Marbella’s talent shows

Last Thursday the Jacksons performed at Puente Romano. I was concerned my enthusiasm for the evening would make the actual night an anti-climax; that however was not the case.

The set up and service were as one would expect from a five-star venue and we all danced the night away.

However I also think everyone there would concur when I say that possibly the best performance of the night was from the opening act by our very own local dynamic duo Mr Maph, Mike Harding and his amazing wife Simone Lisa. Together with the vocal talents of Thomas Henry and Kim Chandler, Rami on drums, Dixon on piano, Yamandu on synthesiser, Jose playing guitar and Neftali on bass, they put on a show worthy of any stage as headliners.

If you weren’t there you really missed something special and for those of us who had the privilege to be there, we couldn’t have enjoyed it more or felt more proud.

It’s funny how we get blasé about the wonderful community we live in. We get to hear great talent perform in local bars and restaurants and so now we don’t really appreciate how lucky we are or how truly great they are! 

It’s not just our wonderful array of performers either: talent comes in many shapes and sizes. Also felt last week I had another occasion to feel an immense sense of pride for a fellow Marbellí, Jan Weima. Jan is one of the founding members of the Triple A animal rescue centre in Marbella and for the past eight years I have personally seen how this man – and all the team and volunteers – strive, struggle, haggle and beg for funds, volunteers and support to keep the animal shelter going.  This is the only rescue centre we have, where stray or lost animals find a safe haven and are not at risk of extermination if not claimed in just 10 days.  Once again they face imminent closure unless they get a regular income to be able to cope. Not everyone could face this desperate situation day after day for almost three decades.

People who don’t have dogs might not empathise, but even if you consider our cleaner streets are thanks to the fact that we don’t have stray animals running around we should all feel the moral obligation to become members for just €5 a month, whether we’re an animal lover or not. If we did, we could end this vicious cycle once and for all (www.tripleamarbella.org).

I know that a concert and an animal rescue centre don’t have much in common except that so many people give so much of themselves and for such different reasons.  I feel equally proud of them all because we are all equally important in our own way when we let our own particular talent show.

#bettertogether