Santa is pleased to report on the success of the Rotary E-Club Porches International Christmas Market held 22-23 November at Galeria Arte Algarve in Lagoa.

A total of € 3,886 was raised to help the Portimão Food Bank with its equipment needs.

Good golf is high on the list of priorities for many an ex-pat here on the Algarve. Combine that with good food, great company and the opportunity to help the needy and you have the ingredients for a perfect lifestyle.

A week or so ago, a Golf and Charity Lunch at 84 Bistro & Wine Bar produced more than €750 for children’s charity, ACCA, which is raising its profile and following here as an increasing number of supporters come forward to help fund-raise.

On Wednesday 19th November 50 members of the BALL (Buddies Algarve Ladies Lunch) enjoyed the last lunch club event of 2014 at ‘LUAU Restaurant ‘, Albufeira. The event included the presence of 5 stalls offering a wide range of Christmas cards and gifts, high end jewellery, fashion items, Aloe Vera products and yummy chocolates from a local chocolatier.

It was from an idea of Christophe Rindlisbacher, Golf Director of Pinheiros Altos Golf, that a series of three fundraising Pro Am golf events came together as a much-lauded tournament, played over September, October and finally November. 

As a result, children’s charity ACCA is the beneficiary of €3,400, which will be put into the causes it supports.

Villas & Vacations recent coffee morning in aid of ACCA, raised just over €1,000 for for charity that looks after under-privileged children across the Algarve and works with a number of homes and institutions, funding everything from urgent medication needs and special equipment and therapies to back-to-school essentials.

Rotary Club Estoi Palace International held its semi-annual quiz night on Friday, 31st October and achieved another great result. € 1408 were raised for the club’s ongoing project to supplement the Food Bank’s monthly parcels with milk for the underprivileged families of Estoi.
As milk prices have increased and the families requiring assistance has increased, so had the budget required.

Ladies who lunch last week raised €664 towards animal care at a west coast charity for abandoned animals.
Sheila Merriott, organiser of the lunch on behalf of AEZA (Associação Ecologista e Zoófila de Aljezur) explained: “The charity does fantastic work rescuing abandoned dogs and cats, some of which are left in a pretty distressed state, and we thought this ladies-only lunch would be an ideal way of raising some much-needed funds.”

The ladies of BALL (Buddies Algarve Ladies Lunch) had a great time at this month’s lunch date on Wednesday 22nd October. The lunch, organised by Pat Roberts, was held at ‘A Tasquina,’ restaurant Carvoeiro.

Fi-line Fashions presented a range of their wonderful winter collection, modelled by some of the BALL members who now do it so expertly. Move over Kate Moss!