On Saturday, January 18th, the Bombeiros of São Brás welcomed to their fire station members of the Rotary Club Estoi Palace International, representatives of the Angels Theatre Group and members of the public and local dignitaries to witness the handover of the keys to a new ambulance which will make an enormous difference to the people they serve in the São Brás region.

Another year has passed us by and 2013 has been a year with many ups, but equally as many downs. We lost a truly dear friend and supporter in March, Peta Birch. We are honoured to have known her, it is still a devastating loss.

As the year continued we have experienced an enormous increase in the number of abandoned dogs in need of help, there is a never-ending stream of animals in need, and sadly it is not getting any better… we fear the opposite.

It was a show like none ever before it, The "Algarve Rock Choir", The "Rock Choir Group" and the "São Brás Salvation Army Brass Band" came together for the first time, to play a wonderful Christmas Show in the São Brás Theatre.

With a mixture of carols and modern Christmas songs, it was an amazing experience to see and hear these normally separate factions clearly enjoying their night together.

Imagine calling 112 to request an ambulance and being told, “Sorry the ambulance has broken down.”   During the summer of 2012 when a prolonged drought created numerous wildfires in the câmara of São Brás de Ãlportel, this nearly became a reality.

The câmara of São Brás de Ãlportel is served by a volunteer fire/emergency department that works primarily with outdated and second hand equipment.  Many of the residents live in small villages and isolated farms accessible only by very rugged dirt roads, some of which can be washed away completely in a wet winter. 

Swim for Shoes 2013, the annual event to swim or paddle in the Atlantic Ocean has, this year, so far raised just over €1100 for new shoes for children in care.

Many congratulations and thanks to all those who participated.

On Monday the 23rd of Dec a a delegation led by organiser David Shirley from the Algarve Senior Bikers Group, accompanied by Samantha Birch of The Peta Birch Community Association, visited the Teenagers at the Gaivota Home in Albufeira to hand over the €420 raised by the bikers at their Charity Christmas Lunch and previous rides.

On Sunday, December 15th the Estoi Casa do Povo held its annual Christmas Party for the underprivileged families in the parish. This year the local Freguesia unfortunately had no funds in their budget to help finance the festivities, so the staff at the Casa do Povo requested the assistance of the Rotary Club Estoi Palace International (RECPI).

In early 2013, when the Algarveans Experimental Theatre group decided to perform the acclaimed stage show "Calendar Girls", the hunt began for a worthy cause.   This poignant play, written by Tim Firth, portrayed the ethos of the meaning of cancer to all those it touches, and the ingenious efforts of fund raising for a new sofa.  
Naturally, the theatre group sought to donate funds raised to help those suffering from this invasive disease, and the chosen charity had to be the Associação Oncológica do Algarve (AOA).