One local artist has turned a man's wartime childhood home in to a unique and special work of art. Mark Harrington's search for the place where he was evacuated to when he was a child during the war was featured in the Leader newspaper, an article that led to numerous calls and emails of help leading to the missing pieces of the jigsaw being put together.

As a result, in October last year Mark and his family made an emotional visit to Gisburn, Lancashire to return to Mill House, the place where he spend 18 months after being evacuated from Dagenham in 1941/42. The house was largely unchanged from what Mark remembered and now an acrylic painting of it hangs in pride of place in his home thanks to the talents of skilled artist Sheila Ransom.

The painting was commissioned by Mark's wife Pam before Christmas after Mark had been admiring Sheila's work one Wednesday morning as Sheila attended the Marina Art Club. Pam sneakily returned with her photo of Mill House giving Sheila a bit of a challenge! “I mainly do portraits so when I was asked to do a painting I was expecting a portrait photo not one of a house! I looked at it and thought 'oh my god!'” Joked Sheila who was encouraged to do the artwork by her teacher Susanne who said, “Acrylics is a new medium for Sheila but I knew she could do it and she did a fantastic job.”

Her client is certainly happy, Mark was shocked and delighted with the painting when he saw it for the first time, completely unaware that it was being done. He thanked Sheila once again as she attended her Friday art group at the Sports Complex in urbanisation La Marina where they were arranging for the painting to be framed. “I'm absolutely chuffed and did not have a clue!” Mark continued, “It's going on the main wall behind me but on the opposite wall is a large mirror so I can always see the reflection.”

As well as doing private commissions Sheila also hopes to have some artistic success in a current competition she has entered through the Marina Art Club and could have some of work on display at Corte Inglés in Elche. Susanne says they entered the judged competition last year and almost all of her members were chosen to have their work on display with Sheila's piece being voted fifth, quite an achievement out of the hundreds entered. This year, more hope to be selected so keep your eyes out for the forthcoming exhibition.

Last week Torrevieja's Mayor Eduardo Dolon, accompanied by the Councillor for Education, Daniel Plaza, announced that the Local Government Board has approved the grant of almost one million euros (€944,392) towards school buses.

Eduardo Dolon said that this amount was brought forward as part of the compromise agreement with AMPA and will benefit, single parents, large families, for a child with disability of 33% or more, for an unemployed parent or guardian and for a family whose per capita income is equal to or less to the minimum wage that's set for the year 2011.

Eduardo Dolon, remarked that in a great majority of cases the City will pay 100% of the cost of school transport without the students required to contribute in the event that a family unit has been unemployed for two years, those who have been unable to attend a closer school through lack of space, students of C.P. Acequión who are in temporary accommodation and families in other difficult situations. In addition, families with more than one child using the transport system will receive a 10% discount for the second child.

Back in the UK, some political campaigns are purely based upon ridding their constituency of graffiti and dog poo! Not surprisingly, those standing on this platform seem to do very well. And while Torrevieja has taken major steps forward in the fight against graffiti, with graphologists and security cams, the council still receives many complaints about doggie doos! In reaction to this criticism, Eduardo Dolon have stepped in, no not in the poo, but in terms of setting up a new awareness campaign to try and educate dog owners to scoop up after their pet has done a jobbie, so that nobody need step in it!

Second to this there is a complimentary campaign about the collection of unwanted articles to raise awareness to both residents and tourists about the need t0 maintain an image of one of the region's cleanest cities.

One of the more important developments of this campaign is its incorporation into new technologies, in particular, on Facebook, with the creation of an original game that focuses on the collection of the droppings in Torrevieja's streets, parks, gardens and squares.

The campaign was launched on Thursday in collaboration with the company Acciona. Torrevieja's Mayor Eduardo Dolon, along with the Delegate for Urbanisation, Antonio Boix, Councilkor for Police and Public Safety, Eduardo Gil Rebollo, and the designer and coordinator of the campaign, Llinares Francisco, presented the awareness campaign which started with the insertion of advertising signs with messages created specifically for this purpose in 50 advertising sites around the city plus advertising in print and on radio, transmitting very clear messages to reminded one and all of the importance of respecting these rules of basic cleaning and maintenance.

The council are also handing out 2,000 key chains that include pouches to allow owners to clear up after their pet. The police will also be vigilant in applying Municipal Ordinance on animal husbandry, of which Article 18 says: "Owners must prevent their animals depositing their droppings in areas of pedestrian traffic, and must clean up after them.”

Dolon also said that the city has over 100 senecanes (bins for animal excrement) mainly in parks and gardens of the town, which have bags to collect such waste. He also noted that regarding the collection of household goods and furniture, the campaign also is a reminder that there is no need to abandon them in public, and that there is a pick up service, from 10:00 pm by calling 96 670 23 90 for municipal collection.

As the computer courses with The Leader Training are now well under way, it is time to focus on recruiting for our language learning programs.

We featured them briefly in our article last week, but we are now about to launch our Spanish language groups and those for learning English.

Our Spanish Experience groups offer classes for all levels, from those just starting out in their language learning, perhaps to just get to grips with the basics, shopping, driving, socialising and the likes, right through to specialist courses for those who want to improve their grammar or find support in their education or find work in a specific field such as catering or retail. IN fact, one of our most popular enquiries in the advanced levels are from those people wanting to be amongst the 2,000 or so who will be employed at the La Zenia Boulevard shopping centre when it opens later this year.

But the Spanish Experience doesn´t only include learning languages in classes, we offer trips to places like vineyards, bodegas and restaurants, where you can test your learning in real live situations, all accompanied by a professional, should you need help.

Then there are our English learning groups, again covering all levels, with the focus being on those who want to learn English as a second language, perhaps with a goal to improving relationships with the English speaking population and visitors to Spain. Whatever the need for English, whether as a native speaker or not, there are also courses available to you.

The small group classes start in a matter of weeks, and places are limited. However, if you want to get your name registered as interested now, the team will be on hand to answer your questions during a “drop in” morning on Monday 6th February, between 11:30 and 12:30, at our offices of The Leader in La Zenia, when you can come and meet some of the tutors, speak to the administrators and discuss your needs whilst being assessed to make sure that you can be fitted into a group that suits your own level of learning.

HEALTH MINISTER VISITS CALPE

A meeting with the Minister of Health, Luis Rosado, and the mayor of Calpe, César Sánchez, was scheduled to take place on Saturday morning to discuss the Legionnaires' disease outbreak that has killed three British pensioners and left another 15 being treated in a hospital in Benidorm.

A UK based holiday company, that specialises in holidays for mature guests, said that those who had died had been staying at the Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe.

The department of health confirmed on Friday that the number of people suffering from symptoms of pneumonia related to the outbreak had risen to fifteen.

LIBRARY TECHNOLOGY REDUCED

Members of a young socialist group of Almoradí have criticized the town council for poor management of facilities in the library.

The group states that their bank of eight computers was reduced to just one, the WiFi connection doesn´t work and the printing and scanning facilities are so poor they are unusable.

In addition to providing the full function of the facilities, the group also want opening hours to be extended to allow them to study for exams.

BURGLARY SUSPECT ARRESTED

Local Police officers in Alicante have arrested a 32 year old man on suspicion of a burglary, after he was found inside a store, wearing a backpack in which he was carrying hammers, files, screwdrivers, gloves and a hat, as well as damaged locks which officers believed were from the doors to the building he was in.

The store owner alerted the police, who were quick to attend the scene, catching the suspect inside. He tried to flee but was apprehended and taken into custody in Alicante.

SANTA POLA CAMPER VAN CLAMP DOWN

The town council of Santa Pola has announced a crack down on camper vans and caravans that many feel are an eyesore on the environment when they congregate in areas which are not designated camp sites.

All political groups agreed unanimously on the notion that will see fines of between 100 and 1,500 euro for vehicles which are parked in places for longer periods of times than the acceptable length of time. In most places, the maximum allowed time for any vehicle to park is 48 hours. Vehicles will have to leave the area completely after this time or will be in violation of the law.

LONG LIVE LOVE

In addition to providing a big screen display for messages of love, the city council of Torrevieja has announced a unique element to their build up to the celebrations of St Valentine´s day, by offering a prize to the oldest married couple resident in the city.

In order to submit an application to win the couple must be registered residents of the city and be able to provide photocopies of their family and marriage documents. The winners will then be celebrated at a gala dinner on the evening of February 14th at the CMO centre for residents of the third age.

The Los Verdes green party of Torrevieja are spreading the news that a printing company in the city of Torrevieja has received its license to trade and is now officially and legally allowed to operate.

Of course, licenses of this type are issued on a regular basis, so it might seem odd that a political party are promoting this business so much, until you realise that it is because the green party are using the case to highlight the inefficiencies of the Torrevieja Town Hall, as it has taken a record 24 years for the company to be issued with the aforementioned legal document.

The company had been given temporary permission to trade from the mayor of the city in 1988 and have been operating ever since. It is only now, 24 years later, that they have received their formal document.

The council deny the accusation and say that they have evidence that it only took 6 months for the license to be issued and the company has therefore been legal since 1989, apart from a few minor infractions and changes along the way.

Of course the company are no doubt very happy they have been able to continue to trade with their “temporary” document. If they were in Orihuela under the current administration there would be no such thing as a temporary granting of permission, but then the Orihuela city council do say that it should only take 2 months for them to complete the process.

As the sudden Siberian cold snap swept across the Mediterranean corridor this week, snow covered higher grounds and we all wrapped up warm in our homes, we might have forgot that there are residents on our shores who are actually used to warmer climates tan us.

As town halls started their winter action campaigns to prevent road closures and accidents, zoo keepers and scientists in a number of animal parks across Spain prepared themselves by also putting their own plans in action to protect animals who may have come from climates which never see snow or frost.

Terra Natura Animal Park in Benidorm was one such place; where the central heating was turned on to maintain the temperatures across the entire park. Not only that, special considerations were given to diet, just as it would to humankind, as many of the animals were fed hot porridge to give them a healthy glow as the winter wind blew through their woolly, furry coats.

Not only that, they have also been given vitamin C supplements, which we could all do with considering for our own well being. In fact, we might also consider taking the same action as the animals, wrapping up warm, having hot porridge and staying snuggled in doors as we wait for the warmth of spring.

NO MESSING FOR DOGS

In a new initiative launched by the Torrevieja town hall, dog owners who allow their animals to foul the street may face fines of up to 1,500 euro if they fail to clean up the mess.

In a joint collaboration between the town hall and waste and cleaning company Acciona, a public awareness campaign has been launched, featuring multilingual posters, warning of the penalties that irresponsible owners may face. The local police have also been advised about their need to enforce the law and issue the fines under a municipal ordinance which dates back to 2005.

The city of Torrevieja has over 100 animal waste bins, shared by the pets of over 105,000 residents of the city, mostly situated in park and garden areas. There are also a handful of dog toilets littered around.

In addition to the posters, there will be extensive press and media campaigns; they have purchased 2,000 key chains which include bags to safely dispose of the waste and even a Facebook game to encourage proper practice in an entertaining way, which they say is “primarily aimed at all those people who have a pet”.

FENCING ARRESTS IN RABALOCHE

Dawn raids were carried out in the town of Rabaloche this week, as officers from the National Police carried out a major operation against the trafficking of stolen property, or “fencing” as it is sometimes known.

At least four people were identified and arrested and taken into custody in Orihuela. This is not the first time the police have carried out such series of raids in the town, which had previously focussed on drug related offences.

FISH BY THE BUCKET LOAD

Fishermen in Torrevieja landed 93,000 kilos of fresh fish in a single expedition, after the biological ban to conserve fish stocks was lifted this week.

The ban had been in place since 15th December in a bid to conserve fish and protect the long term industrial goals. This catch gave them around 43,000 euro in earnings, mostly from small sardines to be used in tinned produce, very small fish that is ideal for bait and fresh fish to be exported and used in the domestic market.

The smallest of the fish could not be sold or even given away during the administrative ban, aimed at preserving the lives of the youngest fish to encourage breeding, but many specimens find themselves trapped in fishing nets and cages and simply die, without any intervention to save or protect them by the fishermen.

FIRE PROTECTION FOR THE ORIHUELA COSTA

The councillor for the Orihuela Costa, Bob Houliston, proudly announced that one of his campaigns has been successful and that the Orihuela Costa will now have a “mini fire engine” based on the coast every day in the afternoons.

Normally only based on the coast during the summer months, this is a huge step in providing a faster first response to emergencies before the fire brigade of Torrevieja can attend.

With a two person crew of Protección Civil officers, the device will be stationed at the ambulance base in Cabo Roig.

MEASLES INCREASE FEARS

The minister for health, Luis Rosado, has expressed concerns over the increased number of measles cases reported across the area.

There has been 31 cases reported in Alicante in a week, prompting the concerns and calls for action to increase vaccinations in these early days to prevent an epidemic in the future.

If you park your car in one of the orange zone parking spaces, without the necessary permit, you get a fine. Some may say this is fair and right, after all, we expect traffic fines for illegal activities, don´t we. What about those who display an out of date “VADO PERMANENTE” sign? Well, they too will get fined, which is also acceptable for those who have simply printed one off from their computer or bought one in a discount store, without paying the appropriate fees. How about crossing the pavement? Well, if you´re a pedestrian, then fine, there is not a problem, but if you are crossing the pavement in your car, perhaps to simply access your own property, with or without the no parking sign, then things a not so fine for you, as you will be charged a tax for crossing the pavement. Okay, pavements are for pedestrians and cars cause damage, so perhaps this is also not necessarily as ridiculous as it might seem.

So far, there has not been any suggestion that vehicles parked on the pavement will be issued a tax as well as the fine, nor the heavy goods vehicles who some might say cause the most damage. Will a taxi be taxed for picking you up, will the police when they drive or ride on the pavement? Well, only time will tell.

Nobody wants to see damage to the pavements, especially as somebody has to pay to have it fixed. Is it fair that the town hall, or the residents ultimately, pay for damage caused by just a handful of people who choose to park their cars on their own land, next to their property, rather than leave it on the street. The insurance companies realise this is a safer place, which is why they offer cheaper premiums. Some might say that it will be an even safer place to park, because as the town hall switches off street lights in the middle of the night, in a bid to save money, and those streets are plunged into darkness, then maybe it will be a lot scarier than it is now. But then, at least the tripping hazard of damaged paving stones will be reduced for those pedestrians who do brave a walk in the unlit residential areas of the municipality. Oh course, one has to wonder about low energy light bulbs instead. The Mayor is from the Green party, I´m sure he would have heard of them.

If you are carrying out building work then your license to carry out that work must be clearly displayed, so that the inspectors can see that you have permission for the work and that you comply with the agreed times. How long before inspectors notice the money that could be gathered from the lack of planning permission attained for that gazebo, outhouse, shed or extension?

The commitment to renew habitation certificates, or Certificate of First or Second Residency, as they are now known, is lapse in a lot of places, but not for long if the paper clampdown continues, after all, as the councillor responsible said, Antonio Zapata of the PSOE, “the law is quite clear”, so it must be enforced and “every town hall has a commitment to do so”. So it wouldn´t be right to pick and choose which law to enforce.

If you are trying to run a business and your license is not correct, then even the smallest anomaly can result in a fine. If you play music, disturb the peace, annoy the residents, make noise, then you too will face a fine. We are not just talking bars and restaurants of course, few can forget the school that was shut down and the children displaced, some with no hope of finding an alternative educational establishment, as the business didn´t have the correct licenses. It was later reopened, but not without the stress and disruption to the very young attendees.

Valencia has started to enforce the laws relating to rubbish being placed in dustbins, how long will it be before we are fined for disposing of waste outside the recognised evening hours? Litter in the street, of course is an eyesore, “if only there were more bins”, some people have said. Torrevieja has threatened to get tough on dog mess in the street, with huge fines for those who don´t comply. This is yet another opportunity that will no doubt spread into Orihuela. Cigarette dips on the beach are already punishable by fines, but has anybody ever actually had to pay?

It may not be possible for one government team to enforce all of the laws that may well be causing concerned, but they will no doubt do their very best, if only to justify the positions that they hold. It is a beautiful picture of an ideal world, free of waste, rubbish, noise, pollution, damage to pavements and the threat of crime or damage to property. If everybody did comply with the law, then lots of these problems would be avoided, but the fact is that many people either can´t comply, sometimes through confusion or lack of understanding, or won´t comply, perhaps through arrogance or financial restraint, but at least those who find themselves in a position of being caught will at least be aware that all is not as fine as you think right now, but your fine will go some way to making Orihuela a great, albeit potentially expensive, bureaucratic and officious place to live.

ORIHUELA MARKET LICENSE CHECKS

Having faced months of discussion regarding the relocation of the Orihuela street market, the reopening of the bargain business outlet was accompanied by police officers who were checking the validity of licenses for market traders to work.

Every trader had to produce their license before being granted permission to trade, which resulted in a number of irregularities being found, including people who were attempting to practice with another person´s license and sellers attempting to offer products they were not authorized to sell. The councillor for markets, Juan Ignacio López-Bas of the CLR party, has now said that the council will consider each case one by one.

The action was in direct response to clean up the licensed operations and ensure compliance with the laws of trading.

WANTED CRIMINALS LOCATED IN TORREVIEJA

Police officers from the Generalitat Valenciana wide force have arrested two wanted criminals and located a third, all of whom were in Torrevieja at the time.

One person had an arrest warrant issued from Málaga for a crime of theft, the second detainee was the subject of arrest warrants in both Orihuela and Torrevieja, whereas a third person wanted by the Orihuela Criminal courts was also identified.

Those arrested faced the judicial system at the Guardia Civil barracks in Torrevieja.

DRIVER SUFFERS HEART ATTACK AT WHEEL

Emergency services attended a driver, of Slavic origin, who had collapsed at the wheel of the car they were driving along the main Caballero de Rodas road in the centre of Torrevieja.

The driver was thought to have suffered a cardiac arrest and was treated at the roadside, causing major delays for half an hour, before the driver was transferred to Torrevieja hospital in a serious condition.

THE TAXMAN IS COMING

Despite Russian tourism on the Costa Blanca, being on the increase, with more than 70,000 Russians passing through Alicante airport in 2011 and new regular flight connections between Moscow and St. Petersburg, from June, the residential numbers may not follow the same growth following tax announcements made by the Spanish government.

There is going to be a clampdown on large cash purchases, such as property, so as to avoid transactions that avoid paying tax. A number of Russian buyers are thought to prefer cash transactions as they feel more protected from their own government.

In another tax clampdown, the Government of Spain has vowed to increase inspections on private properties which are rented out to tourists, without the owners paying income tax on their earnings.

SIBERIAN COLD SNAP HITS

Weather forecasters have issued a warning for cold weather, as a weather front from Siberia has descended on the Costa Blanca and will remain for a few days.

Temperatures will be “very cold” until Sunday, with a risk of ice and frost in higher places, in the coldest winter season since 2005, which may well feel even colder due to the unseasonally high temperatures of early January.

Road and rail networks are on alert to implement their emergency plans for inclement weather.