Costa del Sol international media members enjoy open mic summer party

International journalists and media professionals who belong to the Costa Press Club attended their midsummer event on Wednesday in the surroundings of LaKala Beach restaurant in La Cala de Mijas. The open mic session gave members the chance to grab centre stage for a few minutes and tell everyone about their latest projects or whatever was close to their hearts.

Before the dinner and speeches, however, Neil Hesketh took the microphone to deliver a moving and personal tribute to the club’s late president, Jesper Sander Pedersen, who died in May after a long spell in hospital.

Now acting president until the committee can be reconstituted, Neil recalled that Jesper had been involved in the initial preparations for the event before he became ill, and had always particularly enjoyed the club’s midsummer parties. He also recounted how the last time he had talked to Jesper was at a chance encounter in Malaga when they briefly touched on a topic of interest to them both, and agreed to continue the discussion at a later date - leading Neil to end his tribute with the reflection that one should always “have that conversation”, and not leave it until it is too late.

The event then got under way, with a meal prepared by LaKala Beach chef Michael Da Costa, and open mic talks on various themes, from a presentation by Wendy Cowham of The Costa Connection magazine (www.costaconnection.online) to an account from Joan Fallon of her progress on her latest book, a historical novel involving “love, politics, suspense and injustice” and called The Winds of Change.

Chris Chaplow entertained members with his contribution, entitled “Clickbait - the curse or the scourge of the modern web?” Clickbait, he mused, has been described as “a headline that intentionally over-promises and under-delivers” such as a recently seen one which lured readers to click on the link which promised to “reveal the trick” of shopping in Mercadona without paying for a plastic bag - and which after a long article, interspersed with ads and videos, recommended finding an empty cardboard box near the milk shelf.

Georgina Oliver also amused the gathering with what she called a “self plug” about what it takes to be a “tricultural journalist”. Describing herself as a Franco-Brit Malagueña with a red-hot passion for an “Andalusian beau” she met when she was 17, and also for newspapers, she illustrated her talk about her career, delivered in true-to-character trilingual fashion, by fishing out of her handbag - a two-pin Spanish plug.

To round the evening off, a prize for the best summer party look was awarded jointly to Louise Cook and Gary Edwards, who were suitably attired for a media event in matching newsprint-themed outfits.