For more than 50 years Spain has been the preferred destination for the British abroad. In the early 50’s it was the holiday makers, flying away from a Britain still recovering from the long years of war, to enjoy a two week package holiday in Estepona for 50 pounds. The 60’s brought the hippy generation, discovering themselves, (and a lot more) on the beaches of Torremolinos and Benidorm. But by the 70’s those early travellers were looking to retire and where better than the sunny coast of Spain? Since that time the steady influx of people from the UK has risen until now, in many coastal towns they represent a significant percentage of the population.

The change in recent years has been in the numbers of people below retirement age who have made the decision to leave the UK to forge a life in a new country. Some have come to join existing family members, often parents, others have come with young families and a dream of running their own business here in Spain.

Age difference

The recent financial problems have hit many different sectors of the ex-pat community and their reaction to it is coloured by a wide variety of factors. For many pensioners there is a determination, all other things being equal, to sit out the storm and wait for better days to return. Most do not have mortgages, their needs are modest and they’ve seen it all before. But for those who have relied on earning money here, working for themselves or others, the crisis has had far reaching effects.

Moving trends

A quick survey of some of the removal companies in the province of Malaga would suggest that, in the last five to six months, the numbers of people packing up and returning to the UK has accelerated considerably. And, as might have been expected, the numbers heading for Spain has reduced by half.

There are a fair number of people who are simply walking away from commitments they can no longer meet. The rents for their business premises or flat, money owed to creditors or the state for IVA and taxes. When the situation becomes too difficult the easiest answer is to head for home.

Mark - Leaving problems behind

Mark (not his real name) had been running an air conditioning business on the coast for a number of years. His customers came almost exclusively from the British community and, for all too familiar reasons, his business began to flounder a year ago. Faced with mounting debts and no income, he and his family flew back to Wales several weeks ago leaving behind an apartment on which they owed rent, and a car, on which they owed payments. Mark also owes a number of creditors for equipment. “There was no way I could earn money any more. We were struggling to buy the basics. My parents sent money to help with the airfares. Now we are back home, the pressure’s off and we can try to pick up the pieces.” he said. “ We loved Spain, but it just became too hard. We don’t feel good about what we have done, or about living on benefits in the UK, but we had no alternative.”

Nicola - Children come first

Nicola’s reasons for returning with her family are more complex. She and her husband, a helicopter engineer, have four children under ten and it is their future that has been one of the deciding factors, though finances have played a part. “Although my husband could earn a living here, it was just a job, not a career and, as we are only in our 30’s it was not a way of life he really wanted. For the older children, it seemed that if we stayed here they probably would not have the opportunities in education that they would have in the UK, mainly because of language problems. It has been a hard decision, we have loved our life here and made a lot of good friends, although the financial side has always been an uphill struggle. I know that by returning to Aberdeen, my husband will have a good job again and the children will certainly benefit.”

Nita - Health and happiness

Nita has been in Spain for over 20 years. Following a successful career in the entertainment world, she arrived here in her 30’s and settled down to a carefree existence in the sun. She became involved in the entertainment scene on the coast, appearing in shows and cabarets. Coming from a circus family she always had the travel bug and also spent time in Brazil. Her decision to return to the UK is prompted by a health scare when visiting her daughter in the UK. “I may be being over cautious and I know from experience that the health care here is excellent, but I just feel the need to go back. I love Spain and will be sub-letting my apartment for a while to see how things go. It has become more difficult recently, I have a pretty high rent to meet and I know that I can find somewhere less expensive in the Lancashire area where I came from. I am actually Irish, so I don’t get my state pension until I am 66 and I have a lot of living to do before then!”

Heavy hearts

In the cold light of day, everyone has to do what they feel is best for them and their family, but undoubtedly, there will be many heavy hearts leaving the country that they came to with such high hopes and in which, certainly for the longer term residents, they have enjoyed some of the best years of their lives.