The Costa Women Costa Blanca South Meet Up on 28th October was held at the Algorfa Hotel. On a lovely sunny day, five Costa Women arrived to hear guest speaker Dave Bull talk about his life in Spain, and the Kayak Challenge. On 28th November, Dave and his son Mitch will row 52 kilometers – around 32 miles – along the River Segura from Murcia city to Guardamar de Segura to raise money for AECC and raise awareness of the work of the Samaritans in Spain. Dave is a patron of the Samaritans, and a close relative has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer, so the challenge is very personal to the boys.
Before Dave arrived though, it was time to get to know the new arrivals. Marian has just returned from a trip to England, where she saw three of Sir Cliff Richard’s 75th birthday concerts. She told us all about the trip, and showed us her photos. As a Cliff fan since the age of 8, I was both envious and enthralled!
Member Sonia brought along her friend to see what Costa Women is all about. Ginny home schools her children, so they came along with her – and very good they were too. However, as they’re boys, we missed out on an opportunity to grab them young! Pat knew Dave from way back, and it was interesting to hear them reminisce on their time working in local English language media in Spain.
Dave – resplendent in one of the official Kayak Challenge t-shirts sponsored by Blacktower Finance - 
spoke of the generosity of all their sponsors, who have financed essential equipment for the challenge. Specsavers provided sunglasses for Dave, Mitch and the driver of the support vehicle. Not wishing to take advantages of their generosity, Dave was looking at sunglasses which were reminiscent of those worn by Olive in the 1970’s sitcom On The Buses, but their sponsors were having none of that. Dave and Mitch now have stylish Tommy Hilfiger and Puma gafas de sol to keep the sun out of their eyes as they row the River Segura.
The plans are coming together nicely – Howells Removals will be transporting the kayaks from Gran Alacant to Murcia on the day, and there will be a display of classic cars to welcome the boys to Guardamar Port when they arrive somewhere between 5.00 and 6.00 pm. This time of year, it gets dark early, but the boys have thought of that – they are equipped with head torches in case the last few kilometres of the row have to be completed in the dark!
The boys will be stopping off at Algorfa, where the team from the Vestry Restaurant will be providing refreshments. If you want to go along and cheer the Dave and Mitch along, or donate to the fund, they’ll be arriving about 3.00 pm, and coming ashore near the bridge across the river on the road to Almoradi.
It was an interesting, productive meet up, but it was a shame that it was not better supported. However, those who were there had a great time, and that’s what really matters!
This post was written by Sandra Piddock. Check out her website Sandra In Spain.com