An instinctive need to help others

One of the cofounders of Age Concern Fuengirola/Mijas, who went on to offer his services to the Marbella branch of the association, has decided to “close his lap top on charity work for the last time”. Steve Marshall, spoke to this newspaper about his many years supporting the English-speaking senior citizens along the Costa de Sol, and his reasons for stepping back from the association, which he describes as his “extended family”.

The former secretary of the Fuengirola branch and the person responsible for press and publicity in Marbella, made his decision due to long term health problems. Although he explains that he has now decided to “prioritise family”, he says that he hopes that he “will still be able to help others”.

“This is a final retirement. Well, at least until after the summer,” he says, bursting into laughter, adding, “This has been an amazing time, but my health issues limit what I can do now, but I'd like to continue helping people. It's in my DNA.”

Born in North London in 1950, Steve was head of training and development at Pendragon, which, at the time, was one of the UK's largest automotive retailers. He moved to the Costa del Sol with his former wife in 1998 in order to start a new life in the sun. The couple bought a bar in Benalmádena Costa, which they ran for three and a half years. It was around this time that Steve's health problems became an issue, forcing him to sell the business and start enjoying life at a slower pace. He also had marriage problems and the couple separated shortly after selling up.

“Running a bar was very physically demanding and my health was beginning to deteriorate. I had my first heart attack at the age of 32, and I had three subsequent ones. I believed at the time that I could do it, but running the bar took its toll,” the 76-year-old explains.

However, he soon got “itchy feet”, so he began looking for something to occupy his time. Steve, who lives in Mijas, had heard about a small group based in Los Boliches who were helping older people, and he decided to offer his services. The group, which had no name, decided it needed to expand its reach to help more people and began exploring ways to make that possible.

“It was decided that if we were going to expand, we needed to hang our hat with a respected organisation, so we spoke with Age Concern UK. We were put on a year's probation. We had to prove a track record, and show that we had the funds: for this, we all dipped into our own pockets. After one year, we officially became Age Concern Fuengirola/Mijas,” he says, self-effacingly.

Along with his duties as secretary between 2014 and 2023, Steve was instrumental in the setting-up of the charity's second-hand shop in 2016. He was also active in the organising of the three 'drop-in centres' and the hair-raising challenges to raise funds for the organisation. These included a sky dive, a zipwire flight from Huelva to Portugal and abseiling down the side of the Sunset Beach Club hotel in Benalmádena Costa. He was also involved with organising day trips, lunches and numerous fundraising dinner nights and charitable events.

“I have always tried to give back and help others. I am the oldest of four, so I had a hidden role of taking care of my siblings and this desire to help others fitted perfectly with Age Concern. We focused on building the brand so our message reached the widest possible audience, and ensured the charity was in premier position to help our older English-speaking community,” the selfless Londoner explains.

Steve's health problems resurfaced in 2023, prompting him to retire from his role at Age Concern. He also married his long-time girlfriend and Age Concern member, Sally, who he describes as a “driving force” behind his charity work. However, his natural desire to help the elderly along the coast saw him take up a new position with the Marbella branch of Age Concern in 2024.

“I still wanted to do something, but I didn't know what. I met the Marbella branch founder, Tom Burns, who was a lovely man, almost a visionary in fact. He was totally dedicated. I was invited to join this branch to help out with the press and publicity. One of my aims was to give this branch exposure, as they were not receiving much at the time. None of that would have been possible without the support from SUR in English,” he says.

Steve became active at the branch's social centre in San Pedro Alcántara, getting involved in a variety of fundraising activities and initiatives designed to make the lives of the elderly easier and more enjoyable, especially those who live alone.

These initiatives included talks on advising the over-50s on subjects such as avoiding internet scams, financial advice and dealing with a death in Spain.

“There is a huge problem of loneliness on the coast and this often defines our lives. Entities like Age Concern fills this enormous gap. I am so proud to have been part of the team led by the now retired President Carol Woolnoth and the late Tom Burns, whose vision of fighting loneliness and social isolation I have done my best to fulfil,” he concludes.

Over the coming months, Steve and Sally plan to enjoy the summer and even take a holiday they had to postpone earlier this year due to Steve's health issues. However, this dedicated volunteer's efforts to help others will likely not be the last time they are featured in the pages of this newspaper.

More news from Age Concern on the Costa del Sol.