Veractiva will not go ahead this year

Veractiva, the annual trade fair held in Vera which regularly attracts tens of thousands of visitors, will not be held this year. The reason is a change in the legislation regulating this type of fair which obliges the organisers to reserve two days of the fair for 'trade' or professional visitors only. This would mean that the general public would be allowed to visit only one of the three days it normally runs, something Vera ayuntamiento has decided makes the fair unviable.

The problem is all in the title of the fair; if it is a Feria Comercial Oficial ('official' trade fair) the new legislation applies, if on the other hand the fair becomes a 'Feria de Muestras' (fair of samples or demonstrations) then it can be open to the public in its entirety.

At the moment Vera ayuntamiento is blaming the lack of a fair on the Junta de Andalucia for changing the law while the Junta is blaming the ayuntamiento for not simply changing the character of the fair to another type. Nobody seems to be mentioning the drop in the housing market which of course means the big construction companies don't want to pay the ayuntamiento for the privilege of a space in the fair this year, so the ayuntamiento might not make the profit it has become accustomed to.

The towns of Pulpi, Vicar and Adra will be holding 'Ferias de Muestra' this year

New water storage tanks inaugurated in Vera

Codeur, the company which has taken over the management of water supply and sewage treatment in most of the Vera area, has inaugurated two new water storage tanks. The installation of the tanks is the last stage in the creation of two separate networks for water for human consumption and water for irrigation in the Vera coast area. The installation of the tanks should mean a saving of at least a million litres of drinking water a day. The drinking water tank has a capacity of 20 million litres (about 4,400,000 gallons), with automatic chlorine level detection and injection system powered by photovoltaic solar panels. The irrigation water deposit has a capacity of eleven million litres and its power needs are met by solar panels.

Valle del Este Hotel hosts workshop to help parents

Last Saturday the first of the 'Jornadas formativas para AMPAS' (workshops for parents organised by the local parent's association) was held at the Valle del Este Hotel in Vera.

This event and others in the pipeline area free service intended for parents concerned about the education and upbringing of their children and for teachers and others working in the field of education. They focus on the educational and social challenges that exist for families today and on communication within the family. During the morning session representatives from the Guardia Civil talked about the dangers of the internet and about drug use amongst adolescents. After the lunch which was included as part of the program, Maria del Mar Romera, a specialist in emotional intelligence, spoke about how to improve communication within the family using awareness of what is happiness for the other person as a way to establish a common communication route. To finish the workshop Gabriela Moral, psychologist, explained the different educational models which can be followed.

Although these workshops, promoted by the Junta de Andalucia, are exclusively in Spanish anyone can attend and they would welcome any suggestions or proposals for their improvement in the future.

15.4 million euros for Vera-Garrucha Road improvments

THIRTY SEVEN companies have tendered quotes to the Junta de Andalucia for the job of straightening the A-1200 road which connects Vera and Garrucha and which is used by 18,000 vehicles every day. This will be the continuation of the work already done from Vera to a point about 500 metres past the Hotel Vera.

The works will affect 4.3 kilometres of the road from km. 2.7 to km. 6.5, the Buganvillas roundabout, where the road connects to the Villaricos-Garrucha-Turre road.

The works, which have a budget of 15.4 million euros and which should take 26 months to be completed, involve the construction of two new bridges over the River Antas, one for each direction of traffic flow, and a flyover at the junction with the road to Puerto Rey. Service roads will also be built alongside the main road and a new junction will have to constructed to allow traffic access to the petrol station currently right next to the existing road.

These works form part of the MASCERA Plan (Mejora de la Accesibilidad, la Seguridad vial y la Conservación En la Red de Carreteras de Andalucía/Improvement of accessibility, road safety and conservation of the Andalucia road network). This plan has an overall budget of more than 100 million euros and is co-financed with funds from the European Union.