 1:45pm Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists 3:05pm Gymnastics 4:50pm The Boat Race 7:15pm Doodlebugs 7:30pm BBC News 7:40pm Regional News 7:43pm Weather 7:45pm Pointless 8:40pm Who Dares Wins 9:20pm Casualty 10:10pm Troy: Fall of a City 11:10pm BBC News 11:25pm Weather 11:30pm Guardians of the Galaxy 1:23am Weather for the Week Ahead

3:30pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 6:15pm 6:50pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm

10:00am 10:15am 10:30am 11:00am 12:30pm 1:00pm

EFL Greatest Games SPFL Greatest Games SPFL Greatest Games Football Years Football Countdowns Football's Greatest Football's Greatest Teams Scottish Cup Greatest Games Scottish Cup Greatest Games Football Years Soccer A.M. Football Countdowns Gillette Soccer Saturday Football EFL Greatest Games MLS Greatest Games Football MLS Greatest Games Football Magical Messi One2eleven

SUNDAY 12:00pm Sunday Politics 1:15pm BBC News 1:25pm Weather for the Week Ahead 1:30pm MasterChef 2:30pm MasterChef 3:30pm MasterChef 4:00pm Money for Nothing 5:00pm Escape to the Country 5:30pm Songs of Praise 6:05pm Sport Relief 2018 The Best Bits. 7:05pm BBC News 7:20pm Regional News 7:25pm Weather 7:30pm Countryfile 8:30pm Hold the Sunset 9:00pm MasterChef 9:30pm RAF at 100 with Ewan and Colin Mcgregor

The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of RTN.

23rd - 29th March

RTN Life Brain drain I WOULD not usually complain about puzzles in the paper, I enjoy the new four pages, but the cross figure has really got me very cross. I am pretty clever mathematically, and I have a good friend who is a genius with number puzzles. The first few weeks were quite challenging, but they actually contained one basic sum in the clues to get started, but now we are finding it virtually impossible to crack, and are most frustrated! We are both in our 70’s and enjoy a challenge, but PLEASE give us a fighting chance. The compiler of these puzzles must be very sadistic! Hope you will help us restore our sanity soon. I do enjoy the paper. Regards, Janet Jones Editor’s note Dear Janet, As we are not quite as good at mathematical puzzles as you and your friend, it’s difficult to comment on the level of difficulty. Give it a couple of weeks and check the answers for the previous weeks in the classified section of RTN and if it still leaves you baffled let us know and we’ll have words with the compiler.

Fake news MICHAEL. Thank the Lord someone talks some sense in what I feel is a mess in the way the government has/is handling the whole affair. Should it have been made so public? And vilifying Russia in the press and media? Why are we going down the route of

HEPBURNS: Is in Albir, not Jalon.

Finding Hepburns I NEVER miss reading the RTN but was amazed to see an advert re the pub, Hepburns, in Jalon. I live in Jalon and I had not heard of this and Google gave a reply ‘In Albir! Not Jalon.’ I was looking for a drink in this lovely pub. Putting that aside... well done for an interesting paper for us. Keep it up! Roger Davis, Jalon Editor’s note Dear Roger, Thank you for your ob-

servation concerning the whereabouts of Hepburns Pub. As you will probably appreciate, we receive a number of press releases from different charities and do our best to publish as many as possible. In this case, the press release actually stated that Hepburns was in Jalon and this is why it appeared in the newspaper. We are delighted that you are a regular reader

of the newspaper which you enjoy and thank you for taking the trouble to contact us.

more Russian gas for Europe with more pipelines, ie Nordstream two and South/Turkstream if we are so mistrusting of them. And that idiot Boris? No words! I could say a lot more but enough for now. Regards Gerry

MONDAY 10:15am Holding Back the Years 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm The Sheriffs are Coming 12:45pm Claimed and Shamed 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm Regional News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm A Place to Call Home 4:05pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Money for Nothing 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm MasterChef 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Classic Mary Berry 10:00pm The Queen 11:00pm BBC News

8:15am The Sheriffs are Coming 9:00am Hugh's Wild West 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 12:30pm The Week in Parliament 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Coast 2:10pm Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House 3:40pm Monty Halls' Great Irish Escape 4:40pm Blitz Cities 5:10pm Britain's Ultimate Pilots: Inside the RAF 6:15pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm The Repair Shop 8:00pm Top Gear 9:00pm Only Connect 9:30pm University Challenge 10:00pm Hospital 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm The Kyle Files 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Marcella 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:50pm 100 Years Younger in 21 Days 12:50am 100 Year Old Driving School

9:00am How I Met Your Mother 10:00am New Girl 11:00am 2 Broke Girls 12:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 1:00pm The Goldbergs 1:30pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm How I Met Your Mother 4:00pm New Girl 5:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 5:30pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Extreme Cake Makers 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm Young Sheldon 10:00pm Made in Chelsea 11:00pm Five Star Hotel 12:05am The Big Bang Theory

7:00am Milkshake! 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 1:10pm 5 News 1:15pm The Gadget Show 2:10pm Access 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm Kidnapped: Desperate Hours 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Aviva Premiership Rugby Highlights 9:00pm Paralysed: Britain's Worst Winter 10:00pm Paddington Station 24/7 11:00pm Armed and Deadly: Police UK 12:05am The X Files 1:05am The X Files

6:00am

7:30am 8:15am 9:00am

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm International Football: England v Italy Live 11:15pm ITV News 12:05am International Football Highlights: England v Italy

12:00pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 3:00pm

10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 1:10pm 5 News 1:15pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 2:10pm Access 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm Marriage of Lies 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Elizabeth: Our Queen 9:00pm Secrets of the National Trust with Alan Titchmarsh 10:00pm Britain's Wild Rivers 11:00pm Mr. & Mrs. Smith 1:15am A Walk Among the Tombstones 3:05am Super Casino

6:15am Top Ten Show, the 2018 6:30am The Great Wall: Special 7:00am Monster Family: Special 7:30am Gadget Gang in Outer Space 9:00am Going in Style 10:40am Despicable Me 3 12:20pm Whiskey Galore 2:10pm The Beguiled 3:55pm Gadget Gang in Outer Space 5:30pm Despicable Me 3 7:10pm Whiskey Galore 9:00pm Going in Style 10:45pm The Beguiled 12:30am Eat Locals 2:20am The Land 4:20am My Feral Heart

6:30am 7:00am 8:40am 10:30am 12:10pm 1:55pm 3:45pm 5:35pm 7:15pm 9:00pm 10:45pm

12:30am 2:30am 4:20am

Monster Family: Special Black Panther: Special My Feral Heart Jasper Jones Gadget Gang in Outer Space Despicable Me 3 Going in Style The Beguiled Gadget Gang in Outer Space Despicable Me 3 Going in Style The Beguiled The arrival of a wounded Civil War soldier brings jealousy and betrayal to a Southern girls' school. Starry remake. The Land Eat Locals Jasper Jones

10:00am Scottish Cup Greatest Games 10:30am La Liga Greatest Games 11:00am La Liga Files 12:30pm La Liga Files 2:00pm Magical Messi 3:00pm The Best La Liga Goals 2016/17 4:00pm 20 Years of El Clasico 4:45pm Ronaldo 5:15pm La Liga Greatest Games 5:45pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm Football Years 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm EFL Rivalries 7:30pm EFL Rivalries 8:00pm Soccer A.M. 8:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 8:40pm Football 10:45pm La Liga Icons 11:00pm MLS Round Up Show

TUESDAY 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm The Sheriffs are Coming 12:45pm Claimed and Shamed 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm Regional News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm A Place to Call Home 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Money for Nothing 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Come Home

10:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 2:45pm 4:40pm 5:10pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

Money for Nothing Bargain Hunt Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Victoria Derbyshire BBC Newsroom Live The Daily Politics The Super League Show Gunga Din Blitz Cities Britain's Ultimate Pilots: Inside the RAF Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Eggheads The Repair Shop Mountain Great Indian Railway Journeys Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby Mum

Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory How I Met Your Mother 3:30pm How I Met Your Mother 4:00pm New Girl 4:30pm New Girl 5:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 5:30pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Extreme Cake Makers 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Tattoo Fixers 11:00pm Five Star Hotel

1:00pm MLS Round Up Show 1:30pm Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits 2:00pm La Liga Icons 2:30pm La Liga Icons: Zidane 2:45pm La Liga Icons 3:00pm MLS Round Up Show 3:30pm Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits 4:00pm Football's Greatest 4:30pm Football's Greatest Teams 5:00pm Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 5:45pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm Football Years 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits 7:30pm MLS Round Up Show 8:00pm Ronaldo

The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of RTN.

23rd - 29th March

RTN Life By Raymond Slade

One in a million Photo Credit: YouTube

“THERE’S a woman on the terrace wot wants to talk to the manager”, announced Martin (a young hall porter) “ S h e ’s e v e r s o p o s h a n d I t h i n k s h e ’s o ff the telly.” Having long given up on his grammar (he was ‘enry ‘iggins dream) I was now focused on his manners. “Not a woman, Martin, a lady”. Please show me where the lady is. “She’s on terrace seven table and I’m sure she’s off the telly and I’m all be’ind wiv me tables.” I could empathise with Basil Fawlty at that moment and Martin became a gnawing Manuel. But he was a lovely soul and, an essential attribute when in the hotel world, as he had the ability to multitask! ‘ T h e w o m a n o ff t h e telly’ turned out to be June Whitfield, in company with her delightful husband Tim Aitchison. Yes, to Martin, June would have appeared ‘posh’. To me, she was simply extremely well spoken with a manner and countenance which (shame to say) had me fairly smitten on impact and (unashamed to say) has never left me. As I was to discover, June had asked to see the bar manager, not the general manager (well done Manuel/ Martin). The problem was the fact that they had been charged twice for two drinks they’d had on a former visit. This I easily rectified, trying to cover it with a till fault (knowing in my heart of hearts it was likely to have been the equally faulty and fiddling barman, to whom

I had said a less than fond farewell two days previously). There was something of a spark in that encounter which was to ignite into a flame of friendship. Just about 30 years on and counting, it’s still roaring! Our paths crossed at various times, such as when June was president of Wimbledon FC Supporters Club when they were destined for the final of the FA cup that year. That glorious day (and the players who stayed at the ho-

To me and millions, June is Absolutely Fabulous!

“

There was something of a spark in that encounter which was to ignite into a flame of friendship.

“

DAME JUNE WHITFIELD: After investiture by Prince Charles and (inset) Raymond Slade.

tel) is, as they say ‘another story’. One day I received ‘the call from the coast’ via my valiant PA Carol (I called her M a v i s , b u t t h a t ’s y e t another story, how he doth go on!) “ J u n e W h i t f i e l d ’s been on the phone and wonders whether you would be free to accompany her this weekend. There’s som e e v e n t a n d Ti m can’t go.” I said I would call June myself, which I did, and my suspicions proved correct, a football match on, which Tim wanted to watch. His loss, my gain. “Are you sure you’re free?” said June. I was more ‘free’ than the entire Grace Brothers department store. The event was an eye opener for me. N a t u r a l l y, J u n e w a s used to it all but I had only encountered fame in a peripheral way until that night. After a

few ‘charming introductions’, I was away with the fairies (literally, if I wasn’t careful!) We travelled back to SW19 and June commented to me “I saw him trying to get fresh with you in the back seat.” We’d been in a limousine and June was in front of me and a famed performer was m y r e a r s e a t s h a r e r. Fresh? He was like an octopus. Many of our evenings proved boring but ‘duty must’ etc, but one such evening proved too much for both of us. We’d struggled through the first half of a dire play during which I whispered to June “Thank goodness there’s an interval.” My companion stifled a snort and (shame on us; how shame doth crop up), we played our own form of truant. I, and I am sure June, would never leave a theatre whilst actors

are doing their best on stage to salvage something that even Ernie Wise wouldn’t have put his name to. We , t h e r e f o r e , a b sconded to the empty circle bar, where I procured a vodka and tonic for June and a gin and tonic for me and (yet another shameful moment) we drank them in the circle seats (strictly forbidden) and June said “This is something I’ve wanted to do all my life” then slipped her shoes off her dainty feet and promptly plonked them on the back of the seat in front. We w e r e a b o u t t o howl with laughter but then realised it was a serious moment in the dreaded play and consoled ourselves with scarcely suppressed sniffling. Despite my move to Mallorca, June and I have never lost touch; in fact she rang me last night.

Can you imagine my astonishment, when she telephoned me the night before her investiture as a Dame and recounted details of her proposed wardrobe, “I’m wearing trousers, dear. If Julie Walters can, so can I.” In the end, June wore a long black skirt, Prince Charles did the ‘gong bit’ with the kind comment (June said he was charming) “It’s taken a while, hasn’t it?” I won’t mention June’s wardrobe malf u n c t i o n t h e r e a f t e r. That, and many things, remain strictly private. June has a lot to give us yet. Her daughter Suzy once said “Mum will never give up work; work will have to give her up.” I do not think that day is in sight. To me, and millions, June is Absolutely Fabulous!

Raymond Slade spent most of his working life in the catering and hospitality trade and met a number of different celebrities during his career. Now that he has retired to Mallorca, he will share some of his stories on an irregular basis with RTN readers.

23rd - 29th March

WEDNESDAY 4:05pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:01pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm

Escape to the Country Money for Nothing Flog It! Pointless BBC News Regional News The One Show BBC News and Regional News DIY SOS the Big Build MasterChef BBC News Regional News Weather

3:40pm

Monty Halls' Great Irish Escape 4:40pm Blitz Cities 5:15pm Britain's Ultimate Pilots: Inside the RAF 6:15pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm The Repair Shop 8:00pm Mountain 9:00pm The Secret Helpers 10:00pm The Assassination of Gianni Versace 10:55pm Live at the Apollo 11:30pm Newsnight

Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Britain's Brightest Family 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm The Real Full Monty 11:30pm ITV News 12:20am easyJet: Inside the Cockpit 1:15am Britain's Busiest Airport - Heathrow

3:30pm

How I Met Your Mother 4:00pm New Girl 4:30pm New Girl 5:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 5:30pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Extreme Cake Makers 9:00pm The Goldbergs 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Don't Tell the Bride 11:00pm Five Star Hotel

4:15pm

My Daughter Must Live 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm King Tut's Treasure Secrets 9:00pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 10:00pm Minute by Minute 11:00pm Social Housing, Social Cleansing 12:05am Under Siege 2:05am Super Casino 4:10am Secrets of the National Trust with Alan Titchmarsh

6:00am

6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:30pm

5:30pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

7:00am 8:40am 10:30am 12:10pm 1:55pm 3:45pm

4:00pm

6:30am 7:00am 8:40am 10:25am 11:55am 1:40pm 3:15pm 5:00pm 6:30pm 8:15pm 10:00pm 11:40pm 1:40am

Monster Family: Special Moana: Special Gadget Gang in Outer Space Whiskey Galore My Feral Heart The Beguiled Despicable Me 3 Going in Style Gadget Gang in Outer Space Whiskey Galore Despicable Me 3 Going in Style An The Beguiled

5:00pm

Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 5:45pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm Football Years 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm La Liga World 7:30pm MLS Round Up Show 8:00pm EFL Rivalries 8:30pm EFL Rivalries 9:00pm Championship Season Review 11:00pm Championship Season Review

The Beguiled Whisky Galore! Despicable Me 3 Going in Style Chokeslam Gadget Gang in Outer Space Whisky Galore! Despicable Me 3 Going in Style Chokeslam The Beguiled Pawno Monster Family: Special An

4:00pm Football's Greatest 4:30pm Football's Greatest Teams 5:00pm Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm Football Years 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm EFL Rivalries 8:30pm Football 11:00pm The Debate - Live 12:00am La Liga Show 12:30am La Liga Icons 12:45am La Liga Icons

THURSDAY 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm News 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 11:30pm

Money for Nothing Flog It! Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London

The One Show EastEnders MasterChef Not Going Out Still Game BBC News at Ten BBC London News 11:45pm Unsolved

4:40pm 5:10pm 6:10pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:15am 1:15am

Blitz Cities Britain's Ultimate Pilots: Inside the RAF Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Eggheads The Repair Shop Mountain Big Cats Civilisations Match of the Day Newsnight Top Gear MasterChef

The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Tonight Emmerdale Coronation Street The Real Full Monty ITV News at Ten and Weather 12:00am ITV News London 12:15am Kingpin 2:15am Jackpot247 4:00am Tonight 4:25am ITV Nightscreen

9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 12:05am 12:35am 1:05am

Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Extreme Cake Makers The Big Bang Theory Young Sheldon Brooklyn Nine-Nine Derry Girls Five Star Hotel The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory First Dates

5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Yorkshire Vet Casebook 9:00pm Goodbye BargainLoving Brits in the Sun 10:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 11:00pm Do the Right Thing with Eamonn and Ruth 12:05am Undercover Benefits Cheat

5:25pm 7:15pm 9:00pm 10:45pm 12:45am 2:35am 4:20am 4:50am

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23rd - 29th March

RTN Life

VOTED the 20th best guitarist of all time in Rolling Stone magazine, the legendary Carlos Santana has set out on the Divination world tour which will see just three performances in Spain. He and his band will be appearing at the Plaza de Toros in Alicante on Tuesday August 7 from 10.30pm, with tickets which are now on sale costing from €56 to €81. Next year sees the 50th anniversary of the release of Santana’s first album and also their stunning appearance at the Woodstock Music Festival which surprised many and kick-started the band’s incredible career. Mixing Latin rhythms - learned from his birthplace in Mexico where his father was a mariachi performer - with African sounds, the early al-

Photo Credit: Photo Credit: Damien flickr

Just three Spanish gigs for Carlos Santana sees him visit Alicante

LEGENDARY PERFORMER: Carlos Santana on stage.

by Colin Bird

I CANNOT help admiring athletes who through sacrifice and self-denial propel themselves to the top of their chosen sport. I’m not talking about professional footballers of course, who do little to justify their astronomical salaries; sulk like petulant children when an opponent as much as flicks a bogey at them, and often have little between their ears other than muscle and bone. No I’m talking about the genuine athletes who use the natural abilities they have been blessed with and hone them to perfection in order to become the best in their field. I also envy them greatly, because not having been born with any semblance of athletic prowess (my nickname at school was ‘galloping hairpin’) I never experienced the excitement of competing in any sporting event, and no matter what any of my football or rugby orientated ex-school chums think now; individuals like me were often sidelined and even picked on by certain teachers because of our failings.

His manager Bill Graham (of Fillmore West fame) who as a promoter had given him his first main commercial break, persuaded him to return to the funk and Latin sound which had first brought him success, and the album ‘Amigos’ contained a number of tracks ideal for the emerging and increasingly important FM radio stations. After having a fairly bleak period (when compared to his former popularity) during the 1990’s, his album ‘Supernatural’ released in 2000 saw Santana winning no less than nine Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year. Since then he has returned to the pantheon of great rock musicians and has performed with a huge number of big names both live and on record.

Fly the Olympic flag Photo Credit: Captain Roger Fenton flickr

The opinions published in Colin’s weekly column are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or newspaper sponsors.

bum releases were completely different from those of any of the other West Coast bands, but showed how Carlos Santana had blended his heritage within the burgeoning rock scene. Having been a major headliner for many years he started to find a new interest in jazz fusion, working with John McLaughlin who introduced him to his personal guru Sri Chinmoy, and Carlos became known as Devadip, meaning ‘The lamp, light and eye of God.’ The two guitarists collaborated on the album ‘Love, Devotion, Surrender’ which enjoyed some commercial success, but although he continued to receive critical acclaim, sales of his albums began to drop and record company Columbia even refused to release a triple album ‘Lotus’ in the USA.

ALTERNATIVE SPORT: If only ‘Fly’ was an Olympic event.

I exaggerate slightly, because having been press-ganged into the interhouse cross country race one year, I came sixth. But that was the zenith of my sporting achievements, apart from wielding the winning conker in the 1957 playground championships.

In one instance, our rugby master, a We l s h b u l l y w h o w o u l d h a v e b e e n more suited working as a border guard in North Korea, gave me a hefty kick in my nether regions because I wasn’t positioned correctly in the scrum.

It hurt and these days he would have found himself in serious trouble and at the very least, looking for another job. But it was just another incident in the life of the galloping hairpin. However there was one schoolboy game that, for reasons I still cannot fathom, I found I was very good at. It was called ‘Fly’. ‘Fly’ was a sort of leapfrog with A levels. The ‘stool’, as the kid who had been nominated as bender was called, positioned himself accordingly and the combatants took turns to make the leap, and where each landed, the stool would reposition further away making the next jump more difficult. The winner was the lad who made the final successful jump without crashing into the stool, and marking a new position that made it impossible or undesirable for the other competitors to attempt. Built like a pencil and not caring about a bit of blood, the winner was usually me, and bearing in mind that the game was played either on a playground’s asphalt surface or the street, there were many bruises and scrapes. My only regret was that ‘Fly’ never became an Olympic event.

23rd - 29th March

Puzzles Code Breaker Kenny Corris I For Readings, Consultations and Castings email: kennycorris@hotmailcom / www.kennycorris.net Mobile: 686 361 594 / Tel: 965 878 424

Play on Words

Answers: Around The World In Eighty Days. Buckle down.

Mars intensifies all actions after the midweek squaring on the Sun. You can see clearly now because you are highly psychic inner energies are activated, and it is clear that, right now, you have some work to do. Seize this moment in time and nudge yourself into touch, since nobody else could do things the way that you will now.

Word Wheel The goal of a word wheel puzzle is to create as many words possible with the letters in the word wheel. You can only use each letter once and every word must have the letter in the centre of the wheel. Can you find the 9 letter word?

In hindsight you would never have got involved but since you are implicated the only way to deal with current matters is to walk away, with your head held high. Venus, your trusty leader, brushes by Jupiter and conjuncts with Dwarf Planet Kora. Clearly you have been hurt by all this but the test is that, regardless, you carry on. You are stubbornly clinging onto a belief that all will be well because it has to be, but actions this week see you having to go against the grain; and you won’t like that! Putting up with second best is just a compromise too far from what you deserve right now. Be unafraid to say what you have to, because what comes now is vital. Someone has hurt you by abusing your trust and guidance. This is not one of those times when you can crawl into your shell, however good that feels, but neither do you want or need revenge. Mars intensifies your needs in a showdown with Ceres, who calls time on the past and bids that you pick yourself up, and dust yourself down! Pride comes before a fall, so ensure that in a current plan that you have a built in escape route to activate, should you need it! The Sun squares up to Saturn, who may very well slow things down all around you, so that you can speed up and face what you have to at a going pace. Take the route that offers you the very best forward challenge. Working towards an imminent conjunction with Mercury and the Sun, this week you get that feeling that something just isn’t right. As plans are scuppered and appointments cancelled it seems as if you are being very sorely tested. Allow that fate takes control, as you are about to meet someone who could become very special to you! The spurt of energy you currently experience is there to guide you and motivate you into pastures new. You appear to be on stepping stones, but determined to get to the other side any which way. Saturn in square with the Sun plays devil’s advocate with you, and this may be the impetus that you need to see things from another angle. Mars activates with Ceres and brings you back to a whiff of a nostalgic look of the past. Motivation is all you need right now, and this week someone needs your help, and gets it too. Never forget that you have significant skills and an informed way of seeing things, but this is not a time to hide your inventive light under a bushel. Calling out to you, loud and clear, is an ebullient Jupiter in action with Venus. Love comes and this time cannot just be shrugged away! You have to face facts and activate your innermost emotions, since you avoid looking within at matters of love; despite having such an open and caring heart, and a loving old soul to share. Just say yes! This is an offer that surely you cannot turn down, and it will bring you much happiness and joy to boot. Venus squares on Pluto, and it brings surprise and new beginnings, and not before time either! The future can now look very different, and meaningful change will allow you to make the appropriate plans. It is the quality of the work that you do that makes you stand out, and this week ring the changes and push the boat out. Everything is about to come together, and the injustices and traumas you have suffered, a thing of the past. You are waiting for news and your opposing sign of Leo sees Saturn entering to bring resolve and solution. Look to your opposing sign of Virgo this week, since balance comes from the qualities that the opposing sign lacks. Your creativity is your badge of honour, and you should be wearing yours, since your skills are needed desperately this week; and you need to be appreciated to set things in motion the way they should be.

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 2 represents C and 8 represents F, so fill in C every time the figure 2 appears and F every time the figure 8 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

Kenny’s Postbag Kenny, my Auntie Rose used to read the teacups. We used to laugh at the time, but she was always working. Does anybody do this type of reading these days? Bill H. Yes, Bill. The very talented Medium Helen Grady works wonders with the tea leaves. I am sending you her contact numbers! I used to read the coffee cups, mainly because I had so many Lebanese clients when I lived in London. Any invitation to dinner was so that they could end up with strong Turkish style coffee and a reading from me!

Kenny Corris Don't forget to email or message me with your Postbag Questions!. Check out my new website: www.kennycorris.net

For Birthday Celebrants Unperturbed by recent actions, you have already started this Astrological year with a strong determination. Accurate timing and deft actions will be the portent for new hopes wishes and desires; as this is the wish of the Cosmos right now.

The 9 letter word is:

Kakuro Fill all the empty squares using the numbers 1 to 9, so that the sum of each horizontal block equals the ‘clue’ on its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the clue on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once.

23rd - 29th March

More Puzzles Cryptic

Across 1 Father’s wise migration (7) 5 He sings a number at start of opera, right? (5) 8 Muskogee seafood recipe contains some birds (5) 9 Carelessly ran past ancient Greek (7) 10 Vehicle parked in juggernaut outside (4) 11 Demote soldiers in front of emissary (8) 13 Sweltering or surrounded by fresh dirt (6) 15 Static photographs of alcohol producers (6) 18 Gripped exotic-bred boas (8) 19 The story begins ‘You are relatively new’ (4) 22 Stir leg around, but you can’t eat it (7) 23 Group showing concern about diamonds (5) 24 ‘Arduous journeys take real energy’ King said, initially (5) 25 Set of steps for 50 snakes (7)

English - Spanish

Futoshiki

Down 1 Show part of a book to a worker (7) 2 Laid out, exhausted (5) 3 Lincoln seen by daughter possibly sleeping (4) 4 Christian celebration confused Teresa (6) 5 Endeavour to cover a waistcoat, it’s a sham (8) 6 Score goal in game (7) 7 Choice of kitchen appliance (5) 12 Same grit, different moves (8) 14 Priest turns to the Orient for a break (7) 16 Dicky sent son some poems (7) 17 Cancel Royal Engineer’s ding-dong (6) 18 Dame Margot Fonteyn demonstrates slang (5) 20 Join the French, become confused! (5) 21 Drug discovered by a police department (4)

Fill in the squares so that each digit from 1 to 6 occurs exactly once in each row and column. Greater-than and less-than signs indicate the relationship of the two adjacent squares. There is only one solution, and you can find it without guessing.

The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English.

Across 1 Jarabe (líquido) (5) 4 To cough (5) 7 Handball (game) (9) 8 Cocodrilo (9) 12 Con regularidad (9)

14 Behind (at the back) (5) 15 Estudio (5)

5 Pequeño (5) 6 Rivers (4) 9 To water (plants) (5) Down 10 Crane (machine) (4) 1 Nadar (4) 2 Costilla (3) 11 Rezar (4) 3 Films (movies) (9) 13 Usted (3) 4 Forks (cutlery) (9)

Quick

Across 1 Residential districts located on the outskirts of a city (7) 5 Arousing or provoking laughter (5) 8 Standing or situated alone (7) 9 Once more (5) 10 Not in accordance with the fact, reality or actuality (5) 11 Put or add together (7) 12 Annoy persistently (6) 14 Chuckles (6) 17 Farm vehicle (7) 19 Commence (5) 22 Additional (5) 23 Envious (7) 24 Revolves (5) 25 Convent (7) Down 1 Not moving or operating freely (5) 2 Aromatic spice (5) 3 Alleviate (7) 4 Exact (6) 5 Maintain (5) 6 Indicating pain, discomfort or displeasure (7) 7 Own up (7) 12 Person who requires medical care (7) 13 Disperse (7) 15 Restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something (7) 16 Native of ancient Troy (6) 18 Snares (5) 20 At a higher position than (5) 21 Savoury, appetising (5)

Word Ladder Can you by changing 1 letter at a time, get from the first word to the last word in the given number of moves?

HAND 1 2 3 4

PIPE

Sudoku

Fill the grid so every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1-9

23rd - 29th March

health

When to remove a mole? What to look for EVERYONE has moles on their skin. If you have moles, it’s important to keep an eye on them for signs of skin cancer. Here’s how to determine if your skin mole is cause for concern. It’s important to consult a dermatologist about a suspicious skin mole since it may be an early sign of malignant melanoma, which is a life-threatening form of skin cancer. Examine your skin regularly, looking for any new skin moles as well as changes in the moles you already have. If you have a family history of atypical moles or skin cancer, or a large number of moles or freckles, your primary doctor may suggest that you see a dermatologist for regular skin evaluations. When you examine your moles, remember the ABCDE’s of melanoma. If you notice any of the following, consult your dermatologist: • A for asymmetry: A mole in which one half of the mole does not look like the other • B for irregular border: A mole with a scalloped or poorly defined border • C for varied colour: A mole which consists of multiple shades of black, brown, white, red, and/or blue • D for large diameter: A mole which has a diameter larger than that of a pencil eraser • E for evolving: A mole whose size, shape, or colour changes over time • New moles: A mole that develops, especially if it appears after the age of 20 • Bothersome moles: A mole that bleeds, itches, or is painful. At Derma Clinic Spain we see patients every day who have worries about their moles. We have various ways to remove moles, depending where the mole is, but we always focus on leaving a nice, invisible scar. In some cases the moles need to be analysed. If you are worried about a mole, don’t wait to have it checked!

Derma Clinic Spain are located at Camino del Pincho 2,1, 03580, L’Alfaz del Pi, Alicante. For more information call 674 255 579 or email info@dermaclinicspain.com. Alternatively see our Facebook page facebook.com/DermaClinicSpain.

The advantages of pure natural oils THERE are a range of natural oils that might be worth trying if you are looking to avoid chemical products. • Marula comes from the tree of the same name and is said to be good for dry skin as it is high in fatty acids. • Tea tree is better known and many find it helps with soothing skin inflammations such as acne. • Chamomile oil when used on skin can cut down on redness and irritation and is even said to reduce chances of infections. • Coconut is good for conditions like eczema

which are characterised by rough skin. • Rosehip oil is high in vitamin A. This retinoid product is said to help replace old skin cells and reduce the effects of scarring and stretch marks. • Rosemary oil is supposed to thicken your hair, as is castor oil. • Most larders have olive oil which is supposed to harden brittle nails. Apply last thing at night to allow them to soak. • Another oil in many kitchens is sesame seed which many say is good for teeth and gums, just slosh round like a mouthwash.

Ice baths for beauty boost SPORTS professionals use ice baths to heal and ease their muscles, but could taking a dip in a freezing cold bath also offer beauty benefits? Research shows that cold temperatures help to redistribute the blood flow, removing fluid and leading to less swelling around the muscle, ideal for athletes after training, but some claim that it can improve the appearance of skin, banish cellulite by improving blood flow and boost your mood. In the UK, the idea of this hot and cold contrast has started to catch on, with spas offering various ‘fire and ice’ treatments incorporating massages with chilled stones and facials using ice to reduce inflammation and puffy eyes. So next time you want a quick mood boost get the ice trays out the freezer and fill the bath!

Sweeter cure CRANBERRIES could form the basis of new antibiotics. Scientists say they have discovered that the flavonol compound in their juice could help block bacterial infections, and during tests were found to greatly reduce the ability of E. coli bacteria to trigger an infection. The team from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (USA) said that with the emergence of new super bugs that are resistant to current antibiotics, it is hoped this finding could form the basis for new antibiotic drugs.

This month in Clinica Britannia are promoting tooth whitening E V E RY B O D Y l i k e s t o s m i l e a n d i t should be something you can do with pride. Clinica Britannia are offering tooth whitening at a promotional price of €177 (a saving of €158). For this price you will get an initial session of professional tooth cleaning and you leave with a take home whitening kit which ensures long-lasting results. At your appointment we will offer you a dental exam free of charge and let you know of any other treatment that you may require.

We will also be able to let you know if you are a good candidate for whitening to ensure your expectations are met. Our staff are very hospitable and we offer a multilinguistic service incase English is not your chosen one. This is a limited time offer so don’t delay in taking advantage and getting those pearly whites in time for summer... Tooth Whitening Promotion €177 with this article

Email us on britannia.calpe@gmail.com, call 965 837 553 or visit Avenida Ejercitos Españoles 16 BIS, 1st Floor, (Not ground floor) Piso 1D, E-03710 Calpe (Alicante).

23rd - 29th March

food & drink This week Celebrity Chef from Ready Steady Cook & Master Chef Steven Saunders, proprietor of The Little Geranium in La Cala talks about the perfect Beef Stroganoff

A fabulous Russian classic

Steven Saunders FMCGB The Little Geranium La Cala de Mijas & Marbella

www.thelittlegeranium.com ABOUT a decade ago I was patron of the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). I had to host a conference at one of the nature reserves in the UK and I was going to talk about my love of wildlife and about my new menu called Early Bird, which comes from the old English proverb… the early bird catches the worm. True because when I go shopping for fish if I arrive early I get the best choice and prices. Arrive late and demand is

greater, price is higher and choice is less. Anyway to get back to the story I was to announce my new Early Bird menu sponsored by the RSPB and talk about the beauty of natural wildlife. Two stories and only a few minutes to say both, so I started out by saying… let’s kill two birds with one stone, meaning to succeed in achieving two things in one single action. Well the room was full of older people and their mouths fell open. The atmosphere turned icy as I tried to explain it was a joke, making it even worse! The RSPB never contacted me again. So on the early bird theme, we have a menu at The Little Geranium in La Cala to encourage early diners to eat great food and save them money. In fact we don’t promote it by offering it in the restaurant (you have to request it when reserving a table) but that’s because whilst it helps turnover it doesn’t help profit! It’s an offer to get people in early as otherwise a table might stay empty until say nine’ish. Most early birds have wine and drinks and so I’m happy with that. It’s a four-course menu with a breadboard selection, chef’s amuse, a choice

of starter, a choice of main course and dessert for €35. At the moment one of the main course choices is beef Stroganoff. Stroganoff, or rather Stroganov, is a Russian recipe made with pieces of beef cooked in a sauce with sour cream (smetana), mustard and onions, originating from the mid 19th century (somewhere around the 1870’s.) Over the years it has had many variations, the original recipe serves it with rice, but I have seen it served with pasta in New York and many recipes now include mushrooms, which mine does too. My wife (Michele) loves Stroganoff but she doesn’t eat a lot of meat. Last weekend we were out and it was on the menu so she chose it. The meat was chewy, the sauce was over-thick and flavourless and it cost nearly as much as our whole Early Bird menu, just for that one plate! We left the beachside restaurant and I promised to cook her my Stroganoff

the next evening. “Why don’t you write about it” Michele said? “Maybe then other restaurants would read it and copy it and then I can eat it when I’m out!” “Good idea” I said, “and it will be included in my next book.”

You can email Steven your questions or enquiries to: steven@thelittlegeranium.com • Steven Saunders FMCGB - The Little Geranium La Cala de Mijas & Marbella • www.thelittlegeranium.com.

23rd - 29th March

home & garden

Eggplants THE vegetable garden can be an interesting adventure, as well as productive, by diversifying the assortment of vegetables that you grow. There are more and more varieties of vegetables becoming available and greater variations of the types we all know. Eggplant or, as it can also be known in English, aubergine, is an attractive exotic vegetable originating from the northern regions of India. It is now adopted and grown in warmer climates around the world. In Spain it is called berenjena. It is well accepted in the Spanish and other cooking styles as it can be prepared in a variety of appetising ways due to its distinct but mild flavour, allowing

garnishing to adapt it to your favourite tastes. Normally shaped somewhat like an egg with a smooth, purplish skin and whitish centre, there have evolved many different forms and co-lour varieties including golf ball sized shapes, elongated, oblong, speckled, yellow, white, green, lavender shades and almost black. There is enough variety to make any garden harvest basket fill with colour and form and for the cook to have plenty of opportunities to dress up the meal. The hearty purplish blue star shaped flower of an eggplant is an interesting feature of the plant. Eggplants thrive in the Mediterranean climate in

well composted soil in summer, but will also overwinter to produce the next year â€™s crop in protected warmer winter zones. To get different varieties it may take some searching on the internet for seeds but it is worth the effort if you have the time. If growing from seed, plant them in a seedling tray in a warm place two months before the planting time in late spring. Once the soil has warmed up rather than just a few sunny days, space them around 5060cm apart in the garden, with a stake to support the not so sturdy plant, as when the fruits fully form the weight is disproportional to the strength of the plant in many cases.

AUBERGINES: A versatile and tasty fruiting plant.

They can be slow starters and they need the long summer with plenty of sun to fully mature. Mulch around the plants to keep soil temperature lower near the roots in summer using compost and/or straw, seaweed or other suitable mulches. Harvesting the ripe fruit is an art form. Use a cut-

ting tool to remove the ripe fruit from the plant, as the plant can be damaged by pulling them off. They can be more bitter when underripe or overripe so check they are firm and fully formed without soft spots to get them at their best. It takes practice to identify them at the right stage of ripeness. Ideally the seeds in the fruit

should be formed and visible but not enlarged, but you can only tell this after harvesting. Once cut the fruit needs to be used quickly as they discolour rapidly. The fruits can keep for several days but if you have a garden it is best if you can harvest them and use them straight away to retain their freshness.

23rd - 29th March

pets ALTHOUGH quite widely sold in Spain, especially in garden centres, sturgeons are not easy to maintain and are best considered as pond fish, due to their need for plenty of swimming space and steady temperatures, plus their large adult size. However, they are only viable additions to extremely large ponds with capacities measured in the thousands rather than hundreds of litres. A deep pond suitable for grade A koi should be adequate, although a robust filtration system and a water feature that improves oxygenation should be considered essential. Ponds with stagnant or murky water are unlikely to provide the conditions that sturgeons need, and a pool with at least one shady area helps. These fish cannot tolerate warm water for long, so direct sunlight should be avoided if possible, as the DOG lovers have been trying to convince the rest of the world for years that a cuddle with your pooch is the best way out there to beat the blues, and there have even been reports that a hug with a dog is good for health. Human health, that is. Now it turns out, according to a new study, that while possibly good for us, hugging dogs is bad for them. The study, by Dr Stanley Coren, a canine expert and professor of psychology from the University of British Columbia, analysed pictures of dogs being cuddled by both adults and children and reported that eight out of 10 showed visible signs of anxiety or stress. The reason, which ani-

Hard to please species optimal temperature range for most sturgeons is between 12-18 degrees Celsius. Temperatures below this range are no problem, and indeed a wintertime chill is generally good for them. On the other hand, temperatures

CHILLY: Sturgeons prefer cool water. above 18 degrees Celsius quickly bring problems. In warm water fish may gasp at the surface due to lack of oxygen, or suffer from whitish skin lesions which can prove fatal. Increased water circulation helps, but supplementary aeration may be necessary, even in shady ponds with adequate flow, while a chiller unit should ideally be installed for the hot summer months.

Need a cuddle? Find a human not your pet mal experts have actually been trying to point out for years, is simple: they feel trapped and unable to run away. While humans often mistakenly read the physical signs they receive from dogs as they would read them in another human, dogs communicate differently. One example is lip licking. While we could think it means the dog is hungry or satisfied after a meal, it is really an early signal of discomfort in a situation.

Other things behaviour experts say dogs may not like anywhere near as much as we think they do are: 1. Petting them on the head - any dogs dislike this as they canâ€™t see where your hand is going, which worries them. 2. Picking them up constantly - just because you can pick a puppy or small dog up doesnâ€™t mean you should. It is an invasion of their space and can upset them. 3. Staring into their

eyes - dogs can feel threatened by this rather than enamoured, as to them it can be taken as trying to start a fight.

23rd - 29th March

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HOME & GARDEN

REMOVALS & STORAGE

23rd - 29th March SPANISH COURSES

SITUATIONS VACANT

XXX RELAX

Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Wordwheel aa ad ae ag an at ga na ta va ada aga age

Cryptic

Codebreaker ana and ane ant ate ava ave dag dan eat eta gad gae

gan gat nae nag tad tae tag tan tav tea vag van vat

aged anga anta ante dane dang data date dean deva egad etna gaed

Quick

gaen gane gate gave gean geta gnat nada nave neat tang vane vang

veda vena adage agate agave agent antae anted avant daven ganev gated tanga

vanda vaned vegan adnate advent agenda agnate tanged vantage vedanta vanadate advantage

Kakuro

Word Ladder HOME TOME TORE PORE PORK PARK or

Sudoku

English-Spanish

Futoshiki

HOME DOME DAME DARE DARK PARK

23rd - 29th March

motoring

Flying car concept unveiled CREDIT: AeroMobil

A SLOVAKIAN company has announced a concept flying car cap a b l e o f t a k i n g o ff d i r e c t l y f r o m the road. The AeroMobil 5.0 VTOL, developed by the company of the same name, is a four-door vehicle that is able to take off and land vertically, like a helicopter. The firm said it would be equipped for all weather conditions and have a range of 700 kilometres for a single journey. The vertical take off and landLIFT-OFF: AeroMobil’s 5.0 VTOL concept is capable of taking off and ing feature (VTOL) means drivers landing directly from the road. of the car would be able to structure,” he said. switch smoothly between flight and driving mode, The 5.0 VTOL concept is powered by two elecAeroMobil added. CEO and co-founder of Aerotric-driven rotary blades to ensure safe vertical M o b i l , J u r a j Va c u l i k , take off, according to AeroMobil. A rear mounted said the 5.0 model, propeller provides the horizontal thrust for when along with the 4.0 the car is airborne. short take off and The company added the car would be capable landing version, would of seating four passengers with each having acoffer urban and inner cess to a personalised in-flight experience. city travel. Douglas MacAndrew, AeroMobil’s Chief Techni“Our strategy solves cal Officer (CTO), said the company planned to the limitations of alterdeliver the vehicles for a wide range of needs, innative VTOL concepts cluding flying taxi operators. which are tied to dedi“ We s e e f l y i n g c a r s a s v e r s a t i l e v e h i c l e s t h a t cated landing pods both fly and drive, which is what we will be able rather than using the to offer with the concept,” he said. existing road infra-

BMW M5 is a sight for sore eyes THE new BMW M5 is the result of 30 years of evolution to become the most powerful and technologically advanced model yet. Previously existing sedately as a company car, this pumped up 5 Series has performance levels to frighten any Aston Martin. The 4.4 litre twin-turbo V8 reaches a full 592 bhp and clocks 0-62 mph in 3.4 seconds and a limited 155 mph top speed. This sixth generation M5 is priced at €103,000 for base models, but a varied extras list can take the final cost to €115,000. The M5 is good-looking, practical, comfortable, has four-wheel drive and is full to the brim with tech gadgets. Head-up display, 10-inch touchscreen and gesture control all come as standard, along with safety systems like park assistance and lane departure. An xDrive system produces a primeval roar from the quad exhaust pipes, and the eight-speed auto gearbox is slick and smooth. The M5 is ultimately a very impressive saloon and has been awarded a five-star rating by Euro NCAP.

23rd - 29th March

sport CB Helvetica Condensed Bold

EVA NARANJO: Triumphant in Oslo.

Costa Blanca boxer aiming high AFTER spending many years involved in kickboxing, 39-year-old Eva Naranjo became a boxer and has just defeated Angelique Hernández in Norway. She defeated her Swedish opponent in the second round of their fight by a technical KO in Oslo and the win brought her into the world rankings. She is now hoping to fight for an international belt and then aim for a world championship title. With 11 victories from 11 fights this five-time martial arts champion still trains four hours a day and manages to balance her sporting ambitions with her role as a councillor in her home town of La Nucia.

Battling tough conditions at Oliva Nova PEGO GOL F SOC IETY h a d 4 0 players starting at Oliva Nova but they are not sure how many finished! The conditions were tough, freezing cold and very strong winds contributing to some low scores. One poor player put more balls in the water than his score. The results for Division One 1st Steve Boyes with 34 points off 10.4 2nd Derek Lindley with 32 points off 13.1 3rd Andrew Harrison also with 32 points off 16.4 Division Two 1st Tricia Chapman with 31 points off 31.9 2nd Angus Muir with 27 points off 20.1 3rd Patrick Lynch with 25 points off 24.5 Guest winner was Fiona Sankey with 31 points off 37. Nearest the pin on hole five, sec-

Montgo Golf Society

THE HAPPY WINNERS: And their ‘trophies’. LAST week Montgo Golf Society again enjoyed a superb day at Oliva Nova with excellent weather and a course in near perfect condition. Their sponsor for the Stableford competition was Brain Redfearn, still smiling from his victory of last week. As with the previous couple of weeks, a par net score took top spot. Peter Kneebone, on one of his too infrequent visits, picked up first prize with 36 points. Their old friend the

countback, again decided the next three places, all of whom had a net score of 35. There were five NTP p r i z e s o n o ff e r a n d t h e lucky, and accurate, winn e r s w e r e Wo l f g a n g Schuster, with an incredible 1.12 on the third, and t h e d a y ’s c h a m p P e t e r Kneebone and Francien Knoops on the 16th. NTP in two on the 18th went to John Hall. None of the ladies managed to land on the green on the third so a card draw saw this prize go to the de-

lighted Ross Fletcher. The only two of the day went to Wolfgang Schuster. Unfortunately they had a new member of what is now dubbed the ‘Lakeland Club’ as poor John Day saw his trolley dive into the lake on the 18th. Their intrepid captain was again on the spot r e a d y t o c a s t o ff h e r footwear and rescue his equipment. There are currently three members of this club, John Feek, Susie Snelling and John Day.

TRUE SPORTSMANSHIP: Survivors of a cold and blustery day.

ond shot, was Ken Millar with 4m 8cm and on hole 16 with 4m 2cm was Steve Crossan. Due to the poor conditions the number of balls in the water was

an incredible 142. As their sheet only goes up to 140 there was no winner and therefore a rollover to the following week.

News from El Cid Bowls Club THE last week saw the finals of the Club Championships and despite some windy conditions members were entertained with some fantastic matches. Seventy players and guests enjoyed an excellent meal, followed by the presentation of club trophies and individual awards to all finalists and winners. President Jim Sissens welcomed everyone with a special mention to the four guests from sponsors Vives Pons. He also gave a note of thanks to the markers and umpires and to Stewart Beattie our vice captain who organised the championships. Captain Tony Carroll announced the presentation of awards and thanked all players who had taken part this year and the many new bowlers entering their first competitions. The captain’s choice of most improved player went to Clive Bidel. In an additional surprise to the programme, Clive also picked up the award on behalf of El Cid Swords Challenger Team who won the Northern Challenger League 2018.

WINNER: Overall club champion.