On Thursday 19th February the members of the ASB were invited to the Faro Moto Clube for lunch.

Their superb facility caters for all the needs of motorcyclists which could be just a coffee and snack to a full lunch or even an overnight stay. During the morning organiser Mike Sanders took the group on a lovely ride through the hills from Boliqueime to Dogueno for a coffee break before returning south on the twisty road to Sao Bras de Alportel and on down to Faro arriving at the Faro club just in time for lunch.

The Saint Andrew’s Society of the Algarve duly held their Burns Supper at the Ponte Romana restaurant in Silves on Saturday 24 January. According to Society Chieftain Doug McAdam “The Supper was a resounding success with over 100 participants”.

The Intermunicipal Community of the Algarve - AMAL have signed last Wednesday the 21st  January 2015, a protocol of collaboration with the association Safe Community Algarve. The purpose is to strengthen the cooperation between both entities in the prevention of crime and safety of the foreign resident.

In a region that sees itself as the country's main holiday destination for the local and foreign tourist, and with a foreign resident population of around 12 %, it is essential to value the need for self-protection measures with the aim to prevent risks, personal and collective and promote safer communities.

The Royal British Legion (Central Algarve Group) held their first luncheon meeting of 2015 at the Holiday Inn Armaçao de Pera on 21st January.

All 25 members and guests were warmly welcomed, and enjoyed exemplary service from the staff throughout the lunch.

It was a rare case of digging out the winter waterproof riding gear for the ride to Querenca and Benafim, organised by Brian (5th Gear) Evans on January 20th.

Although it was cold it did not actually rain on the ride and eventually all arrived safely at Restaurante O Hamburgo on the edge of the town of Benafim.

Each Thursday morning a small and dedicated group meet to study and draw their responses to the male or female nude. The poses are short so they have to work fast.

Misjudgements are made and sometimes seen and redrawn. Everyone becomes more and more deeply concentrated, and as the poses become longer they have more time to see what's really there, and how endlessly fascinating this tangle of torso, limbs, head, hands and feet will always be to anyone who decides to explore, try to visually make sense of and draw.

New people are made very welcome.

Contact jill.stott@gmail.com for more information regarding drawing or modelling.

The British Embassy in Lisbon was the venue for the official launch of Safe Communities Portugal during a ceremony held on 14th January 2015.

The ceremony was hosted by British Ambassador to Portugal, Kirsty Hayes, and attended by the Dutch Ambassador to Portugal, Govert Bijl de Vroe, representatives from other missions, representatives of the Office of the Mayor of Lisbon and of the Mayor of Cascais, Public Security Police (PSP), Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR), Autoridade Nacional de Protecção Civil (ANPC) as well as other invited guests and media.

Safe Communities Algarve (SCA) was launched in October 2011. Its aim is to promote safe communities, enhance security awareness and reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime. In November 2012 it was registered as Associação Safe Communities Algarve becoming Portugal’s first non-profit crime prevention association.
In 2014 it was renamed Associação SCP, Safe Communities Portugal (SCP), to reflect its expanding work outside the Algarve. SCA relies solely at present on donations from individuals and businesses and is run by a board of five persons who receive no remuneration for the free services provided. They have advisors with expertise in various fields including cyber security to public administration.