Sunday 31st July
Arifanna Sunset fest is an annual event which has been going off for the last 7 years! Located in the beautiful sheltered bay of Arrifana, surrounded on one side by high rugged cliffs, and on the other a shimmering sea under the moonlight, its a brilliant atmosphere.
Get on down, drink some capirinhas and dance to the tunes by the ocean.
For all the information on this event, click on the following link:
This year, we have 3 different categories for the photo competition.You may enter one photo for each category (three in all maximum).
1. Each entrant may submit up to three photos (one per category) as prints and in digital format. They can be in colour or black and white up to A4 size.
2. The judges reserve the right to exclude any image they believe may have been excessively treated so as to alter its authenticity.
3. The competition is open to Amovate members and non-members. All entries must be accompanied by an official entry form which can be downloaded from (see below) or obtained from the Amovate office at the Old Schoolhouse, Vales).
4. Entry is free to members and €1 per print to non-members.
5. Entrants must NOT be professional photographers.
6. Each entry must be marked with the entrant’s name and address, plus details of when and where the photo was taken, it may also include a caption or title. Please also indicate which category the photo is intended for.
7. The closing date for entries is 31st August 2011. Exhibition of entries and judging will be announced at a later date.
8. Photographs cannot be returned but may be collected from the Amovate office. The organisers accept no responsibility for entries lost or damaged.
9. Prizes will be awarded for the best photo in each category & the best photo of the competition. All entries will be judged by an independent judge whose decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
10. All entries must be original work and must not have been previously published. The entrants must be the sole owner of the copyright in all photos and must have obtained permission from any people featured in the entries.
11. Photographs entered into the competition will be published on the Amovate website, for people to view, but Amovate reserve the right to publish (or not publish).
12. By entering the competition, entrants grant the right to the exhibition of their photographs at the Amovate office on a date to be decided. Entrants also grant the right to Amovate to publish the winning photographs on its website. No fees will be payable to entrants for such use. Finalists agree to take part in any post competition publicity.
13. Any photograph(s) that may be used for purposes other than publishing in connection with the competition on the Amovate website, will be negotiated separately with the entrant.
14. By entering, entrants will be deemed to have agreed to be bound by these rules.
We have been asked by Michelle Cassar to advise our members and readers of the Beach Clean taking place tomorrow (Sunday 24th July) between 4pm and 8pm at Monte Clérigo.
This is being organised in conjunction with the Arrifana Sunset Fest. Please see below for details sent to us by Michelle:
As well as the beach clean, there are other drop of points for mugs:
Aljezur´s Farmer´s Market on a Saturday morning.
Amazigh Hostel in Aljezur
Pastelaria Do Parque, Vale Da Telha, Aljezur
Pogo Gallery, Travessa do Cotovelo Loja 4, Lagos
(if you are dropping mugs of in these location. Please leave your phone number & email in them if you would like to be eligible for free Arrifiana Sunset Fest tickets & we will get in touch with you by WEDNESDAY 20th if you have been randomly selected for tickets.)
(please bring re-usable boxes to the beach clean)
At a recent Committee meeting, your committee discussed the opening hours of the Amovate Offices for its members` use. The reason for this was that after a lengthy survey it was obvious that attendance has considerably dropped due to many factors. We assume the main reasons are :
1. Downturn in use of the free computers
2. Reduction in the use of the library
3. The New Web Site
We have been experiencing continuing problems with the computers, mainly due to their age. They belong to the Junta de Freguesia who no longer wish to support their maintenance. They are frequently breaking down, and the cost of repair now out-weighs the use. Recent storm damage to the telephone line and the router, which has now been resolved after a lengthy wait, also meant that the computers & wi-fi could not be used. The Junta still pay for the Internet Connection and this can be still be used as a wi-fi centre. The increasing number of Free wi-fi connections at many bars around Vale da Telha, also adds to the lack of use of this facility.
The library suffered when Marion had some health issues, but has now been restored to normal service and is maintained by a group of our lady members. It has had large quantities of new books, gifts from our membership recently, so it might be worth another visit.
The web site, we are told by its users, is a real support to our membership. The committee also benefit by being able to get immediate information out to on line members, although e-mails support this information service. At present we have not seen a need to continue with the News Letters, and to date we have not had any comment on this situation that would require it being reinstated.
After a lengthy discussion it was decided that the trial office hours in place are reduced on Tuesdays from 2pm till 3pm and Fridays remain open from 4pm till 6pm during the summer months, when many of us (including Committee members) are busy with visitors. The Portugal News will be available as usual, and a supply will continue to be left outside the office.
Also the offices will be closed from the 15th August till the 29th August inclusive, for a Summer Break. Thus, also allowing the Committee members who man the office on a voluntary basis, to concentrate on the preparations for the Music Festival.
We welcome your feedback on the decision to change the office hours, and ask that you e-mail us on info@amovate.com with your thoughts.
A lot of people have been expressing their concern about noisy summer rentals disturbing their peace and quiet, raising the question of how best to integrate a close-knit community that is both residential and tourist-based.
Those of us who live here all the year round suddenly find ourselves invaded over eight or 10 weeks in the height of the tourist season, and find their ‘new’ neighbours partying until 6 or 7am, or singing through the wee small hours on the karaoke machines they bring with them.
One resident said the villa next door to them is invaded each summer by three families including a host of children, their rotweiller and their beloved karaoke, adding: “It is six weeks we dread all year round.”
The general theme—and the heartfelt plea—is “can we do something about it?”
Well, yes, you can! You CAN make them stop!
Amovate raised the issue with Aljezur GNR Commandant Sargento Gabriel Reis in our quarterly briefing with him. He was quick to reassure Vale da Telha residents—in fact, he is one of us, and appreciates the problem at first hand—that the GNR WILL act swiftly on any problems brought to their attention.
Sargento Gabriel said: “The fact is people—whether they live here or are here on holiday—cannot create the kind of noise and disturbance being talked about and it is important the residents with that kind of problem call us immediately.
“If you ring us at the police HQ on 282 998 130—the station is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week—we will send a patrol to the house in question and tell them to shut down the music or the noise.
“They can play music only until 10pm, and even then only at a level so as not to disturb the neighbours.
“If the music is too loud even at 8pm we can send a patrol to quieten it.
“If we have to go back again to any house for the same reason the people committing the offence can then be fined.”
It is worth pointing out that before anyone rings the police they should assure themselves the noise pollution they are suffering at that moment is not just a brief interlude, and instead looks well set to go on for hours.
In order words, don’t get egg on your face by ringing the GNR then finding the music stops before they get there and the neighbouring—and offending—house has become as quiet as the grave!
Sargento Gabriel went on, with a quiet smile: “One of the problems is that people going on holiday and getting a welcome break from working all year or from their daily activities seem to feel that they have now moved outside normal life and arrive here feeling they can do everything they wish.
“Well, they cannot. They have to continue to live within the normal boundaries and to respect their neighbours.
“We spend all year in beautiful peace then the tourists arrive in July and August and suddenly it seems impossible live in Vale da Telha. But it isn’t and it shouldn’t be.
“If you have these problems, ring us and we’ll tackle them as quickly as possible.”
Summer, and the infusion of hundreds of outsiders, of course can bring other problems and Sargento Gabriel says villa owners should be very aware of an increased risk of opportunist theft.
He says reassuringly that, whilst individual victims do feel terribly upset and perhaps even violated when it happens to them, burglaries and thefts from houses in the Aljezur area are a minor problem.
But, still, people should not relax their vigilance.
He said: “In the summer when people tend to live outside a lot more, eating, drinking, reading by their pools, and swimming a lot more, they do tend to leave doors and windows open at the far side of the property.
“It is important that if, for example, you are relaxing outside, any doors and windows not in your line of sight, should be secured.
“And through the night, if you feel you need to leave windows open for ventilation make sure your shutters, if you have them, are secured.”
Thefts from cars are also a minor problem in this area, but they can occur when the beaches and car parks are packed during the summer months.
“Carrapateira is the biggest problem area in this respect, as cars tend to be parked on the cliffs overlooking the beach, or in car parks away from the beach and are therefore more vulnerable to sneak thieves,” the sergeant went on.
“Monte Clerigo and Arrifana usually only record two or three such instances a year and Amoreira perhaps five or six.
“But, while it is not a major problem, you can still become a victim, so it is important to take care when you drive to the beach. It goes without saying that you should not leave any valuables at all in the car, not just to put them out of sight.
“Opportunist thieves tend not to break into cars where they cannot see anything of value. But there are exceptions to the rule and once a thief has broken or forced a window and got into the car they can then open the boot and take any valuables left there.
“So take only what you need on the beach, and don’t leave any of that in your vehicle.
“And of course, while you are relaxing on the beach make sure that when you go away from your ‘base camp’, to swim or maybe to go and buy a drink or ice cream, at least one person always stays behind to guard your belongings.”
Sargento Gabriel also advises you not to leave personal effects like your driver’s licence and passport in your glove compartments.
“When you go out in your car within the Aljezur region you can carry a copy of your licence and your passport, which will service as identification should my officers stop you,” he said.
“That will be sufficient in this area, although other areas may want to see the original documents.”
On other matters Sargento Gabriel points out there is now a new car park, with 200 spaces, behind the market at the bridge in the town.
And a road behind the new Intermarché Supermarket will, once it is opened, become one-way to avoid congestion. For clarification this is the road where the ACCT Charity Shop was located before its move to the high street.
Some people have also been asking about the question of dog leads, having heard that a new law may require a full chest harness rather than a simple lead attached to your dog’s collar.
But Sargento Gabriel says this is not the case—the type of lead you use for your dog remains entirely your choice. All the law requires is that you keep your dog on its lead and not allow it to run free unsupervised, which IS an offence.
