The Beatles famously sang “Money Can’t Buy Me Love” - but it CAN buy vital equipment for the Bombeiros.
And west coast community association AMOVATE enlisted the aid of The Bottles, the Algarve’s Beatles tribute band, to help raise just over €3,000 for the fire fighters of Aljezur.
It was anything but “A Hard Day’s Night” as more than 200 people - local residents and Day Trippers - twisted, shouted and danced through the evening, hosted by the Restaurante Fonte do Vale, which also donated €500 to the final total.
Another €300 was donated by the Aljezur Câmara and more cash was raised on the night as seven year-old Summer Serafim D’Arcy mingled with the audience, persuading them to drop any spare change into a collection bucket.
AMOVATE - the Associação Dos Moradores e Amigos do Vale Da Telha, or the Association of Residents and Friends of Vale da Telha) - have, in recent years, organised the donation of €50,000 worth of fire fighting and rescue equipment for the Aljezur Bombeiros.
And they decided they should “Help” their local fire fighters once again following last summer’s catastrophic fires across Portugal.
They created a replica of the famous Liverpool Cavern stage to resurrect the atmosphere of the iconic club which was the heartbeat of Merseybeat, and provided a spectacular 60s night of music from that era, provided by The Bottles.
The outside frontage of the restaurant featured an elevated replica of the famous arched brick-worked Beatles stage, which left the audience feeling “Glad All Over” - and ultimately will benefit the area’s fire fighters.
Amovate committee member Steve Scott declared: “We were all moved by the heroic and selfless actions of the fire fighters who so bravely and fearlessly tackled last year’s huge outbreaks of fires across Portugal.
“And we know from experience that our local bombeiros, many of them volunteers, are just as ready to risk their lives on our behalf.
“You can’t buy the kind of bravery and skill these men and women show in a time of crisis. But we felt we could help to provide them with some of the resources they need to do the amazing job they do in such times.
“Often they appear to be short of either new or replacement equipment, which can also mean basic items like gloves and not necessarily the more expensive items. Now, we will talk with fire chief Mario Costa to see what they need most from the €3,094 we raised on the evening”.
AMOVATE President Matt D’Arcy jnr, who is from Liverpool, declared: “It was a fabulous evening and showed a real community spirit to get behind our fire fighters this way.
“It put the fun into fundraising and everyone involved should be very proud that their hard work culminated in such a successful and enjoyable event.”
It all goes to show - you can’t beat the Mersey Beat!
