Round Town News

The ninth Storytelling Marathon has been enjoyed by all members of the islands community in the Plaza de las Ranas, next to the library, Las Palmas. Organised and funded by the Libraries department and the islands government one of the participating groups was the British School of Gran Canaria who performed their stories with a twist. Teacher, Sergio Quintana, explained that stories had by written by pupils of the British School in Las Palmas.

TARA Animal Respect Charity held a benefit evening in Puerto Rico to raise desperately needed funds for the crisis work currently being done in animal welfare.At 10€ a ticket it was a bargain night with a magnificent spread to fill the tummy, good company to feed the soul, good music and entertainment to lift the mood and the knowledge that the funds were going to be immediately put to use on the island, a clear incentive to keep your raffle tickets flowing into TARA.

For many people our beautiful island conjures up a place of sun, sand and sleepy siestas. But Gran Canaria also has a rich and special cultural scene, not least through its renowned Orchestra, the oldest in Spain and famed for its exciting and innovative performances, both at home and abroad. The Orquesta Filarmonica De Gran Canaria, to give it its correct Spanish title, is funded by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria and was founded in 1895.

In April of this year, Francesco Di Benedetto was preparing for his 2nd transatlantic crossing attempt on a 20 feet catamaran, single handed and without assistance, here in Las Palmas. Last time it nearly cost him his life. RTN has the pleasure to interview him and see how it went this time…

For the second consecutive year the best international volleyball players will be competing in Playa del Ingles, reportedly the largest tourist resort in Europe. The sports co-ordinator for Gran Canaria was present with the Mayoress, María del Pino Torres and her Tourism, Sports and Beaches Councillors to promote one of the beach highlights of 2009.

The San Fulgencio Lightning Cricket Club are still in their infancy but that doesn’t stop them from proving that they are a side to be reckoned with and every Sunday morning, they make the trip down south to La Manga Cricket Club to get some proper practise on real green grass! The club also hold cricket practice every Saturday and Sunday on the market square in La Marina urbanisation from 15.00 each day.

Wimbledon die-hards are at it again, taking pot shots at ladies who grunt and make all manner of expostulations when striking their balls.The jury is out as usual on the subject of whether said grunting is absolutely necessary in pursuit of victory in what is widely acknowledged as the World’s foremost tennis accolades; the Wimbledon titles. 

My husband has just got himself a fishing licence. After a few months of deliberation, he decided that rather than face a 1,000€ fine from the Guardia Civil, it would be easier to pay 36€ and get a three year licence. However, having this licence is all well and good but without somewhere to get his bait and other bits and pieces, it’s not really worth the paper it is written on. That is why I was so glad to hear about La Marina Fishing.

This week saw the third round in the knockout competition held on the Rio Segura. The match went as the matches before, with several of the local animals being hooked and lost, then it was down to wrinkling out as many fish as possible. Results as follows: 1st Rob (Lenny’s Mate) Harrop, fishing the running line using bread, with 3.04 kilos.

Many times we see people on the courses we play with clubs that look from a distance like the many quality clubs on the market. These clubs are invariably made in the Far East and definitely look like the real thing. That, however, is where the similarities end. We have all complained about the cost of equipment over the years but they cost as much as they do partly because of the amount of research that goes into producing the clubs and making the most of the knowledge gained.