As part of an ongoing initiative, the Alicante Consulate team, headed by Vice Consul Lloyd Millen chaired a focus group meeting with British ex-pats in the town of Alfaz del Pi yesterday. The aim is to visit the Top 10 towns with the highest British expatriate communities within the district covered by the Alicante British Consulate – but as Lloyd amusingly mentioned, it is in fact the Top 11 as boundary changes during assessment would have knocked out one which had already been visited!
Accompanied by Sara Munsterhjelm and Claire McGuire, the Alicante Consulate is the busiest in the world – but run extremely efficiently by a staff of seven. The new Consul, Sarah-Jane Morris is based in Madrid and makes regular visits to Alicante, but has its advantages as they now have an even closer relationship with the Embassy. The Alicante Consulate deals with some unique issues not faced by any other Consulates around the world, mainly due to the high number of British nationals that have relocated from the UK.
The team were particularly interested to know about everyday issues faced by the residents and how the Consulate could help and assist. “Know before you Go” is a project which they are promoting, particularly for those that are thinking about moving to Spain, to prepare for future issues and potential problems – health and death always raises the most questions. The “Brits living in Spain” Facebook page is a good source of information, with many useful links.
Language is a particular barrier faced by many and the team are actively promoting language links to ease integration into the community. Volunteering with a local Spanish charity where you live is an ideal way to start. Winter Fuel Allowance and Voting Rights of ex-pats were both raised by the group as well as driving license and motoring issues.
Later this year Lloyd announced that they are proposing a roadshow around the province, with a representative of Spanish Tráfico to explain Spanish driving rules and regulations, which was very well received. Elderly Mental Health Issues are a growing concern, not only in the UK but also here. Many people retire here and do not plan or investigate what help and services are available – assuming that it will be like in the UK…. It´s not! The Consulate is working in collaboration with Sanitas to make information available, in English, to assist people who have a family member suffering with dementia and how the Spanish Social Services can help. Prior to the meeting Lloyd met with the Mayor, Vicente Arques and councilors at the Town Hall and was encouraged to learn that there is a particularly close integration of all foreigners in the town.
At this time of the year, with the influx of British holidaymakers, the Consulate are once again dealing with a surge of lost and stolen passports. The Embassy have released some video links issued by the Foreign Office of scams and distraction methods used by pickpockets who prey on tourists. It is very expensive and time consuming to replace a stolen passport – so guard yours carefully! Be #passportaware and have a look at the following very useful link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jba5SBpaxAE
