Coin Life

Coin Life

After a successful opening day, CHAIN are hoping to use their new shop at La Trocha as the hub of their administration & fundraising for their mobile clinics.

They are also looking for ideas for evening activities e.g. book club, english/spanish conversation club etc. There is a kitchen so they can make tea/coffee and generally have a "community" feel about the place.

 

Any ideas would be welcomed.

 

Contact Wendy at chaininspain@hotmail.com

Learn Spanish - New courses for adults. Start speaking Spanish from the first day.

New beginners courses start every few weeks at the Centro De Idiomas Language School in Coin. All learning materials & tuition  included in one package.

 

Emphasis is on having fun while learning and speaking Spanish from the first day.

 

Intermediate and advanced courses are also running as well as special courses for school children who need help with their Spanish and courses for teenagers.

 

For more details contact Valerie on 952 450 747 or click the link for more information.

 

 

 

Coin’s Multicultural Festival wows the crowds...

Snakey Jake performed what all agreed was a great set playing their own arrangements of numbers like Summertime Blues, I hear you Knocking, All Right Now and Brown Sugar, and many more with the great vocal skill of Peter Carter fronting a tight and enthusiastic Band. Keep an eye out for their next appearance.

 

Local Dutch crooner (and regular cinema go-er) Joost Jong got to sing twice, once as a solo artist with his renditions of Michael Bublé and George Michael songs, then later as part of a Dutch rock band singing more up tempo numbers.

 

A Coin based pop group called Sotano 11 finished off the night and even brought their own fans with them!  It was great to see music that appealed to everyone from all nationalities and cultures and across the ages.

 

In addition to the music and food, there were displays of arts and crafts including wood-turning, traditional basket work and raffia work, pottery, lace-making, jewellery, oil painting and children’s activities such as face painting, balloon modelling and a very brightly coloured clown!

 

 

The event was organised by Yasmin & Terry at the Foreigners Department in conjunction with Danny Hendrix and the tourism department of Coin’s Ayuntamiento.  They will be looking for people & groups to take part in next year’s event.  If you have an idea for the festival (it could be about dance, food, art, traditions or anything that somehow represents your culture) then contact Yasmin & Terry  by emailing  coinforeigners@yahoo.es  Or call them at the Tourist Office on Friday mornings on  952453211.

 

 

 

Harry Potter success and fancy dress in July & August

Over 300 people came to La Trocha to see Harry potter  & the Half-blood Prince in July and August - not bad for just 4 showings! To see pictures of some of the fancy dress characters that came to the last showing click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New course for those looking to learn Spanish - start speaking Spanish from the first day.

 

A new semi-intensive Spanish course starts on August 24th at the Centro De Idiomas Language School in Coin.  This 6 week course provides a regular, frequent timetable each week and all learning materials and tuition is included in one package...

More

 

 

 

 

Sol Classic Car Club bring a Car Show and Concours d'Elegance to Coin...

On Saturday 20th June will be the day to look out for some classic vehicles driving around Coin as the SOL Classic Car Club will be arranging their car show and Concours d’elegance in the Alameda in Coin

 

The cars will drive around the town and into the Alameda with a police escort before the show starts at 12pm.

 

The full timetable is:

 

12.00    Display opens to the public

 

12.00-14.30   Competition open to the public to choose their favourite car – proceeds to go to local Coin charity

 

13.45    End of Concours judging

 

13.45-14.30  Judges confer and publish list of Concours winners

 

14.30-15.00  Organisers check entries from public and announce winner

 

15.30    Prize giving  

 

16.00    End of display. Cars drive off in a group (1st, Concours' winners, 2nd second public's choice)

 

 

La Trocha asks for your help - Have you got an idea for an activity or event at La Trocha?

 

The management team are keen to make the most of the space and facilities that La Trocha has to offer and they are looking for ideas on events and activities that could bring more people in to the shopping centre.

 

Recent roadshows with Ace FM, the publicity surrounding the English cinema nights and the Easter events have all helped but if you have an idea or comment, send us an email - mail@coinlife.info

 

 

English speaking radio service in Coin

 

Canal Coin Radio are still broadcasting in English from 9am to 11am Monday to Friday as from June 8th - on their frequency 107.3fm  but this will probably grow fairly quickly.  Programmes will be aimed at over 40s - so no rap music etc!

Programmes will be a mix of music, news & current affairs and will be presented by ex-OCI presenter Terry Clear.

In the near future the programmes will also be broadcast in digital format and via the internet.

 

 

 

Sponsored walk to raise funds for Animals In Distress: June 3rd...

Animals In Distress (A.I.D.) Sponsored 9km Walk

Wednesday 3rd June from 6pm - 9pm

Around the area at Ciudad Del Cine, Coin

 

Entry will be 1 euro, which will be for a raffle prize at the end of the walk

Come and enjoy the local countryside

With your dog

and friends.

 

Walk your dog on a lead, wear suitable shoes and bring a drink.

The walk is through a National Protected Area and every care should be taken not to damage the flora and fauna along the walk route.

ITINERARY: Meet at hotel Cine and start tour of El Dorado at 17.45

Begin walk at approx 18.00 – walk is to the mirador (where there are views to the coast and countryside) – there will be a stop to allow people to catch up and have their snacks/drink then walk a different route back to hotel Cine where the draw for the raffle will take place. The bar/restaurant is open until 23.00 hours. If you need any further information contact Pat from Heart FM - 610774408

(This sponsored walk raised over €1000 for Animals In Distress - Well done everyone)

 

 

 

 

 

June Elections in Coin -There’s a lot of talk about  elections in Spain but very few foreign residents are registered to vote in Coin.  

 

The process for registration is very simple and it will give you the right to vote in local, national and European elections.

 

To check if you are on the electoral roll or to register yourself, Coin residents can now visit the Foreigners Department at the Tourist Office in Coin on Friday mornings.  Terry & Yasmin will help you fill out the necessary forms.

 

The number of foreign residents in Coin is significant yet the number of foreigners voting is extremely low.  

 

With increased numbers of foreigners voting in local elections, the issues that affect foreigners (provision of local services in English for example, access to information and guidance, forums for debating local issues etc) would in turn become more important to the local politicians.

 

One problem is that many foreign residents have no idea about what the different parties and local councillors stand for. So far no information is available in English from either of the 2 main political parties in Coin.

 

It has been suggested that quick 15 minute interviews could take place with representatives of each of the main local parties to find out what they stand for in Coin and that the results could be posted here on Coinlife.

 

If you would like to suggest a question that you would like to have answered by the local councillors, please email Ricky at mail@coinlife.info

 

 

 

May 25th - Angels & Demons - The best and worst film so far...

Angels & Demons was our 2nd biggest box office success so far with 230 people seeing the film over three showings - What a success!

 

Despite a few problems with the English language soundtrack on the first night, Angels & Demons proved to be a popular choice of film with most people enjoying the film more than its predecessor the Da Vinci Code.

 

After some great media coverage for our English cinema nights, we saw a lot of people coming to the cinema for the first time, one group even coming al the way from Torrox Costa near Nerja on a coach to see the film.  The first showing on Monday 25th May initially had some problems with the English soundtrack working.  After a couple of false starts some people decided not to wait any longer and left the cinema, having had their tickets refunded.

 

The film did eventually run with an English soundtrack although the first few minutes were shown in Spanish. Some people that left early on Monday, returned to see the film at the Wednesday showing. There was little we could do on the night except keep trying the soundtrack disk and refund tickets to those that wanted to leave.

 

I received a number of emails from people complaining about the breakdown on Monday and about the lack of good seats left half an hour before the film started. I have replied to all these people and I think most now understand that it was beyond the control of the cinema staff or Alan and myself as volunteers.

 

Unfortunately some people felt so aggrieved about waiting for the film to start that they made official complaints to the management office of the La Trocha Shopping Centre.  This has a direct impact on the future of the films in English at La Trocha as the official complaint then has to be dealt with by staff at La Trocha, the local cinema and the cinema's head office in Seville.

 

All the promotional work for the films is done on a voluntary, non-paid basis by myself and Alan.  A friend of the cinema manager volunteered to drive to Malaga on Monday afternoon to collect the second soundtrack disk from Malaga after the first disk that the distributors sent had failed to arrive. - The alternative would have been to cancel Monday's showing. The cinema staff have in the past worked extra hours for free to bring us early schedule films and the head office of Al Andalus cinemas has chased distributors and changed programming schedules to accommodate the wishes of the English Cinema nights.

 

The current season of films has been brought about by volunteering and good-will - we don't have a 'right' to films in English.  Although it has undeniably been a good commercial success for the cinema, I believe the real benefit has been to the local English speaking community in having top-notch films on our doorstep.  I was disappointed that anyone felt the need to make an official complaint but if you are one of those people and you feel that there is something lacking in the current arrangements, please feel free to offer assistance where you can.

 

If anyone still feels that their complaints are unresolved, contact me and I will do my best to help.  Please continue to support the films in English.

 

Ricky

66 50 70 100

 

 

 

 

Talent in the Sun - your chance to shine...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 13th May was prize night! Kerry from Alhaurin won the 1000th ticket prize!

Since the first film in the current series of English language films at La Trocha in February, over 1000 people have supported the initiative and the Al Andalus Cinema team celebrated this success by offering a prize to the 1000th person through the doors!

 

Kerry bought the 1000th ticket on Wednesday 13th May and received a huge bottle of cava, some free tickets to the cinema and some La Trocha goodies as her prize.  Kerry has been to most of the films and it was an added bonus to see the prize go to one of the regulars.

 

As Kerry received her prize from Viki the cinema Manager at La Trocha, there was a surprise for me (Ricky), for organising the films in English.  Viki presented me with a gift for my efforts and a special message from the cinema team:

“The cinema staff wants to thank Ricky for his help given.

 

Without your help the movies in English wouldn’t be here at La Trocha, they’d be in England.  You have done it possible and the most important thing, you didn’t do it to earn some money, you did it to help your community.

 

Thanks for your support and support of your community, they will always be grateful to you, we are sure.  Thanks Ricky.”

 

Well what can you say to that?!?!  My turn to say thank you now to Viki and her team, to the La Trocha Centre Management, to everyone that has helped promote the films, to the restaurants that have offered meal deals and most importantly, to everyone that has supported us by turning up.  Thanks and here’s to the next 1000 tickets - Ricky

 

 

Coin’s 13th Orange Festival Saturday 2nd May 2009...

Plaza de la Villa

11:00. Traditional rockets announcing the opening of the festival. Authorities will visit all the stalls, with food agricultural products and handicrafts.

12:00 - 14:30. Reception of desserts based on oranges taking part in the contest. There will be three prizes.  1st prize: 210 €,   2nd prize: 180 €,  3rd prize: 150 €.

13:00. Bands and popular dance groups will provide entertainment during the day. Dance group from the school of Pepi Fernández.

13:30. Tasting of local typical salad made with oranges (“Ensaladilla de Naranjas”) and refreshing orange juice for children.

15:00. “Sopa Hervía” tasting with oranges for everybody attending the event.

16:00. Musical shows will take place during the afternoon in the Plaza de la Villa.

17:00. Tasting of desserts from the contest.

20:00. Announcement of Photography and dessert contest winners.San Agustín Park

11:00 – 18:00

Charity Street Market organized by several local associations.

 

 

Coin’s first Acoustic Blues Festival - Saturday 11th April - What a success!

 

The first Coin Acoustic Blues Festival took place on Easter Saturday, April 11th. The music was played from the bandstand in the Alameda, surrounded by palm trees, fountains, the scent of orange blossom was in the air and a a great night was had by all.

 

The only low note of the festival was the fact that the temperature dropped a little more than was seasonally normal, but people mostly ignored it – next year the festival will probably drop back to mid-May when it’s a bit warmer and the weather should be a little more settled.

 

All in all, a very good start for Coin with a successful first festival.

 

A DVD of the event is available -  to see the 1 minute 24 second trailer film of a 52 minute film of Coin Blues Festival 2009 please log on to Terry Clear's website which is www.myspace.com/clearblues & scroll down & to the right a bit, where there's a shot of the crowd & "dvd TRAILER" in white

If you'd like to buy a DVD of the whole film it's selling for the bargain price of €10 or £9 or US$14 or Canadian$16 including postage & packaging from Phil Money, Philm Productions, 29108 Guaro, Malaga, Spain. Mobile (0034) 628 780 235

 

 

Pasión Viva - A celebration of the Passion of Christ at La Trocha Thursday 26th March

La Trocha plays host to a series of events, exhibitions, plays and celebrations as part of the Passion of Christ celebrations for Easter 2009. Starting on  and finishing on Sunday 29th March, the programme includes dancing, theatre and music.  The list of events below and the contributors is in Spanish.  For more information or for a larger copy of the poster below, please email Ricky at mail@coinlife.info or call on 66 50 70 100

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Formula 1 track test days in Jerez throughout March

The race track circuit at Jerez is offering spectator tickets for the Formula 1 track testing days throughout February and March.  The tickets are available to the public for the training days for just €5.00 per person.  The tickets are only available on the day - there are no advance tickets. The public can watch the test runs throughout the day from 10am to 5pm.

        

In the recent training days in early February, the F1 teams present in Jerez were Mclaren, Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Renault and Williams.   All eyes are on the coming track days awaiting the arrival of Alonso and Hamilton.

 

Circuito de Jerez is located in the km 6.5 of the National road N-382 (Jerez-Arcos-Cartagena), about 240 Kms from Malaga or about  2 and a half hours from Coin.

 

Visit the Cicuito de Jerez website at http://www.circuitodejerez.com/en/home.htm

(A few ‘Coinos’ met at the racetrack to see two teams practising on Thursday 19th March - a great day out!)