England (1977), BA (Hons) in European Politics and French from the University of Derby (2001). Before coming to Spain, Jennie worked for the late Phillip Whitehead MEP in the UK and Brussels, Arts Council England as a Local Government Liaison Officer and for the DCLG (Dept. for Communities and Local Government) as a project manager. She has been in Spain since 2009 where she combines journalism with her work as a qualified English teacher and examiner. She has been with SUR in English since May 2015 and in January 2016 she became the correspondent for the Axarquía region.
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On the opening day of his first ever exhibition in Spain, at the Galería de Bellas Artes in Cómpeta, Ray Murphy learned that his entry had been chosen as this year's Cómpeta Noche del Vino poster. Ray is from Essex, where he lives and runs a busin
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The Festival Tres Culturas de Frigiliana is celebrating its 12th year and will take place from 24 until 27 August. It has become one of the most popular festivals in Malaga province attracting people from all over Spain and abroad. Last year some 3
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Vélez-Málaga is attracting some of the biggest names in flamenco this August with its programme of Flamenco Fusion nights, all of which are free, in the open-air auditorium in Cerro de San Cristobal. Tonight, 11 August, Sanlúcar de Barrameda-based
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The coastline that stretches out along the N340 coastal road from Torre del Mar, through Almayate, Valle Niza, Benajarafe and Chilches is not only steeped in history but also a treat for the eyes and soul in the 21st century. The road, which was once
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Scott Huston, originally from the USA, and his Danish wife Nete have come up with an innovative way of raising money for animal charities in the Axarquía and also helping local businesses to attract customers. They have established the ¡Give Me Five!
Local
Nerja town hall's Foreigners Department has issued an urgent reminder to its foreign residents to check that they are still registered with the town hall. The 'padrón', or town hall census, means that the more people who are registered on it, the m
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Acompalia, the Granada palliative care charity, is holding a flamenco charity concert called 'Flamencos por Acompalia'. The event forms part of the fifth Ciclo Flamenco Ciudad Almuñécar and takes place on Sunday 6 August at 10pm. The charity night
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The Me Vuelves Lorca theatre and music festival has just started its third year in the small village of Laroles in the Alpujarras. The festival is the second phase of a project that Briton Anna Kemp, started around four years ago to try and create
Local
Thousands of enthusiasts crowded onto Torre del Mar's beach over the weekend to see the town's second international air show. During the course of Friday, Saturday and Sunday, spectators were treated to displays and acrobatics from more than 16 diffe
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Following the success of last year's international air show, Torre del Mar is hosting its second such event this weekend. From Friday 28 until Sunday 30 July residents and visitors will be treated to displays from over 40 different aircraft includ
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Twin brothers and cycling enthusiasts from Vélez-Málaga, Kiko and Jorge Montoro, began a 2,400-kilometre bike ride to Copenhagen on Thursday morning. The 37-year-olds set off from the town's iconic lighthouse at 9.15am, accompanied by other cyclis
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British television programme, Superfoods: The real Story, visited one of Almuñécar's mango plantations last week with presenter, Kate Quilton. The El Pinero farm in Almuñécar received the visit and, with the help of the farm's owner, Antonio Guerre
Local
The story of a retired British couple whose house in Almayate is the subject of a demolition order has captured international attention after they posted their plight on social media, as well as attracting support from SOHA (Save our Homes Axarquía).
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What was it about Almuñécar that kept making British writer, Laurie Lee, return, despite being evacuated from the town by a British destroyer and taken to Gibraltar at the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936? Possibly its unassuming charm, its
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Nerja's famous caves are a favourite among visitors and locals alike, while Rincón de la Victoria's Cueva del Tesoro is a relatively unknown secret, despite being the only marine cave in Europe. An underground favourite Quite possibly the only pl
National
The Weekend Beach music festival, which will be celebrating its fifth anniversary next year, finished in the early hours of last Sunday morning. Organisers and town councillors said in a press conference on Tuesday that an estimated 130,000 people ca
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Oliver Perry is about to open his latest exhibition of sculpture in the Sala el Pósito, a former granary on Plaza de la Constitución, in Vélez-Málaga. The Pennsylvania-born artist is no stranger to exhibiting in Malaga; he first came to the provin
Local
The fourth Weekend Beach Festival got under way on Wednesday evening under tighter security in the wake of recent terrorist attacks across Europe. National Police sources at the event, which around 30,000 people are expected to attend, confirmed that
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El Faro de Torrox is starting guided visits of the archaeological site located next to the lighthouse, as well as the lighthouse itself, in English and German. The visit includes the Factoría de Salazón, the necropolis, the Roman villa and baths.
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The fifth Festival Tropical gets under way on Saturday 24 June in Almuñécar and will see more than ten different marching bands from Scandinavian countries playing in different locations around the town. Information When:Saturday 24 June
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The fourth annual Festival of Improvised Music will be held in Riogordo this Saturday, 24 June. The event will take place at the Ethnographic museum, starting at 7pm. This year's event will feature a wide range of jazz, improvised music, dance and
National
The state opening of Parliament on Wednesday following the 8 June general election had Brexit at its heart. However, it was the Queen's choice of hat for that captured the attention of many pro-remainers on social media as they felt the blue number,
National
Official Brexit negotiations got under way at the European Commission in Brussels on Monday. Chief EU negotiator, Michel Barnier, met David Davis, the UK Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, two days before the Queen's Speech in the
Local
An 82-year-old British tourist was found dehydrated and disorientated on the side of the A7 motorway 30 hours after disappearing from his holiday home in the Capistrano area of Nerja. The man, who had gone to throw the rubbish out at around midday on
National
The British Prime Minister Theresa May received sceptical responses from German Chancellor, Angela Merkel and European Commission president, Jean Claude Juncker, to her announcement of plans to safeguard the futures of over three million European cit
Local
Almuñécar's local police detained a British citizen on Thursday who was in possession of narcotics including hashish and heroin with a street value of 7,160 euros. The arrest was made at the town's bus station when 'Otto', the police force's newest
Local
Details of the second Torre del Mar International Air Show were unveiled by mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Antonio Ferrer and Deputy Mayor, Jesús Antencia, last week. The event, which will take place on 28, 29 and 30 July, will see 40 aircraft flying over th
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When thinking of a link between crime writer Agatha Christie and Spain, Poirot's The Mystery of the Spanish Chest or the writer's own trips to Mallorca and the Canary Islands may spring to mind. Few, however, would come up with the mountain-top villa
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The small town of Árchez in the Axarquía is holding its first Residents' Day on Friday 16 June, dedicated to its foreign population. The event forms part of a cultural week which comes to an end on Saturday. The total population of the village, wh
Local
Leading representatives from the Nerja Cave foundation allowed journalists access to parts of the Nerja cave system not usually open to the public on Tuesday, with the aim of promoting the idea of making June 6 a UNESCO international subterranean wor
Local
Joan and Reg Elliott celebrated 75 years together with their son, Cliff and his wife Diana, neighbours and carers at their apartment in Nerja last Friday. Their Spanish neighbours provided a cake and cava to toast the couple's anniversary and the non
Local
Cleaning operatives working on the beach in La Herradura expressed their, "surprise and incredulity," when they came across a class B explosive pertaining to the American military near to the town's secondary school yesterday. Staff from the Urbase
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Thomas Kaurich will be giving two piano recitals in May; one on 10 June at Bodegas Bentomiz and on 17 June in the grounds of St George's Church in Malaga. He hopes that these will be the first of many and would like to gather support and momentum for
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INFORMATION When: From 3 until 25 June, every day from 11am - 2pm except Sunday and Wednesday Where: Galeria Centro de Bellas Artes, C/ San Antonio 6, Cómpeta Further info: www.galeriacentro.com Irish artist, Noel Lewis, is starting the summer
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Thomas says he has chosen a "traditional programme" which will be the same for both concerts: on 10 June at Bodegas Bentomiz and 16 June at St George's Church in Malaga. It includes Schubert's Impromptu Op. 90 No 4, Ludwig van Beethoven's "Moonlight"
Local
The Junta de Andalucía has withdrawn its plans for mussel beds off the coast of Almuñécar and La Herradura. After months of protests by local companies and the town hall, mayor of Almuñécar, Trinidad Herrera, announced the decision on Tuesday. She sa
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Simón Bolívar, Venezuelan soldier, politician and one of the most prominent figures in the independence of many South American countries, married María Teresa del Toro y Aleyza in San José church in Madrid on 26 May 1802. Bolívar, who had come to Spa
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Françoise Rajewski isn't your typical 'expat' charity president. For a start, at just 40, she is still very much of working age, and she has a number of piercings. Originally from France, Françoise has lived the UK, Ireland, Poland and Belgium, wh
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Acompalia supports terminally ill patients and their families in Granada province. It provides services free of charge that help patients live each remaining day as fully as possible. The charity offers a helpline, company, legal and interpretation /
Local
Lux Mundi Torre del Mar welcomed a number of new faces to its open day last Friday. Around 150 people attended the event, which was held in order to show people the numerous activities organised by the centre. Volunteer, Sue Bell, said, "We have s
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Three gardens in the Alpujarra will be open on 27 and 28 May to raise money for charities. The Jardín de la Alpujarra, Órgiva Tea Garden and Jardín Nevada in the Alpujarra region of Granada province will be offering the opportunity for visitors to
Local
Organisers of Torre del Mar's increasingly popular Weekend Beach Festival announced last week that this year's event has almost sold out. With just under two months remaining before it gets underway, 85 per cent of the full weekend tickets have bee
Local
A new boutique hotel, the Peña Parda Bay, named after its predecessor, the Hostal Peña Parda, as well as the beach on which it is located, is due to open its doors in time for the summer season. The hotel will boast 18 en suite rooms and two restau
Local
Nerja town hall's Foreigners Department is reminding residents to pay the annual road tax and garage entrance fee. The road tax deadline is 19 May, while the garage entrance fee must be paid by 22 May. In a note in English to foreign residents, the
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Towns throughout Malaga province will be celebrating their patron, San Isidro Labrador, this weekend. As the patron saint of farmers, he is recognised in many of Malaga province's agricultural towns and villages including Periana, Nerja, Alhaurín el
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The author of the Culture Crime Series of novels, Janet Pywell, has recently launched her latest offering, Book of Hours, which starts off during a Semana Santa procession in Malaga. The book describes in detail the "pomp and pageantry" of the reli
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For Janet Pywell, "flying back to Malaga is like going home" and many of its landmarks are mentioned in Book of Hours. For example, protagonist Mikky dos Santos has breakfast in Café Central before visiting her friend Carmen at the Picasso Museum. Sh
National
With just a month to go before the UK's snap election on 8 June, Britons on the Costa del Sol who are still eligible to vote are being reminded to register to do so before 22 May. The organisation Bremain in Spain has put together a fact sheet wit
Local
Almuñécar police force have recently recruited a new member to their unit. Otto is a Belgian Shepherd, or Malinois, who will work with agents in the fight against crime in the Almuñécar area. Otto made his debut at the beginning of April and was fo
Local
The Mancomunidad de Municipios, a collective of the town halls in the Axarquía, has announced a pilot scheme of free Spanish classes aimed at foreigners with little or no Spanish. The course is designed to prepare students to take the official Span
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Cómpeta will be showing off its abundant visual art again this Easter week. From Wednesday 12th, until Sunday 16th (with the exception of Good Friday, 14th) the annual Art Walk will be taking place. Nearly 40 new and ArtWalk regulars will be displa
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On this day in 1988 the Spanish government passed a law to allow private companies to broadcast on Spanish television, paving the way for the likes of Antena 3 and Telecinco to make their mark on the airways. The law was passed by 169 votes to 112,
Local
Javier León is the new foreigners-department officer at Frigiliana town hall. He has been in the job since 1 March this year, after successfully passing the 'oposiciones', or civil service exams in January. Javier, 48, is already a well-known figur
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British poet, music composer and performer Keith James is back in his beloved "second home" of Andalucía to give a series concerts dedicated to the late Leonard Cohen. A well-known character already in towns such as Cómpeta, where he took part in
Local
El Paso, Riogordo's famous Passion Play, has been performed at Easter in the town since 1951. It is as popular with tourists as it is with locals, regularly attracting around 10,000 people. The event has been designated by the provincial government
Local
Vélez-Málaga's councillor for beaches and tourism, Jesus Pérez Atencia, announced on Tuesday that the area's beaches are to have lifeguards over Easter week for the first time. Thirteen professionals will keep watch over the Torre del Mar and Caleta
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INFORMATION When: Sunday 2 April then the first Sunday of every month, except July and August. Where: El Camping bar, Mirador de la Axarquía, Comares. The Comares Eco Market will open for the first time this Sunday, with a Spring Fiesta, at El Ca
National
Nine months after the UK's referendum on European Union membership resulted in a vote to leave the bloc, the UK's ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, handed over the official communication of Britain's exit from the EU to European Council president
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For many years Nerja, Malaga province's easternmost coastal town, has been attracting northern Europeans and in particular Britons, not just for holidays, but as permanent residents too. In fact, approximately one third of Nerja's population is made
Local
Frigiliana's foreigners' department reopened earlier this month and information is available in Spanish, English and French. The post, which had been previously held by Briton Kevin Wright on and off for a number of years, has been filled by Javier L
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INFORMATION When: Sunday 2 April. Where: Torre del Mar beach. Further information: www.facebook.com/colorenlaplaya or www.c-i-eventosdecolor.es You can now sign up for the Torre del Mar Carrera de Color, or 'Colour Run', which will take place o
National
Britons living in European Union countries and European Union citizens living in the UK suffered a blow on Monday when MPs voted against an amendment by the House of Lords to publish plans to guarantee citizens' rights within three months of Article
Local
An article published in SUR in English on 27 January referred to an 'exodus' of British residents from the Costa del Sol. The report quoted the most recent statistics available regarding numbers registered on their local town hall's 'padrón', or popu
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On this day in 2005 a total of 41 people were arrested in Marbella, Estepona, San Pedro de Alcántara, Mijas and Sotogrande, including three notaries and several lawyers in the Ballena Blanca (white whale) case - the largest money laundering ring in S
Local
Vélez-Málaga town hall has confirmed that it is to receive 130,000 euros from the central government to repair damage to the area's beaches caused by the heavy rain and storms in February. The money will go towards repairing the dog beach to the west
Local
Organisers of Torre del Mar's Weekend Beach Festival, along with deputy mayor Jesús Pérez Atencia, held a press conference on Tuesday to officially announce the line-up for this year's instalment. Although information had been released previously a
Local
The head of the Malaga office of Spain's national statistics institute works closely with town halls across Malaga to get up-to-date information about the number of foreign residents living in the province. He and his team work with the local authori
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Cornelia Lenzin, is a professional pianist and piano teacher from Basel in Switzerland. After many years of holidaying in Malaga province and inheriting some money, she decided to buy property in the Axarquía and have more of a permanent base here.
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The official inauguration of Merle Kumschier's exhibition of sculpture and painting will take place at 4pm, today, 3 March. · For more information, visit www.elmolinodecajiz.com or call 672 731 117 This will be followed by a concert at 6pm with
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Aleks Kashefi, a science teacher from Buxton in Derbyshire, passed through Vélez-Málaga last Friday, on the final leg of his 6,200-kilometre solo adventure to run the entire length of Europe, a distance of almost 150 ultra-marathons. He completed
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A new art gallery, run by English couple, Wendy Holmes and her partner Doug Elliot, has opened in Periana. 'La Galería' has been open since the end of January and exhibits work by local Spanish and foreign artists. The current collection has paint
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INFORMATION When: Until 3 March. Monday to Saturday, 11am to 2pm. Where: Espacio Creativo, Calle Baja del Mar 14, Almuñécar. Further info: Facebook: Annabel Keatley. Phone 699 801 613 (for paper workshops). English artist and paper-maker, Annab
Local
The Gálvez museum (Museo de los Gálvez) in Macharaviaya opened its doors to the public once again on Saturday, 10 months later than planned, following an auguration ceremony which took place at the town's Jacinto church. Mayor Antonio Campos Garín
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When Jenny Mahimbo retired and moved to Spain in 2015 she felt restless and couldn't get used to life in the slow lane. "I needed to feel useful," says the retired social worker, who received a MBE for services to children in the Queen's birthday hon
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From Saturday the Museo de los Gálvez in Macharaviaya will once again be open to the public. The inaugural exhibition is a collection of 31 portraits of women by the artists Pablo Picasso and Alfredo Opisso. The museum also offers the opportunity t
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INFORMATION uWhen: Until 17 Februaray, Tuesday to Saturday11am - 1.30pm, Sunday 11am - 10pm uWhere: Casa Fuerte Bezmiliana, Avda. Mediterráneo, 194 Rincón de la Victoria Local British artist Derek Worthington has returned after a long break with
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Members of a group that meets monthly to share advice and information about horses has been able to help someone with no experience to rescue and adopt an abandoned horse. Silvia Willers, 62, originally from Germany, explains that when she heard a
Local
Over 100 English language teachers will be meeting for the ACEIA Málaga 3rd Annual English Language Teaching (ELT) conference on Saturday 4 February. The conference, at the Hotel Puerta Málaga, offers the opportunity for English language teachers fro
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The Ytre SulØens Jazz ensemble with Tricia Boutté will be performing at the Centro Cultural Villa de Nerja in Calle Granada on Wednesday 1 February. Information When: Wednesday 1 February. Where:Centro Cultural, Villa de Nerja, Calle Granada 4
National
Simon Manley, the UK's Ambassador in Spain, and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, have both reacted to the speech Theresa May made on Tuesday in which she announced plans for the UK's departure not only from the European Union, but also the Single Market
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Vilostrada, a non-profit organisation based in the Axarquía which runs community projects through its foundation, recently started a shoebox fundraiser for nomad children in the heart of the Sahara desert. The founders of the organisation, Swedish
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Gwen Ferber has been the councillor Volunteers and Tourism in Cómpeta since 2015. She and her late husband, Tom, first visited the town in the summer of 1993 when they spent the six weeks' school holiday there. As school teachers in the north of E
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INFORMATION When. 13, 15, 20-22 January. Where. Cómpeta, Algorrobo, Faraján. The Fiesta de San Sebastián, known as the 'patron saint of winter', is celebrated on the anniversary of the saint's death, 20 January and as patron saint of Cómpeta, Alg
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INFORMATION When. From 17 to 21 January. Where. Civic Centre, La Herradura. Further information. www.certamenandressegovia.com The 32nd international guitar competition held every year in La Herradura will this year be marking the thirtieth a