If you’re used to doing the supermarket run late in the evening don’t get too comfortable, there is one small change worth knowing about before you head to Mercadona: some stores are now earlier than they did during the summer.

As of  Tuesday, September 1, Mercadona has ended its special summer opening hours That extra half-hour may not sound like much, but for anyone who relies on the later opening time after work or during the evening, it could mean arriving at the supermarket to find the doors already closed.

Mercadona brings summer opening hours to an end

During July and August, Mercadona extended opening hours at numerous supermarkets, particularly in coastal areas and other destinations experiencing a large influx of tourists. Around 320 stores across Spain had their closing time extended to 10:oopm during the summer period. Some supermarkets in particularly busy tourist locations also opened on certain Sunday mornings and public holidays as part of the seasonal arrangements. 

Those extended hours have now come to an end with the close of August, so customers who had become accustomed to shopping later in the evening will now need to arrive before 9.30pm. The change is therefore most noticeable at the supermarkets that actually took part in the summer extension. Not every Mercadona in Spain is changing its closing time this week, because many stores continued to close at 9.30pm throughout July and August. 

Sunday shopping is also changing

Mercadona generally closes its supermarkets on Sundays and public holidays, although certain locations can operate under different arrangements. During the summer, some stores in areas with particularly high tourist demand opened on Sunday mornings. Those seasonal openings have now generally ended alongside the extended weekday and Saturday hours. 

This means shoppers should not assume that a supermarket which was open on a Sunday during August will continue operating on Sundays throughout September. The same applies to public holidays. Individual stores can have different opening arrangements depending on local, regional or national holidays, so the general timetable does not necessarily apply on every date.

Check your local Mercadona before setting off

There is an important reason not to rely entirely on the general 9.30pm closing time: Mercadona’s opening hours can vary between individual stores. The chain provides a store locator where customers can check the opening and closing times for their specific supermarket.

This is particularly useful when planning a shopping trip around a Sunday, public holiday or other date when special opening arrangements may apply.  For most customers, the return to the regular timetable simply means that the longer summer shopping window has disappeared. But if your local branch was one of those staying open until 10pm, the change is immediate: from September 1, the doors close at 9.30pm instead.

Fancy singing, making friends and having a good laugh along the way? T.A.P.A.S. choir is welcoming new members as rehearsals get underway again following its summer break.

After several weeks away during the hottest part of the year, the group is getting back together at the Alhaurin Golf clubhouse for another season of music, performances and fun socialising.

What makes T.A.P.A.S. particularly appealing is that you do not need to consider yourself a great singer to join. This is very much a social group, where enjoying yourself and being part of the team matter far more than hitting every note perfectly.

The group has been going for 22 years and must now be the most multinational group on the Costa del Sol, or anywhere in Spain, for that matter. Whether you have sung in a choir before, only sing in the shower or simply fancy trying something completely different, new members are encouraged to get involved.

Music, laughter and friendship

Rehearsals provide a chance to learn and practise songs together, but T.A.P.A.S. is about much more than standing in a room and singing and being together. Members can look forward to a programme of choir events and performances during the coming months, together with plenty of opportunities to socialise away from rehearsals. For Costa del Sol residents, groups like this can be a brilliant way to meet new people and build friendships.

No pressure to be pitch perfect

There is no need to worry about auditions or having a polished singing voice before turning up. The emphasis is on taking part, enjoying the music and sharing the experience with other members.

Rehearsals are held in the rehearsal room at Alhaurin Golf clubhouse, with the group meeting at 5pm. Anyone interested in joining should contact T.A.P.A.S. through its Facebook group for more information about rehearsals and becoming a member.

With the new season now beginning, it could be the perfect time to put aside any worries about whether you can sing and simply give it a go. You might even discover that your next favourite hobby comes with a ready-made group of friends.

Imagine hearing your neighbours’ children crying for hours on end and getting a gut feeling that something just isn’t right, that exact feeling that eventually leads you to calling the police. That is what happened in Sevilla last week, when officers arrived at a family home and discovered three children aged just one, three and five alone inside, with two crying from hunger and cold.

The children had been left without an adult to supervise them, while the home itself was in very poor sanitary conditions, with accumulated dirt, cockroaches and other insects. Police also found knives, blades and other potentially dangerous objects within reach of the children.  Several neighbours had contacted the Policía Nacional after hearing the children crying for several hours. They also told officers that this was not the first time these parents had left their children alone while they went out. 

Three children found alone inside the home

When police arrived at the property they found a heartbreaking scenario, they did not even have to force their way inside because  the three-year-old child opened the door for them, allowing them to enter and check on the other children. Two of those children were together in the living room and were crying due to being hungey and cold.

The five-year-old was asleep alone in one of the bedrooms. Officers attended to the children before examining the conditions inside the property,  when they did, what they found turned their stomachs, they described the house as having very deficient sanitary conditions for the children. The different rooms contained a high level of accumulated dirt, with cockroaches and other insects present crawling around.

Dangerous objects within the children’s reach

If the filth alone was bad enough there was also a lack of clothing, food and other basic items for the children. Knives, blades and various other potentially dangerous objects had been left within their reach. Police said that, without an adult present to supervise them, those objects could have caused serious injuries. 

The children were therefore not simply left alone in the property, they had been badly neglected, according to the police account, they were in a home where basic conditions for their well-being were seriously deficient and where objects capable of causing injury were accessible to them.

Where were the parents

While officers were dealing with the children, they also needed to find their parents. Neighbours told police that the parents were known to be out drinking alcohol in the bars around the home. Officers established a search operation to locate them after discovering that the children had been left alone. 

The parents were found just minutes later in a bar close to the property. They were drinking alcohol and, according to the Policía Nacional, both were in an evident state of intoxication.

Parents arrested after being found intoxicated

Both parents were arrested on the spot once the officers located them, leaving the three children in police care.  The circumstances also meant that this was not the first reported occasion on which the children had been left without their parents.

Neighbours told officers that it was not the first time the parents had gone out and left the children alone without any supervision and although the police account does not give details of when those previous incidents occurred or how long the children were left without supervision it is known that there was already knowledge of this happening.  The three children were then taken to Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, where they received medical attention and underwent a medical assessment. 

Case referred to child protection authorities

The case has now been passed to the Fiscalía de Menores de Sevilla and the relevant Social Services.  Police have not reported that the children suffered injuries from the objects found inside the property. Their account instead details the circumstances in which they were discovered: alone, with two crying from hunger and cold, in an unsanitary home filled with dirt, cockroaches and other insects, without adequate food and clothing, and with potentially dangerous objects within their reach.