THE LATEST FROM AROUND ORIHUELA

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The Councillor for the coast of Orihuela, Martina Scheurer, has explained that the application and award of the contract for the beach bars has been delayed, but, despite them not being able to operate on the beaches during Easter, she is confident that the administrative issues will be resolved within a matter of weeks. Meanwhile, a number of local business owners are expressing their delight at the lack of bars during the first of the busy seasons, as their trade has increased as a result.

Despite the lack of beach bars on the Orihuela costa, the town hall has installed toilets on the beaches, and the life guard services were in place for the Easter period, although the contract for the life guards will be terminated and put to tender once again, after the request to withdraw from the commitments of the contract were made by the company, who have provided the service for the last 2 years, on account of them facing bankruptcy proceedings.

A meeting will be held on the 24th of April between the Orihuela town hall and representatives of local surfers. The meeting has come about following a protest on the beach, in which a number of surfers challenged the fact that they were being prevented from practising their sports, due to a new sign that was installed on the beach. The councillor of the coast pointed out that this has always been the case and the regulation is not new, in fact the town hall, for the first time, made a concession to allow surfing during certain times of year, when the beaches are quieter, even going against the advice of the police, but the surfers are seemingly now making further demands which cannot be met without being of detriment to the safety and quality standards of the beaches. The new sign, paid for by the tax payer, has since disappeared.

Despite a minor delay of around 2 months, the two further pedestrian footbridges being installed on the Orihuela Costa are set to open in the middle of May. Providing a safer passage to pedestrians over the motorway at La Zenia and also near the new school, residents have been calling for the bridges for many years, and will shortly become a reality.

Footpath work on the paseo at Cala Capitán has been completed in time for Easter, marking a huge improvement to an area which has appeared run-down for many years. The footpath along the sea front has also finally been completed, as there was a significant gap between the original walkway and the beach access. The remaining features will be added shortly, as the handrails, lights and other street fixtures are due to be delivered not long after the Easter break. Bike parking will also be installed, to encourage the use of a more eco-friendly form of transport.

The Easter celebrations have been seen as a success by the Orihuela town hall, with the tourism department arranging guided tours of a number of areas of historic interest, in order to “supplement” the traditional Easter attractions of the parades, which guides in English having been made available to those wishing to learn more about the culture rich area. Similarly, the bus service laid on by the town hall from the coast to the Good Friday parade was once again a success, as residents and visitors from the coast took a trip to one of the most dramatic events of the Easter calendar.

May will be dominated by sporting events on the Orihuela Costa, with the annual Decabike event taking place on the 11th of May, whereas sporting chain Decathlon encourage everybody to get involved in an event dedicated to the two-wheel mode of transport, the bicycle. However, this year, roller skates and other self-propelled forms of wheeled transport will be included, and the police are planning to attend with their children´s training equipment to provide cycling proficiency and road safety information to children who attend. The following weekend, on the 18th, the beaches of Playa la Glea will be taken over for the second annual triathlon event. This will attract athletes from across the country for an event that will not only reaffirm the Orihuela Costa as a sporting location of international standard, it will showcase the area to those taking part, visiting and just watching the event.

The stage show Hécuba, scheduled to take place on the 25th of April in Orihuela´s Teatro Circo, has been cancelled after the star of the show, Concha Velasco, has fallen ill and has been operated on for peritonitis. Concha Velasco, full name Concepción Velasco Varona, is a Spanish film actress, theatre actress, singer, and TV presenter, born in Valladolid on November the 29th, 1939.

The councillor for social welfare in Orihuela, Emilio Zaplana, has announced the initial provision of 12,000 euro, which will be shared amongst people in need of help in paying their water supply bill. Aimed specifically at those on low income, the elderly and those caring for the disabled, the application process for the 220 euro grant is open until the 5th of June.

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