MARCH 2025
a is Laid back Manilv h Spanis where genuine s with culture minglenities, expat commu Finch writes Walter
March 12th - March 25th 2025
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will population. tour of Manilvaa few In spite of these WHIRLWIND wide in just high numbers, take you far and is not at Manilva expat square kilometres. an by gazing out You might start by the glitzy port, simply - not at bobbing peaceful colony luxury yachts sea along a all. has or the glistening find The district beach trail. later you couldpopu- a strong and hills And then minutes thriving Spanrolling green yourself amongvillas, or burgeoning vine- ish culture and that lated by luxurya whitewashed village. a kalei- community yards around you will meet lives extremely dance skills And on your journey from all walks of life, h a r m o n i o u s l y their Sevillanas doscope of peopleto tell. locals show off and very coreach with a story has the highest per- dially with their FIESTA FEVER: Spanish Londoner Spanglish. Manilva officiallyon the padron in Spain, foreign guests. the sangria,” mix halting shade come here for Press in the quarter of the The locals and the foreigners centage of Brits bars and “We a third and a tells the Olive with between g municipality hailing from and mingle in the same page patter of Richie Continues on next and the pitter 18,000-stron Ensettled restaurants dances betweenoften Blighty. conversation Brits - foreign, very But it’s not just from northern Europe- glish and Spanish - and many Manilva’s of residents, make up 42% an countries,
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AS Storm Jana lashed Andalucia, a massive landslide blocked the Ronda road, a house collapsed in Marbella old town, homes were flooded and reservoirs started releasing water. See pages 4 and 5 for the full story.
Weather vane CRICKET is a sport for which rain is an occupational hazard - at least in England, home of its birth. So organisers of the European Cricket League decided to host the tournament in ‘sunny’ Malaga with clubs from all over Europe taking part. But, as any expats who live in the area have come to expect, once the annual 10-oversa-side tournament begins, it’s time to get out the brolly. Seemingly jinxed, every time the event takes place the cricketing gods send torrential storms over to the Cartama Oval. This year is no exception and the familiar English phrase ‘rain stopped play’ is more appropriate than ever, with 14 games in a row being abandoned from last Friday. The tournament continues until March 21, rain or shine, with dwindling fans praying for a dry spell soon. Until then, it's umbrellas at the ready - just like in an English summer.
GRAVEROBBERS!
BRITISH expats are demanding answers following the ‘disgraceful’ disappearing act of a major funeral planning company in Spain. Iberian Funeral Plans vanished overnight on March 3 allegedly following the death of its own founder Stephen Nelson. The dramatic collapse has likely left hundreds, if not thousands, of clients with their funeral plans null and void. Expats are now vowing to uncover the truth behind the emerging scandal, amid fears the large sums they coughed up for end-of-life arrangements were instead spent on Nelson’s ‘lavish’ lifestyle. For over a week now, the firm has not been responding to any emails, while its
EXCLUSIVE: Hundreds of expats left reeling after funeral planning company vanishes without trace By Yzabelle Bostyn
telephone lines appear to be dead, causing anger, shock and frustration. The Olive Press has been inundated with calls and emails, pleading for information. Citizens Advice Bureau Spain (CAB) branded the development ‘despicable’ and ‘heartless’, with many expats already feeling the impact. One grieving woman, who asked to remain anonymous, is unable to mourn her husband of 60 years, because the Collyfer Crematorium in Almeria is refusing to hand over his ashes, until paid. The 77-yearold, based in Albox, said her husband died unexpectedly of blood cancer on February 24. But while she had paid €3,600 to Iberian, it seems FUMING: Helen Hammond (left) and Sue Truman have she was never covered. been left without cover after Iberian disappeared “When you’ve
lost your partner of 56 years you’re in a very vulnerable state,” the Essex native told the Olive Press. “That’s bad enough, but then on top of that they’ve taken our money, yet we can’t get the ashes. “Iberian don’t care about the grief caused.” Though she understands the crematorium needs to be paid for their services, she alleges the situation was handled ‘very insensitively’ causing ‘multiple meltdowns’ for the family. “When my son asked when their father was going to be cremated, the woman just looked at her watch and said, ‘oh, in about 10 minutes’,” claims the former dental assistant. “We’re devastated and full of grief. It is only the anger keeping me going.” When contacted by the Olive Press, Collyfer’s owner Antonio Collado claimed the situation was ‘not their fault’ and they ‘won’t give up the ashes until they are paid’ despite wanting to ‘help’. The Olive Press has discovered that Nelson, who lived for many years in Alhaurin, moved just over the Portugal border to Castro Marin five years ago. The company had a nearby registered address in Portimao. Under his full name Stephen Nelson George he held companies under the same name in Britain and Portugal. Companies who offer funeral services in the UK must be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, but Spain has no such safeguarding. Iberian therefore did not hold money in a
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“I took out a plan to save my children from all the heartache, but now it’s gone. I’m livid and furious, I thought I was doing the best thing for my children,” Torrevieja resident Sue Truman told the Olive Press. “There are hundreds in the same boat as me. I’m not going to let them get away with it.” As everyone wonders what will happen with their money, fellow funeral providers told the Olive Press they were offering advice and support. “We recognise the financial and emotional distress customers are facing,” Jason Gardener of Avalon Funeral Plans said. “To support those impacted, we have established a financial assistance initiative for customers holding Iberian plans so they (can) acquire a fully regulated and FCA-authorised funeral plan. “This situation reinforces the need for stronger consumer protection in the funeral planning industry, particularly for British expatriates living in Europe.” He is one of many providers offering free or discounted services for those affected, including Grupo Rocamer, Compare Funerals and Funeral Care Spain. The Citizen’s Advice Bureau is currently preparing a class action lawsuit against Iberian.
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trustee backed bank account, OLIVE PRESS in spite of contracts which misleadingly stated funds were held in corporate bank accounts with BBVA, Santander and HSBC. It comes amid rumours that Nelson used funeral plan payments to fund a lavish lifestyle on the Algarve “I got the shock of my life when I found out, it’s disgusting and absolutely unacceptable,” Scottish expat Helen Hammond told the Olive Press. Like many customers, the 76-year-old found out she had lost her almost €4,000 funeral plan through our social media. “I had to read it twice because I thought I was seeing things. They definitely took advantage of the expat community. When you come out here you trust everyone, so when I was recommended Iberian I went for it.” Citizen’s Advice Bureau in Spain has called the lack of communication ‘heartless’ and ‘despicable’. Many expats took out plans to make the funeral preparations as easy as possible for their family back home.
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THOUSANDS of people took to the streets at the weekend to celebrate International Women’s Day and call for change. In Madrid, organizers claim over 80,000 marched from Atocha station to the Plaza de España, while in Barcelona some 25,000 people gathered. They drew attention to growing misogynistic attitudes among young men, influenced by social media.
Heavy rain saw protests cancelled in many areas of Spain, including Malaga, Cadiz and Huelva. Others embraced the bad weather, chanting ‘we needed fem- inism to rain down’. See Not Women’s page 6
Just Day,
Opinion Page 6