Yesterday was the third International Charity Day Fair held in the annexe to the El Cisne rastro. Organised by Pamela Dawson Tasker of the AECC cancer charity and Steve Ashley of the Samaritans in Spain the event was officially opened by the Mayor Agustin Navarro and British Vice Consul Elizabeth Bell.
The objective of the day was to bring together representatives of the charities and organisations who work on the Costa Blanca to help residents of all nationalities in their time of need.

There were about 50 different stalls of which the majority were British run... it has often been said that if it wasn´t for the British and other foreign residents then most charities here in Spain would fold. The Spanish are not renowned for giving to charity, whether a British one or even a well recognised Spanish organisation.

After an opening speech by both the Mayor and Vice Consul, they were escorted by organiser Pam and walked around,speaking to each and every stall and personally thanked the volunteers - a touch that was well received by all.

The Mayor admitted that without such dedicated volunteers then many more people and of course animals would suffer, as funding in the current climate is very stretched. It must be said that in general the Spanish are not a nation of animal lovers like the Brits - and thats putting it mildly!

Joanna James and her Jazz quartet entertained the crowds throughout the afternoon and there was also a temporary bar in the middle to purchase refreshments from. It was a well attended day and hopefully raised some much needed funds for those that attended - and most importantly, made people aware that their organisations even existed!

Benidorm entertainer Jenny Renn was with the MABS stall - she volunteers her time every Wednesday morning and is pictured with the President Jackie Phillips (in green) and two volunteers. As Jenny told me "you´ve got to put a little back into society - you never know when you´ll be knocking at their door needing help"... so true Jenny!

Well done to everyone involved and those that supported the day by attending.