The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 24 August 2022

Civil Protection reinforces fire-fighting device in the region

The Civil Protection of the Algarve announced this Sunday a reinforcement of the observation device and means of fighting fires in rural areas, within the scope of the alert situation declared by the Government for the coming days.

In a statement, the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command (CREPC) specified that 52 more observation teams were mobilised by the municipal civil protection services and 28 tracking machines were hired by the 16 municipalities in the district of Faro .

The alert situation for mainland Portugal was declared on Friday by the Government due to the risk of fire, a scenario that will remain at least until next Tuesday, following a heat wave that hits the country.

During this alert period, the CREPC/Algarve adds, there was also an increase of 11 intervention teams to combat rural fires, “totaling the regional device, 375 firefighters distributed among 90 teams positioned in strategic locations”.

In all the municipalities of the Algarve, he says, 22 concentration zones were also created, “key areas to accommodate the most vulnerable population in emergency situations”.

According to Civil Protection, the 52 rural observation teams are part of the operational prevention device coordinated by the National Republican Guard, “with means and resources” from municipalities, hunters’ associations and other collectivities.

“It is a muscular reinforcement for the early detection of possible ignitions in the barrocal and mountain areas” in the region, reads the note.

The 28 crawler machines “were strategically prepositioned according to the territorial reality of each municipality and are the guarantee of an anticipated projection by the regional command, in the expanded attack effort”.

The equipment is monitored by teams of forest clearers in conjunction with the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests, concluded the note from the Civil Protection of the Algarve.

Municipalities removed more than 58 thousand square metres of asbestos in 29 schools

Twelve municipalities in the Algarve have already removed more than 58,000 square metres of asbestos from school coverage, the Algarve’s Regional Coordination and Development Commission ( CCDR ) announced this Monday.

With a total eligible investment of 3.5 million euros, 100% co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the twelve municipalities involved in the operation completed the asbestos removal work in 29 teaching establishments from the 2nd and 2nd 3rd cycles, following the agreement established with the Government, which allowed access to European funds managed in the region for the removal of coatings made up of asbestos-containing fibre cement boards and accessories.

Adding together two broader requalification projects, in which the removal of asbestos is also planned, these interventions will improve operating conditions in 31 schools in the region.

Vila Real Beaches recognised with distinction by Turismo de Portugal

The beaches of the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António were awarded, by Turismo de Portugal, with the “Accessible Beach” Flag, under the Accessible Beach Program – Beach for All)!.

The initiative’s main objective is to provide bathing areas with a set of conditions that allow their universal use, without jeopardising age and mobility difficulties.

All the licensed and supervised beaches in the municipality – Santo António, Monte Gordo , Manta Rota and Lota – were awarded and, in addition to being accessible to people with reduced mobility, they provide comfort to visitors, through the provision of amphibious chairs in safety conditions.

Added to this service is the already existing network of adapted walkways, ramps and parking spaces reserved for vehicles at the service of people with disabilities, which, together, allow all users to enjoy a swim in the sea.

It is recalled that the beach of Manta Rota was already distinguished with the first place of the award “Beach + accessible”, being considered an example of good practices to be followed throughout the country.

Six arrested for driving with excessive alcohol in Vilamoura during Police crack down 

The GNR detained on Friday, 19, in Vilamoura, six people for driving with excess blood alcohol, during an action to combat crime and serious accidents, it was announced on Saturday.

In a statement, the Faro Territorial Command of the National Republican Guard (GNR) indicated that the “special operation” took place in the main accesses to Vilamoura.

According to that security force, in addition to the arrest of the six people who were driving with excess alcohol in their blood, the military detected a total of 31 different infractions that resulted in administrative offences.

Thus, 25 violations against the Highway Code were issued, three against regulatory legislation, one for lack of a safety plan, one for an expired security director card and one for outdated CCTV system (video surveillance system) symbology. The cases were referred to the Loulé Judicial Court.

Collision between two boats at the entrance to Olhao Harbour causes three injuries

A collision between two vessels caused three minor injuries at the entrance to the fishing port of Olhão , during the early hours of Friday, August 19, announced the National Maritime Authority.

A local fishing vessel that had five crew on board collided with another local auxiliary vessel with four people on it.

The alert was given shortly after midnight through the Lisbon Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, and elements of the local Command of the Maritime Police of Olhão, the Municipal Fire Department of Olhão and INEM were activated for the scene.

After the collision, the two vessels went to the fishing port of Olhão, where they docked safely, so that the slightly injured could be cared for.

Two of the slightly injured were later transported to a hospital and the two vessels were inspected, and severe structural damage was found.

The local Command of the Maritime Police of Olhão took care of the occurrence.

Loule Municipality Reinforces Measures to Combat Lack of Water

With the worsening of the drought in the country, and at a time when the population in the municipality is considerably higher than the rest of the year, due to the number of tourists who are there on vacation, the municipality of Loulé decided this week to reinforce its response to the water shortage.

In this way, measures based on the recently approved Plan are being implemented

Contingency Council for Dry Periods, in addition to those in force since the 20th of July, in consultation with the other municipalities in the Algarve.

The Loulé City Council will extend the closure of the indoor swimming pools in Loulé and Quarteira until the end of September and close the outdoor swimming pools in Loulé and Salir on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, starting next Monday , August 22. These outdoor equipment will remain open on the remaining days and during their normal opening hours. As a whole, the sum of the measures in force since 20 July with these new ones to be applied from next week should mean a total saving of 4,200 m3 or 4,200,000 litres of water, which would be the average consumption of 420 dwellings during the whole month.

Also with regard to the aforementioned public sports facilities, measures will be implemented to reduce water consumption by users and employees, which will include the installation of flow reducers in existing faucets and showers and the installation of timers in the showers that don’t have them yet.

Another initiative, now approved, will be the reduction or suspension of irrigation in some of the green spaces of the municipality, with this irrigation being carried out, whenever possible, manually and using water from Bicas Velhas.The municipal services will also resort to alternative sources of water for washing streets and pavements, with the vehicles that carry out these washings being supplied with water sources such as the one in Bicas Velhas.

Waste Tip Fire in Loule Must be Extinguished says ARS

The Public Health Authority of the Algarve determined this Monday “the immediate extinction” of the sources of burning material at the waste plant of the company Inertegarve, in Vale da Venda (Loulé), whose dump was affected by a fire in July.

The determination of the regional health delegate was expressed in a note published on the website of the Algarve Regional Health Administration (ARS), following the air quality monitoring report commissioned by the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission ( CCDR ). .

The precautionary measure arises “following the confirmation of the analytical results, of the parameters Particles in Suspension (PM10) and Benzene, above the indicative values ​​used by analogy as a reference […]”, maintains Ana Cristina Guerreiro.

The fire at the Inertegarve company dump, located in Vale da Venda, in the municipality of Loulé , resulted from the fire that broke out on July 14 in Gambelas, in the municipality of Faro, and which spread to the neighbouring municipality.

Since the fire started local residents have been calling for it to be extinguished but for the past few weeks their calls were being ignored, even though the operating licence of the company was suspended.

According to the statement on their website, “The joint visit on the initiative of the Health Authority and the GNR, which are territorially competent, accompanied by other entities, resulted in the recognition of the suspected risk to public health and the urgent need [for the company] to completely stop the outbreaks of combustion”, reads the note.

The assessment “on the possible presence of critical levels of pollution in the face of an environmental accident” carried out for nine days by the company Monitar – Engenharia do Ambiente, through a mobile station, detected “the concentration of values ​​above the indicative reference levels for the parameters PM10 and Benzene particles”, underlines the note from the Algarve Regional Health Authority.

 

The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 17 August 2022

by Mike Evans

Good day to you all. As the whole country battles wildfires and high temperatures coupled with high winds, the Algarve whilst not experiencing the huge fires that are raging in the North continues to be at High risk according to the IPMA. As I write 6 municipalities in the Algarve are rated as “high risk” The are Aljezur , Lagos, Silves, Loulé, São Brás de Alportel and Tavira. It is encumbered by us all to make sure we adhere to the rules surrounding the prevention of fires.

The GNR recalls that, at any time of the year, it is forbidden to burn cut and piled woods and any type of forest or agricultural leftovers, as well as burning without asking for authorization or making prior communication. The GNR indicated that this year it has so far arrested 68 people for forest fire, 16 more than in the whole of last year (when it made a total of 52 arrests).

Man arrested for stealing carob and illegal driving 

A 34-year-old man was arrested in the municipality of Tavira for stealing from Alfarroba and driving without a legal licence, the GNR reported this Tuesday .

Following a report of carob theft, the military went to the scene on Monday, having “intercepted the suspect at the moment he was starting to flee the property, in a vehicle, in possession of the stolen carob”, explained the GNR in a statement.

The investigations carried out also made it possible to verify that the man did not have a legal licence to drive. In the course of the action, eight sacks were seized, containing about 211 kilos of carob, which were delivered to the legitimate owner.

The man was arrested and charged, and the facts sent to the Judicial Court of Faro .

Robbers arrested in Spain are remanded in Custody

Two robbers who were arrested in Spain recently and are suspected of a number of crimes including robbing gas stations in the Algarve were remanded in custody in Spain this week.

The suspects, considered by the Spanish authorities as “very dangerous”, were heard by the judge of the Central Investigation Court, Joaquín Gadea, who decreed preventive detention for both detainees, Nélida Alves and Sidney Pereira, aged 40 and 42, respectively.

The suspects, dubbed by the press as the Portuguese ‘Bonnie &Clyde’, will be the perpetrators of armed robberies at service stations in Spain and Portugal in recent weeks as well as suspicion of other more serious crimes.

The suspects allegedly robbed service stations in the Algarve, before crossing the border into Spain in Ayamonte, at the end of July, and in Spain the violent attacks on service stations in Seville, Badajoz and Toledo continued, always using the same ‘modus operandi’. ‘ of intimidating employees with a gun and a knife.

They are also suspected of having stolen a vehicle in the Madrid neighbourhood of Moncloa. They were detained in Zamora after a citizen’s complaint, when he recognized the suspects in a shopping centre, alerted the Guardia Civil at the end of Saturday.

They were arrested while having dinner inside the stolen vehicle, having been surrounded at that time by agents of the National Police, who detained them without offering resistance, as explained today in a press conference by the chief of police in Zamora, Guillermo Vara.

Navy rescues crew member with symptoms of heart attack

On Monday, August 15, the Portuguese Navy rescued a member of the crew who was aboard the ship Fri Tide, off Portimão , who had symptoms of a heart attack , the security force announced.

This rescue took place through the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre of Lisbon, in conjunction with the Captaincy of the Port of Portimão and the Guidance Centre for Urgent Patients Mar. The information was received at 18:57 and the urgent need to evacuate the victim was confirmed.

The victim was later transported by ambulance to a hospital.

Albufeira Municipality honours young people on International Youth Day

To mark International Youth Day, the municipality of Albufeira has a tradition of organising a program that aims to distinguish the merit of young people from Albufeira in areas such as Sports, Citizenship, Arts, Culture and the Academic World.

This year, the municipality celebrated the date again with a ceremony that brought together 62 young people and their families in the Salão Nobre dos Paços do Concelho, followed by a social lunch and a boat trip along the coast of Albufeira.

Sixty-two young people from the Albufeira Poente, Ferreiras and Vale Pedras School Groups and various sports, cultural and social clubs and associations in the county, who stood out in different areas, were praised for their success, but also for their commitment and altruism dedicated to causes social and humanitarian.

In his speech, José Carlos Rolo, Mayor of Albufeira, underlined the importance of “fostering solidarity between generations (…) to guarantee a more inclusive and sustainable society”.Among many reflections, the president urged young people to be “ambassadors of society”, through their active participation in the sports, cultural, social and school associations they attend, getting involved in voluntary initiatives and participating in civic and political life. .

Isabel Frade, representing the Portuguese Institute for Youth and Sports ( IPDJ ), reiterated “the difficult role that youth face”, stressing that the IPDJ “is always open to welcome and support the ideas and projects presented by the young people”.

All young people received a piece alluding to the moment and a diploma of recognition of merit, which were delivered by the president, vice president and councillors Cláudia Guedelha, Ricardo Clemente, Abel Zua and Desidério Silva.

Teenager dies in Algarve boat crash

A collision between two vessels in the Ria Formosa, in Olhão, last Friday night, injured two people and led to the death of one girl. The captain of the port of Olhão, André Cardoso de Morais, clarified that the collision involved “a maritime taxi” and “a pleasure boat” and only confirmed that the victims were transported to the hospital with injuries.

According to Jornal de Notícias, the person who was seriously injured was a 17 year old girl who then later died. The same source added that “the collision and the circumstances in which the accident took place are being investigated by the Maritime Police”, who went to the accident site and accompanied the transport of the victims to the Olhão pier, aboard another private vessel”.

Road safety campaign launched today

The GNR, the PSP and the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) launched on 16 August the campaign “Travel without haste” to raise awareness regarding the dangers of speeding.The campaign, which will take place between 16 and 23 August, is part of the National Inspection Plan for 2022, according to a statement from the three law enforcement agencies, which stress that speeding is one of the main causes of accidents on the roads and accounts for more than 50 percent of recorded infractions.

For example, “in run over accidents, the probability of death increases with the speed of the vehicle. If a vehicle is going at 30 km/h, the probability of death is 10%. Increasing the speed to 50 km/h, the probability becomes 80%”, reads the statement.

The “Travel without haste” campaign will include awareness-raising actions by ANSR in mainland Portugal and in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, as well as control speed operations by the GNR and PSP, with special focus on the busiest roads of the country.

Thank you for reading this report and watch out each week for the latest updates to the Algarve.

 

The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 10 August 2022

by Mike Evans

Good morning and we start this report with an update on the latest news that shows Tourist occupancy levels in the Algarve have successfully returned to pre-Covid-19 levels, demonstrating a full recovery in the market.The occupancy per quarter of tourist resorts in the Algarve was, in July, 87.7%, 4.3 percentage points more than the value reached in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The Algarve surpassed, in July, the numbers of 2019, the best tourist year ever. Thus, the sector continues to recover, after two terrible years, due to the pandemic”, highlighted the Association of Hotels and Tourist Enterprises of the Algarve (AHETA).

With more tourists it does present other issues which we have to face up to, namely the lack of Water. Whilst not just related to the Algarve a report just published shows that in the last 20 years, only six rain seasons were considered normal, in relation to the period 1970-2000, indicates the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA), which warns of longer and more comprehensive droughts. The whole of the mainland is currently in a drought situation and we all can play our part in keeping the water running for everyone.

More news from the Algarve this past week.

The Sardinha Festival , in Portimão, broke the attendance record with 110 thousand entries between the 3rd and 7th of August, in the riverside area, announced the municipality .With a daily average of over 20,000 people in the riverside area, the most popular night of the event was on August 7, with David Carreira performing for over 30,000 people.

In all, more than three tons of roasted sardines were consumed, in addition to another ton of this fish that was served free of charge following the recreation of the traditional canasta unloading, which took place on 2 August.

This year, the venue had new living and leisure spaces that were more “Instagrammable” and shared experiences, such as the lounge space and places inspired by sardines.

Sardine Festival food scraps turned into fertiliser The leftover food from the Sardine Festival ,will be transformed into 100% natural fertiliser, announced the Municipal Water and Waste Company of that locality.

On the festival grounds is the space dedicated to the dissemination of the project, which was visited by the Secretary of State for the Sea and Fisheries, Teresa Coelho, in addition to hundreds of visitors.

Those who passed by had the opportunity to learn about the process of collecting food scraps, check if it was in the pilot area and, in case of a positive answer, lift their seven-liter bucket.

This project aims to “raise awareness of the importance of reducing environmental impacts, with emphasis on the collection of food scraps, which will be diverted from the landfill and transformed into natural fertiliser”, according to the statement. The operation covers 13,836 accommodation units, equivalent to 19,353 inhabitants (35 percent of the population) and started with restaurants, schools, institutions and the residential population, through the activation of 144 proximity containers.

Carob Thefts on the rise, The GNR seized a total of 434 kilos of carob and identified eight people for theft of that dried fruit, in Silves and São Bartolomeu de Messines .

In a statement, the GNR said that the seizure took place in two different situations, the first of which took place on Friday, August 5, in Silves, following a complaint about a carob theft.

The military “moved quickly” to the site, where they identified four people, two men aged 17 and 55 and two women aged 15 and 56, having seized 257 kilos of carob, harvested without authorization from the landowner.

The second situation occurred on Saturday, August 6, in São Bartolomeu de Messines, during an inspection of a vehicle, which the GNR found to have “a large amount of carob” inside.

As the suspects were unable to justify their origin, the military seized 177 kilos of carob and identified the four people who were in the vehicle: three men aged 19, 30 and 46 and a 43-year-old woman. In both situations, the GNR seized the suspects’ vehicles.

Earlier in the week about 15 thousand kilos of carob was seized in Altura. The seizure was carried out by the Faro Territorial Command, through the Castro Marim Territorial Post, following a complaint “that reported a large amount of carob on land in the parish of Altura”.

“The Guard’s soldiers went to the place where they found that a man had stored around 15,000 kilos of carob beans, worth an estimated 28,000 euros”, says the GNR. The suspect “was unable to justify its origin and the context of its harvest”, and the carob was seized “as a precautionary measure”.

The 44-year-old man was identified and the facts were referred to the Vila Real de Santo António Judi

Body of man found off Arrifana beach- On Sunday afternoon, August 7, the Maritime Police collected the body of a man found floating off Arrifana beach , in the municipality of Aljezur , without knowing the causes for the occurrence, informed the National Maritime Authority.

“This afternoon the body of a man was detected, floating about two nautical miles (approximately four kilometres) from Arrifana beach, in the municipality of Aljezur, the causes that may have been at the origin of this occurrence are not known. ”, the maritime authority said in a statement.

Following the alert received at about 16:45, through the crew of a recreational boat, for the presence of a body floating in the water, “the crew of the Sagres Lifeguard Station and elements of the local command of the Maritime Police of Lagos”, explained the note.

“Elements of the Maritime Police and the crew of the Lifeguard Station recovered and transported the victim’s body to the port of Arrifana”, where “the local health delegate awaited, who declared death on the spot”, added the maritime authority.

After contacting the Public Ministry, the body was later transported by the Volunteer Firefighters of Aljezur to the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in Portimão.

The Chamber launched a campaign against animal abandonment This month, the Municipality of Olhão launched a new awareness campaign against the abandonment of pets during holidays, the municipality announced .

“In fact, animal abandonment occurs throughout the year, and not just in the summer, but it is during this period that there is a higher incidence. It seemed to us that it was the ideal time to convey the message that abandoning our animals is never the solution and is, moreover, punishable by law”, says the councillor responsible for Animal Welfare, Ricardo Calé.

With appeals such as “don’t abandon those who have always been by your side”, or “adopting a life is for life”, the municipality intends to raise awareness while trying to face the growing increase in animals arriving, either at the municipal kennel, or under the protection of the council’s associations.

Ricardo Calé recalls that “we have been developing in recent months, on several fronts, and in close collaboration with the associations of the municipality, a work in favour of animal welfare, where we seek to counteract the main factors that contribute to the increase in animals. in the shelters”.

In addition to the campaign that has just been launched, the mayor recalls the launch of the construction of the new Official Animal Collection Centre, a work that has been going on for over 20 years.

Regarding sterilisation, a protocol was recently signed between the municipalities of Olhão and Tavira, which aims to share logistical and human resources, in order to enhance the conditions for the mass sterilisation of animals.

The Municipal Commission for the Promotion of the Rights of the Elderly of Faro, which aims to represent the population of those over 65 years old, was approved at a meeting of the Municipal Assembly. In a statement, the municipality said that the body will have “consultative functions, of appreciation and analysis of problems, as well as of presenting proposals that can compete to guarantee information, defence of rights, security, dignity, quality of life and well-being”. of seniors in the county”.

Cited in the statement, the mayor, Rogério Bacalhau, says that the creation of the commission, which will operate at the Chamber’s premises, “will allow the municipality to be a pioneer in terms of public policies in the area of ​​ageing”.

According to the mayor, “the signs of problematic cases are now centralised in a single entity, in order to improve the perception of the realities in terms of the needs of the elderly population of the municipality”.

The new commission “holds responsibility” on the municipality for this segment of the population, also leading it to “assume a position of influence with the central power, enabling changes in public and legislative policies that can positively contribute to strengthening the rights of the elderly. in a vulnerable situation”.

The Municipal Commission for the Promotion of the Rights of the Elderly of Faro will assume itself “as the entity that will guarantee the specific referral related to the problems of alleged abuse, neglect and dementia conditions for the elderly”.

Among the objectives of the new body is the monitoring of cases reported by the Support Office for the Elderly (GAI) of the municipality, the signalling of situations of alleged risk to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the awareness of the general community regarding the rights of the elderly and the promotion of initiatives aimed at their social inclusion.

An email address will be created for anyone who wants to get in touch with the commission, and interested parties may also address the Department of Social Development and Education to present situations that fall within this scope.

All processes and contacts will be confidential, namely the identity of whoever reports a case, concludes the municipality.

That is the end of this report, we hope you have a safe and enjoyable week ahead.

 

 Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 3 August 2022

Good morning and we start this report with the news that the weather in the Algarve continues to be very warm and intense. Whilst the region is used to warm and sunny summers the intensity of the heat currently is something many people who have lived here for many years and those native to the Algarve have not seen for years. The Region also saw one of the largest fires for some time last week in the São Marcos da Serra area of Silves municipality. 574 firefighters with 201 vehicles and 6 air assets were eventually able to bring it under control but not before it caused the destruction of at least one second home and a haystack but did not cause any damage to first homes.

Now a look at some of the other news from the region in the past week. 

PSP detains man and seizes almost 1,500 doses of drugs 

The Portimão Division of the PSP detained a man and identified a woman on suspicion of drug trafficking and seized 1,459 doses of narcotics during a patrolling action, the Faro police command announced today.

The two suspects, aged 21 and 20, were intercepted after police officers “detected movements that indicated the imminence of a drug transaction, something confirmed after a few minutes of observation,” the PSP said in a statement.

During the operation, 1,243 doses of heroin, 201 of cocaine and 15 of hashish were seized, as well as various weighing and packaging material for narcotic products. 525 euros were also seized, money allegedly “from illicit activity”.

The 21-year-old detainee was heard in the first judicial interrogation, and the coercive measure of terms of identity and residence was applied to him.

Man identified who threatened neighbour with firearm in Alcoutim 

In a statement, the GNR stated that, on 30^th July, it seized an illegal firearm in Alcoutim and identified the owner.

The same source reports that, following a complaint that reported threats between neighbours using a firearm, the military went to the scene, where they found that a 60-year-old man, after an argument, wielded a gun. long fire and threatened the victim, another 64-year-old man.

In the course of police investigations, it was possible to find the weapon hidden among bushes, on agricultural land, nearby. The weapon was seized, and the GNR found that it was not registered or manifested.

The 60-year-old man was identified and the facts sent to the Vila Real de Santo António Judicial Court, concludes the same source”.

Recreation of the atmosphere of the fish market whets the appetite for the Sardine Festival 

To mark the premiere of the Sardine Festival, which will take place in the riverside area of ​​Portimão between August 03 and 07, the municipality of Portimão promotes, from 09:00 on next Tuesday, August 02, the recreation of the traditional to the sardine canasta on the city pier.

The fish will later be made into a popular sardine, ending this day with a sunset with music from other times, by the Lucky Duckies.

On this occasion, the hustle and bustle of the old fish market will be evoked, with the mooring of the trawler “Arrifana” and the envoy “Moira” and the participation of fifty extras, who will play the role of fishermen, stevedores, buyers, salting women. and restless children, who gave life and color to the pier, broadcast online on the municipality’s Facebook page.

Some of the main activities that took place over time at the siege auction will be portrayed, from the arrival of the boats loaded with sardines, when the siren calling the buyers was heard, followed by the old “by mouth” auction. , which consisted of a sung litany of numbers in descending order and that the seller only interrupted when the buyer finished with the purchase order “Chui!”.

After the auction, the fish will be unloaded, a kind of choreography perfected by experience, in which the men would fly full baskets from the deck of the trawler to the worker who received them on the wall, immediately pouring the fish into boxes to be chilled. or salted, before heading to your destination, packed in the transport of the time, including bicycles, vans, and other vehicles.

In the course of all this activity, one or two sardines were diverted by the kids who sieved around, generating a lot of noise, while the company fish or a small teacup of sardines was sold here and there. Around lunchtime, the stoves started to smoke, roasting the sardines to feed many of these auctioneers.

The fresh sardines unloaded in this historical recreation will later be used in a popular sardine dish taking place at the festival grounds, between 1:30 pm and 4:30 pm, and for which interested parties must collect the respective tasting voucher at the venue, in order to free use of two sardines grilled on bread and a drink at the indicated establishment.

These are the activities chosen as the theme for another edition of the Sardine Festival, recently considered the best summer gastronomic event held in Europe by the well-known travel site Big 7 Travel.

Lagos hospital receives fake bomb threat 

The Terras do Infante Hospital Unit, in Lagos, received yesterday, July 31, a false threat of an explosive device, announced the Board of Directors of the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve (CHUA).

The bomb threat took place shortly before 21:00 and security protocols were activated.

According to the statement, hospital activity “proceeded with normality” and the Board of Directors thanked “the competent authorities, our employees and hospitalised patients for the calm and care taken in the necessary operations in these situations”.

Shared bicycle project announced at the Cidades e Vilas Forum 

The experience of Faro, which since June 1st has 75 bicycles (25 electric and 50 conventional), in the city and parish of Montenegro, was shared at the II Forum Cidades e Vilas – Sharing Experiences of the Systems, which took place on the 20th of July, in Lisbon.

“We were at this event, organised by the Portuguese Federation of Cycling Tourism and Bicycle Users (FPCUB), seeking to highlight the success and importance of this pilot project, the first to be implemented in an Algarve city”, explains Sophie Matias, councillor for the City Council. Municipality of Faro, who represented the municipality at the event.

“We made an investment of close to 200,000 euros (precisely 199,050 euros, plus VAT), which allows everyone who lives or visits our city to have a means of transport that is more environmentally friendly and provides physical well-being”, added the mayor and concluded: “We already had scooters and we are making considerable investments in creating clickable infrastructure, investing in road safety strategies, because we effectively want to be a capital of the future, which is concerned with lowering pollution levels. and maintain a relationship with ecosystems that brings progress and attractiveness”.

This was, in fact, one of the key points of the initiative, in which several municipalities and entities were present. The presentation of good practices was one of the main objectives, as well as the debate on topics such as intramodality applied to ticketing and the use of these means of transport; the sustainability of these systems the contribution they make to the sustainability of mobility in cities; maximising the possibilities of maintaining stations with an adequate level of supply and the business model of bicycle-sharing systems.

“Our experience, although it has a short period of duration, is already a success, with very significant levels of use and very positive feedback from users”, stressed Sophie Matias, reinforcing that “Faro has great potential to this level, and we will do everything in our power to continue to be a pioneer in the implementation of programs and initiatives related to smooth and sustainable mobility”.

‘Arrebita’ once again takes the best chefs in the country to the streets of Portimão

Arrebita – Local Gastronomy Festival is preparing to return to Portimão in what will be the 3rd edition of the gastronomic festival that has already become a summer classic in the South.

On the weekend of August 20th and 21st, more than 25 chefs from different parts of the country will occupy the main shopping streets of the historic centre of the city and serve delicious street food dishes, in an event with the support of Portimão City Council.

With free admission, Arrebita Portimão will have a strong cast of chefs, including established names and young cooks, prepared to surprise all visitors with new flavours and refreshing and unusual proposals, including savoury dishes and desserts with a single cost of six euros. This will be the case, for example, of the “starred” Louis Anjos (Al Sud, Lagos) and André Cruz (Feitoria, Lisbon), both at the helm of Michelin-starred spaces.

In a festival that celebrates the best that Portuguese gastronomy has to offer, Algarve cuisine naturally deserves a prominent place, with the presence of chefs Wilson Costa (Amendoeira Clubhouse, Alcantarilha), João Viegas (Atlântico, Vila Vita Parc Resort, Porches), João Marreiros (Loki, Portimão), Alípio Branco (Casa Velha, Quinta do Lago, Almancil), Nuno Martins (Numa, Portimão) and João Dias (À Mesa, Tavira) – in addition to the aforementioned Louis Anjos, who is back at Arrebita Portimão after a successful foray last year.

Another highlight of this festival of gastronomy on the move is the presence of international chefs who chose Portugal to make their cuisine known. This is the case of Shay Ola, the creative mind of Queimado, in Costa da Caparica, or Alessandra Borsato, the young sous chef of the Lisbon restaurant Senhor Uva.