THIS IS SPAIN SPARKLED (2007)

News

Staff Reporter / 2007-11-05 14:24:18

Carolyn Bevan, Lee Prout and Maggie

The beautiful weather didn't put people off going into the basement of Thalasia Hotel last weekend for the ever popular This is Spain Exhibition. The constant flow of visitors all had smiling faces and commented on the large variety of exhibitors and the friendliness of all those present. The general atmosphere was jovial and relaxed.

The Leader/Exite FM stand proved very popular, especially when glasses of bucks fizz were offered to passers by. Many collected a copy of the paper commenting on the fact that they hadn't been able to pick one up due to our ever growing popularity, whilst the presenters of Exite FM kept everyone happy and promised to play the special songs listeners had requested.

Whilst visitors enjoyed the day out and the chance to win some top prizes including a holiday to Tunisia and a new car, the three day event was also a success for exhibitors. Mediterranean homes and Fortuna Spa Resort had lots of enquiries and were enjoying their 3 days at the show. Golden Leaves were also pleased with the response announcing they will be opening a new branch in Calpe on December 4th.

Glass Curtains (www.thechoiceisclear.info) said it was going wonderfully well and gave a big thanks for the extensive advertising in the "Leader" which they said had made a world of difference.

Charities were also strongly represented at the exhibition. Sweet Charity received lots of enquiries and were raffling a cruise for two. A few tickets remain so you still have a chance to buy a ticket via their website; www.sweetcharityhospice.org At present they are looking after 15 families, with just 4 volunteers and need more income so they can afford to employ full time nurses. See our Charity page for their contact details.

The British Legion were overwhelmed, selling thousands of poppies and filling four collection boxes in just one day. It was proving to be a real boost to this years appeal. The Hondon Valley group had driven a long way to be there, but were pleased they had made the effort.

Vox Of Visitors

For Julie Harris, Tina Birkett from Campoverde and Di Hamilton from Cañada de Prais, this was their first visit to this kind of exhibition. They were finding everything very interesting and were specifically looking for financial advice.

Ondre Smith from San Pedro had bought lots of Christmas presents at the show. She had come two days in a row, commenting on the fact that the free bottle of wine was excellent. She added that there was something for everyone and the organisation was very good, with a variety of exhibitors and "œeverybody is so pleasant."

Carolyn Bevan, Lee Prout and Maggie Smith from Las Philipinas, near Villamartin were very impressed with everything, saying it was much more professional than they had imagined. However they didn't like all the leaflets thrown at them as they had walked into the exhibition. They were on the lookout for curtains, balustrade paint, gardening statues and a toy boy!

Jo and David Shepherdson from Santiago de la Ribera were surprised at the variety of stalls. They were on the lookout for health insurance, and planned to speak to the two businesses present. "The Show is generally interesting, informative and everyone is very approachable. It's good to know what's on offer out there, and there seem to be lots of good English speaking companies."

Diana Davis, our headline story back in August, for donating a kidney to her son, was having a great time, so much so she had managed to lose her husband. She'd like all the readers to know her son has been given the all clear, but cannot fly yet. However he's getting on with his life. Diana wants to point out that to give donations you must be registered, something you can do on the internet. Many people are still unaware that they can give live donations.

Stephen and Karen Mayfield have been in Spain for ten months and were enjoying the Show, finding it informative and a great way to find out about what's going on.

Tags: This Is Spain