Locals who like to have a root around and find something a little different won’t want to miss the little treat coming to La Cala to August to raise some important funds.

A first for Age Care

Age Care Costa del Sol, who have their permanent shop in Calahonda, will host its very first Solidarity Market in La Cala on Wednesday, August 26 from 11am until 2pm. Setting up camp in the square in front of La Cala Town Hall, near the bronze donkey statue, residents and holidaymakers can have a little hunt for something special and grab the chance to support a charity that has spent close to two decades helping older people build a full and active life in Spain.

Bargains with heart, more than a market

Bargain hunters can look forward to an eclectic haul of goods. Rails of children’s clothing hang ready for new owners, cuddly bears wait patiently beside stacks of picture books, musical instruments, sports gear and art work, you name it I’m sure you can find it.

Buying a bargain here does more than fill a bag. Every purchase feeds directly into services that include weekly social meetings, transport to hospital and doctor appointments, access to translators, and help with local authorities, forms and applications for support. Many older English-speaking residents on the Costa del Sol rely on exactly this kind of practical assistance, and Age Care’s volunteers are on hand across centres in Alhaurin el Grande, Calahonda, Coin and Fuengirola to provide it.

Take the opportunity to say hello

Curious neighbours are welcome to wander through, browse the stalls and chat to volunteers about the charity’s mission. Conversations matter here every bit as much as sales; organisers are keen to meet new faces and explain how their work helps elderly people feel less isolated and better supported while living abroad.

Details are straight forward and easy, stalls open at 11am on Wednesday, August 26, wrapping up at 2pm, right in the square outside La Cala Town Hall. Anyone wanting more information beforehand can call the charity’s helpline on 635 407 255, Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, or visit their website or Facebook. Come along and support Age Care and the excellent work they do for the community

ONCE has posted record figures across Malaga province for 2025 after a decade of steady growth. Lottery ticket sales reached €201.5 million, up 5.16 per cent on the previous year and far ahead of Andalucia’s average. Of that total, €114.46 million returned to local players as prizes, the highest amount ever paid out here.

ONCE, Spain’s National Organisation of the Blind, raises funds through daily coupon draws and scratchcards sold by authorised vendors, many of them blind or with another disability. Roughly €56.80 of every €100 taken goes straight back in prizes; €32.10 covers sellers’ wages and running costs, and the remaining €11.10 supports charity, which in turn supports education, accessibility and inclusion for people who are blind or have serious visual impairment.

€18.67 million directed to social work in Malaga

Social investment in the province hit €18.67 million last year. Leonor Basallote, vice-president of the Territorial Council, was in Nerja to stress that behind every figure sit real people who benefit from the organisation’s programmes. Also, the model works because every euro earned is channelled into the social mission.

Nationally, the wider Social Group ONCE employs around 80,000 people and ranks as Spain’s third-largest non-public employer. Andalucia accounts for 16,558 of those jobs, with 3,445 based in Malaga province. Another 108 posts were added in 2025. The local sales network alone now employs 1,332 people, all of them with disabilities – the highest number recorded in recent years.

Biggest disability employer keeps expanding

Across the whole organisation, 58.9 per cent of staff have some form of disability, making it the world’s largest employer of disabled people. A further 32,000 non-disabled staff work there too, reflecting a deliberate push for inclusion and talent. Women make up 45% of the workforce. Parallel growth came from the three main arms of the group: national lottery sales rose 3.4% to €2.927 billion, Ilunion turnover climbed 9.6% to €1.443 billion, and Fundación ONCE secured €154.5 million for disability projects.

José Manuel Fernández, an ONCE member in Nerja, described the practical impact of the new “Estreno” neurological training app. Its nine games each target a different part of the brain and help users sharpen sensory perception. “We spend so much time exercising our bodies that we sometimes forget the mind,” he said, calling the app both fun and necessary.

Readers can find more on recent Costa del Sol lottery wins at Euro Weekly News’s Fuengirola €1m scratchcard story and local employment trends at Malaga’s job market rebound report. Official details on the games and social work appear at ONCE’s website and JuegosONCE.