U3A Vall Del Pop: A new season starts with two informative talks

Animal Shelter, Pego and Charity Book stall

The popular charity book stall has a new management team but it continues to raise funds to help unwanted animals in the Pego area.

The animal shelter which has been successfully maintained for the last seven years by LAPS is now the responsibility of Aprop, a recently formed, Pego based charity.

Contacts for the Shelter are 662 345 044 or 656 364 136 Facebook: APROP Protectora d'animals de Pego.

Bookstall contact is 617 121 831.

Alma Pro Infancia

Charity shop La Tendeta at the Market Square (Plaça del Mercat) The Vall del Pop U3A kicked off their new season on Thursday, September 5 with two very different but informative and thought-provoking speakers.

No-deal Brexit: Immediately the official business was completed Elaine Horton, President of JVH, gave the members an informative up-date on potential life for UK expats with a no-deal Brexit.

All UK expats will have to apply for a new residence card called a TIE card. For those expats with “Permanente” residence cards the transfer will be automatic, for those with 5 years residence and a Green Residence Cert there will need to be a “Permanente” application prior to TIE. For those legal in Spain but less than 5 years will need a temporary residence before a total stay 5-year TIE – which will need to be replaced with a further TIE once 5 years residence is achieved. For those who have not applied then they will have to go through the full process of residence and TIE – which will be a long-complicated process. So, do all that is necessary to try and get yourself fully legal before 31st October, or whichever date Brexit happens.

Already some expats are experience problems where their SIP cards are being rejected and payment is being requested for medical treatment. It appears this may be related to persons who only have their SIP card on the basis of a Temporary S1 Form. So please check your status in order to be sure.

UK driving licences will only be transferable to Spanish licences for 9 months after Brexit so dont´ delay - do it straight away.

Be sure to keep abreast of developments on the “Living in Spain” and the “Citizens Advice” websites.

Life in the UK Prison Service: Ray Willcox gave the members an interesting and thought-provoking review of his opinion of life in the UK Prison Service between 1975 and 2004, when he retired and moved to Spain.

Ray started his prison service in the hospital wing at Pentonville Prison as a POUT, Prison Officer Under Training, and the anachronisms got no better as he progressed through his training and service. In those days the prison officers were in control and prisoners had to turn their backs when prison officers approached them, and there were no stabbings. Now many prisons are run by private companies and their wardens are reluctant to challenge prisoners, and so control in certain prisons has reverted from wardens to prisoners. in Pego.

Open Monday to Friday from 10.30am to 1.30pm. Tel: 96 597 7066.

RELLEU

Friends Of The Relleu Children Of Emaús

Charity Reg G-54138805. Non-profit association.

The children (normally aged 212yrs) in the Emaús home in Relleu have been taken into care because of the impossible situation they were living in or perhaps because they have no family.

If you have an idea for a fundraiser, or anything to contribute

Ray “progressed” to Portland then Brixton, a remand and trial prison, Young Offenders Institution at Gartry Prison and he set up a new prison in Leicestershire, where by mistake the Civil Servants gave him an unlimited budget to set it up and only discovered their error when it was ready to open.

Many prisoners were hard cases and proud of it but just occasionally a gentleman did get sentenced, due to a rash moment of violence or crime. Prisoners soon learnt their “human” rights and if they had not worked before prison they demand their human rights to not work in prison. Mental illness became a hard issue to control, where the prisoner had to either be sectioned to a mental health institute or controlled with the minimum of drugs to keep them lucid and coherent.

Ray believes a prison sentence is a punishment and should not be too soft and that sentences for knife crime need to be a proper deterrent. As one who has seen crime from the inside Ray believes there is a place for capital punishment, especially if it will save the life of a member of the emergency services.

Not all things are bad in prison as on his first posting he met his wife, who was a member of the medical team he joined, and they have been together ever since. Ray has used his experiences to write two books, the last “Lock-down Blues”, with a third on its way. He has also written a book of poems – which our President is offering to read to us at future assemblies.

The members showed their appreciation of Ray’s talk with an active question and answer session.

For further information on U3A Vall del Pop check our website:

www.u3avalldelpop.com to the Children, please let us know via email: info@ fcemaus.com or call 639 637 529. To donate to the Relleu House please email: david spence45 @hotmail.co.uk

The Aurora Club

This cultural club organises every month every month, except July and August, a cultural event, a presentation, an excursion or a combination of both.

See auroraclubrelleu.wix.com/ aurorclubrelleu for more details. The presentations are free (a €1 donation is requested). Excursions and lunches afterwards are reserved for our members.

Evangelical Church of the Good Shepherd

Welcomes you every Sunday at 5pm Calle Juan Sebastián Elcano 25, 03550 San Juan.

We offer you cake and coffee or tea afterwards and look forward to meeting you.

Further info by email: vanysadys @yahoo.es or call 605 556 974.

GENERAL

Freewheelers Motoring Group

Freewheelers is a group of motoring enthusiasts who enjoy a

PEPA Animal Charity

Charity shop in L'Olleria, Calle de Isabel la Catolica.

Open daily 10am -1.30pm.

To find us: L'Olleria is just before you enter the tunnel going to Xativa, from Ontinyent. Support us by becoming a member: €12pp or €20 per couple. Contact Anne on 664 773 491 or email anne_goodwin@yahoo. co.uk to find out more. Donations of goods welcome , please telephone Carol on 722 473 053 or email: cmoir3@ yahoo. co.uk

Costa Blanca Rawhiders Motorcycle Club

A motorcycle club open to all motorcyclists on the Costa Blanca. No rules, no committee, no stress, just pleasant days out. See www.costablancarawhiders. com for more details or go to the 'contact us' page or email: costa blancarawhiders@ yahoo.co.uk

Parkinson Self Aid Group

A Parkinson self aid group in the North Costa Blanca looking for other people who are suffering from Parkinson's disease to do different activities like Nordic Walking or other walks. If you are interested, please call 695 037 377 or email martin @kinsbergen.nl

Submariners Association

Formed in 2009 the España Levante Submariner group meet twice yearly.

Full details of how to join, next meeting, current members and photos are available on our website at espanalevantesubmariners.yolasite.com

Costa Blanca Mountain Walkers

Please check our website www.cbmwalkers.org to find out more about our group and to look at our programme that runs from October to May. For those preferring to walk independently then visit our other website: www.walksinspain.org Which is dedicated to providing walking routes in the Costa Blanca and other areas of Spain with detailed descriptions, maps and GPS co-ordinates which can be downloaded and printed for free.

We hope you will join us.

The Friends of Costa Blanca Samaritans

An organisation for promoting the interests of the Samaritans in Spain.

They undertake their work through a network of volunteers who contribute their time, skills, knowledge and/or financial support to furthering the Samaritan work in the community. Samaritans provide a trained, supportive and non-judgemental listening ear for English speakers of any age who are experiencing emotional upset of