Rolling Stones fans can enjoy some serious rock ‘n’ roll on the Orihuela Costa this month when tribute band Sympathy for the Stones takes to the stage at Restaurante Los Cucalos.

The concert takes place on Friday, August 28 at 9:00 PM, promising an evening packed with music inspired by one of the biggest rock bands of all time.

Sympathy for the Stones celebrates the unmistakable sound of The Rolling Stones, whose career has stretched for more than six decades. It is a chance to enjoy the music that made Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the band household names around the world.

Rolling Stones classics performed live

Fans can expect a trip through the Stones’ huge back catalogue, which includes classics such as Satisfaction, Paint It Black, Start Me Up, Brown Sugar and Jumpin’ Jack Flash.

The Rolling Stones have produced some of rock music’s most recognisable songs since forming in London in the early 1960s, building an international following that has continued across generations.

Their combination of rock, blues and rhythm and blues has produced a catalogue packed with songs that remain favourites at concerts, parties and rock nights around the world.

Rock ‘n’ roll night on Orihuela Costa

Whether you have followed The Rolling Stones since the 1960s or simply enjoy a night of good old-fashioned rock music, the show offers a great excuse to get together with friends and revisit some legendary tunes.

The concert will be held at Restaurante Los Cucalos, Calle Aguila Imperial, 1, in the Los Dolses area of Orihuela Costa.

Visitors can combine the show with dinner and drinks at the restaurant, turning the performance into a full evening out during the busy summer season.

Reservations recommended for August 28 show

The music starts at 9:00 PM on Friday, August 28, and advance reservations are recommended for anyone planning to attend.

Restaurante Los Cucalos regularly hosts live entertainment, and the Sympathy for the Stones concert adds another night of classic music to its summer programme.

With decades of famous songs to draw from, the tribute promises plenty of familiar rock ‘n’ roll for Rolling Stones fans on the Costa Blanca.

For information and table reservations, call Restaurante Los Cucalos on (+34) 665 461 923.

Villena is celebrating the work of local artist Pedro Marco with an exhibition exploring the important role he played in designing costumes for the town’s famous Moors and Christians fiestas.

The exhibition, The Dress Made Art: Pedro Marco’s Contribution to the Fiesta, is now open at the Casa de la Cultura and continues until September 27.

Marco, who lived from 1949 to 2022, was a prolific artist and designer whose connection with Villena’s fiestas stretched across more than five decades.

Costumes that helped shape the fiestas

The exhibition includes paintings dedicated to the Moors and Christians celebrations, with particular attention given to the women’s costumes Marco designed during the late 1980s, when women were first permitted to take part in the fiestas.

His designs form part of an important period in the history of the celebrations, when women’s participation brought changes to the appearance and development of the different fiesta groups.

Visitors can see how Marco used his artistic skills to create clothing specifically for the celebrations, turning traditional fiesta costumes into another form of creative expression.

The exhibition also offers an opportunity to look back at how the visual identity of Villena’s famous celebrations developed during Marco’s long association with them.

Designs for Villena’s Tuaregs

Visitors can also discover Marco’s work for the Tuaregs group of the Moroccan side.

From the late 1960s onwards, Marco created elaborate tunics and distinctive turbans for the group, helping to establish a recognisable style that became closely connected with its appearance during the fiestas.

His contribution went well beyond costumes. The exhibition also includes examples of his extensive graphic work, including posters and covers created for fiesta magazines and books.

Together, the different pieces show the wide-ranging influence Marco had on the visual character of the celebrations over several decades.

Exhibition continues until September 27

The exhibition is open daily from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM and continues until September 27.

Visitors should note that it will be closed on August 29 and 30 and from September 4 to 10 during Villena’s patron saint fiestas.

The Casa de la Cultura is located at Plaza Santiago, 7, 03400 Villena. For more information, call (+34) 965 80 11 50.

A baby born so early that every day of survival mattered was facing another devastating battle, the possibility of losing its sight. Born at just 24 weeks, the premature baby developed a serious eye condition that can lead to permanent blindness, but doctors in Elche managed to intervene before the damage became irreversible.

The baby was suffering from severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a condition affecting the developing blood vessels in the retina. In serious cases, it can cause the retina to detach and result in permanent loss of vision. Specialists at the Hospital General Universitario de Elche treated the baby with a highly specialised procedure designed to stop the abnormal blood-vessel growth before it could cause irreversible damage.

A race to protect the baby’s sight

Being born at 24 weeks meant the baby’s eyes were still developing when it entered the world. The blood vessels in the retina normally continue developing during the final stages of pregnancy. Extremely premature birth interrupts that process and can leave the retina vulnerable to abnormal blood-vessel growth. In severe ROP, those vessels can damage the retina and eventually cause it to detach.

That was the danger facing the baby in Elche, doctors identified the condition and were able to intervene while treatment could still prevent permanent damage. The hospital says the intervention preserved the baby’s visual function, avoiding the loss of sight that can occur when severe ROP progresses untreated.

Highly specialised treatment

The treatment involved an intraocular injection of an anti-VEGF biological drug. The medication works by reducing the signals responsible for abnormal blood-vessel growth in the retina. By controlling that growth, doctors can reduce the risk of further damage and retinal detachment.

Although the injection is minimally invasive, carrying it out on a baby born at only 24 weeks presented significant challenges. The patient was extremely fragile and required specialist neonatal care before, during and after the procedure. The hospital therefore brought together its Ophthalmology Department and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for the intervention.

Protecting a fragile patient

Ophthalmologists Cristian Fernández and Manuel Baeza performed the eye procedure, while paediatrician Consuelo Vázquez and the neonatal intensive-care team were responsible for preparing and monitoring the baby. The team used a specific neonatal intensive-care protocol and a micro-dosing system to administer the medication.

The baby’s condition meant that the procedure could not simply be treated as a routine eye injection. Its extremely premature birth and very low weight required careful monitoring throughout. The cooperation between the specialist teams allowed doctors to treat the eye problem while maintaining the level of intensive care required by such a vulnerable patient.

A condition that can steal a child’s sight

Retinopathy of prematurity is one of the major causes of childhood blindness, fortunately it is preventable  It occurs primarily in babies born very prematurely because their retinal blood vessels have not completed their normal development. Some cases are mild and resolve without treatment. More severe cases require close monitoring and intervention to prevent permanent damage.

That makes screening particularly important for babies born at very low gestational ages. In this case, doctors were able to detect the problem and act before the retina suffered irreversible damage. The successful intervention means the baby has avoided one of the most serious consequences associated with severe ROP.

What happens now?

The treatment does not mean the baby’s medical journey is over, extremely premature babies often require continued specialist monitoring, and babies treated for ROP need follow-up examinations to check how the retina develops and ensure there are no further complications. For this child, however, doctors have achieved the outcome that mattered most: protecting its sight during the earliest and most vulnerable stage of life.

The case also demonstrates the importance of specialist neonatal and ophthalmological care for babies born at the limits of viability. A child who arrived at just 24 weeks was facing the possibility of permanent blindness on top of the many challenges associated with extreme prematurity.

Doctors in Elche have now stopped that threat before it could become irreversible. For the family, the intervention means their baby can continue growing with its visual function preserved, something that could have been very different without timely specialist treatment.