CalpeNoticias EN

Friday, 25th:

Book presentation: ‘Diània. Terra de Castells’ by Just I. Sellés. There will also be a screening of the audiovisual ‘Terra forta. Paisatges fortificats’. 8 p.m., Saló Blau. Free admission

Exhibition of works participating in the 9th Open Air Painting Competition. From 10 to 31 October in the exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Photographic exhibition of the Foto Club Ifach on occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Casa de Cultura Jaume Pastor i Fluixà. From 4 to 31 October. Exhibition hall of the Casa de Cultura.

Photographic exhibition on occasion of the Centenary of the CALPE Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Saturday, 26th:

Evening entertained by the orchestra La Óxido as a finale to the patron saint's fiestas 2024. Organised by Comisión de Fiestas 2024. From 17 h. Parc de la Creativitat

Performance of the musical comedy ‘Las Nueve y Cuarenta y Tres’ featuring CALPEina Gloria Nieto. 20 h. Auditorium. Free admission

Exhibition of works participating in the IX Outdoor Painting Competition. From 10 to 31 October in the exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Photographic exhibition of the Foto Club Ifach on occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Casa de Cultura Jaume Pastor i Fluixà. From 4 to 31 October. Exhibition hall of the Casa de Cultura.

Photographic exhibition on occasion of the Centenary of the CALPE Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Sunday, 27th:

VII Walk for the World Day against breast cancer organised by the Alicante Association for the fight against cancer - Calpe headquarters.

At 12 noon starting from the Plaza Mayor. At the end there will be a raffle, bar at popular prices and musical performances.

• Photographic exhibition on occasion of the Centenary of the CALPE Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Calpe has received the visit of 12 renowned film producers from the United States and Europe, as part of a fam trip, organised in the Comunitat Valenciana Region. The aim of this initiative is to publicise different locations in the municipality to consolidate Calpe as a destination for future filming.

The producers are known for their work in internationally renowned productions such as ‘Peaky Blinders’, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, ‘Indiana Jones’, ‘Spiderman’, ‘World War Z’, ‘Thor’, ‘Jason Bourne’, ‘James Bond: Spectre’, ‘Mission Impossible’, ‘Superman VS Batman’, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, ‘Matrix’ and ‘Gladiator’, among others. During their visit to Calpe, they had the opportunity to witness the Desembarco of the Moros y Cristianosfestivities, visit the Red Wall and the facilities of the Casa Nova, as well as the Skybar of the Hotel Suitopia where they were shown the variety of Calpe's landscape.

The producers showed great interest in Calpe's privileged climate and its emblematic buildings, ‘elements that add incalculable value to any audiovisual production’, said the councillor for International Promotion, Marco Bittner.

Calpe is part of the Costa Blanca Film Commission, a film office created by the Diputación de Alicante, which aims to facilitate the work of companies and professionals in the audiovisual sector who wish to shoot in the province and, in turn, promote the different municipalities of Alicante as a destination for filming. In this sense, to position itself as a film destination, Calpe not only promotes its wide variety of locations for all types of productions, but also its hotel capacity, which can accommodate large film crews, as well as its experience in organising large-scale events such as the Desembarco de Moros y Cristianos, and the provision of security and surveillance systems to ensure filming without incident.

‘We are delighted to show these prestigious producers all that Calpe has to offer. Our aim is to provide not only unique locations, but also shooting facilities, quality production services, potential financial support and a willingness to facilitate their work,’ Marco Bittner said.

On this fam trip the producers have also visited other municipalities such as Gandía, Benidorm and Alicante.

The Local Government Board has approved this morning the awarding of the works for the new secondary school and the Gargasindi Special Education School. The Board assumed the contracting powers precisely to speed up the administrative processes with the aim that the works begin as soon as possible and can be executed by the end of 2026.

In the case of the IES Les Salines, the works have been awarded to Vialterra Infraestructuras S.A. for an amount of 14,748,935.36 € and a completion period of 24 months. The architects Pablo Peñín Llobell and Miguel San Juan, drew up the Basic and Execution Project for the New Secondary School in October 2023 and the construction project was approved in plenary session in December 2023.

As for the CEIP Gargasidi, the works have been awarded to Orthem Servicios y Actuaciones Ambientales for an amount of 7,055,799.57 € and a completion period of 15 months. The Basic and Execution Project was drawn up by the architects Miguel Ródenas Mussons, Jesús Olivares Casado and Juan Miguel Ochotorena Elicegui, in October 2023. The works project was approved by plenary agreement in an ordinary session held on 14 November 2023.

In both cases, the successful bidders are required to formalise the contract within 15 days, for which the municipal architect will be responsible. These are two of the most demanded projects at present, which will resolve the situation of overcrowding of the IES and will allow the students of CEIP Gargasindi to return to the municipality. Both projects were at a standstill for months waiting for the Generalitat to authorise the modification of the delegation of powers due to the increase in the budget for both projects, included in the Pla Edificant.

The vote on both points in the Governing Board has been carried out in public and the councillors have started to applaud after the unanimous approval of both awards.

In this regard the mayoress Ana Sala said that ‘we have fought hard, we have advanced the work, finally, we can say that if we do not suffer any contingency and the process goes with absolute normality we will have the second institute and the new school of special education Gargasindi at the end of 2026’.

Friday, 18th:

Moros y Cristianos Festivities:

13 h - Announcement of the start of the fiesta. Ringing of bells and salvos

19 h - Entrance of bands from Plaza Colón to Plaza del Mosquit.

19.30 h - Parade through the town centre of the Moros y Cristianos filaes to the Plaza Mayor.

20 h - Proclamation of the Fiestas and hoisting of the banners in the Plaza Mayor. At the end of the event, offering of candles to the Santíssim Crist de la Suor in the parish church of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves.

00.30 h - Entraetes through the old town centre

1.00 h - Dance of the Moorish captain in the Filà Moriscos (carrer de Fora)

Exhibition of works participating in the IX Outdoor Painting Competition. From 10 to 31 October in the exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Photographic exhibition of the Foto Club Ifach on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Casa de Cultura Jaume Pastor i Fluixà. From 4 to 31 October. Exhibition hall of the Casa de Cultura.

Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Saturday, 19th:

Moros y Cristianos Festivities:

9.30 h - Moros y Cristianos Reveille:starting at Plaza del Mosquit.

18.30 h - Christian and Moorish entrance ‘Parade’ in Gabriel Miró avenue.

1:00 h - Dance of the Association's Standard Bearer in the Filà Almogávares (Almogávares lineage)

Exhibition of works participating in the IX Outdoor Painting Competition. From 10 to 31 October in the exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Photographic exhibition of the Foto Club Ifach on the 25th anniversary of the Casa de Cultura Jaume Pastor i Fluixà. From 4 to 31 October. Exhibition hall of the Casa de Cultura.

Photographic exhibition on occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Sunday, 20th:

Moros y Cristianos Festivities:

10.45 h - Disembarkation and First Battle on the Arenal-Bol beach.

19 h - Children's parade in Gabriel Miró avenue.

Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Fishermen's Guild of Calpe. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

This morning the tender for the works for the adaptation of the plot and provision of services for the provisional installation of prefabricated modules for the new IES Les Salines and CEIP Oltà has been published on the state contracting platform.

The works include demolition, levelling and clearing of the land, earth moving, road construction, paving and asphalting, concrete structures, painting and road signs, planting and maintenance of green areas and street lighting. The tender has a budget of 3,265,378.18 € and a completion period of 4 months.

The Town Council ceded, for a period of five years, a municipal plot of more than 30.000m2 located just behind the Silene de Ifac Nursery School so that the Council can install prefabricated classrooms there for the pupils to de-massify the educational centres.

The development work will be carried out on two plots of land of around 6,900 metres each, which will house classrooms for an infant and primary school and classrooms for the second IES. In addition, access roads with pavements, a parking area and a landscaped green area will be built on a total surface area of 33,600 m2. Drinking water supply and sewage disposal will be provided by the municipal networks.

Once the work has been completed and the classrooms have been installed, the 160 students who started the course in the Casa de Cultura and the new enrolments will move to the new facilities.

Parallel to this process, the tendering process for the definitive works of the second Institute continues, with a base budget of 14,899,419.51€. The architects Pablo Peñín Llobell and Miguel San Juan, drew up the basic and execution project for the new institute in October 2023 and the construction project was approved in December 2023. Last July, the Public Procurement Platform announced the tender for the works contract, and in August the only bid submitted was opened, which is currently being studied. The government team believes that the works could be awarded by the end of 2024 and the works executed by the end of 2026.

The mayoress, Ana Sala, said that ‘we are very satisfied with the pace of the tenders in education, the various departments are making a great effort, for which I am grateful, and before the end of the year we will have everything awarded. This government team has worked very hard so far this year so that the educational emergency situation can be normalised, and we can start to talk about normality in educational infrastructures’.

For her part, the Councillor for Education, Mariola Mulet, declared that ‘our aim is to de-massify the schools and turn the educational situation around 180 degrees because here there has been no investment in education for a long time’.

On Friday, Calpe will begin the programme of events to celebrate the Moors and Christians festivities in honour of the Cristo del Sudor, Patron Saint of the town, organised by the Moors and Christians Association in collaboration with the Town Hall.

On Friday 18th at 13:00 the bells will be rung, and salvos will be fired to announce the start of the festivities. In the evening at 19:00 hours the bands will march through the streets of the town from the Plaza Colón, at 20:00 hours the banners will be hoisted and the opening speech of the fiestas in the Plaza Mayor, which this year will be given by Antonia Avargues.

She is a person closely linked to the world of the “Moros y Cristianos”, founder of the “Moros y Cristianos Association”, standard bearer of the association, councillor of fiestas, for years she has been in charge of the staging of the ‘Miracle’ and she is responsible for the design of the Association's banner.

At the end of the act of hoisting the banners, all the ‘filaes’ and the Commission of Fiestas 2024 will make a parade to the Church to celebrate the Offering of Candles to the Patron Saint. At 00:30 hours the Moors and Christians will gather to begin the typical ‘entraetes’ which will go through the streets of the Old Town and at 01:00 the dance of the Moorish captain of the Filà Moriscos is scheduled to take place in the carrer de Fora.

On Saturday, the 19th, the events will begin at 9:30 am with the reveille from the Plaza del Mosquit. At 6:30 p.m., from Carrer Benissa to Plaça Colón, the Christian and Moorish Grand Entrance will begin, which is the culmination of the work of the ‘filaes’, as it is then that the best finery, floats, dances and other attractions will be on display, making this one of the most attractive parades in the province.

This will be the big moment for the Moorish and Christian Captains of 2024, Kiko Thewinssen Pastor of the Filà Moriscos and Miguel Crespo Pastor of the Filà Contrabandistas, accompanied by the favourite, Andrea Thewinssen Pastor and the First Lady, Fanny Poquet Mut. Another important position is that of Standard Bearer of the Moors and Christians Association, which this year goes to Puri Verdú Balaguer, from Almogávares, and the Christian and Moorish ensigns, Joaquin Pastor Pastor from Mossarabs d'Ifac and Juan Ramón Clares Trabalón from Tuareg. In the evening, at 01:00 hours, the dance of the Association's standard bearer will take place in the Filà Almogávares (Ermita street).

Sunday 20th will be the first big battle between the Moorish and Christian sides, as at 10:45 a.m. the Moorish troops are scheduled to disembark on Arenal beach. This is undoubtedly one of the most attractive events of the fiesta. In the afternoon, the children will be the stars of the children's parade, which will start at 19:00 hours from Benissa street.

On Monday, 21st October, at 20:30, the Moors and Christians will engage in the second battle and the ‘miracle’ will be held in the Plaza Mayor, one of the most significant events of the Calpe fiestas, representing the moment when ‘Caragol’ manages to close the gates of the town after the betrayal of ‘Moncofar’. In the evening, the Christian Captain's Ball will be performed by the ‘Filà Contrabandistas’.

On Tuesday 22nd, feast of the Patron Saint, the Santísimo Cristo del Sudor, the Solemn Campaign Mass in honour of the Patron Saint will be celebrated at 12 noon in the Plaza Mayor. After the mass, a spectacular ‘mascletá’ will be fired and the image of Christ will be taken back to the church.

In the evening, at 8 p.m. a solemn procession will be held through the streets of the old town and at the end a night-time mascletà will be fired in the Plaza Mayor. The events will conclude with a mass for the dead which will be celebrated on Tuesday 23rd October at 19:30 in the Virgen de las Nieves Parish Church.

Calpe Town Council will create an investigation commission to study possible cases of illegal exhumation of niches in the municipal cemetery, probably carried out to bury other people's relatives in them. The council has taken this decision after detecting a new case of illegal exhumation following a complaint from the relatives of a French girl buried in Calpe, who on a recent visit to the Calpe cemetery discovered that the niche was occupied by another person.

The girl was buried in Calpe in 1973, and the ownership of the niche was in perpetuity, i.e. for 99 years. The new burial in that niche took place in 2015.

The mayoress of Calpe, Ana Sala, and the councillor of the Eternal Rest Park, Marco Bittner, have met with the relatives and have conveyed their firm decision to investigate what happened.

‘Given the background that exists on this issue we are very concerned that there are more cases and therefore we will create an internal commission of enquiry in order to reach the ultimate consequences,’ said the mayor of Calpe, Ana Sala.

This week saw the end of the latest Bono Comercio campaign organised through AEMCO and the Economic Promotion Council of Calpe, with the aim of continuing to encourage shopping in local shops. The campaign, financed entirely by the Town Hall, has distributed a total of 8,135 vouchers worth 540,830 €.

Individuals over the age of 18 (as of 1 June 2024), registered in the municipality, could benefit from this campaign. They were able to purchase consumer vouchers through a platform - bonocomerciocalp.es - worth €20, €50, €100 and €150 each, which were redeemed in the establishments participating in the campaign. In this edition, the maximum nominal value of the voucher has been increased for the first time to €150 (previously the maximum value of the voucher was €100).

The vouchers are 50% subsidised so that consumers double the value of their purchase. Each citizen could apply for a maximum of €150 in vouchers and each voucher could be redeemed on a single purchase equal to or greater than the value of the voucher. SMEs, small self-employed entrepreneurs or professionals with less than 50 workers have participated in this campaign.

The City Council is planning to organise a new Bono Comercio campaign in the near future, which could be worth up to €460,000. And before the end of the year, the Bono Consumo campaign, financed by the Diputación Provincial, is planned, which will include other economic sectors such as hotels, gyms, beauty centres, etc.

The final list of grants for the payment of property tax (IBI), aimed at retired people, pensioners under the age of 65 and the long-term unemployed, has been published on the municipal website. This year 62 people will benefit from these aids, which represent a total investment of 18.154,44 €.

The Calpe Town Hall offers this aid with the aim of subsidising the IBI of the habitual residence of the year prior to the call in order not to aggravate the living conditions of people who suffer a disadvantaged economic situation.

The aid consists of a rebate of up to 400 euros and up to 85% of the amount of the IBI. The amount can be increased by 10% in the case of people with disabilities or members of the family unit who are disabled and can prove a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33% or who are victims of gender violence or are part of a single-parent family.

To be eligible for this aid, people must have paid the IBI of their habitual residence located in Calpe, whether it is owned or rented. In addition, they must be over 65 years of age or under 65 years of age who are Social Security pensioners. Also eligible are people who have been long-term unemployed during the last year, which is to say, those registered as job seekers in the Labora centres.

In addition, applicants must be registered in the dwelling that generates the payment of the IBI, the applicant must be the owner of a single dwelling in Calpe and this is their habitual residence, not enjoy IBI bonuses for large families and be up to date with their obligations with the Tax Agency and the Social Security.

Friday, 11th:

-20:15 hours. Book presentation Fiestas de Moros y Cristianos in the Plaza Mayor.

-21:00. Musical groups Festival: UM Calp-Ifach, UM Primitiva de Castell de Castells and SM L'Illa de Benidorm in the Plaza Mayor.

-22:30 hours. Pep de La Tona, JazzWoman and DJ Serra concert in the main square.

Exhibition of works participating in the IX Outdoor Painting Competition. From 10 to 31 October in the Ajuntament Vell exhibition hall.

Photographic exhibition of the Foto Club Ifach on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Casa de Cultura Jaume Pastor i Fluixà. From 4 to 31 October. Exhibition hall of the Casa de Cultura.

Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Fishermen's Guild of Calp. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Saturday, 12th:

Finals matches of the Valencian Basketball League organised by the Valencian Basketball Federation in the Domingo Crespo Pavilion.

Exhibition of works participating in the IX Outdoor Painting Competition. From 10 to 31 October in the exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Photographic exhibition of the Foto Club Ifach on occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Casa de Cultura Jaume Pastor i Fluixà. From 4 to 31 October. Exhibition hall of the Casa de Cultura.

Photographic exhibition on occasion of the Centenary of the Fishermen's Guild of Calp. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Sunday, 13th:

• Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Fishermen's Guild of Calp. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the harbour (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

The plenary session of Calpe Town Council has initially approved the modification of several articles of the municipal traffic ordinance with time-limited parking regulations. The modification has a double objective: to adapt the ordinance to the current road safety regulations and to adapt the regulation to the new conditions and needs for the future tendering of the time-limited parking service contract.

Among the modifications introduced is the elimination of the so-called green zone (an administrative zone that was only payable in the morning), which will become a blue zone. This change is in response to a request from the Calpe Business Association itself, which asked for several streets in the green zone to be changed to blue to boost the commercial dynamism of certain areas of the municipality.

On the other hand, the extension and timetable of the orange zone (beach zone with effect only in summer) has been extended to a maximum of six hours and its duration has been extended from July and August to June to September.

The new ordinance enables the use of the app as a method of verifying payment and changes the effective date of residents ‘and traders’ cards to an annual period.

In addition, motorbikes and electric vehicles are no longer exempt from paying for the regulated parking service. The City Council establishes the possibility that in the new contract for the management of the public service, those who have the status of Resident or Trader and whose vehicle has the DGT's ‘zero emissions’ environmental badge will receive a discount, and it is expected that in the future contract the price of the service will be reduced for residents.

Other modifications to the ordinance relating to road safety refer to the speed of vehicles circulating in the town centre, prohibited parking places, the prohibition of parking on public roads for buses, the possibility of setting up parking areas for the exclusive use of pharmacies' emergency services, and areas for ambulances from private clinics and loading and unloading operations.

Another modification refers to the express prohibition of parking when the City Council has signalled its prohibition in this space 48 hours before. Until now, non-compliance with this prohibition did not entail the removal of the vehicle or a fine.

INCREASE IN THE WASTE TAX

The plenary session also approved the modification of the ordinance regulating the household waste collection charge. The updating of the waste tax is carried out in accordance with the new state law on waste - in application of a European directive - which requires that waste management in each town hall must not be loss-making, i.e., that the town halls must collect 100% of the cost of the service with the waste tax.

For the modification of the ordinance, an economic-financial study was carried out to analyse the costs of the service and set the fee considering criteria of economic capacity and waste generation. The distribution of the charge has been carried out by creating nine zones (based on the cadastral valuation)

.

In her speech, the mayoress, Ana Sala, stressed that ‘all the variables have been tried to ensure that the impact of this increase is as small as possible, we do not want to increase waste, but we are obliged to do so by European regulations. In any case, it is a provisional approval that will be in force for a year as we will work to create a new, better, more adjusted rate in which those who recycle the most pay less and those who pollute the most are penalised’.

The spokesman for Defendamos Calpe, Paco Quiles, said that ‘Europe is not asking us to raise the price, it says that those who generate more waste should pay more, you have not worked on this proposal. The method chosen is unfair because they focus on the economic capacity of the area where we live, but they forget about the generation of waste, they miss the objective of the law’.

Miguel Crespo, PP spokesman criticised the waste collection service ‘the way forward is to achieve a more efficient and economic service, it is a short cut by a government without ideas. We miss bonuses and the participation of the residents. This tax is not well worked out, it does not encourage recycling but punishes families. It is not possible to spend so much money on festivals, lights and concerts and then raise the tax in some areas almost double. It is a pure and simple tax increase that will bring in 2 million in revenue by 2025’.

The PSOE spokesman, Guillermo Sendra, said that ‘we know it is an unpopular measure, but to take political advantage of the government team for it is incredible, what are they doing in Benissa, Teulada, Elche or Alicante where the PP governs, all these towns are increasing the tax, some of them quadrupling or tripling it’.

The Compromís councillor and government spokesman, Ximo Perles, also declared that ‘this tax has nothing to do with the service contract, let's not forget that the waste contract is the result of the management of the popular party, we voted against it. The zoning is carried out by SUMA to apply different criteria, the average cadastral value and the number of people registered in each house’.

The councillor of Defendamos Calpe Juan Manuel del Pino said, ‘people should know that we pay almost two million euros to the Mare Consortium for the recycling plant in Campello, let's be aware that recycling is expensive, but there are costs that have to be assumed’.

STUDENT TRANSPORT SUBSIDY BASES

Today's plenary session also approved the rules governing the granting of aid for the transport of students studying outside Calpe. These rules have had to be modified after receiving a report from the Conselleria that indicated the duplication with the aid already granted by the Generalitat to high school students outside the municipality of origin.

Thus, it has been established that students studying intermediate and higher vocational training, professional and higher artistic education, university studies, master's and doctorate degrees and distance university education in centres outside the municipality will be able to benefit from this aid.

It is expected to be able to call and resolve the granting of these aids before the end of the year. The grants have a budget of €150,000.

Calpe will celebrate the 9th of October,

Valencian Community Day, tomorrow with a special programme to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Jaume Pastor i Fluixà Award.

In the morning, the Old Town will host various events such as different ‘Carretons’ outings, simultaneous street performances, traditional games and children's workshops, the inauguration of the sculpture ‘Ensoñación’ by Maggie Poulariani and the preparation of a giant paella in the Plaza del Mosquit.

In the evening at 19:15 there will be an itinerant performance by Masters Ballet accompanied by the Colla de Xirimiters del Carellot with a route from Plaça Colón to Plaça Mayor where, at the end of the performance, the institutional act of the XXX Jaume Pastor i Fluixà -9 d' Octubre Award and Medals of the Town will be held.

The Jaume Pastor i Fluixà - 9 d'Octubre Prize is awarded this year to the Fundació Comunitat Valenciana MARQ and Marq Museo Arqueológico Alicante for their contribution to the recovery and conservation of the archaeological sites of Banys de la Reina and the medieval Pobla d'Ifac.

In addition, several entities and personalities of the municipality will be recognised in their different modalities:

- Citizen Merit: Juan Santos who has been Justice of the Peace until last May after a career of more than 25 years in the Justice of the Peace, first as a substitute judge and since 2011 as a full judge.

- Tourism merit: Jaume Masó: He has been working in the tourism sector for more than 50 years, more than 20 years as commercial director of the Unitursa group, a position from which he has contributed to the opening of new tourist markets for Calpe and consequently to the growth of tourism in the town. He is a reference in the promotion of tourism in Calpe.

- Sporting merit: Jozef Metelka. Slovak cyclist who trains and lives in Calpe for long periods of the year, winner of three medals at the Paralympic Games in Rio, another three in Tokyo and a gold medal at the Paris Games. He is also 15 times world champion.

- Business merit: Pepa Pérez. She is a reference in the world of aesthetics and beauty in Calpe. She opened the first beauty salon in Calpe in 1968 and years later opened Pepa Pérez Esthétic Center in its current location in Plaza Constitución. Brides, festival girls, ladies, Moors and Christians, generations of Calpe inhabitants have passed through her salon. Her professionalism, her work ethic and her search for excellence make her worthy of this recognition.

- Cultural Merit: Marga López. A native teacher from Novelda, she arrived in Calpe as a teacher at the Azorín School in 1983. After a few years teaching in the infant stage, she became a teacher of the second stage, being the Valencian teacher for all the pupils in this stage as she was the only teacher with a degree in Valencian. She was the founder of the association Natura Serpis in the early 1980s. She retired in 2011 after teaching generations of Calpe citizens.

- Premi Jove: Silke Ribes. Currently a student at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid, she has trained with outstanding teachers and in 2020 received the scholarship of the Curtis Summerfest in Philadelphia, a training programme offered by this high-performance institute, considered the best conservatory in the USA, as well as having won numerous awards despite her youth.

- Corbata de la Vila: Cofradía Virgen de los Dolores. In the 1990s, a tradition was established whereby the 18 year olds of the current year's Festivities Commission carried the image of Our Lady of Sorrows in the Good Friday procession. This is a recent custom but full of meaning as all the boys and girls of the Festivities Commission are involved in weeks of rehearsals in order to carry the image of the Dolorosa. In addition, the work of the women in charge of dressing the Virgin throughout history is also recognised.

These awards recognise the work of individuals, groups and institutions that have worked for the municipality from different fields and bear the name of the late Calpe historian Jaume Pastor i Fluixà. The event will begin with the reading of an institutional manifesto.

The local government will bring the modification of the ordinance regulating the rate for household waste collection to tomorrow's plenary session after withdrawing it from last September's plenary session when an arithmetical and material error was detected in the calculation of the rate.

The updating of the waste tax is carried out in accordance with the new state law on waste - in application of a European directive - which requires that waste management in each town council must not be loss-making, i.e. that the town councils must collect 100% of the cost of the service through the waste tax.

For the modification of the ordinance, an economic-financial study was carried out to analyse the costs of the service and set the fee taking into account criteria of economic capacity and waste generation. The distribution of the fee has been carried out by creating nine zones (based on the cadastral valuation).

The tax rate in each of the zones is as follows:

Zone 1-Pou Roig: 162,03€.

Zone 2-Diseminados: 223,98€.

Zone 3-Casco/Ensanche: 223,06€.

Zone 4-Mascarat: 171,84€.

Zone 5-Urbanisations: 235,15€.

Zone 6-Manzanera 257,14€.

Zone 7-Coastal Port: 176,85€.

Zone 8-Coastal: 177,17€.

Zone 9-Salinas 185,33€.

All commercial or industrial premises are exempt from the tax and a 95% discount is established for the family unit whose components, declarer and spouse, are pensioners or retired people, the discount must be requested with the corresponding accreditation.

The Mayoress of Calp, Ana Sala, has sent a letter to the residents in which she explains that the Law 7/2022 of 8 April on waste and contaminated soils for a circular economy, obliges all member states of the European Union to improve waste management and to legislate so that those who pollute the most pay the most, so that the tax collected by the municipalities for the collection and treatment of solid urban waste is not in deficit.

Sala states in the letter that ‘We local councils are obliged to modify our by-laws in order to balance the fee collected and bring it into line with the real cost of the service. This council, like the rest of the councils in Spain, is obliged to update the rate, which can only be upwards, given the current collection deficit that we currently have for this concept due to the consequent increase in costs, which amounts to more than two and a half million euros.

In the last four years the tax burden on the people of Calpe has been maintained and even reduced. In 2019 the IBI was reduced by 5%, in 2022, the capital gains tax for inheritances was reduced to 95%, since 2021 the council does not charge tax for opening businesses and activities, nor for transfers or transfers of activities, thus facilitating the establishment of freelancers and companies.

We are committed, every year, to increase the amount allocated to subsidies, reaching a total amount of 600,000 euros in the 2024 budget. This is the philosophy of this government team, to do more with less, but at this time and, with regard to the waste tax, we have no alternative but to approve this provisional modification of the ordinance that makes the tax more expensive, being aware of what it means for everyone.

We have worked on the criteria and parameters so that the impact on the pockets of our citizens is as minimal as possible, assuming the commitment, once the provisional modification has been approved in order to comply with the law, to study it in depth so that the definitive ordinance is as fair as possible, taking into account the effort in the management and treatment of each waste product, giving bonuses and rewarding those who pollute less and therefore pay less’.

Calpe Town Council, through the Tourism Planning Department, plans to carry out advertising campaigns to promote itself as an inclusive tourist destination as well as talks and training courses to raise awareness among local tourism companies and citizens of the importance of the town being an accessible tourist destination adapted to people with all types of functional diversity.

For this reason, Calpe Town Council has now put these services out to tender with a base budget of 30,000 euros. This is the second tender to be launched as part of a wider project to consolidate inclusive tourism as part of the Tourism Sustainability Plan for Destinations (PSTD) which has the support of the Valencian Regional Ministry of Tourism - Turisme Comunitat Valenciana - and the Secretary of State for Tourism within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) financed by the European Union - Next Generation.

The aim of this contract is, on the one hand, to launch dissemination campaigns in both general and tourist online and offline media, as well as on municipal social networks in order to publicise the town as an accessible holiday destination. These campaigns will also be carried out in outdoor media such as mupis or by means of signage on means of transport, among others.

 They will be carried out in Calpe's main tourist issuing markets both nationally and internationally. This is the case of the Valencian Community and the autonomous communities of Madrid, Castilla La Mancha, Castilla y León, Aragón, Navarra, La Rioja and the Basque Country. And abroad, France, Germany, Benelux and Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland), countries that also have low-cost connections with Alicante and Valencia airports. Tour operators and travel agents from the international tourism sector with a major presence on the Costa Blanca will also be the target audience for this campaign.

On the other hand, training activities will be carried out among local tourism companies and agents to develop adapted tourism products and services and thus position Calpe as an inclusive tourist destination for everyone. Awareness-raising campaigns aimed at citizens will also be carried out to raise awareness of the accessibility offered by Calpe, the need to respect parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities or activities such as ‘roll-play’ in the street through which citizens must perform everyday activities through the prism of a person with accessibility needs, among others.

Through the project for the consolidation of inclusive tourism included in the Tourism Sustainability Plan for Destinations, Calpe Town Council has already put out to tender the acquisition of adapted vehicles and equipment in order to allow people with some kind of functional diversity to improve their experience when visiting the municipality. And within this same project, the installation of a lift in the Museu de la Senyoreta, among other actions, is planned for the near future.

‘We want Calpe to be an inclusive municipality and that its resources, therefore, are available to all people, without exception; through this new contract we want to make known to tourists and visitors that Calpe is open to receive all people as well as to continue training our businessmen about the need to continue betting on inclusive tourism and to the citizens, the importance of becoming a municipality without barriers’, said the Councillor for Tourism Planning, Mireia Ripoll.

The Department of Tourism has attended this week the IV TURESPAÑA Convention convened in this edition under the slogan ‘Everything changes again: emerging technologies for a new tourism model’. The Turespaña Convention, held this year in Tenerife, is an annual event conceived as a space for the public and private tourism sector to meet, to exchange information and best practices and to reflect together on the development of tourism in Spain, its destinations and companies.

Calpe's tourism team took the opportunity to discuss the latest developments and trends in the sector and also held working meetings with tourism councils abroad.

In addition to outlining different collaborations with those responsible for the promotion of Spain as a tourist destination in the world, the design of the calendar of fairs for 2025 and the annual operational plan within the marketing strategy has begun.

The heads of the department took advantage of the networking event to improve coordination with both the Costa Blanca Tourist Board and the Generalitat de Catalunya's Tourism Board. In this sense, it is planned to reinforce promotional activities in Germany and Belgium, maintain the presence in strategic fairs with more prominence of Calpe, as well as an expansion into new emerging markets.

Calpe is currently focusing on a commitment to de-seasonalisation and sustainable tourism. In this sense, the councillor for tourism promotion, Marco Bittner, pointed out that ‘we have taken the opportunity to announce the new features for the coming season; the imminent opening of the Baños de la Reina archaeological site has become a differentiating factor as a cultural destination. Likewise, Calpe is already consolidating CalpePride as its own brand within the LGTBI offer of the Valencian Community. On the other hand, tourist attractions such as the architectural uniqueness of the Red Wall or the fact of being the municipality with the most Michelin stars per square metre in Spain are well received’.

Just as last year the Convention dealt with an incipient current of tourism-phobia, this year the Mayor of Barcelona addressed important issues such as tourist housing and the lack of permanent housing. This is an issue of concern to the sector and is being addressed with public and private solutions. There was also debate on the tourist tax, EC air legislation and, above all, the impact of digitalisation in tackling the sector's problems.

Several panels highlighted the strategic and cross-cutting importance that tourism offers; this season's data in Calpe (breaking the 90% barrier) confirms this. The Calpe team came out reinforced in that the strategic plan of Calpe follows the Department is in harmony with the trends exposed in this convention.

This convention has been a valuable opportunity for Calpe to reaffirm its position as a first-class tourist destination, committed to innovation, sustainability and quality in its tourist offer.

Friday, 4th:

• 18 to 1 h - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (Fossa beach).

• 20 h - Start of Oktoberfesters. In the marquee of the Parc de la Creativitat.
• Photographic exhibition of the Foto Club Ifach on occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Casa de Cultura Jaume Pastor i Fluixà. From 4 to 31 October. Exhibition hall of the Casa de Cultura.
• Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Fishermen's Guild of Calp. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Saturday, 5th:

• Guided tours of the old town, free of charge. Registration required at the tourist offices 96 583 69 20 / 96 583 85 32.
• Open air painting competition in the Old Town from 9 am.
• Bird Day, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, guided tour of Las Salinas to discover the species that live there.
• From 10 a.m. onwards. Oktoberfesters. In the marquee of the Parc de la Creativitat.
• Performance of ‘La comedia de las mentiras’, by Taules Teatre, organised by the Asociación de personas con discapacidad de Calpe, at 8 pm in the Auditorium. All proceeds will be used to organise new leisure activities and different workshops.
• From 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa beach).
• Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Fishermen's Guild of Calp. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Sunday, 6th:

• From 10 am. Oktoberfesters. In the marquee in the Parc de la Creativitat.
• 12 noon in the Plaza Colón, training and police review with presentation of diplomas and decorations to the Local Police.
• From 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa beach).

• Photographic exhibition on occasion of the Centenary of the Fishermen's Guild of Calp. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild)

Calpe has registered a decrease in the number of crimes of 9.8 percent in the months of July, August, and September, compared to the same period last year. These figures were announced at the Calpe Local Security Board meeting at the Town Hall, which was also attended by the Government sub-delegate in Alicante, Juan Antonio Nieves, the Mayoress of Calpe, Ana Sala, together with the Councillor for Public Safety, Guillermo Sendra, and representatives of the Local Police, National Police and Regional Police.

The Calpe company of the Alicante Command of the Civil Guard has reported that the figures recorded in this third quarter represent a change in trend compared to those relating to the first six months of the year in which the number of crimes increased compared to the same period last year by an average of 19 percent. In July, however, crime fell by 4.2 percent, in August by 6.28 percent and in September by 18.9 percent compared to the same months in 2023.

Likewise, because of these figures, the percentage change in the accumulated crime rate (which measures the increase or decrease in crimes recorded from 1 January to the corresponding month, in relation to the same period of the previous year) has been falling since June. That month saw an increase in the number of crimes detected in Calpe from January to June of 19.14% compared to the same period last year. And in September this figure has fallen to 6.90 percent, 14 points less.

‘Although we still have an increase of 6.90 percent of crimes in the accumulated year in relation to 2023, we are optimistic about the figures as they have been progressively reduced, clearly indicating a change in trend,’ said the councillor for Public Safety, Guillermo Sendra.

At the same time, there has been a 6.8 percent decrease in thefts in Calpe, and an increase in the number of arrests of 19.94 percent. And it has been stressed that 96% of residents and visitors say they feel safe in Calpe, according to data from the DTI surveys conducted at tourist information points.

On the other hand, the Intendant of the Local Police, Juan Antonio Sánchez, has highlighted that from January to September, the municipal agents have conducted 17,760 actions, compared to the 17,200 conducted in 2023. In addition, the municipal staff has increased by 14 new officers, which has doubled the number of patrols during the summer months.

The mayoress of Calpe, Ana Sala, thanked the work of the security forces in the fight against crime and stressed that the City Council is making an ‘unprecedented investment in the Local Police.’ ‘We are making a significant effort to ensure that the local police force works with all possible resources, such as new vehicles and two drones,’ and she announced the acquisition of four new motorbikes and a boat, as well as new walkie talkies, among other materials.

Addressing the security forces present, the sub-delegate of the government, Juan Antonio Nieves, said: ‘The cooperation and collaboration has been seen to be good among the security forces in Calpe and that is thanks to the work you do; you are what make it possible for citizens to have that subjective perception of security; I thank you and I encourage you to continue cooperating’.

Gender-based violence

The meeting also addressed the cases of gender violence, which currently in Calpe reach the figure of 93 active cases. Of these, three are at considerable risk and 31 at medium risk, which are managed by the Guardia Civil. There are also 42 at low risk and 16 at no appreciable risk, which in this case are managed by the Local Police. And it was noted that the Gender Violence and Minors Unit of the Local Police of Calpe has conducted a total of 674 actions, 193 more than in the same period last year.

On the other hand, the problem of illegal street vending and the need for coordination between the different security forces to deal with it was also discussed. This summer the Local Police have conducted 90 actions and confiscated material valued at 70,000 euros.

Everything is ready for the Oktoberfest, the Beer Festival organised by the 2025 Festival Committee, currently Prefesters, which kicks off this Friday in the marquee set up in the Parc de la Creativitat. The first keg will be tapped at 8 p.m. on Friday 4 October to kick off the festival, which will last until 8 October.

As well as beer, the Oktoberfest will be serving German and Spanish food at popular prices, and there will be live music and children's activities. As well as the beer, another of the big attractions of this event is the live music. On the 4th, the German music group Don Ewaldo & Magenta and the DJs Raúl C. and Javi Más are scheduled to perform.

On 5 October the day will begin with the installation of inflatables for children from 11 a.m. and the preparation of a giant pella. From 13:30 to 14:30 the children's rock band Ramonets will perform. In the afternoon there will be performances by Xaranga La Motora, Memphis and Don Ewaldo & Magenta. In the evening La Gran Babylon and Xaranga Los Mataos are scheduled to perform.

On Sunday 6th October at 10 a.m. there will be a motorcycle and classic car rally, at 10:30 a.m. there will be a popular lunch and throughout the day Don Ewaldo & Magenta, Los Astrolabios and DJ Jota & Friends will perform. On Tuesday 8th the party will start again at 8 pm with the performance of Don Ewaldo & Magenta and at 11 pm Fiesta Remember ‘El templo de la música’ with Paco García KKO and Xavi Plastik.

This initiative, managed by the prefesters to raise funds for the 2025 patron saint festivities, consists of a beer festival taking advantage of the tradition that has existed in the town in this type of event for more than 30 years.

‘With the Oktoberfest we kick off the most festive month of the town and at the same time it allows the festival goers to raise money for the upcoming festivities,’ said Ana Sala. For her part, the councillor for Fiestas, Mariola Mulet, highlighted the work of the prefesteros in organising this event, which brings back the traditional Oktoberfest.

World Mental Health Day is celebrated on 10 October, and to mark the occasion the Department of Social Welfare has organised various activities under the slogan ‘Calpe, with mental health’. This campaign aims to give visibility and raise awareness of how important it is to take care of our mental health and to know the resources that exist in the municipality.

The Social Welfare Department of has produced an informative guide that defines and explains the resources available in the municipality of Calpe in terms of mental health. The guide covers social and educational resources as well as employment and associative resources. This leaflet will be distributed at each of the commemorative events to be held from today until 10 October.

Throughout the ten days of the campaign, several infographics related to mental health that invite reflection and prevention will be launched on the City Council's social networks. In addition, until 7 October, the façade of the Town Hall, the Casa Nova and various roundabouts will be lit up in green, as green is the colour that symbolises mental health.

Another action is the performance this

Thursday 3 October in the Auditorium of ‘Vesania’, a play by the company Producciones Contrahecho. The play depicts a space in which four people, ostracised from society because they are considered mentally ill, try to survive and reflect on a world that no longer exists for them. Their life, in this place halfway between a mental sanatorium and limbo, is a metaphor for the ruin and civilisation already lost. Admission is free until full capacity is reached.

The programme includes two sports days of basketball and football for the users of the Maite Boronat Occupational Centre. And on 10 October, World Mental Health Day, the institutional manifesto on Mental Health will be read out in the Plaza Miguel Roselló. This event will feature the batucada of the Maite Boronat Occupational Centre.

The Councillor for Social Policy, Itziar Doval, explains that ‘The idea from the outset is to equate physical health with mental health to have resources to help improve it. There is a clear objective with these celebrations and that is to give visibility and raise awareness of the importance of mental health in our society. There are many factors that can damage our state of wellbeing and affect our mental health, because we are extremely vulnerable. We can all, at some point, feel overwhelmed by circumstances. Insecurity, fear, bereavement, illness. The truth is that there are situations that we do not know how to manage alone and it is essential to ask for help in time.

The organising Committee of the National Amateur Theatre Contest ‘Antonio Ferrer el Cartero’ has already selected the three plays that will be performed this year, which reaches its 12th edition and will take place every Sunday from 3 to 24 November.

A total of 112 plays have been submitted from all over Spain and the selected ones are: ‘La habitación del niño’ by Carpe Diem Teatro, from Tomelloso (Ciudad Real), which will open the event on 3 November, ‘Cuando no ves la luz’ by Twister Teatro, from Rivas Vaciamadrid (Madrid), which will perform on 10 November and finally ‘El trastero’ by Amigos del Teatro from Castellón, which will perform this play on 17 November.

The awards ceremony is scheduled for 24 November. And on that day, as the culmination of the competition, there will be a performance of ‘Coplas del alma’ with Emilio Gutiérrez Caba, in which the renowned Spanish actor will take a journey through the great authors of Spanish poetry from the 16th century to the present day, such as San Juan de la Cruz, Santa Teresa de Jesús, Federico García Lorca, Antonio Machado and Miguel Hernández. He will be accompanied by José Manuel Cuenca on the piano and the baritone Luis Santana who will sing songs of the period.

The event will be held at 18.30 in the municipal auditorium and admission will be free. A total of 7,500 euros in prizes will be awarded: 3,500 euros for the best show and 2,000 euros for each of the other two groups selected as finalists. There will also be prizes for best direction, best leading performance and best supporting performance.

The National Amateur Theatre Contest ‘Antonio Ferrer el Cartero’ was born in 2012 with the aim of paying tribute to amateur theatre and its tradition in Calpe, as well as to the Antonio Ferrer “El cartero” (The postman) from Calpe, alma mater of the local scene, and undoubtedly, one of the actors with the greatest personality that this land has given.