Tuesday saw the culmination of the 2017 Rotary Algarve Schools Cookery Competition. Organised jointly by Peter Hinze of the Almancil International Rotary Club (AIRC) and Alan Winn of the Silves Rotary Club, the competition now in its fourth year began in earnest in January with teams from four schools in the Algarve, two from Agrupamento de Escolas Silves Sul, and two teams from each of Dra Laura Ayres School in Quarteira and Escola EB 2/3 Dr Antonio de Sousa Agostinho in Almancil.

The March ride postponed for a week due to the recent bad weather finally got underway from Silves on the 22nd of March. It was led and organised by Alain Balouzet and John Redding. 

Unfortunately the ride had to be shortened due to a delay caused when regular rider John Heffernan decided to take a closer look at at some loose gravel.

Almancil was host to the British Ambassador Kirsty Hayes, who recently visited the Pinetrees Riding Centre to meet many of the people involved in Riding for Disabled in the Algarve. She was accompanied by Consul Simona Demuro, Vice Consul Clive Jewell, and Manuela Romano de Castro, Press Officer.

The President of Almancil´s Parish Council, Sr. Joaquim Pinto, was present to welcome them together with the Director of Almancil Schools, Dr. Rui Filipe, and also Adriana Pereira, Teacher of Special Needs Education and who has 6 autistic children benefitting from the AEDA´s sessions.

Almancil International Rotary Club (AIRC) has held a number of fund-raising events in support of the Associação Social e Cultural de Almancil, known locally as ASCA. Since it was founded in August 1992 ASCA has provided, amongst many other things, a Day Centre and a Residential Home for the elderly, home care services, together with social and economic support to families.

It’s latest and perhaps most ambitious project is to build a crèche for up to 147 children up to the age of 5. The project has already been presented to the Câmara Municipal Loulé and is awaiting the building permit. It is hoped that the work will begin during the second half of 2017 and will take approximately one year and cost in the region of one million euros excluding equipment.

David Butler-Cole describes his latest production “Flights of Fancy, a revue” as “thoughts skimming through a turbulent mind”. He has taken these thoughts and created witty and satirical sketches which reflect the myriad of modern day frustrations and topical situations encountered by us all.

Estoi Palace International Rotary Club was delighted to receive a visit from Abilio Lopes our Rotary International District Governor (DG). This is an opportunity for the Club to show the DG work that has been done in the local community and internationally. During the visit the DG gave the Club a Certificate of Merit for the funds donated to the End Polio Now campaign, following a successful sponsored bike ride last November.

No Alentejo Blue on the 23rd of February for the motorcyclists of the ASB. Only grey skies overhead as the group of 26 riders led by John Heffernan left the start near Boliqueime. The group left the cafe smoothly with the kind assistance of the GNR officer controlling  the traffic at the nearby roundabout resurfacing while we got underway. 

John who not only planned the route single handed also led the ride from start to finish taking us on a great route to Almodovar in the lower Alentejo with a stop for a short break in Amexial on the way. In the absence of any of his usual back up riders a few us took turns at acting as  sweepers collecting the odd stray rider who had missed a turn.

Since Linda Cree became the afpop Events Organiser for the Eastern Algarve in 2007 the number of members and guests attending has slowly increased over the years.
In the early days the numbers were in the 30s but their last event at the Catering College (Escola De Hotelaria E Turismo Do Algarve) in Faro on Valentine’s Day attracted almost 130 attendees of many different nationalities.