It’s back to school for most children in the Algarve. This comes as a welcome relief for those parents who have been struggling with keeping their children amused during the long break. But for some with financial difficulties it means having to find the money to buy items and equipment needed for the start of the new school term.

A group of West Coast walkers raised more than €1,700 for charity last weekend…with a fancy dress pub crawl!
It was fun in the sun for the 50 people who entered a Charity Bar Walk to buy - appropriately - walking aids and wheelchairs for Portimão Hospital.

Portugal will be accepting a quota of refugees in the next few months and 'Bem Vindos Refugiados Algarve' is one of several organisations preparing for their arrival.

One of the schemes to be adopted will pair refugees with local people prepared to accommodate them in their homes. Introduced and successfully running in Berlin, a dozen people living in the Algarve have already volunteered to host a refugee.

A very big thank you to everyone who supported this years Backpack Drive for children returning to school. The calls of help for backpack donations from organisations across the Algarve were answered with record support of the campaign, now in its 9th year.

A Family Fun Day organized by a West Coast community association has helped to make the life of a family with a severely disabled child just a little easier.

Some of the funds raised from the event staged by AMOVATE (The Association of Residents and Friends of Vale da Telha) outside Aljezur have been used to buy all of the fittings required for a new wetroom for two year-old toddler Diego Messias Pedrosa who is suffering from cerebral palsy.

‘Challenging but an amazing experience’ was the verdict of the majority of the 80 golfers who took part last Saturday (28th August) in the RCEPI Charity Golf tournament over the prestigious Monte Rei Golf and Country Club Course in the Eastern Algarve, near Santa Rosa. 

The impressive sum of €9845 was raised on August the 15th 2015 for two regional charities – CRACEP Portimão and Refúgio Aboim Ascensão in Faro.

86 golf players took part in the event and enjoyed a delicious gala buffet dinner, all with the aim of raising money for those in need.

This year marks the 30th year in business for Bev Gibbons and her Pinetrees Riding Centre, Almancil.

The anniversary was celebrated in both July and August with local clients and holiday guests with two fun events consisting of fancy dress, a challenging obstacle course, followed by clear round jumping.