As October approaches, most of those who live in this marvellous country start to look forward to some respite from the relentless heat we have here.  But that also means that our motoring and social events get going again and the Classic & Sportscar Club have been quick off their marks in getting events started again.

Their September car run, for example, was a huge success.  The route started from the popular Venta Peligrino near Marbella and headed out, passing Monda and Coin through Alhaurin towards Pizarra and the lakes of El Chorro.  After a coffee stop, crews headed cross-country towards the famous ‘Montes de Malaga’ and some spectacular scenery, quiet, traffic-free roads and stunning countryside.

Just before 3.00pm all 60 cars reached the Uppery Executive Club, a fabulous restaurant near Malaga where everyone enjoyed a terrific lunch by all accounts! All agreed this was a very good way to get the season started after the August shutdown.

Now October descends upon us and the Club has a very packed agenda for all to enjoy. In fact, there is such a lot going on that I will list their events in chronological order:

Tuesday, October 6

This month the club makes it to adulthood by reaching its 18th birthday. All 18 years have been exceptionally good years, and that is definitely a cause for celebration.

There will be a special party-dinner night on Tuesday, October 6, the Club’s regular date, but this will be a dinner, not the usual lunch, with live music to make a party of it. Cava will be served at 7.30 for dinner at 8.00pm.  Guests are welcome, and if you’d like to make up a table with your pals and guests, just let the Club know who to put on it, and they will reserve it for you.

Saturday, October 10

A special run to commemorate 18 years of the Club and the event will Finish at the fabulous Le Papillon Beach Club near Elviria, Marbella.

The route is not set yet but the venue is secured. The Club hopes to make quite a party of it with live music here too. The event will start in the Marbella – Mijas Costa area on the Saturday morning with cars to depart at 11.00am. Please note the date.

Monday, October 12

This is the first day of a superb 5-Day Tour of Parques Nacionales. A terrific event with sensational scenery, roads and lots of food and wine included at some special hotels. The events will pass through the Sierra Nevada, the Alpujarras, and the Cazorla National Park and will also feature a two-night stop in Granada to explore the amazing tapas bars there. Entries are now full, but there will be more events coming!

Sunday, October 18

Many readers have been asking about these events.  On this day the club will re-start it’s ‘Cars and Coffee’ meetings at YANX American Diner in Centro Plaza, Puerto Banus, from 10.00am to 1.00pm.  No registration needed, no membership, just turn up and enjoy! These events are open to all and are a great way to meet up with like-minded enthusiasts or simply come along to browse at some of the fabulous cars on show and enjoy coffee or breakfast together.

Whilst writing I would like to give you advance notice of some very special CSCC Christmas events in, surprisingly, December.

Saturday, December 5

The Club will organise its regular car run and lunch, but this one will finish at the fabulous Geranium Restaurante in La Cala where a suitably festive menu will be served. We’ll get more information for this page nearer the time.

Friday, December 11 & Saturday, December 12

The Club returns to the beautiful La Vinuela hotel for a car run and its main Christmas party. This is a gorgeous hotel, set right next to the lake, serving marvellous food. It’s a fabulous venue for this sort of thing and it’s taken us weeks of cajoling and persuasion to get this secured. There will be a run on the Friday with a short, optional run on the Saturday. There will be dinner Friday night and the main party and dinner will be on Saturday night.

That’s it for now, more news on this page next month. Enjoy your motoring!

I once heard someone say that Spain could be at war and life in some international communities would carry on as normal until a bomb actually dropped. An exaggeration perhaps, but it certainly makes a point.

How much do we really know about what is happening politically in the city we call home?

Do you know that Marbella has a female mayor, Ángeles Muñoz? Do you know who the opposition parties are, what they stand for or what they are challenging?

Each week on English Edition, together with Marbella Town Hall, we bring you updated local news, we explain investments, improvements, projects and events, helping international residents be as aware of what is happening around them here as they would be back home.

As an example, in this week’s programme we cover the recent State of the City Debate, the first for five years. Our mayor used the occasion to highlight Marbella’s progress since she first took office in 2007, when Marbella was still dealing with the financial and planning legacy of the Gil era. She pointed to a municipal budget that has grown from €185 million to around €450 million, unemployment at its lowest level in two decades, greater planning stability and continued investment in public facilities.

The opposition painted a very different picture. PSOE questioned the local government’s management and priorities, Opción Sampedreña criticised the five-year absence of the debate, while Vox raised concerns over traffic, cleanliness and security.

Meanwhile, Marbella continues to grow, with more than 173,000 registered residents and an increasingly international population. Whichever side of the political debate you agree with, housing, traffic, taxes, security, planning and public services affect us all; this is our home.