The province of Alicante has led the charge when it comes to a drop in unemployment in the Community of Valencia for the month of April. The province recorded a decrease in unemployment by 1,336 people, representing a 1.14 per cent decrease compared to the previous month. Alicante’s figures are also ahead of the April figures for the city of Valencia, which saw a decrease of just 918 people.

Alicante sees community-leading figures for a drop in unemployment: Nearly 7,000 fewer

Alicante’s figures are even more impressive when looked at year-on-year. The province now has 6,965 fewer unemployed people than a year ago, representing a reduction of 5.68 per cent. These figures are also ahead of the communitywide average, which saw unemployment decrease by 5.48 per cent.

The drop in unemployment is starkly concentrated in the Services sector, with 1,238 fewer unemployed people in the month of April, representing the vast majority. The Industry sector has also seen a stark decrease, with 128 fewer people unemployed. Following these are the Agriculture and Construction sectors, with 86 and 75 fewer people registered on unemployment, respectively.

Services sector sees the most people on registered unemployment

In Alicante, the total number of people on registered unemployment is now 115,728. Of these, the Services sector has the most unemployment despite seeing the most significant drop, with 80,109 people unemployed. Following this is the Industry sector, with 12,867; people without previous employment history, with 10,218; Construction, with 9,291; and Agriculture, with 3,243.

Female unemployed far outnumber male unemployed: A closer look

In Alicante, female unemployment far outnumbers male unemployment, with 70,327 unemployed women compared to 45,401 unemployed men. Under 25 years of age, there are 6,551 people unemployed, with the rest being over 25 years of age.

Spain’s national figures, setting records for first time since 2008

On a national scale, unemployment has decreased by 62,668 people, with a total of 2,357,044 unemployed. This figure is below 2.4 million for the first time since June of 2008.

The DEBRA association, a non-profit organisation for the support of people affected by Epidermolysis bullosa, also known as Butterfly Skin, has announced the closure of its Butterfly Skin Charity Shop in Quesada. The difficult decision was made due to financial strains, as the charity explained on an official Facebook post announcing the news.

Two decades of charitable work in Quesada

“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being with us all these years,” stated the post. “Your purchases, donations, volunteering, and participation in every event have been so important in raising awareness about the disease and in providing specialised care for people with Butterfly Skin.”

The shop is closing after more than 20 years of carrying out charitable work in the Alicante province to support people living with this rare skin disease. The disease is caused by a group of rare, genetic conditions that lead to extremely fragile skin that can blister from minor friction or trauma, called Butterfly Skin because the skin is ‘as fragile as a butterfly’s wing.’

What is DEBRA? Providing support for those struggling with Butterfly Skin

DEBRA is the only national, registered charity for people affected by this condition. It aims to mitigate families’ distress, uncertainty and fear by providing support, from birth to end of life care. The team consists of specialist nurses, psychologists, social workers and researchers, who are all dedicated to providing direct support services to people with Butterfly Skin, as well as their families.

The charity was founded in 1993 by Nieves Montero and Iñigo Ibarrondo, after the birth of their first child, who was then diagnosed with Epidermolysis bullosa. Today, the team has grown to nearly 50 members, and passionate volunteers, kind-hearted locals, and those affected by the disease all take part to make the charitable work done by DEBRA a daily reality.

Kind-hearted residents can still donate at the San Fulgencio location

The announcement highlighted that, though the Quesada location will sadly no longer be accepting donations, local residents can still take part and donate through other locations, particularly the shop in San Fulgencio, located on Luis de Góngora Street, Local 37, as well as Malaga, Valencia, Sevilla, Madrid, and Barcelona.

Members of the Torrevieja University of the Third Age, also known as Torrevieja U3A, visited a local horse rescue centre at the tail end of April to learn about the incredible animals at the shelter and make a donation for their care.

A visit to the amazing animals and friends at the shelter

During their visit, the members took a tour of the Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre, a shelter for horses, donkeys, and ponies located in Rojales. The members also made a donation to the centre, to go towards the animals, many of which were rescued from situations of abuse, neglect, and abandonment.

Since its founding in 2008, the Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre has rescued and subsequently cared for nearly 200 horses, donkeys, and ponies. Of these, there are currently more than 120 animals being taken care of at the centre.

Who are the Torrevieja U3A? A local non-profit for those in the ‘third age’

The Torrevieja U3A is a non-profit organisation based in the province of Alicante. Members of the group, though they share no age restrictions for members, belong to the “third age” of life; one that comes after full-time employment and family responsibilities. The group often organises events, charity efforts, and diverse activity groups for their members to stay active in the community and enjoy retirement to the fullest. The U3A holds monthly meetings for new and existing members, as well as monthly coffee meetups.

One of the organisations that the Torrevieja U3A frequently donates to is the Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre.

“Today we welcomed a lovely group of people from the University of the Third Age based in Torrevieja,” stated the Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre in a post about the visit on Facebook. “They enjoyed a tour of the rescue hearing some of the stories of our rescue horses, ponies and donkeys. Not only were they a joy to show around, but they were very generous too! Thank you so much.”