Emergency services were alerted on Tues 27thJuly when a 48 year old German woman was seriously injured when she fell while taking part in the famous Masca walk.

She was airlifted to safety by helicopter and flown to Tenerife North Airport where an ambulance took her to hospital.

The City Council is undertaking a project to reform and improvement the public lighting in Arguayo, Tamaimo and Puerto de Santiago.

The work has a budget of € 140,754.00.

The existing lighting and wiring, which is in poor condition, will all be replace by watertight fluorescent lighting with 36w lamps.

Blue Flag status is awarded to beaches in more than 30 countries in Europe, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada and the Caribbean. The Blue Flag requires compliance with water quality standards, safety, general services and standards of environmental management.

The Blue Flag is a badge awarded annually by the Foundation for Environmental Education to the beaches and marinas that meet a range of environmental conditions and facilities.

This year the awards went to the beaches of La Arena in Santiago del Teide (for the 24th consecutive year),El Médano, Leocadio Machado and La Tejita in Granadilla de Abona, Las Vistas and El Camisón in Arona, Troya I-II (Americas I-II) in Adeje,  El Socorro Los Realejos, Playa Jardín in Puerto de la Cruz and La Arena (Mesa del Mar) in Tacoronte.

Many of these awarded beaches have a wide range of services such as showers, bars, restaurants, telephones, surveillance, police, Red Cross, toilets, sun-beds and umbrellas for rent, rental of sports equipment and access for disabled. Others have alternative services such as parking, camping or nudist area. Each has got its own personality and charm. Golden sands and white or black sand, wind and waves for water sports or quiet relaxation and serenity, different beaches to suit all needs.

Due to the number of Blue Flags beaches Tenerife is now  high on the list of best venues in the world.

Source: Tenerife News

Gema Montesdeoca, age 16 who represented Puerto de Santiago was crowned this year’s Gala Queen of Puerto Santiago fiesta which took place on July 22nd 2010.

Candidates were: Martin Yaridé Guanche, Tamaimo, Beatriz Linares Díaz The Molledo, Marquis Coraima Hernandez La Caldera, Gema Montesdeoca Puerto de Santiago, Lucía Martín Guerra Santiago del Teide, Álvarez Delgado Arguayo.

The gala was presented by Rebecca and Alexis Rojas Paniagua. Entertainers were MM Ballet Dance act, singer Priscilla Estévez, comedian Jesus Farray and Fog starring Irinea and Pepe Benavente.

Hover cursor over pic for names - click on pic to enlarge

This year’s Playa Arena to Puerto Santiago swimming competition, which was the 15th organised by the local council, attracted over 300 competitors.

First place in the men’s race was claimed by Francisco Javier Perez with a finishing time of 12 minutes and 51 seconds. Second place went to Jose Carlos Baez Gonzalez with a time of 12 minutes and 54 seconds and third place went to Ciro Ascanio Gutierrez with a time of 13 minutes and 59 seconds.

In the women’s race first over the finish line was Design Escatllar with a time of 15 minutes 28 seconds, second place was Usoa Gala Arocena with a time of 15 minutes and 29 seconds while third place went to Carmen Elsa Dominguez with a time of 15 minutes and 50 seconds.

There was also prizes for locals who entered. In the men’s category first place went to José Juan Casañas with a time of 16 minutes and 47 seconds, second place went to Thomas Jonay Glez Garcia with a time of 18 minutes and 13 seconds and third place went to Javier Diaz Linares with a time of 18 minutes and 15 seconds.

Local women’s category was as follows: first Dácil Hernandez finished, using a time of 21 minutes and 21 seconds, second place went to Vanessa Sanchez with a time of 23 minutes and 52 seconds, while the Third place went to Ana Belén Socas with a time of 27 minutes and 9 seconds.

I’ve spent the past few days planning a family and friends BBQ for tomorrow in one of the BBQ/picknic parks up Teide. The dive centre is closed for the day (wow a day off). I have 15kg of chicken legs thawing in my fridge! Plus there’s a good supply of beer in several friends fridge!

I was rather horrified this morning when the cabildo announced that they were banning fires and bonfires in the woods and hills due to the heat wave expected this weekend and the ban will not be lifted until the weather cools down. Panic what do I do with 15kg of thawed out chicken legs???

From tomorrow, July 10th and until further notice certain parts of the middle and higher ground on the island of Tenerife will be on orange alert due to a heat wave following the weather forecast issued yesterday by the Spanish Met Office.

The temperature is expected to hit 37 degrees centigrade this weekend, and has prompted an official ban on lighting of fires of any kind in recreation and BBQ areas. The Cabildo has confirmed that the ban will not be officially lifted until the weather cools down and the risk of forest and wild fires is reduced.
Some parts of Tenerife will be on orange alert tomorrow, which means significant risk. The affected areas will be the mountains and the lower hills in the south, east and west of Tenerife from 11.00 until 21.00 tomorrow, Saturday 10 July 2010, mainly those which are south and west facing because they received less draught from the cooler north westerly winds.

All visitors and residents on the island are strongly urged NOT to go up into the hills and woods over the next few days until the situation improves. The Island Corporation kindly request that drivers use only the tarmacked roads and avoid forest tracks whenever possible. Holidaymakers and residents are strongly recommended to take extra precautions when visiting the mountains.
In an emergency please call 112.

Our BBQ has been saved, thanks to Fred and Glynis, we are moving our venue to lower down the mountain where it will be a bit cooler at Tajinaste restaurant. We will just have to plan the mountain BBQ for another day.

This year’s swimming race from Playa de La Arena to Puerto de Santiago takes place at 18:00 hours on 10th July 2010 entries will be accepted up to July 6th.

The race covers 950 meters. The start line is at Playa de La Arena and the finish line is the beach at El Bajio in Puerto de Santiago.

The race is organized by the Department of Sports Hall of the Historic Village of Santiago del Teide, with the collaboration of the Federation Swimming Insular de Tenerife, Tenerife Referees Committee, Mar Red Cross, Civil Protection, Volunteer Fire Santiago del Teide and the Ad Hoc Underwater Civil Guard.

Entries may be made on website www.loscabosos.com and the municipal website www.santiagodelteide.es. Or for more information call 922-86-81-08, lines open from 08:00 to 15:00.

The categories are female and male, divided into groups according to age. Entry fee is Euros 5.

The “Acantilado de Los Gigantes”, fifth annual underwater photographic competition, sponsored by the City Council of the Historic Village of Santiago del Teide, with the collaboration of the Tenerife Cabildo, will take place from July 3rd – 10th 2010.

The amazing volcanic rock formations, caves, tunnels and arches plus the amazing diversity of marine live in the Los Gigantes area make it an ideal location for the competition.

The Digital Underwater Photography Contest “Cliffs Los Gigantes” is open to all underwater photographers who wish to take part. (Subject to the number of places and compliance with the rules of the competition).

For more info visit www.fotosubtenerife.com
Entry fee is € 150 for Category A and 120 € for Category B. This fee includes participation rights in the contest and a place on four boat dives departing from Los Gigantes Marina.

The awards for “Category A” are:

1. First place: trophy and 2,500 euros.

2. Second place: trophy and 1,500 euros.

3. Third place: Trophy and $ 1,000.

The awards for “Category B” are:

1. First place: trophy and 1,000 euros.

2. Second place: Barbolight LED Flashlight.

This past weekend a local produce sale was held in the Plaza Bouganvilla, Los Gigantes.
It was an event in which farmers from different parts of the island could show their products (honey, cheese, pastries, wine, potatoes … ) The event was organized by the Local Development Agency, Tourism, the Department of Agriculture Hall of the Historic Village of Santiago del Teide and Tenerife Pantry.

The Pantry is a project of the Tenerife Cabildo de Tenerife and Tenerife Rural Foundation. The aim is to promote the local produce of the island. Among the initiatives under this project include the creation of the website (productosdetenerife.com) where users can access the different products of the land with the possibility of purchasing from home.

Jose Joaquin Bethencourt, Minister of Agriculture of the Cabildo of Tenerife, said that “one of the priorities in this area of the council is to relocate to society the importance of eating local produce because they all represent our culture, tradition and source of wealth for our people.”

Playa arena beach has become the most awarded beach in Tenerife. Since 1987 as it has been awarded the blue flag each year for the past 23 years.

The Blue Flag is a recognized symbol to stringent health and environmental levels, the presence of adequate sanitation and waste, rescue services, first aid and lifeguard as well as wheelchair access and other facilities for the disabled and free wi-fi internet access.

Plans for the new Fonsalía port (between Alcala and San Juan) have already passed the draft, blueprint and environmental impact stages and, if economically viable, will go out to tender in late 2011.

Councillor for Public Transport and Works Juan Ramón Hernández also announced that at the end of June this year, all documentation will be open to the general public.

The new port will be created on an artificial platform going out to sea, separated from the mainland by a narrow arm of water allowing for the movement of currents and avoiding stagnant water so as not to alter the peculiar morphology of the coastline.

This will create a 15.5 hectare “island” to accommodate commercial, fishing and marina use via a 200 metre long bridge with four lanes for vehicles and pavements for pedestrians. 2.77 hectares will be dedicated to fisheries and 5.50 hectares to sport.

It will have 739 metres of vertical breakwaters, 840 metres of artificial rubble breakwaters, four berths for commercial vessels, 460 moorings for pleasure boats and thirty for fishing boats.

Socialist deputy Julio Cruz said the port of Fonsalía is essential and very important for the Canary Islands and Tenerife, “especially considering that the port of Los Cristianos has collapsed.”

It will be an important logistics and communications hub between the Canary Islands, and should be constructed as quickly as possible as it will benefit two million users.

Source:- Tenerife News

West Tenerife’s got talent

29th & 30th May 2010 you don’t have to be a professional artist to enter Tajinaste’s

FIRST WEST TENERIFE TALENT COMPETITION

They may or may not be young, they may or not be pretty, they may be professionals or amateurs but for one afternoon with nothing to lose they’re daring to go for it.

Heats will be held on the Saturday with the final on the Sunday. Both starting around 14:30
Acts and/or sponsors of the act you are nominating can obtain an application form from Tajinaste restaurant (see below how to get there) or by email from enquiries@losgigantes.com
Alternatively call 610062353 or 678195750 and give details of the act.

There are many categories, female/male vocalists. duos, bands, instrumentalist, comedian, novelty acts, magic acts, dancer or dance troupe or other.

How to get there
From Los Gigantes Police/Fire station follow the road up the hill on the Tamaimo road for aprox 1km. Turn right into the village of La Caldera (there is no sign post) go past the laundry and turn left after the little church. Follow the very narrow road until you come to a fork in the road (aprox 1km). Fork right. Here you will see a small car park and the restaurant.

A taxi from Los Gigantes is around €3.50 and the restaurant owner will call a return taxi for you.

A new scheme is being introduced by Santiago del Teide Council to assist pensioners and people who have been unemployed for more than one year, with a rebate on their 2009 IBI (rates)

Eligible homeowners have until May 14th to make their claim. The rebate can be up to a maximum of 85 per cent of the amount paid on their primary property, depending on circumstances.

If you think you may be eligible, you can get more information either at the council offices in Santiago del Teide, or at the council sub-office in Playa de la Arena.

Work has begun replacing the street lights in the Avenida José González Fortes, Calle Hibisco and Flor de Pascua in Los Gigantes.

The work has a budget of around Euros 202,000

Tourist boat Shogun, which operates for Puerto Colon, had to detour and make an unscheduled stop in Los Gigantes yesterday when a passenger on board suffered a heart attack.

The incident occurred around 3pm. The man, who name has not yet been disclosed, was in his early 40’s. He complained of chest pains then lost consciousness. A nurse on board was unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead when the emergency services arrived.

A second blackout in just over a week, hit not just Los Gigantes but the whole of Tenerife for several hours early this morning.

The problem occurred at 1am at a sub-station in Las Caletillas. 50% of power was restored by around 5am to Santa Cruz and the south of the islands. Full power should be resumed during the course of today.

The emergency services had few serious incidents to deal with because the blackout occurred during the night, but a few people had to be rescued from lifts.

Many residents of Los Gigantes are in shock today at the tragic news of the death of popular Tony Fordham.

43 year old Tony suffered a massive heart attack early yesterday morning in his car at Tejita beach car park in El Medano. Ambulance crews were unable to resuscitate him.

Funeral arrangements
Tuesday March 2nd at 11am – Los Gigantes church followed by a reception at Tipsy Terrace.

No flowers by request, instead contributions towards the cost of the funeral will be welcome. Donations will be accepted by Kelly and staff at Offshore 44 or Jo and staff at the Green Corner.

Condolences to Tony’s family from theLosgigantes.com team. He will be sorely missed in Los Gigantes.

SANTIAGO DEL TEIDE BRANCH
Asociación San Francisco de los Animales

Annual Report
01.11.08 -31.12.09

Due to the fact that we have brought the branch’s year end into line with that of the main association it should be noted that this report covers a fourteen month period.

2009 has been a year of ups and downs. Most fundraising events, with the exception of the dinner in December, have been approximately one third down on income compared with the previous year. Fortunately donations increased which has helped to compensate.

Fundraising is vital for our work with the abandoned animals. We receive no government or municipal funding, thus having to rely solely on our own fundraising activities and donations from the public. Without fundraising we might just as well ‘shut up shop’. Without income we could not afford our veterinary bills, which accounts for a very large proportion of our income. Read Full Story » »

Stormy seas, high winds and heavy thunderstorms continue to cause chaos to the whole of the Caranry Islands.

In our local area yesterday heavy metal manhole covers were lifted out of their places by the sheer volume of water causing the closure of the main road in Playa Arena. Today the clean up begins as dozens of council workers clear mud and rocks from the roads.

The new beach and car park in San Juan has been badly damaged due to a river of flood water which was too much for the drains. (See pics below) At the time of flooding 2 cars were washed down from the car park on to the beach.

Waves of between 4.5 and 5.5 metres have been recorded. A yacht ran aground on the coast of Puerto del Carmen in Gran Canaria yesterday while the Fred Olsen ferry was forced to return to Tenerife after attempting to enter the port of Agaete in Gran Canaria. Further crossings were cancelled.

In Las Calletillas, wind ripped off a gas station roof, which resulted in some people being evacuated from their homes.

Schools and universities are closed until further notice and several roads to Mt. Teide remain closed due to heavy snow, rain or rock falls. Carnival events in Santa Cruz were cancelled yesterday and again today.

Many places were without power yesterday, and today from around mid day until 4pm the whole of Tenerife was without electricity.

Several flights have been cancelled or delayed but all ports, airports and bus services are now operating normally.

It’s not over. There are more storms lurking in the Atlantic, due to hit us over the weekend, so don’t put out your garden furniture yet, but it looks like we may have a bit of a reprieve for tomorrow.

Click on pic for larger view

Once again Los Gigantes is being battered by bad weather. Heavy rain, thunder storms, high winds and rough seas are causing chaos for locals and tourists. This week no boats are leaving or entering the marina. As I write this you can’t see the cliffs from the marina because the rain is so heavy.

Until Friday a severe weather warning has been issued by the met office.

Local authorities and the Fire Brigade are once again inundated with calls for help and in the area of Las Chafiras, they are stretched to their limit having to pump water from flooded homes and roofs have been blown off in the high winds. Trees have been blown down, but luckily there have been no reports of injuries.

Yet again the road to Teide is closed.

Update 3pm Wed 17th

After the torrential rain this morning, with rivers running down every road, residents in Los Gigantes are once again mopping up.  The beach road drains were soon blocked with mud and stones causing flooding yet again to the shops and restaurant and this time the flooding of Poblado garages.

Stephen McKenna, councillor for Santiago del Teide who appeared in court in Arona last Thursday was acquitted of all charges against him.

The complainant made no accusation, and withdrew criminal proceedings. There are no further appeals against the ruling.

Councillor McKenna was accused and charged for propositioning a minor for sex in an incident on July 21st last year.

The truth coming out in court came as a great relief for the councillor. The incident had made front page news as well as a topic for local gossip, which no doubt affected his business, but the tremendous support and good wishes from locals and swallows helped him through the very difficult past 6 months.

The Spanish government have promised three million Euros to build a one-kilometre beach and promenade at La Jaquita (Alcala). The plans have been approved, and the local council says it hopes to award the actual tender in the next few weeks.

Mayor Pedro Martín says the new beach will complement Playa San Juan, where a tourist information office has opened recently, and will strengthen Guía de Isora’s case to be formally designated a tourist town, which will bring more public investment and more flexible trading hours for local commerce. The project is the second to be undertaken in La Jaquita in the last few years, following the extensive work done to the seafront stretch in late 2007.

Click on photos to enlarge

Los Gigantes continues to be battered by high winds and torrential rain. The orange alert issued by the Met Office is extended until Tuesday evening.

A yellow alert for the south of Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro has been issued with warnings of heavy seas and gale force winds which could reach up to force 6 or 7.

Floods and electricity cuts are causing major chaos and the fire brigade and local authorities are working round the clock to unblock drains and clear the blocked roads of rocks.

The Cabildo de Tenerife Road Services Department has closed the TF-631 road from kilometre 3 to 4.8 from Abades to San Miguel de Tajao in Arico, due rock falls caused by torrential rain falls. The TF-21 Teide road from La Orotava is also closed because of hail storms. Access to the National Park using any of the other roads is not recommended.

Because of torrential rainfall and possible flooding, the following advice is a guide for the general public to follow:
1. Stay calm and stay at home; be on the alert for possible danger areas such as gullies and drains etc. nearby.
2. Keep watching local media for the latest weather updates.
3. Avoid driving during heavy rain. If you have to drive, pay particular attention to the depth of the water and be careful when braking. If your vehicle starts to fill with water, park it safely and abandon it.
4. If you are driving, keep to the major roads avoiding secondary roads, and drive in a lower gear.
5. Don’t cross bridges if the water has risen above the road level.
6. Don’t go into the lower areas of your house if they are flooded, such as garages and basements etc. If you are flooded, leave your house and find higher ground.
7. Disconnect the electrical power in these circumstances. Don’t use lifts in case there is a power cut.
8. If flooding has trapped you in the upper levels of your house, don’t attempt to leave it by swimming as you could be swept away by the current. It is preferable to call 112 and wait for help.
9. Keep a battery powered radio and follow instructions issued by the Protección Civíl through the press, television and radio.
10. Avoid unnecessary phone calls in order to keep lines open for emergencies.
11. In case of emergency, call 112.
These guidelines will be updated as weather conditions change.

There were 5 entries this year’s Los Gigantes carnival 2010 poster competition. The theme is “Africa” and the winning entry was painted by artist Rodolfo Jorge Gutierrez.

Juan Gorrín, The mayor of Santiago del Teide, appeared in court yesterday and was questioned for two hours about the landslide on Los Gigantes beach last November which killed two women.

The mayor may face criminal charges over the incident. Relatives of one of the victims heckled the mayor as he arrived and put up posters saying the tragedy ‘was not an accident but a crime’.

Today the beach remains closed to the public and local business on the beach road are still suffering from lack of business due to the closure.

Work is ongoing and financed by the Canarian Government to determine the safety of the cliff.

The mayor of Santiago del Teide, Juan Damián Gorrín Ramos, reported that after meetings with the Island Council improvement work will begin on the TF-82 at Tamaimo.

A petition of hundreds of signatures was collected from residents and road users seeking urgent action after continuous landslides put lives at risk.

Article from Tenerife News
‘The train now leaving for Fonsalia’….. words which will eventually come true.

As promised, Tenerife Cabildo has approved a plan which will extend the proposed train of the south to Fonsalia (the small village between Alcala and San Juan).

The idea received cross-party support last March and the formal document has now been approved. It will go out for public consultation for 70 days and also to the various public administrations.

Four alternative routes at a cost of 307 million Euros were studied. Including five kilometres of tunnels and one and a half viaducts.

The train service will eventually unite Fonsalia with Santa cruz with the journey time taking 52 minutes.
The trains will run every 15 minutes and will be capable of reaching speeds of 220kms an hour.

Santiago del Teide’s local police force now has six new officers. The new recruits were sworn in earlier this week.

The six new members took up their posts formally on Monday and were introduced to the public at a ceremony led by the town’s mayor.

Santiago’s police force now has 20 officers.

Work has started clearing loose stones and rubble from the cliff on the beach road in Los Gigantes.

The beach road was closed to the public a few weeks ago when more smaller rock falls occurred.

The results of the work will form part of a geotechnical study to decide how best to protect the beach from further rock falls.