Local

English speakers wanted to help locals improve their language skills

SUR IN ENGLISH

Volunteers are being sought to help local people in Mijas and Benalmádena improve their English. If you have native-level English and have some spare time to give back to your local community, two initiatives are ongoing. In Mijas, the I SPEAK ... ENGLISH project has seen volunteers attend schools in the area (IES Villa de Mijas, CEIP Virgen de la Peña and IES La Vega de Mijas) twice a week for approximately two hours for the last 15 years. If you are interested in giving conversation classes, ... contact the AIVOMI association, by email (aivomi.mijas@gmail.com). Benalmádena Meanwhile in Benalmádena, the Summer English Workshop is starting up again in the INNOVA park with volunteers needed for conversation on Mondays from 11.30am to 1pm. If you

Education

Learning English and other stories

Rachel Haynes

The Escuela Oficial de Idiomas (official language school) gives its students of English extra optional homework once a year: to enter its annual short story competition. While organised from the Malaga school, the contest is open to students of ... English at EOIs across Andalucía. Every year the school's own judges select their three top entries and the SUR in English editorial team then have the honour and privilege of choosing the winner. Of all the tasks facing the newsroom, this is one of the ... be a passionate about classical Russian and English literature. Last year she came in fourth in our Short Story Contest. The short conversation with David made my blood run cold. Despite being scared stiff I tried to conceal it and continued

LifeStyle

The full English Mobile

ADVERTORIAL

One of the hardest things for expats when they move to Spain is getting their services up and running. Now, thanks to Lobster, getting connected is clear and simple. While many mobile operators claim to provide services in English, this is ... usually an exaggeration. Lobster, however, really do mean what they say. Absolutely everything is in English, from the website to the bills, and the Customer Contact Centre is staffed by native English speakers. Lobster’s Marketing Director Tony Watts ... said: “When I arrived in Spain 20 years ago, I didn’t speak any Spanish and getting set up was hard. If someone had offered a service like ours in English back then, it would have been much easier!”. More info For more info on Lobster’s English

Education

Full marks from SUR in English

Rachel Haynes

We have to go back to January to find the start of this story. That was when teachers at the international schools in southern Spain and Gibraltar received their annual emails inviting their students to send in work for the annual SUR in English ... judges formed this year by former SUR in English editor Liz Parry; journalist and art critic Georgina Oliver; and singer-songwriter and columnist Peter Edgerton, who selected winners, runners-up and works that deserved a special mention. All this talent ... (secondary) and Agastya Bhat of Laude San Pedro International College (primary). Certificates for the best poetry went to Emily Simmons of English International College (secondary) and Mercedez Zurburg of Novaschool Sunland International (primary).

LifeStyle

The Lady who made travel with pets easier

ASH BOLTON

...pet owners. Speaking to the SUR in English from her Marbella home, Mary said that introducing the scheme felt "marvellous". Mary, 79, said: "About eight of us went to France with our pets the day the law changed, we stayed in a hotel for the night ... English father and a Spanish mother, Mary explained that her parents married in Malaga Cathedral in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War. She said: "My mum was called Isobel Toking, as her father was English, although he lived all of his life in Spain and ... spoke English with a Spanish accent. His grandfather came to Spain and founded the cable from Bilbao to Cornwall under the sea. He stayed with his English wife in Spain, had four boys, and one was the father of my mother. "My mother did not speak

Sport

Liverpool come out on top in all-English Champions League final

Daryl Finch

...the match. With almost 100,000 English fans descending on the capital, authorities and locals were in agreement over the good-natured behaviour of supports. Overall, it was relatively incident free with only five arrests made.

LifeStyle

English cemetery hosts tribute to British writer John Ruskin

LIZ PARRY

The bicentenary of the British writer, art critic and social thinker John Ruskin was celebrated at the English Cemetery last weekend with a talk entitled "Ruskin, a Man for all Seasons" by Andrés Arenas and the vice-president of the English Cemetery ... father George, both philanthropists and benefactors of Malaga. Bruce McIntyre, president of the English Cemetery Foundation, also spoke warmly of Marjorie and in particular of her considerable contribution to the preservation of the cemetery, after

Local

Police officers talk down Briton threatening to jump from balcony of an apartment building in Alhaurín el Grande

FERNANDO TORRES

...began when residents noticed their neighbour's unusual behaviour on the balcony and called police. A two-officer patrol arrived and tried to calm the man down, but with everything they tried the tension grew worse with the man, shouting in English ... , threatening to attack them or to jump. Having asked for reinforcements, two more officers arrived. One of the officers spoke English relatively well and was gradually able to relax the man and gain his trust. Seeing the man was wearing a T-shirt of a rock

LifeStyle

Organisations join forces to start dementia support group in Calahonda

La Cala de Mijas Lions have joined Age Care and Medicare to launch an Alzheimer's and dementia support group. The first meeting, to be held in English, will be on 3 June from 11.30am to 2pm at the Calahonda International Baptist Church. The

Local

Karen McMahon of Mijas Comunicación dies after long illness

Sur in english

Mijas Comunicación has announced the death of journalist Karen McMahon after a long illness. Karen had worked for the municipal broadcaster since 2009, presenting the local news in English on television and radio. Always with a smile on her face, ... she presented the show News and Views as well as Mijas Internacional. During this time she interviewed dozens of local personalities on the Costa del Sol as well as representatives of English-speaking organisations in the community. "Discreet and ... cheerful, as English and Irish blood ran through her veins, she loved country music and dance, she loved Mijas and Andalucía," writes her colleague Nuria Luque on the Mijas Comunicación website.