ALMUÑECAR town hall will start pruning and cleaning work in the Cotobro and El Montañes areas. The garden services of the town hall have begun to clear gardens and palm trees with special machinery to improve visibility on the main N340 road.

People in the area have expressed great satisfaction at the work because the accumulation of leaves had become a danger, they said.

The work has been part of a maintenance campaign carried out by the council to clear the roadways after intense winter rain had left branches and leaves on the roads.

MORE than 500 people attended the 10^th  Encounter of Lacemakers. Participants and visitors came from all over Andalucia and La Mancha to enjoy a day together in Almuñecar.

The event was organised by the Lacemakers Association, Women’s Centre, the Councillor of Social Wellbeing, Maria del Carmen Reinoso, and the Councillor for Culture, Olga Ramos, and was held in the El Majuelo Park, the president of the association Antonia Rivas reported.

Rivas thanked the businesses and tradesmen who donated different prizes for the draw. Lacemaking demonstrations were given and there were stands selling lacemaking equipment. 

ALMUÑECAR was taken over by Harley Davidson bikers last weekend. Between 250 motor bikes and 200 riders participated in a rally of Andalucian clubs.

Clubs, or chapters from Andalucia, Melilla, Alicante and even some from La Coruña who didn’t want to miss the event all came to Almuñecar according to the secretary of the Granada Chapter, Carlos Lopez.

The local police, civil protection and the town hall were all involved in making the event a success. The car park of the Bahia Hotel situated by the El Pozuelo beach was the official meeting place and headquarters.

The riders took their bikes through the streets in a procession wearing their best jackets, badges, flags and original helmets all from Harley Davidson, before having a group photo taken. 

THE Castle of La Herradura will be filled with art. An exhibition by Manuel Lecrin called ’30 years on the Costa Tropical’ will fill the halls of the castle.

Juan Jose Ruiz-Joya, the deputy mayor said that the idea of the exhibition was so that visitors to the castle could enjoy more than just the monument. He added that in future there will be other exhibitions and concerts.

Lecrin thanked the municipality for its collaboration and said that the exhibition contains work that illustrates his life on the Costa Tropical during 30 years.

The exhibition will be open all year, Tuesday to Saturday 10.30am to 1.30pm and 5pm to 8pm, and on Sunday from 10am to 2pm.

MOTORISTS in Nerja are being reminded car tax is due. The council says cart owners should get a reminder to pay their annual road tax. 

Anyone who has not received the notification, should go to the Nerja Tax Office, Patronato de Recaudacion, at Calle Axarquia 3 (opposite the entrance of Calle Castilla Perez, crossing the main road) and ask for the tax bill. Then it can be paid at any bank.

The council says it is advisable to make these payments by direct debit next year, so that all the town taxes are paid through the bank. For this, you just take your bank account number to the Nerja Tax Office.

Secondly, the town hall has sent a letter to all garage owners or with a car access gate that have a No Parking Sign, Vado Permanente - Entradas y Salidas de Vehiculos. This letter refers to the car entrance tax for year 2013 that will now include the No Parking Sign and it will cost approximately €25 more for having this sign.

This No Parking Sign permits you to call the police if a car is parked in front of your car entrance to have it removed. This tax is paid in arrears so soon you will pay for 2012 at the normal price €105 and for 2013 the tax will be increased to €130.

If the No Parking Sign is no longer required, then a letter in Spanish saying that you do not need the sign should be presented before May 17 at the reception of the Town Hall, on the ground floor, together with the sign so that you will not pay the increase of the tax.

THE traditional festival of the Crosses of May will be held from Friday, May 3 until Sunday, May 5 in Salobreña. The competition for the best decorated cross has attracted 13 entries who are all trying for the prizes. Two more crosses not in the competition are also on show.

There are three entries in the open air category and the rest are in enclosed spaces, which include streets, plazas or open patios. They can be seen in the La Traviesa restaurant, the Casa de la Cultura and the pub, Sunem Playa.

The two crosses not in the competition are at the Homes for the Elderly in La Caleta and Salobreña. The town hall has prepared a map, available from the tourist office and Casa de la Cultura, to indicate the locations of all the crosses.

IN the first three months of the year, 162 victims of domestic violence were helped in the Axarquia by the provincial government’s Gender Equality Service.

Of those 154 were registered at the Points of Information for Women (PIM) located in Riogordo and Torrox, Pilar Conde the delegate for the Equality and Participation of the Citizen announced.

Now a campaign pioneered in Malaga and Andalucia aims to highlight the fight against domestic violence. Organisers hope it will help fulfil promises made by both public and private organisations when a special helpline was launched.

The line, 900 77 11 77, has received around 8,000 calls since it was set up 15 years ago. The free service aims to give women victims of abuse help 24 hours a day, with lawyers and counsellor available to help. 

Women are guaranteed anonymity when they use the line for help and advice.