A €5 raffle ticket that could win you a hotel break, dinners out, fashion and a spa treatment, will also help seriously ill children and their families in Malaga have a happier Christmas this year.

Cotter Comunicacion has launched a three-part festive campaign in support of Fundacion Olivares, to bring businesses and neighbours into one project so that Christmas feels a little brighter for the families who need it most. The campaign includes a charity hamper raffle, a toy and gift collection and a Christmas market on December 20.

A Christmas hamper that keeps growing

Local and national companies, brands and organisations are donating products and experiences to the Great Charity Christmas Hamper, which is already worth more than €6,000 and rising daily. Tickets are on sale now, and every cent raised goes to the charity. The draw takes place on December 20 at 5.30pm.

Prizes so far include a voucher to rent a dress from Novva Drop, a blazer from Julieta Brand and two nights at the Gran Hotel Miramar. The winner can also look forward to dinners at Trocadero, El Balneario, Er Pichi de Cai and Sushita, a painting by Laura Zambrano and a handbag by Ana Vera. There is also a facial at La Pausa Spa and a family pass for the Holiday World Beach Club.

Dozens of businesses have already joined in, including Inspiring Soho, Vera Blonde, Farmacia Cerrado de Calderon, ZAMRODart, and many more.

Fortuny Hogares Unicos is also sponsoring the campaign, and its financial contribution benefits the charity. Other companies keen to get involved can contact the agency to find out how.

Where to buy your raffle tickets

Anyone in Malaga can pick up tickets at seven locations:

– Fundacion Olivares headquarters: Avenida Arroyo de los Angeles 50
– El Balneario: Calle Bolivia, 2
– Cotter Comunicacion: Paseo de Cerrado de Calderon
– Farmacia Cerrado de Calderon: Paseo de Cerrado de Calderon, 18
– Paulette: Paseo de Reding, 53
– La Danse Studio: Paseo de Cerrado de Calderon, 18, Edificio Mercurio, third floor
– Coser y Planchar: Paseo Cerrado de Calderon, 1, Multicentro

Vanessa believes the price is small but the impact is big. “For five euros, anyone can help Fundacion Olivares and have a chance of winning a hamper we are preparing with so much love,” she says. “We’d like people to feel it belongs to all of Malaga.”

Toys and gifts so no child is left out

Children and teenagers are at the heart of the second part of the campaign. Organisers are collecting new, unused toys and gifts, from children’s games to ideas that suit teenagers, such as tech products, make-up and games.

Donations can be dropped off at the charity’s headquarters or at the agency’s office. Individuals and businesses are both welcome to take part, and teenagers deserve special thought, as their tastes matter too when choosing a present.

Christmas market on December 20

Sunday, December 20 brings everything to El Balneario, one of Malaga’s best-known venues, which is lending its space free of charge. The market runs from 12pm to 7pm with free entry and live music, where the hamper draw will take place. Full details will follow closer to Christmas.

A community effort for a shared cause

Fundacion Olivares, founded by Andres Olivares has supported children with cancer in the Malaga area since 2010, and has since widened its help to children with other serious long-term illnesses and their families.

Andres says the charity is grateful to everyone taking part. “Behind every collaboration there are people who choose to give their time and resources to help others,” he explains. “Christmas is a particularly special time for children and families, and we hope many people will join in so that, together, we can go further.”

Vanessa has the final word. “You don’t need to do anything huge to help: every ticket, every gift and every collaboration counts. If we all give a little, together we can do something far bigger.”

To see more of the incredible work the charity do you can visit their website here.

Moving to Spain brings sunshine, slower lunches and, sooner or later, paperwork. Few documents cause expats more anxiety than insurance policies, where a misunderstood clause can turn a minor mishap into a costly headache.

That is the gap Insure Spain sets out to fill. The company specialises in cover for foreign residents, whether they have settled permanently or are spending part of the year here, and its pitch is refreshingly simple: speak to people in their own language.

Its advisers know the challenges first-hand because, like their clients, they once chose to make a new life in Spain. That shared experience matters when you are trying to understand what your home policy really covers, or why a theft claim may not be as straightforward as it seems.

The range is broad. Alongside the essentials of car, house and health insurance, Insure Spain arranges business, liability, boat, golf and agricultural policies, plus life and funeral cover, an area many newcomers overlook until it is urgently needed.

Convenience is a recurring theme. Clients can deal with the team in person, by phone or online, and enquiries are answered seven days a week. Getting a quote means leaving a few details and waiting for a call back, while premiums can usually be paid monthly, quarterly, six-monthly or annually to suit household budgets. New customers are also given special rates when taking out a policy.

For anyone who has ever nodded politely through a Spanish-language insurance call, that reassurance is worth a great deal.

Contact Luke Carter at Insure Spain on +34 602 73 31 27, email info@insurespain.com or visit insurespain.com.

Residents in Madrid and the surrounding region have faced sealed-off streets, emergency evacuations and major police deployments following a series of bomb alerts, with two separate operations in less than 24 hours raising concerns over the growing number of threats. Two warnings near the Guardia Civil’s national headquarters in Madrid were followed by a security operation in Guadarrama on Wednesday, November 11.

There, a suspicious backpack prompted the evacuation of nearby businesses before TEDAX specialists carried out a controlled detonation. A second suspicious object was reported later in the town. Neither of the Madrid threats resulted in explosives being found. The backpack in Guadarrama was also later confirmed by the Guardia Civil to contain no explosive material, despite conflicting early reports.

Two bomb threats near Guardia Civil headquarters

The first Madrid alerts came on Tuesday evening, near the Dirección General de la Guardia Civil on Calle Guzmán el Bueno. Police sealed off streets around the headquarters and carried out checks after receiving a bomb threat. While officers were investigating, a second warning identified a location on a nearby parallel street, prompting the operation to move towards Avenida de Reina Victoria.

Police and emergency services mounted a substantial response. Some residents were reportedly told to leave their homes, while others were temporarily unable to return as the security cordon remained in place. SAMUR-Protección Civil also activated its precautionary protocol for a possible multiple-casualty incident. The checks lasted around an hour. No explosives were found and nobody was injured. Earlier on Tuesday, police had also investigated an abandoned briefcase near Calle Félix Boix in Chamartín. That object was examined and found not to contain explosives. There is no confirmed link between the three alerts. 

Guadarrama operation forces evacuations

The following afternoon, residents in Guadarrama faced another large-scale security operation after a suspicious backpack was found at around 4pm on Calle de los Escoriales, close to a Shell petrol station and the Supercor supermarket. The Guardia Civil established a security perimeter and restricted access. The petrol station and nearby supermarkets, including Supercor and DIA, were evacuated as a precaution. Officers urged people to stay away while TEDAX specialists and detection dogs examined the backpack.

Specialists eventually carried out a controlled detonation, which caused a loud bang that could be heard nearby. The Guardia Civil later confirmed that the backpack contained no explosives. It was a precautionary detonation, not the disposal of a confirmed bomb. At around 08:00pm, a second suspicious object was reported near a business on Calle Dehesa de los Panes. Police activated the security protocol again, but checks found no risk. The Town Hall said residents should follow Guardia Civil instructions and avoid spreading information while operations were under way. 

Bomb threats spreading across Europe

The alerts come amid a rise in false bomb threats affecting European transport. At least 35 flights had received threats since the start of November by November 6, according to reporting based on a Reuters tally. The warnings affected at least 16 countries and led to diversions, evacuations and security searches, although no explosives were found on the aircraft.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has warned that, while the risk from an individual false threat may be low, the growing number of incidents puts additional pressure on aviation operations. Investigators have not publicly identified those responsible or established who is behind the wider wave.

Spain has also seen a far more serious incident this week. In Oviedo, Asturias, a backpack containing an explosive device detonated during a police operation on Tuesday, killing a Policía Nacional officer and seriously injuring a TEDAX specialist. There is no known connection to the Madrid or Guadarrama alerts. 

For people living near the affected locations, the consequences of a threat are immediate even when no device is found: shops and services close, streets are blocked and residents can be kept away from their homes while officers establish whether there is a genuine danger. Police must treat every credible warning seriously. But with several alerts in quick succession, the question of who is making them, and whether any are connected, is becoming increasingly important.