CalpeNoticias EN

Calpe Town Council has launched a new information service for residents via official channels on WhatsApp and Telegram. From now on, anyone can choose to receive municipal information in Spanish, Valencian or English, depending on their language preferences.

Until now, the council had a single channel on Telegram with around 2,000 subscribers. With this expansion, the council now has three new channels on this platform — one for each language — and another three channels on WhatsApp, thus enabling more targeted and effective dissemination of news, alerts and events of interest.

This service will be managed directly by the Calpe Town Council's Communication Department, which will be responsible for publishing content and ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the information disseminated, thus preventing the spread of hoaxes and misinformation that often circulate on these same platforms.

With this initiative, the council aims to bring municipal information even closer to the public, facilitating direct access from mobile phones without the need to consult social media or the internet. This service will also enable the council to provide information very quickly to the public in the event of disasters or emergencies.

The channels are called ‘Ayuntamiento de Calpe’, ‘Ajuntament de Calpe’ and ‘Calpe City Council’ and feature the official Town Council logo for easy identification. Simply search for the channel on each platform and join it to start receiving information. You can also activate notifications to receive an alert whenever there is a new post.

Telegram channels:

• Spanish: https://t.me/AyuntamientodeCalpe
• Valencian: https://t.me/CalpeComunicaVal
• English: https://t.me/CalpeComunicaEng

WhatsApp channels:

• Spanish: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6HFjz9RZAX8ZtgMm2F
• Valencian: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb5XvLgCBtxAs8kMbT07
• English: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb5NfWf0Qeae7EQDXa19

The local government will bring before next week's plenary session the modification of the sectors known as Garduix I and II, Pla Feliu I and II, and Ráfol I and II as developable land with the aim of reclassifying them as green space and land for public use.

The sectors of Ráfol I and II, Feliu I and II and Garduix I and II make up a large green lung of more than 300,000 m² in a residential development area.000 m² in a residential development area. These sectors already appear in the 1998 General Urban Development Plan (PGOU) as developable land, but they are rural plots that have not been programmed for 27 years and therefore the regulations allow the administration to declassify them.

The City Council intends to acquire the land by compensating the owners for expropriation in accordance with the nature of the land as rural, i.e. when compensating the owners, the land will be valued as it stands and not for the urban development rights that have not been realised.

In November last year, the declassification process began, requiring the technical services to draw up a draft and an initial strategic document setting out the characteristics of the sectors and the needs. Both documents will be submitted to the plenary session on Tuesday and, once approved, will be forwarded to the Territorial Planning Commission of the Valencian Regional Government, which is responsible for continuing the process.

As this is a structural change to the General Urban Development Plan, the City Council can propose the declassification of the sectors, but the next steps in the process are the responsibility of the Regional Ministry.

The local government has put forward four main reasons for making this change to the PGOU: to preserve a large area of forest in the Garduix and Feliu areas, which will become green space, and to promote land for public use in the Ráfol area in order to obtain land for educational, cultural, recreational or sports purposes.

However, there are also plans to consolidate temporary uses, such as the land occupied by the IES Les Salines secondary school, which, although a green area, obtained provisional authorisation for educational use, and the plot in Rafol occupied by the General Services building, which will become land for public services. In both cases, educational and service uses will be consolidated.

Also in Ráfol, there is a strip of land adjacent to the Barranco del Quisi ravine that is classified as developable and, in compliance with the PATRICOVA guidelines regarding the impact on ravines, is now becoming a green area.

This reclassification modifies the urban dynamics of the municipality and also proposes a different way of compensating owners, as it will not be done through development units or by increasing the volume in other areas, as has been the case until now. This decision paves the way for a new approach to urban planning in the municipality.

Calpe Town Council and more than 146 local hospitality establishments will participate this summer in the sixth edition of Ecovidrio's #MovimientoBanderasVerdes (Green Flag Movement). With this campaign, the non-profit organisation responsible for managing glass packaging waste recycling in Spain seeks, once again, to recognise the efforts of the local hospitality industry and the activism of coastal municipalities in promoting circularity during the summer, particularly with regard to the correct management of their waste.

Calpe will compete with up to 47 municipalities in the Valencian Community for Ecovidrio's ‘Green Flag for Sustainability’, which was awarded to Valencia and Alicante during the last edition of this initiative. This is a campaign launched by Ecovidrio every summer, coinciding with the months when a third of the glass packaging in circulation is consumed. In addition, around 50% of single-use glass packaging waste generated during this period comes from the hospitality sector.

To be eligible for a Green Flag, each municipality must meet a series of requirements, such as increasing the volume of selective glass container collection compared to the previous year; ensuring that at least 50% of local hospitality establishments participate in the campaign; promoting the campaign among the hospitality industry; and publicising it among citizens and visitors.

As a new feature, apart from the coveted Green Flag, this year the municipalities in each autonomous community that have obtained the highest scores will be rewarded with a beach clean-up day, which Ecovidrio will carry out in collaboration with the organisation Paisaje Limpio, an entity specialising in the coordination of this type of environmental initiative.

Similarly, this year Ecovidrio will recognise the two hospitality establishments that are most responsible and committed to sustainability in the Valencian Community, evaluating their initiatives to improve waste recycling management, energy and water consumption and their commitment to sustainable purchasing, among other variables. In the Valencian Community, the two establishments recognised in the last edition were Petimetre and Cor de Carxofa.

With the aim of helping municipalities and participating hospitality establishments to separate glass packaging, Ecovidrio will install a total of 300 new containers and provide them with around 1,500 free containers for transporting their waste. As in previous editions, it will also provide hoteliers with training on the environment and the circular economy, with 100 environmental educators visiting all participating bars, beach bars and restaurants this summer.

Calpe Town Council has announced grants for the promotion of sport for 2024-2025, for which a budget of €250,000 has been allocated, with conditions that aim to promote, among other things, sports associations. The total amount of the grants has increased by €15,000 compared to the last call for applications.

This aid, aimed at local sports organisations, has two lines: line 1 with aid for participation in official sports competitions and the promotion of local grassroots sport (€230,000) and line 2 with aid for the organisation of sporting events (€20,000). As a new feature in this call, the two lines are not incompatible, i.e. sports organisations can apply for both.

The main new features compared to previous editions are incentives for the promotion of equality and inclusive sport, subsidies for families with two or more children enrolled, and the distribution of the remaining amount equally among all clubs with expenses still to be covered.

Some of the criteria for accessing the grants are the number of athletes with a federation licence or participating in the Jocs Esportius de la Comunidad Valenciana (Valencian Community Sports Games), the number of categories in the club, the type of competition or the qualifications of the coaches and medical staff, as well as the ownership of the sports facilities.

On the other hand, expenses related to the competition itself, such as referees, sports equipment, medical supplies, monitor expenses, federation fees, mutual insurance, travel, etc., will be included as eligible expenses. Personnel expenses and all expenses related to the organisation of the sporting event for which the subsidy is requested will also be considered eligible expenses. The promotion of local sports will also be taken into account.

The grants are aimed at sports organisations with their registered office and headquarters in Calpe, which may submit their applications from today, 1 July, until 15 July inclusive, via  the electronic office.

Given the difficulties in implementing regulated parking this summer due to an appeal lodged by one of the bidding companies and the possibility that the award proposal may give rise to further appeals, the City Council is considering various measures to compensate businesses and citizens in general for any difficulties and inconvenience they may suffer.

These are urgent and temporary measures to compensate traders for the loss of customers resulting from the lack of parking. This week, it is hoped that some of these measures will be finalised, which could include a reduction in municipal taxes, direct aid or subsidies, or promotional campaigns.

 The mayoress, Ana Sala, has expressed her concern and pointed out that "we are fully aware of the difficulties that this situation is causing for traders and we are working to offer solutions while the new ORA service contract is being resolved. I am personally committed to compensating traders and hoteliers, whether or not they are members of the Traders' Association, with commercial promotion campaigns, economic or other measures. Today we are getting down to work to initiate immediate actions to compensate the business community for the losses that may be caused by the lack of turnover in public parking spaces."

Another measure that the Council intends to implement is to make private plots available to the City Council on a rental basis and convert them into public car parks in the town centre, near the shopping area. Meetings with the owners of various plots of land have already begun with this objective in mind.

This week, the government team plans to hold an urgent meeting with AEMCO and local traders to coordinate provisional measures and assess the impact on a weekly basis.
 

The election of the Queens of the Calpe Patron Saint Festivities 2025 has left an image for the history books: Neus Díaz Fernández and Neus Santos Tur will share their reign and name with the Mare de Déu de les Neus, patron saint of Calpe, in a coincidence laden with symbolism.

Almost 2,000 people gathered last night in the Plaza Mayor for a four-hour gala presented by Marco Maguire and Irune Pastor.

 This event is one of the most important organised by the Festival Committee, as it marks the presentation of the entire Committee, which this year includes members from the classes of 1987, 2007 and 2017. The draw for the new Queens was attended by notary José Miguel de Lamo, who ensured the transparency of the entire process.

 The outgoing Queens, María Avargues and Martina Moragón, as well as the first Children's King of Calpe, Leandro Bonaldo, were in charge of drawing the balls with the names of the new queens, in a gala that was also very special for them, as this event marked the end of their reign.

The most exciting moments of the evening were undoubtedly when the names of Neus Díaz Fernández as Children's Queen and Neus Santos Tur as Queen of the Calpe 2025 Patron Saint Festivities were announced, a moment that could be followed live on two giant screens showing what was happening backstage where the candidates were waiting.

Once the names of the new representatives of the Calpe festivities were announced, the president of the Committee, Tania Puigcerver, highlighted the emotion of the moment in her speech and thanked her fellow committee members and all those involved in the festivities for their commitment. For her part, the mayor of Calpe, Ana Sala, emphasised the coincidence of the names as a tribute to the town's patron saint and guaranteed the Town Council's support for the Committee.

One of the surprises of the evening came when Rafa Rico, a member of the Committee, sang the anthem of the Valencian Community, bringing to a close a magical evening in what was perhaps the most special edition ever, as for the first time in history the Queens of the Calpe Festivities share their name with the patron saint.

Next week, the exhibition hall at the Ajuntament Vell will host the exhibition ‘Almendras Amargas’ by Italian artist Andrea Chessa.

Andrea Chessa trained in the Milanese and European art movements. He graduated from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, where he came into contact with the international realities that characterise the city's artistic and cultural circles, aspects which he integrates, together with his origins and the spirit of his homeland, in a union between past, present and future.

The exhibition Almendras Amargas offers the opportunity to immerse oneself in an encounter between two identities, Sardinia and Spain; a reflection on the cultural and identity roots that have shaped and linked these territories over the centuries.

The title of the exhibition evokes the memory of the place, a reference to the cultivation of this fruit tree that has characterised the history and culture of Calp, shaping the landscape with terraces and dry stone walls, now almost erased.

This title evokes and alludes to a lost memory, something familiar that reappears in the aroma of an encounter. Flavours and knowledge that mark a festive time, coloured tissue paper that envelops ‘sighs’. Andrea Chessa's exhibition is a unique opportunity to reflect on the social and landscape functions of the almond tree, its connection with the land, work and matter: towards a shared vision that continues to travel along the shores of the Mediterranean.

The exhibition will be open to the public from 4 to 30 July in the exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell, in the heart of the old town, and will become another tourist attraction.

Calpe celebrated LGTBIQ+ Pride Day today with the 2025 edition of Calperide, under the slogan ‘La mar de lliure’ (“Very free”). The day of protest began with an emotional and powerful speech by the Town Council Secretary, Jordi Alfred Francés Conejero, from the balcony of the Town Hall.

In his speech, Francés called for mutual respect as the basis for a diverse and free society and reminded everyone that the fight for the rights of the LGTBIQ+ community is still necessary. ‘Being diverse means being equal,’ he said, stressing that there is no freedom without equality, nor equality without respect. He also warned about the hate speech that is taking hold among young people and defended diversity as a source of social, cultural and human wealth.

The speaker ended his speech with an invitation to enjoy diversity in several languages and a message of unity and hope: "Let's shout to the world: freedom, and more freedom, and diversity, and respect, and colours, and rights... and more freedom to be and to exist. La mar de lliures!" (Let's shout to the world: freedom, and more freedom, and diversity, and respect, and colours, and rights... and more freedom to be and to exist. Very free!).

After the opening speech, the traditional protest march took place from Miguel Roselló Square to Colón Square, where the Calperide entertainment events were held, with a performance by the artist Alexia The Night and the L'Askampà Live Show mobile disco.

New this year were the rainbow points, visible spaces providing information and raising awareness about the rights of the LGTBIQ+ community, resources for diversity and messages of support.

With this event, Calpe Town Council reiterates its commitment to equality, diversity and respect for the rights of all people, and joins in the Pride celebrations with a clear message: Calpe is, more than ever, ‘la mar de lliure’ (very free!).
 

The 2025 Festivities Committee will hold the election and proclamation of the Queen of the Calp Festivities and the Children's Queen tomorrow, Saturday 28 June, in the Plaza Mayor.

 This event, which will begin at 9:30 p.m., is one of the most important events organised by the Festival Committee, as it marks the presentation of the entire Committee. Thirty-three young women from Calpe aged 18 will compete for the title of Queen of the Festivities, the highest female representative of the festivities. The same event will also serve to choose the Children's Queen from among 26 eight-year-old girls.

 All the candidates for queen will be accompanied by children and young people from the 2017 and 2007 age groups who are part of the Festival Committee and by the festivalgoers from the 1987 age group who make up the committee chaired by Tania Puigcerver Moreno.

As in previous years, the Queens will be chosen by lottery before a notary at a gala that marks the official presentation of the Festival Committee and also serves to bid farewell to the Queens of the 2024 Festival. As is traditional, the queens from the previous year, María Avargues and Martina Maragón, will be responsible for drawing the names of the new queens, which will be read out once the courts of honour are present on stage. Irune Aguirre and Marcos Maguire will act as presenters.

The event will be held in the Plaza Mayor, where a large catwalk will be set up to lead to the stage and 1,800 chairs will be installed. The 2025 Festival Committee, which is responsible for organising the patron saint festivities to be held in August, has already held other events as part of this year's programme, such as the organisation of the Three Kings Parade and the Holy Week events.
 

The Administrative Court for Contract Appeals has ruled in favour of the company that challenged the contract for regulated parking on public roads and has agreed to refer the case back to the contracting authority so that it may request the tenderer to justify the irregularity of its bid.

The Calpe City Council's contracting committee considered that the appellant company was guilty of presumption of abnormality, as the occupancy rates for the blue zone included in its bid were much higher than the available occupancy data and considered it very difficult to achieve the bidder's forecasts. The company's revenue forecast did not economically justify the bid submitted. The annual tender fee proposed by the City Council was €350,000 and the company's financial bid was €575,000.

When the City Council rejected its bid, the company lodged an appeal with the TARC, which in its ruling considered that when the City Council detected the alleged abnormality, it should have required the company to justify the viability of its proposal within a sufficient period of time for justification.

In other words, the TARC does not analyse the viability of the bid, but considers that the company was not given the opportunity to justify its bid, which is a necessary step when the contracting authority considers that a bid is presumed to be unviable because it is abnormally low or, in this case, abnormally high. The TARC therefore upheld the appeal and obliged the City Council to request the company to justify its bid.

The tendering procedure goes back to square one and compliance with the administrative deadlines will prevent the blue zone from starting this summer. The government team has received the appeal with disappointment and has already urged the contracting committee to continue with the procedures so that the tender can be put out as soon as possible.

Friday, 27:

•    9 am – Free Zumba class. Plaza Mediterrani (Fossa beach)
•    12 noon – Opening of the exhibition ‘Baños de la Reina, la huella romana’ (The Queen's Baths, the Roman footprint). Until 30 December. Museum of Collecting.
•    From 6pm to 1am - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (Fossa beach).
•    8pm - Presentation of the book: ‘Dentro de Ifach’ by Rafa Terol. Saló Blau.
•    8pm - Calperide (celebration of LGTBIQ+ Pride Day):
•    8pm - Speech by Jordi Francés from the balcony of the Town Hall (Miguel Roselló Square).
•    8.30pm - Protest march from Miguel Roselló Square to Colón Square.
•    9.30pm - Performance by Alexia The Night. Colón Square.
•    11 pm – Mobile disco ‘L'askampà Live Show’. Plaza Colón.
•    Painting exhibition ‘A flor de piel’ by Noelia Lillo. Ajuntament Vell. Until 29 June.

Saturday, 28:

•    9 am – Free Zumba class. Plaza Colón (Arenal-Bol beach).
•    From 6pm to 1am – Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (Fossa beach).
•    6.30 pm - Guided tour of the old town. Advance booking required at the tourist offices: 96 583 69 20/ 96 583 85 32/ 677912754 or by email at turismo@ajCalpe.es.
•    9:30 p.m. - Election and proclamation of the 2025 queens. Afterwards, mobile disco. Bar service provided by the Prefesters 2025. Plaza Mayor.
•    Painting exhibition ‘A flor de piel’ by Noelia Lillo. Ajuntament Vell. Until 29 June.
•    Exhibition ‘Baños de la Reina, la huella romana’ (The Queen's Baths, the Roman footprint). Until 30 December. Museum of Collecting.

Sunday, 29th:

•    6 pm - Dance ‘¡Hola, verano!’ (Hello, summer!). With horchata and fartons for all attendees. Civic Centre.
•    From 6 pm to 1 am - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (Fossa beach).

Calpe Town Council has announced the contest ‘The beach as a canvas’ with the aim of designing signage for accessible points on the beach.

This initiative is part of the campaign to promote Calpe as an accessible tourist destination within the Tourism Sustainability Plan (PSTD) under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) funded by the European Union - Next Generation.

According to the rules, the theme of the contest is beaches, and the organisers are looking for an original, creative and inclusive design that reflects accessibility and diversity. 

To participate, you must fill in a form and send your design to turismo@ajCalpe.es by 29 June.

The proposal that receives the most ‘likes’ on the Tourism social media stories on 1 July will be the official image of the accessible point on the beach. The winner will be announced on 8 July.

The campaign to promote Calpe as an inclusive destination, of which this initiative is a part, will be carried out on social media, as well as in both general and tourism-focused online and offline media, to raise awareness of the town as an accessible holiday destination.

The mayor of Calpe, Ana Sala, and the councillor for Urban Planning and Infrastructure, Juan Manuel del Pino, inaugurated section 6 of Vial J this morning, which, by plenary agreement, will now be called Avenida Felipe VI.

Section 6 of Vial J is the last segment to be completed in a project that dates back to the 1989 General Plan and is one of the key initiatives of this term of office. This road will connect with sections 1-5 (which begin at the roundabout on Avenida de la Generalitat and end at the roundabout on Avenida Casanova via the Gargasindi district). This will connect Casa Nova Avenue with País Valencià and Rumanía avenues, making this section crucial for diverting traffic from the beach area to the national road without passing through Ejércitos Españoles and Diputación avenues.

This project, which is over 500 metres long and 20 metres wide, includes all the necessary infrastructure, such as sewerage networks, drinking water supply, public lighting, communications and sustainable urban drainage systems. In addition, the road development includes wide pavements, lanes for each direction of traffic and an inner median strip with tree pits to improve the aesthetics and sustainability of the environment.

Mayoress Ana Sala pointed out that "after years of work, the residents of Calpe now have a Vial J, which will be renamed Avenida Felipe VI, which will facilitate mobility within the municipality. This is an inner ring road that will relieve congestion on other avenues such as Generalitat Valenciana, Diputación and Ejércitos Españoles, reducing traffic jams, noise and inconvenience and facilitating access to beaches, residential areas and the town centre for both residents and visitors," added the mayor.

For his part, the Councillor for Urban Planning and Infrastructure, Juan Manuel del Pino, highlighted the ‘sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) that has been incorporated into the central reservation. This is a smart  urban drainage system whose main function is to collect rainwater efficiently and ecologically, while preventing possible flooding’.
 

Consorci Mare, the entity that treats waste from 52 municipalities in the Marina Alta, Marina Baixa and Campello regions, has achieved a record figure this week: it now has 10,000 citizens registered in the Eco Park network system.

The Consortium has also published the recycling data for each municipality between 1 January and 31 May. In Calp, the five most deposited types of waste are small electrical appliances, alkaline batteries, metals, plastics and textiles. In Calp, the Mare Consortium's Eco mobile is located on Calle Finlandia on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Ninety-nine per cent of users of this service are private citizens, with the remainder being companies and organisations.

The big news about this service is that, starting next year, the Mare Consortium and the Town Council will begin to offer discounts to those who use the eco-parks to recycle their waste. To be eligible for these discounts, you must be registered in the computerised system. All you need is your ID card and to go to the mobile recycling centre when you visit the town. Once registered, citizens will be eligible for prizes and will be able to see what they have recycled at any time.

In addition, proper recycling through mobile eco-parks reduces the cost of this service for the City Council, which is already studying individual benefits from 2026 for those citizens who recycle the most.

Mobile eco-parks are waste management facilities for depositing and recycling waste that cannot be disposed of in street containers. Some of the waste that can be deposited includes small electrical and electronic appliances, used textiles, used cooking oil, motor oil, paints, small amounts of rubble, etc.

Waste that goes to the eco-park, such as electrical appliances and electronic devices, is usually the most polluting in the home. They contain minerals and elements that, if not treated properly, pollute the soil and water. By using the Eco mobile to deposit our waste, we reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, promote a more circular, green and fair economy, and reduce the need to extract raw materials from the earth, protecting the environment and the planet's biodiversity.

Friday, 13:

•    10:00 a.m. Painting exhibition ‘A flor de piel’ by Noelia Lillo. Ajuntament Vell. Until 29 June.
•    5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Blood donation. Local Red Cross Assembly (c/ María Jorro, 1, Local-1).

Saturday, 14:

•    6:30 p.m. Guided tour of the old town. Advance registration required at the tourist offices: 96 583 69 20/ 96 583 85 32/ 677912754 or by email at turismo@ajcalp.es
•    10:00 a.m. Painting exhibition ‘A flor de piel’ by Noelia Lillo. Ajuntament Vell. Until 29 June.

The Councillors for Sports, Ximo Perles, and Education, Mariola Mulet, have jointly promoted the contracting of maintenance and repair services for sports facilities and educational centres. This is a new way of carrying out maintenance and repairs on these facilities, which often require minor work that cannot be delayed.

The contract covers sports areas and educational and social centres. It has an annual budget of €296,450 with the possibility of extension. The successful bidder, which has already started work, will carry out the tasks set by the council technicians, who have already drawn up an action plan.

This initiative will enable work to be carried out such as the conversion of the old bar in the Domingo Crespo Pavilion into a multi-purpose sports hall and a comprehensive refurbishment that includes the replacement of all the doors to the changing rooms and toilets, the replacement of the flooring, the replacement of the benches in the changing rooms and the refurbishment of the concierge area. The air conditioning will also be repaired.

In addition, the changing rooms in the Esplai Park and Benítez areas will be refurbished and a storage room will be created in the old toilets. As for the Ifac Pavilion, the roof and methacrylate panels in poor condition will be removed and leaking gutters will be replaced.

On the football pitch, the changing room doors will be replaced, the roof of the stands will be cleaned and painted, the public address system and scoreboard will be replaced, and damp will be repaired on the blue court.

The swimming pool will also be subject to these actions, as it is planned to replace the access door to the car park, repair damp ceiling shelves, replace the door to the biomass tank and carry out other repairs to floors, doors and lockers.

With regard to educational centres, this contract will enable the clearing of the Azorín and Gabriel Miró schools, the creation of a shaded area at the Mediterrani and Oltà schools, and the replacement of the fencing at the Silene de Ifac nursery school and the CEE Gargasindi school.

Other actions in the field of education include replacing the vinyl flooring in the classrooms of the Silene de Ifac nursery school, renovating the trees in the playground of the CEIP Mediterrani primary school and replacing the protective fabric on the internal fencing of this centre.

The fencing at the Gabriel Miró Primary School will also be replaced, the doorbell at the Oltà Primary School will be replaced and the mechanism for the blinds at the Mediterrani Primary School will be replaced. In addition, painting work is planned in all schools.

The Councillor for Sports, Ximo Perles, stated that ‘for many years, sports facilities have been neglected, and this summer we have launched this emergency plan so that when the school year begins in September, our children will have decent and dignified facilities’.

Calpe Town Council has announced the competition ‘The beach as a canvas’ with the aim of designing signage for accessible points on the beach.

This initiative is part of the campaign to promote Calpe as an accessible tourist destination within the Tourism Sustainability Plan (PSTD) under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) funded by the European Union - Next Generation.

According to the rules, the theme of the competition is beaches, and the organisers are looking for an original, creative and inclusive design that reflects accessibility and diversity. 

To participate, you must fill in a form and send your design to turismo@ajCalpe.es by 29 June.

The proposal that receives the most ‘likes’ on the Tourism social media stories on 1 July will be the official image of the accessible point on the beach. The winner will be announced on 8 July.

The campaign to promote Calpe as an inclusive destination, of which this initiative is a part, will be carried out on social media and in both general and tourism-related online and offline media to raise awareness of the town as an accessible holiday destination.

A delegation of officials and citizens from Calpe took part this weekend in the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the charter of Oppenheim (Germany), a town with which Calpe is twinned and with which it has maintained links of cooperation for more than two decades.

The Calpe delegation, led by political representatives and members of various associations, was welcomed by the mayor of Oppenheim, Silke Rautenberg, and also had the opportunity to meet again with numerous personalities who have participated in this twinning over the years, including Erich Menger, the mayor who initiated this relationship.

The commemorative events included a historical retrospective of the municipality, various musical events with the participation of a big band and a children's choir, as well as meetings with local associations. There was also a gastronomic exchange with a local cooking group, with whom the Calpe delegation shared the preparation of a traditional paella.

Through this meeting, new contacts have been established to reactivate cultural exchanges and various German musical groups have been invited to give concerts in Calpe, as well as to discover the Moors and Christians festival and Calpe's culture. For their part, the German leaders reiterated their willingness to promote any activity related to these exchanges and invited Calpe to attend the Oppenheim Wine Festival in August, the main celebration of this municipality located on the banks of the Rhine, whose local economy is centred on wine growing.

The re-establishment of an association in Oppenheim specifically responsible for twinning has also been promoted, which will enable cultural exchanges to be deepened and access to both local and European funding to be gained.
The special delegate for Twinning, Marco Bittner, stressed that ‘the spirit of twinning must transcend the political sphere and spread throughout the citizenry, especially among community organisations’ and encouraged the population to participate in these exchanges through projects that will find in the Town Council ‘a reliable ally to make them possible’.

The Twinning Department is offering Calpe associations its collaboration in setting up joint projects with the twin municipalities. Musical groups and sports associations are particularly invited to contact the department to explore opportunities for exchanges, performances and international competitions that will enrich the cultural and sporting life of the municipality.

The twinning between Calpe and Oppenheim, which began at the start of the 21st century, is visible in both municipalities through public spaces dedicated to their sister city. In Calpe, Plaza Oppenheim, located near La Manzanera, symbolises this relationship, while in Oppenheim a street in the urban expansion area pays tribute to the Alicante municipality.

With the aim of reinforcing tourist information services and improving visitor services, Calpe is once again installing two tourist information points on the beaches. These points are located on Arenal-Bol beach and Fossa beach and are staffed by tourist guides who join the department's existing staff.

The beach information points are open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm and from 6 pm to 9 pm, although their opening hours are extended in July and August. Both points are located on the seafront promenade, right next to the beach, which is why they have always been very well received.

The initiative helps to improve tourist assistance, offer better and more personalised complementary services and provide direct contact with visitors. These points join the existing offices, the Tourist Info Centre, located in the Plaza del Mosquit in the heart of the Old Town, and the Tourist Info Peñón, located opposite the salt flats, which are open all year round and whose main function is to provide specific information, especially on locations, and to publicise the complementary services available in Calpe.

The positive response this service has always received and, above all, the number of enquiries it has received each year make its installation a worthwhile investment.

The Calpe Local Police commanders have met with the Mayor, Juan Antonio Sánchez, and the Councillor for Public Safety, Guillermo Sendra, to prepare the security plan for the summer period.

At this coordination meeting, criteria and lines of action were established, and the human and material resources needed to deal with a period when the floating population can reach figures in excess of 140,000 inhabitants were specified. This substantial increase in the population makes it necessary to plan ahead for the organisation of events and the surveillance of beaches, residential areas and the town centre.

Over the coming weeks, the workforce will be reinforced to cope with the summer demand, and the Local Police will focus on combating illegal sales and monitoring the promenades and beaches.

‘This substantial increase in visitors during the summer requires hard work in terms of planning and organising the Local Police structure in order to maintain the high level of public safety that Calpe offers, and this meeting seeks to coordinate and adopt effective measures,’ said Guillermo Sendra, Councillor for Public Safety.

In addition to the increase in personnel planned for the summer period, measures will also be taken to put a semi-rigid boat into service for maritime surveillance, to incorporate police officers on bicycles along the promenades and to purchase four new motorcycles this week to reinforce the material resources of the Calpe Police.