There is an extra special reason to celebrate this New Year for well-known British resident, Pamela Deakin, who has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Years Honours list. The distinction has been given in recognition of all her charitable work for the welfare of cancer sufferers on the island, over the last twenty years.
Pamela was told of the award back in November after receiving a phone-call from the British embassy in Madrid, but for obvious reasons could only tell close family members. The call came as a complete shock, with Pamela admitting such an honour had never crossed her mind. “I didn’t even know I could receive such an award living abroad,” she admitted modestly. She immediately wanted to thank those people who had recommended her for the honour, although their names will remain a secret.
The MBE, (Member of the Order of the British Empire), was instituted by George V to recognise all levels of service to the country during the First World War. It has since evolved to embrace service and achievement in all fields.Pamela first came to the island in 1965, and returned to take up permanent residence the following year. She currently lives on the San Agustin–San Antonio border, and is an extremely popular and active member of an ex-pat community she is extremely proud to belong to.
Her connection with cancer sufferers on the island began in 1991 when a good friend became ill with the disease. Whilst he was recovering, Pamela decided to organise a small fair at the Monterrey club, in the bay of San Antonio. All of the money raised from the event was sent to the Imperial Cancer Research Fund back in the UK. However, this got Pamela thinking about those suffering on the island. This led her to call the National Cancer Association in Palma to enquire about the possibility of setting up a branch in Ibiza. They were obviously delighted at the suggestion, and importantly promised that all of the money raised in Ibiza could be kept here.This association later split into two, and this was when the Asociacion Ibiza y Formentera Contra el Cancer was born, with Jose Colomar as president, and Pamela as vice-president. Numerous fairs and fundraisers have been held, with the association also importantly raising awareness of the disease on the island. The 2008 edition of the Cancer Fair raised over €60,000, all of which will go to people living on the island.
Pamela has also been at the centre of the campaign to ensure the new hospital, the building of which is set to begin this year, has a radiotherapy unit installed. Both cancer associations recently delivered a 40,000-signature petition, a gentle reminder to the authorities of the overwhelming support in favour of the unit.
When the Ibiza Sun spoke to Pamela after the news broke, she was, as usual, quick to thank others. “I would like to share this award with all of those ex-pats living in Ibiza who are always so willing to help others, and do a great deal of charitable work for the island. In everything I have ever done for the Association in Ibiza, I have always received the wholehearted help of so many people. This award is for all those who give ex-pats a good name on the island.” As generous as ever, Pamela Deakin, MBE.

AROUND THE ISLAND
Residents Fall
The recent surge of immigrants flocking to the island over the last five years looks to have stalled somewhat, after figures showed just 226 foreigners were granted residence status in the first 11 months of the year. This was the lowest figure in the Balearics, with 1,999 being granted the permit in Mallorca, and 431 in Menorca. Unfavourable market conditions currently being witnessed on the island were blamed for the fall.
The news came as figures from the National Institute of Statistics revealed the population on the island had reached 124,036 inhabitants, 6.25 per cent more than last year. Ibiza Town saw the largest numerical growth with the population increasing by 2,721 inhabitants to 46,835. However, Santa Eulalia witnessed the biggest percentage growth, swelling by 7% during the year to reach 30,364 inhabitants, and breaking through the 30,000 barrier for the first time.
San Antonio grew by 6 per cent to 21,082, while San Jose (5.8 per cent to 21,304) and San Juan (5.1 per cent to 5,198) saw more moderate increases.There were also significant strides made in Formentera which witnessed the highest population increase in the Pitiusas, up 8.35 per cent to 9,147 inhabitants.
One of the most striking features of the statistics was the high number of males residing on the island. Whilst in the Balearics there are 1.4 per cent more males, the difference in Ibiza is 7.8 per cent, with 64,913 males to 60,140 females. This difference was put down to the immigrant population, as many males come to the island first to set up home before bringing their wives and families at a later date. In Spain the population has doubled during the last 30 years, with the latest census showing a population of 46,157,822 people. This is largely thanks to a spectacular increase in the amount of immigration recorded during the last 15 years. According to the Spanish government there were 5,220,000 foreign residents in Spain in January 2008. Of these more than 700,000 were Romanian, and well over half a million were Moroccan, while the number of Ecuadorians was in the region of half a million.However, the situation on the island is slowly changing, and it is claimed many Romanians on the island have already returned to their countries of origin due to the lack of work here. The orthodox priest in Ibiza, Mihai Seman, reckoned around half of the 3,000 living on the island at the beginning of 2008 have already made the journey home. Their decision was due to the lack of labour on the island, especially in the construction sector, and the growth of opportunities in their own country, which has been slowly growing since their integration into the EU in 2007. Salaries have increased significantly, and whilst they are still no where near those on the island, the cost of living is significantly less in Romania. However, the Romanians are not alone and it is believed many immigrants will start the long pilgrimage home during the current economic crisis.

Soiled Decision
The hearing into the earth currently lying on Matutes-owned land close to the hippodrome in San Jordi has confirmed there was a deal between the two companies in order to use the soil for the building of the planned golf course in Playa den Bossa.
The hearing came after Fiesta Hotels, headed by the former foreign minister, Abel Matutes, presented an official complaint against the company, UTE Accesos Ibiza, who were in charge of building the Ibiza-airport road. Fiesta claimed the company were nullifying an agreement regarding the soil it had dumped on their land during the construction of the road, even demanding €125,000 every month in rent.
UTE, on the other hand, claimed there had been a verbal agreement with Fiesta that the soil unearthed could be dumped on the land for use later in the building of the golf course. Such action saved UTE a great deal of money in transporting the soil to the local quarry, whilst also ensuring Fiesta would not have to buy in earth to help build the course. Fiesta denied such a pact, claiming UTE had no written documentation to support such a claim. However despite this lack of evidence, the hearing confirmed it believed there had been a verbal agreement between the two sides, and that the Fiesta group planned to use at least 40,000 cubic metres of soil on the course.
On hearing the news the councillor for the environment, Albert Prats, called the agreement between the two companies immoral, adding that the decision could have had serious effects on the ses Salinas natural park, and that the area would have to be restored back to its original state. He said that the soil removed was public property and should have been taken to the local quarry to replenish the area. This will now have to be done, although it is likely no action will be taken until the Courts eventually decide who is responsible for moving the earth.

Paper Chain
Despite recent figures which showed a failure to recycle on the island, it seems some at least are doing their part. Data revealed last week by the Spanish Association of Paper and Carton showed the Balearic Islands recycled the most paper per person in Spain, along with the autonomous regions of Navarra, the Pais Vasco and Cataluña.
Paper has been one of the few recycling successes over the past ten years, with levels rising from 2.6 million tonnes in 1998 to over 5 million tonnes collected last year, nearly 70 per cent of all the paper used.

Water Pollution
A recent report by the Balearic Government showed around 47 per cent of the underground water on the islands remains contaminated by nitrates or the infiltration of sea water, with the worst affected areas closest to the coast. The worst affected area was the district of Campos, Mallorca, with other areas affected including Mahon and Ciutadella on Menorca, and the Ibiza coastline. On the Balearics, as a whole, a total of 280 hectometres of water were consumed last year, of which 26 of these were consumed in Ibiza and just one hectometre in Formentera.

Solar Options
The councillor for the environment, Albert Prats, said he hoped to encourage the installation of solar panels in 2009, and promised the Island Council would take the lead. The councillor believes the paperwork currently needed is far too complicated and leads to many people not bothering to install the panels.
Prats said he was contemplating the possibility of putting panels on all of the Council’s buildings. He hopes to make this process easier by contracting a company which will carry out the installation of the panels, and then contact the GESA electricity company to negotiate selling any of the excess electricity produced.

Tax Online
Citizens will now be able to pay a variety of both state and municipal taxes via a new website, www.atib.es. The website will be supported by 340 personnel to answer the 12,000 predicted telephone calls.
Soon after the announcement it was revealed every inhabitant in Ibiza and Formentera would pay around €700 in taxes during 2009. This will ensure the Town Halls collecting around €94 million in total, with Ibiza Town collecting the most (€30 million), followed by Santa Eulalia (€19.2 million), San Jose (€17.7 million), San Antonio (€16.7 million), Formentera (€6.26 million) and San Juan (€3.5 million).

Medical Deficiencies
The Patient Ombudsman has criticised the lack of medical facilities on the island. In its annual report the independent organisation claimed it was outrageous that in the 21st Century, Ibiza and Formentera, with a population in excess of 130,000 did not have a radiotherapy unit. It continued by criticising the allowance given to patients from the islands who had to travel to Palma in order to receive radiotherapy treatment. This currently stands at just €12, a discriminatory figure according to the report.A total of 28 people (26 from Ibiza and two from Formentera) used the apartments available to those patients having to undergo radiotherapy treatment in Palma, during the first nine months of the year. This is in comparison to 37 families who made use of the accommodation in 2007, although the Adamob association, which own the two apartments, claimed the figure would be similar once the entire year’s figures had been taken into consideration.
The Ombudsman continued that the island had severe deficiencies, naming the fact there was only one mobile emergency unit throughout the night, as a prime example. It also mentioned the lack of psychiatric staff available on the island, the shortage of geriatric units and the deficit of beds in the A&E unit at Can Misses.
During 2008 the Ombudsman received a total of 35 complaints of medical negligence in Ibiza, and two in Formentera, although none of the cases were revealed in detail.

Regions 2020
As if the current economic crisis was not enough, it seems the Balearics are set to suffer negatively from global climate change, according to a new report by the EU. The Regions 2020 study claimed the islands’ dependency on tourism would prove our downfall, although it seems we are not alone.
The overall findings revealed that regions with competitive and innovative economies would benefit from globalisation, while regions lacking the capacity to develop knowledge-based economies were likely to be more exposed. These regions included those located in the Southern and Eastern part of the EU, stretching from Latvia to Southern Portugal. However, the report also indicated that regions with major urban centres, which tend to attract highly educated residents and cutting-edge industries, would be relatively well placed to prosper.
The report anticipates that most European regions will be negatively affected, to greater and lesser extents, by the impacts of climate change, with significantly increased temperatures making the Balearics less attractive.
The report also notes that strains will be felt in a number of economic sectors, notably tourism, energy production, agriculture and fisheries. More than 170 million people, a third of the EU population, live in the regions under highest pressure. Southern and Eastern Europe will be exposed to changes in rainfall patterns and temperature increases, whilst regions in the North and West will be more affected by coastal erosion and extreme weather events such as storms.
The report concludes that the European policy framework must be adapted to help regions meet the challenges of 2020, and states that all regions will also need to find local solutions tailored to meet the combination of challenges which they face.

Restaurant Awards
The Respol restaurant guide, one of the defining directories in Spain, has awarded a total of six establishments on the island with a “sun”. In its 2009 edition the guide acknowledged a total of 329 establishments and chefs across the country, with Can Alfredo (Ibiza Town), Can Pau (Santa Gertrudis), El Pato (Santa Eulalia), Es Xarcu (Porroig), Las Dos Lunas (San Rafael) and Trattoria del Sole (San Jose) all making the cut.

Tax Returns
The Balearic tax office has so far given back a total of €245 million to 309,000 income tax payers corresponding to the 2007 campaign. This figure is 8 per cent more than last year.Meanwhile in Spain a total of €11,200 million has been returned, to over 14 million tax payers.

Worrying Figures
A survey carried out by la Fundación Gadeso on behalf of the Balearic ministry for Education and Culture has revealed some alarming facts about the reading habits of people on the island. The canvass of over 1,200 people revealed that just 22.1 per cent of islanders read some form of literature or newspaper every day of the week, with 12.3 per cent reading at least once or twice and 10.9 per cent at some time during the month. This left an alarming 46.7 per cent of the population admitting they did not read anything at all, with 57.7 per cent of this group claiming it was because they had no time, whilst 17.7 per cent openly agreed it was because they did not like to read.

New Born
Marilina Torres spent New Years Eve having dinner at her brother’s house. She then went out to celebrate the New Year with her husband, Vicente Ferrer, before arriving back home at 3 a.m. It was then she noticed the first pains of labour. Three hours later the first baby of 2009 was born – Sara Ferrer Torres. The birth was uncomplicated and took just 20 minutes, with Sara weighing in at a healthy 3.320 kilos.
The mother said friends had been joking with her that night about the possibility of her baby being the first of the year, but she brushed off the comments as she was not due for another two weeks. However, her second child could not wait and to the delight of her 4-year-old brother, Vicent, will take her place in Ibicencan history.However, it was not quite such a long wait for the first Balearic baby of the year, born at 12.26 a.m. in Son Durecta hospital, Mallorca. The glory went to Maria Parra Bennasser, the first child of Lucia and Emilio, who weighed in at 2.730 kilos

Holiday Openings
Last weekend saw shopkeepers and larger supermarkets open for what will be one of eight opportunities to open their doors on Fiestas or Sundays. Local legislation prohibits larger retail stores from opening on these days, although they will be able to on the following dates throughout 2009 – 4th & 18th January, 9th April (Thursday before Easter), 15th August (fiesta), 11th October and 6th, 20th and 27th December.

IBIZA TOWN
Green Light
The mayor of Ibiza Town, Lurdes Costa, claimed during the week that the demolition of the Santa Margarita building would take place during the first part of 2009. The building remains the centrepiece of the Eivissa Centre project which has caused so much controversy over the last few years, and seeks to completely remodel the centre of the capital. It was the brainchild of Xico Tarres, the current president of the Island Council, when he was mayor of the capital. However, after a slow year with little progress, the project is now set to make huge strides in 2009.
Unfortunately, the demolition of the building will mean all of its residents being re-housed in the Juan XXII building which should be completed over the next four months. Costa revealed the majority of these residents were anxious to move in to their new homes, whilst admitting there were still a number who were refusing to budge. However, it seems this will not prove an obstacle as those refusing will be obliged to move by law.The project will also see the dilapidated Law Courts being pulled down and rebuilt in the grounds of sa Graduada school, although Costa admitted this was out of her hands and very much depended on the Central Government.

SAN JOSE
Illegal Building
The planning department in San Jose has put a halt to a total of nearly 60 illegal building projects between October 2007 and October 2008, almost all of which are due to the fact they did not have a permit, or because the construction did not coincide with the license granted. The councillor in charge of the department, Josep Antoni Prats, explained that the cases varied in extremity from those which had been temporarily halted whilst the correct permits were sought, to those which were illegal and would result in prosecutions.
Prats explained that the fines dished out varied considerably according to the severity of the infringement, and ranged from 5 per cent of the total cost of the project, to 200 per cent in extreme cases where the construction had taken place on protected land.

Afters Success
The Town Hall of San Jose has not undertaken any disciplinary action against any establishments since the introduction of the new legislation regarding after-hours clubs and bars. The new measures, first introduced by the Island Council, and adopted by all of the Town Halls on the island, have ensured clubs and bars have had to close by 6 a.m. The exception to this rule is the opening and closing parties, when they are allowed to open at 12 p.m.
The Interior Councillor for the municipality, Francisca Ribas, claimed the regulations had had an extremely positive effect on the island during their first year.

SANTA EULALIA
Congress Progress
The mayor of Santa Eulalia called for definitive action in ensuring the second part of the conference centre was completed this year. Vicent Mari said the good intentions of the Island Council and Balearic Government now had to be transformed into deeds and financial backing, to ensure the project was finished. Mari called the project crucial to the future economy of the island, and demanded action to back up the many promises made during 2008.

SAN JUAN
Further Investment
San Juan will spend around €2 million of its 2009 budget on investments within the municipality. Mayor Antoni Mari Carraca said the figures were very similar to last year, and that he would ensure that at this critical time municipal taxes were not increased.
Carraca added he would also be applying for a further €1 million of state funds, which would be used on environmental issues, eliminating architectural barriers and improving education.During the meeting the Town Hall also considered the installation of an antenna to try and improve the difficulties some parts of the municipality were currently encountering with their television reception.

FORMENTERA
Island Promotion
The councillor for tourism, Josep Mayans, confirmed his department would have €1,020,000 at their disposal this year for the promotion of tourism on the island. The money will come from the Balearic Island Tourist Bureau, Ibatur, although it is still unclear if the Island Council will have to put forward money of its own.According to Mayans the majority of the funds will be spent on creating tourist products for the middle and low season. One example given by the councillor was that of Nordic walking, a sport which is growing in popularity across Europe.
Nordic walking is defined as fitness walking with specially designed poles. It evolved from an off-season ski-training activity known as ski-walking or hill-bounding, and is an excellent way of exercising all year round. The activity is especially useful for those with knee impairments, as the poles take pressure off the joints.Nordic walking can be done all year round in any climate, and anywhere a person of any age or ability might otherwise walk without poles. It combines simplicity and accessibility of walking with simultaneous core and upper body conditioning, similar to Nordic skiing. The result is a full-body walking workout that can burn significantly more calories without a change in perceived exertion or having to walk faster. This is due to the incorporation of many large core, and other upper-body muscles, which comprise more than 90% of the body's total muscle mass and do work against resistance with each stride. 'Normal walking' utilizes less than 70% of muscle mass with full impact on the joints of the legs and feet.Mayans revealed a number of routes were currently being mapped out, which included rest areas.The marketing campaign will also concentrate on branding from hostels, to the best beaches in the Mediterranean, to restaurants, including a “plus 10” category specifically given to those businesses which have been run by the same people for more than ten years.

CRIME & INCIDENTS
Police Investigate
The fire which led to the blaze on a boat in San Antonio marina is being investigated by the Guardia Civil after a witness claims he saw various teenagers running away from the vessel in the moments before it caught fire.
Eugenio Nugué explained that he had been dining with a friend inside his 14-metre boat beside the fated “Arig”, when he heard a commotion outside. As he went to investigate he heard a youngster, of between 14 and 16 years of age, shouting at two other youths. Moments after they ran away, Nugué saw smoke coming from the cabin, having at first thought they had entered the boat to steal. He quickly helped his dinner companion to the jetty before trying to put out the flames using a hosepipe and foam extinguisher. However, after having little luck, he decided instead to move his boat. The flames were around six-metres high by this point.
Nugué criticised the reaction time of the emergency services and claimed that if he had not moved his vessel, the entire row of boats on the jetty would have caught fire. He also criticised the levels of security at the marina, claiming several boats had been broken into over the last few weeks. “Arig” eventually sank, and is to be re-floated in the next few days.

NEWS FROM THE MAINLAND
ETA Attack
As 2008 came to a close the ETA terrorist group issued a chilling reminder of the threat they carry, by setting off a 100-kilo bomb in Bilbao. The bomb went off at 11.05 a.m. in front of the offices of the local EiTB television station. Fortunately an anonymous phone call received by a local fire station one hour before the blast ensured officers were able to evacuate the building. However, the explosion caused considerable damage to the building and the surrounding area.
Officers later found the owner of the van used in the attack tied to a tree in Arrigoriaga, on the outskirts of Bilbao. It is believed his mobile phone had been used to make the call.

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