The friends of Alcossebre – “Supporting our Community”

The Friends of Alcossebre are proud to announce the achievement of 100,000 Euros of donations to our Local Community since 2006. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed in any way over the years to making this possible.

With a start-up fund of 3,412 Euros, raised at a dinner held in April, the Charity Shop opened in Las Fuentes, Alcossebre in June 2006.  This was a completely new concept in this part of Spain and there were many challenges to be tackled.  Initially open three mornings a week, it was managed and manned by volunteer British ex-Pats and started to attract customers from the Spanish and other nationalities living in the town who found the idea novel – volunteer workers selling good quality second-hand, donated clothing, books and bric-a-brac at low prices!  In 2007, the Charity Shop became independent from the local English Church, its original sponsor.  The number of beneficiaries, including the Church, increased.

Help in establishing the Shop was received from many sources.  Local Estate Agents Albert Villas found the premises; Eurohorizon became a key-holder; Jimmy and Doreen Gardner allowed their garage to be used as a store room as goods began to pour in.

Volunteers were always needed to man the Shop and sort, and in some cases wash and iron, the clothing donated, and their numbers began to grow.  In 2008, Spanish members of the Alcossebre Pensionistas Association joined the ranks.  Charity Shop opening hours were extended to five mornings a week.  Spanish Association status was obtained with the help of Manuela Ortega, and the Friends of Alcossebre Association came into being legally with its maxim “Supporting our Community”.

As the idea spread and income increased year by year from the 4,000€ raised in 2006 to 18,000€ in 2011, the number of local charities and associations it could help increased and some 50 different ones have benefited over the years. New, larger, premises were needed, located more centrally in the town, and on 31st May 2011 the Charity Shop re-opened in Calle Alcala, in the centre of Alcossebre, broadening its appeal, opening six mornings a week and giving extremely positive results.  Neighbouring shop-owners, in particular Isabel, the greengrocer, have been extremely helpful and supportive. The store-room has been relocated to the same premises.

Fund raising is not restricted to the Charity Shop.  Many well-supported events are organised, ranging from the now annual walk in aid of the AECC, summer fetes, and themed evenings at local restaurants, stalls at local Easter and Christmas markets and dinner-dances, donations from supporters’ own activities, including a sponsored UK to Spain cycle ride and the short-term hiring out of wheel chairs, cots, etc..  In recent years the Friends of Alcossebre have become involved with helping the Red Cross distribute food parcels at Christmas, and this is likely to increase.  Generally, the Friends are now a well-established, integrated part of the local Alcala-Alcossebre community, appreciated at many levels, attracting a wide cross-section of the local community to volunteer and support the concept.

The Friends of Alcossebre Association owes much of its current success to a dedicated, hardworking Anglo-Spanish Committee, its many willing volunteers, support from all sorts of people in Alcala de Chivert and Alcossebre, from the Mayor and Councillors, many local businesses and visitors to the town, just to mention a few, and heartfelt thanks go to all. 

To mark this landmark in the Association’s history, the Friends will be holding a Celebration Ball, at La Cupula, Las Fuentes, on Sunday 9th December to thank all our supporters and to start on the road to raising the next 100,000 Euros to donate to local charities and organisations - Supporting our Community!