Alan Cook and his wife Chris fell in love with Pollensa in 1995. They subsequently bought a small finca near Pollensa, and Alan says that the fact they feel a part of “life in this wonderful area” is due in no small part to the “wealth of amazing friends” they have made with people of different nationalities. One of these friends is Susan Mackay, who they met some ten years ago when Susan was organising trips to the Palma Auditorium for classical concerts. They gradually became aware of how much charitable work Susan was undertaking in the local community - “a one-woman dynamo” for the Lions in the north of Mallorca.
Alan and Chris supported Susan’s work when they were on the island but felt that more needed to be given, especially when six years ago this work extended to helping victims of domestic violence. Alan, a past president of the Rotary Club of North Down in Bangor, County Down, was the club’s international convenor at that time. He offered Susan tips on fundraising and later proposed that the club support Susan’s work as its international charity. The club itself raised 1,400 euros for the domestic violence cause.
He explains that each club donates part of its annual subscriptions to the central Rotary Foundation. In exchange for this, a club can nominate one or two people each year who are deserving of an honour for their tireless work in assisting local communities. This honour is the Paul Harris Fellowship Award, named after the founder of the Rotary Club in Chicago in 1905.
Alan recommended Susan as a very worthy recipient of the award. His club wholeheartedly agreed. And on October 18, at a small private drinks party, Alan was able to “totally surprise and present Susan with her very well deserved Paul Harris Award”.
The award reads: ‘The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. Susan Mackay is hereby named a Paul Harris Fellow in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world.’
Feisty, determined, cheerful, humble; all words with which Alan describes Susan. And ones to which I can attest in echoing the sentiments of the award.
Pollensa on ice for Christmas
From November 27 until January 7 there will be an “ecological” ice rink in Pollensa’s Sant Domingo Cloister. The town hall’s tourism department raised a tender for such a rink and several bids were made. The maximum is just under 15,000 euros for a rink of ten metres by fifteen.
The tourism councillor, Antoni Cànaves, hopes that the rink will boost Christmas/Three Kings activity for Pollensa retailers and attract low-season tourism. Cànaves is also responsible for trade, fairs and markets, his trade hat being rather more of a justification for the rink than tourism - or so one would think. Will tourists be attracted to Pollensa by the prospect of a 10x15 ecological ice rank? One somewhat doubts it, though it may depend on how one defines tourists. Do residents of Alcudia or Sa Pobla count? But note that he is councillor for markets. Pollensa hasn’t typically had a Christmas market as such. Alcudia announced its Christmas markets two weeks ago - in the port on December 8 and 9 and in the town on December 15 and 16. Alcudia town hall has not mentioned anything about an ice rink, ecological or otherwise.
There is to be an increase in the IBI rates for ten per cent of the municipality’s most highly valued businesses.
Punishing businesses in Pollensa
One hadn’t been aware that there was some sort of race to see which town hall in Mallorca could approve its 2024 budget first. This was before Pollensa town hall proudly announced that it was the first. But congratulations for this momentous achievement, especially given the town hall’s form in the past, weren’t forthcoming from the opposition, who were never in a position to boast being first past the budget-setting post when they were in charge.
Were they being churlish in the face of this record-breaking activity or did they have something else in mind? They did - the “punishment” being inflicted on Pollensa businesses (some Pollensa businesses) through higher taxes.
Specifically, as reported on this page last week, there is to be an increase in the IBI rates for ten per cent of the municipality’s most highly valued businesses (in terms of what they already pay). This is an increase, says David Alonso of the Partido Popular, which doesn’t take into account the real economic situation - price increases and inflation around 3.5%.
Former mayor, Tomeu Cifre, argues that the increase is “totally unfair and unjustified and will harm many businesses”. There is an “indiscriminate selection” of businesses, and the administration shows “a clear lack of empathy with owners, businesspeople and the self-employed who have had to face numerous financial challenges”.
Yes, but just think how else the extra revenue might be spent, other than on the care home and eradicating the port’s sewage problem. An even bigger ecological ice rink, for instance. Or more than one to attract the Christmas buyers.
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