Veïns de Parcent - Newsletter Nº 56 - 24th May 2007

Residents' association
Very many thanks to all of you who attended the residents' meeting on Tuesday night and for the generous appreciation you showed to Joan Carlos Poquet, Jacqui Cotterill, Mark Harrison, and myself for what we have been doing through Veïns de Parcent and El Replá Association over the last 18 months. The battle is not over, but at least we now feel we have a chance to achieve our aims for the future of Parcent and all its inhabitants.

Local election 2007
Don't forget, everyone is invited to tomorrow (Friday) night's informal last campaign meeting at 8 p.m. in the Club de Convivencia for tapas, wine, and to meet the candidates.

Three days from now we will know the fate of Parcent. It depends on all of us to go out and vote for what we believe in. The polling station in the town hall will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Once the outcome is known – about 10 o'clock on Sunday evening – then, win or lose, the real work will start for the CDP team in the new council. We in Veïns de Parcent will continue to support our representatives and also make sure that they are working in our best interests – not that there is any doubt that they will. Veïns will also continue to put pressure on government at all levels to change the laws that have brought so much worry and even misery throughout the Valencian Community.

Parcent's future
However, it is at a local level that we can support our community best. Among the expatriate community there is a great fund of knowledge and expertise and it could benefit the whole village and enrich our lives if we are prepared to share what we know. This idea for the pooling of expertise has been suggested to us by a Dutch resident, and the CDP think it is an excellent idea. The council has limited personnel and funds – how limited we will find out shortly when the accounts for 2006 become available and an audit is made – so we can help by offering our time in various ways. We are not talking of more that an hour or so at a time, and it will also help to improve integration among all nationalities living in Parcent.

Here are some suggestions (in no particular order):

• The library will soon find a new home (it has been living in boxes for several years) and help will be needed to set it up and open it to the public on a regular basis.
• What about setting up story-telling groups in various languages, to help our children with their English, Dutch, German, and Castellano? And a Book Circle for the adults?
• Can you help maintain sports facilities or with training for the young, and for older people too?
• What about dance teachers? The tango course was very popular earlier this year.
• Are you trained in yoga, alternative therapies, or other ways of enhancing health and happiness? Regular courses or occasional talks could be arranged.
• Do you enjoy gardening? Perhaps we could help care for the small public parks in Parcent.
• How about music? Join or support the Parcent band? Start an international choir? Help promote concerts in our village? Join the Music Circle that already meets in Parcent?
• Interested in wild-life, the environment, or ecological living? There is so much we could do to increase interest in our area, help improve and maintain it, and give people information on how to cut down on our carbon footprint (the current jargon for using less fossil fuels!).
• The CDP intend to have a think-tank with regard to future development plans for Parcent. Maybe you have particular expertise in this area and would be willing to share it for the benefit of our village? But not only in planning: Veïns can also be a source of ideas with regard to health and social welfare, transport, business opportunities, and much more.
• Interpreters and translators are often needed. Can you help here?
• The CDP want to promote better care of the elderly and infirm, especially those living alone. Would you be prepared to keep an eye on a neighbour, just by giving a quick phone call or going round to see they are all right each day? Maybe a team could be set up, so that there is continuity when people go on holiday, etc.
• Would you be interested in informal contact with a Castillian or Valencian speaker, to enhance your knowledge of the language and customs of the place where you now live? Go shopping, visit a place of interest, cook something together, or just chat with your friend over a cup of coffee.
• Are you good at art or crafts? We could form a group and share our skills, maybe even have a sale of work to support a local cause.
• Do you have computer skills? The current Parcent web sites are well out-of-date and are not serving the community to promote tourism or local businesses. Could you help those who want to learn new computer skills? The town hall has a bank of computers for public use that are hardly used at all.

I am sure there are many other areas of interest that I have not thought of. Let's use Veïns de Parcent as a channel to enrich everyone's life in this delightful village. Your feed-back is most welcome.

General meeting
Veïns de Parcent will hold an Annual General Meeting soon, as we will have to elect new officers and plan our future activities. A notice will be sent out to you all in the near future.

Fingers crossed, I hope we will all be celebrating soon – and then the hard work will continue!

Best wishes, Jenny