Jo Ward - page 8

Former Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar, Lieutenant General Edward Davis CB CBE has been appointed Chair of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) which opened its Gibraltar-based office in Casemates Barracks in June this year with Jared Peralta as CWEIC Gibraltar Country Director.

Insight talks to Lieutenant General Davis about his new role. 

“The architect behind CWEIC was Lord Marland who is the Chair of the overarching organisation which is headquartered in London in the Guildhall,” Lieutenant General Davis explains. 

“Lord Luce, the first Chancellor of the University of Gibraltar, recommended me to Lord Marland who then approached me and asked if I would be interested to take on the role of Chair because of my Gibraltar connections and my desire to stay connected with Gibraltar and to help in any way which is useful going forward, and this seemed to be a good way of doing that,” he says.  

CWEIC was set up in 2014 as a private non-profit Commonwealth affiliated business and government networking organisation with the remit of providing business to business, government to government, sometimes government to business contacts for commercial entities across the Commonwealth to better understand where business opportunities are, to get into those markets, develop detailed business plans and then deliver competitive services or goods.

“With Gibraltar the focus is mostly on services, but there are still goods that Gibraltar might want to market, whether that is a vehicle or gin, there are places interested in such products,” Lieutenant General Davis states.

“We have set up two fora under the auspices of Gibraltar’s CWEIC Office – one is the Commonwealth Advisory Forum and that consists of the Government of Gibraltar, a variety of the professional business organisations and other affiliated Commonwealth organisations such as the Gibraltar Royal Commonwealth Society, with the idea being to bring all of those organisations and government departments together that are Commonwealth facing so we can gain a common understanding of what everybody is doing in order to synchronise collective efforts.”

He goes on to say that this enables the CWEIC’s Gibraltar Office to understand where Gibraltar’s business ecosystem is and thus best support the second forum, the Strategic Partners Delivery Group in developing and delivering their business objectives in the Commonwealth market place. 

“A Strategic Partner from our perspective is a partner who values this office’s ability to effectively contribute to the business’s reputation, its market access and ultimately its business growth.” The CWEIC Gibraltar Office will be able to access business opportunity across 30 of the 54 Commonwealth Nations and associated overseas territories. “At this point there are members of the network that aren’t actually Commonwealth countries but they are part of the Commonwealth’s wider global business ecosystem, for example there is a similar office to this one in Dubai.”

The CEWIC Gibraltar office will support their strategic partners by helping them to establish, develop and sustain productive relationships across the Commonwealth’s business ecosystem to enable sustainable business growth. Lieutenant General Davis explains that they will do that by leveraging the CWEIC’s connecting power, its convening power, and its curating power to inform, facilitate and promote Gibraltarian businesses. At the moment there are six members of the Strategic Partners Group, three of them governmental and three from the business sector. “The Department and Office of Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia is a member because the Deputy Chief Minister takes the overarching HM Government of Gibraltar lead on Commonwealth engagement,” he comments. “Visit Gibraltar from the tourism side and the Gibraltar’s Finance Centre are also partners.”  The other three strategic partners are the Bassadone Automotive Group, the car distributors Capurro and Hassans Law Firm. “We aim to grow the number of strategic partners incrementally – not only in numbers but importantly across sectors – whether that is from the online sports betting and gaming industry, insurance, banking, or funds and investment, and we have also been talking to the Chamber of Commerce and the Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses.”

Ideally, Lieutenant General Davis says, they want to have a cross-section of businesses in respect of goods and services that are a holistic and complete representation of Gibraltar’s business ecosystem. “My view is that Gibraltarian companies will join the CWEIC network for specific business objectives that we can help them to deliver.”

“Gibraltar has got an assured market back into the UK which we know has already been agreed and formally mandated, we remain to see what comes of the relationship with the EU through the ongoing negotiations regarding the agreement that is being brokered through the EU Commission for the future relationship between Gibraltar and Spain.  At the same time, and complementary to that, is the Commonwealth marketplace of 2.4 billion people, an economy of about 10 trillion which offers a great deal of opportunity for Gibraltarian businesses to partner with Commonwealth businesses.”  Whether that is bringing Commonwealth businesses into Gibraltar, whether it is Gibraltarian businesses setting up in Commonwealth countries or, indeed, a combination of both of these for mutually-beneficial joint venture development. “There is a great market place out there from which I think Gibraltar businesses, carefully considered, carefully targeted and carefully enabled can realise considerable business growth for the economy of Gibraltar.”

Earlier this year CWEIC took part in a focused webinar on the Port & Shipping sectors, featuring Minister Daryanani as a key panellist. In previous webinars, CWEIC has hosted keynote speakers ranging from Nobel Prize winners to former UK Prime Ministers covering a plethora of topics and issues. Next year the plan, Covid permitting, is to create a Gibraltar Plc team to represent Gibraltar at the Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF) in Rwanda and to wave the flag on the Commonwealth stage.

 “I think that this is all about Global Gibraltar developing business opportunity alongside Global Britain.  Given Gibraltar’s ambition to have an increasing global business footprint, then the Commonwealth has to be a good place to develop this global business footprint,” he comments.

Asked if the Commonwealth is still an important entity, Lieutenant General Davis states that: “It is as important today as it was yesterday and I think it will be even more important in the future.”

Sovereign Art Foundation, presented by Hassans International Law Firm, launches annual Prize in Gibraltar.

Gibraltar has been fortunate to be added to a lengthy list of countries to benefit from the annual Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) Students Prize charitable competition. 

Aimed at students in secondary educational institutions, and already a success in Bahrain, Guernsey, Hong Kong, the Isle of Man, London, Malta & Gozo, Mauritius, Portugal and Singapore, the aim of the competition is to recognise local artistic talent, with financial prizes for both the entrant and their school, whilst raising funds for local not-for-profit art initiatives, working with children to assist them in accessing enrichment from the arts. 

The initiative, which closed for entries at the end of the last month, has received lead support from Hassans International Law Firm Limited. As avid supporters of the local arts and culture scene in Gibraltar over the last 80 years, Hassans has a strong commitment to the wider community and firmly believes that it is the duty of local organisations to support the development of our youth and that the opportunities open to Gibraltar’s next generation should be equal, no matter what disadvantage or disability the individual is facing. 

The twenty finalists will be announced on 11 November 2021. With an esteemed judging panel comprising Gibraltarian contemporary artist, Christian Hook; Gallerist and Curator Magda Bellotti, Arts & Heritage professor Gabriela Giménez, and Howard Bilton, Founder and Chairman of SAF, the works selected will no doubt be diverse and will potentially unearth Gibraltar’s next internationally acclaimed artist. 

The shortlisted artworks will be displayed at the Finalists’ Exhibition at the Fine Arts Gallery, Casemates: 6-11 December and John Mackintosh Hall: 13-17 December. The exhibition will then tour in various Gibraltar venues including St. Bernard’s Hospital and Hassans’ impressive office space at Midtown, before being sold via silent auction. 

Support for the arts is more important now than ever, and this is also recognised by the additional supporters of the competition: Simmons Gainsford and Image Graphics as silver sponsors and bronze supporters: Brooks MacDonald, Silver Key, LGT Vestra, Schroders and the Ministry for Culture, Gibraltar. 

The winners will be announced at an Awards Presentation Ceremony on 15 December. There will be four prizes awarded to four different students. The winner of the Judge’s Prize will be awarded a trophy and £800; their school art department will receive £2,000. Visitors and online viewers will be invited to vote for the Public Vote Prize, the winner of which will receive a trophy and £400; £1,000 for their school. Furthermore, the Hassans Prize will award £300 each to both the student and their school and the Arts Society Gibraltar will award a £250 prize for a student aged 11-14. 

All winners will participate in an annual Global Students Prize exhibition, showcasing their talent on an international stage and facilitating cultural exchange. Examples of previous finalists’ work for this category are shown here. 

We look forward to showcasing this year’s finalists’ work in Insight in the coming months.  For more information about The Prize, please visit:
https://tinyurl.com/SAFGIB

Hassans welcomes four new trainees

Hassans is proud to welcome four new trainee lawyers to its 2021-23 training programme.

Joseanne Bear graduated with a First Class law degree from the University of Sheffield and completed the BPTC at City University London, Jerome Compson graduated in Business and Marketing from the Manchester Metropolitan University and completed a Graduate Diploma in Law at The University of Law, Michael Garson completed the Graduate Diploma in Law at BPP followed by the LPC at the University of Law and Samuel Marrache graduated with First Class Hons. at University College London (UCL) before completing the BPC LLM with a distinction.

The four trainees will work across various key sectors and practice areas to build experience and develop their skills before deciding which area of law they will specialise in at the end of the two-year programme. 

James Levy QC, Senior Partner, commented:

“The programme our trainees follow allows them to develop into well-rounded lawyers of tomorrow. 

Being a great lawyer isn’t about just providing great advice, it’s also about learning to understand your clients, identify opportunities or challenges that they may not have considered, to provide support above and beyond the immediate task at hand. 

Lawyers need to be excellent listeners, as well as communicators. The training our latest intake will receive, and the experience they will receive from shadowing seasoned lawyers, will allow them to become trusted advisors, not only excellent lawyers, and we wish them all a happy and lengthy career.”

Javier Chincotta, Managing Partner, added:

“We extend a warm welcome to our latest cohort of trainees. Over the next two years, as part of our training programme, they will hone their skills and acquire invaluable experience.  We look forward to watching them thrive amongst the many highly skilled professionals at Hassans, and help us continue to offer an unparalleled level of client service.” 

All women go through it, but how exactly can you get through it? For many women, the menopause can be a real pain and have a significant effect on both your mind and body.

What does ‘menopause’ mean?

Technically, ‘menopause’ is simply the end of your periods, when you’ve gone at least a year with no menstrual bleeding. Physical changes begin years before the final menstrual period, and this transition phase is called perimenopause, when levels of the main female hormones (oestrogen and progesterone) start to rise and fall erratically. On average, perimenopause lasts for around four years, although for some women, it can go on for up to 12 years. It’s likely you’ll begin to notice signs of perimenopause in your forties, or even your thirties and only 10% of women report their periods stop suddenly, with no noticeable changes in their cycles beforehand. The menopause usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55.

What are the most common menopause symptoms?

Not every woman has significant symptoms and you may find you barely notice the transition. Here are the most common menopause symptoms and how to tackle them:

Menstrual changes

A persistent change of seven days or more in the length of your cycle – making it shorter or longer – can indicate you’re in early perimenopause. A stretch of 60 days or more between periods usually happens later in perimenopause. Menstrual changes are caused by ovulation becoming unpredictable as your supply of eggs dwindles.

Hot flushes

Hot flushes and night sweats are collectively known as ‘vasomotor symptoms’ and affect between 60 and 85% of women, varying in severity and frequency. They usually last around two years but for 10% of women, hot flushes can last as long as 15 years. Experts still don’t know exactly what causes them, but it’s thought hormone fluctuations affect the way the brain controls body temperature.

What you can do: ask your doctor about HRT (hormone replacement therapy). This replaces your missing hormones and is the most effective way of stopping vasomotor symptoms, as it treats the underlying cause. Taking HRT can also lower your risk of conditions such as heart disease and osteoporosis that increase post-menopause. 

Some menopausal women may prefer to use alternative remedies to tackle their symptoms, such as agnus castus, red clover or soy isoflavones. Look out for Holland & Barrett Femlieve Agnus Castus or Holland & Barrett Soya Isoflavones with Vitamin B6. Why not try Vitabiotics Menopace Plus plus active botanicals from Holland & Barrett to provide support during and after menopause.

Adopt simple lifestyle measures, like wearing natural fibres and try to reduce stress. Reduce (or cut out) alcohol and spicy foods which can often make hot flushes worse. Consider a course of CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) which has been shown to reduce the frequency and duration of hot flushes.

Mood problems

Anxiety and depression are more likely to affect women during perimenopause; if you have a history of depression, you’re likely to experience it now. Changes in hormone levels may affect the neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, that control mood. Of course, your mood can also be affected by other factors at this time, such as loss of fertility and negative social stereotypes around menopause, along with worries about children, work and elderly parents. Holland & Barrett Menopause Mood Relief 30 Tablets is a traditional herbal medicinal product for the relief of symptoms of the menopause including hot flushes and contains 300mg St. John’s Wort & 6.4mg Black Cohosh

What you can do: self-help measures can ease depression and anxiety, including yoga, meditation and regular exercise. Speak to your doctor about a course of CBT too. HRT may be useful, but antidepressants are not recommended as there’s no evidence that they work for low mood associated with menopause. Some women find herbal remedies, such as St John’s wort or valerian, may be helpful for low mood or anxiety during the menopause. Try Holland & Barrett Maximum Strength St John’s Wort Capsules or Holland & Barrett Valerian capsules containing Valerian root extract, but always read the advisory information on the packet beforehand. 

Sexual issues

Falling oestrogen levels can thin and dry vaginal walls, leaving you prone to infections and making sex uncomfortable. You may also experience irritation and soreness, even if you’re not sexually active. On top of this, you may find you have a reduced libido. Stress and relationship problems can contribute to lower sex drive and loss of lubrication too.

What you can do: vaginal dryness can be treated very simply with topical oestrogen, used either as a cream, pessary or vaginal ring. It can be used on its own or with HRT. Or you could try over-the-counter vaginal moisturisers and lubricants. Holland & Barrett Sea Buckthorn (Omega 7) can help to increase production of mucus in these linings.

Post-menopause

After menopause, a lack of oestrogen means you’re more susceptible to developing osteoporosis and heart disease. You may also find you gain weight and your skin starts to become dryer. You can support your bone health by upping your intake of calcium and vitamin D while omega-3 can help reduce your risk cardiovascular disease and combat dry skin. Holland & Barrett Calcium 600mg with Vitamin D3 or Holland & Barrett Extra Strength Omega 3 Fish Oil may help with post-menopause issues. 

Advisory Information:

Food supplements must not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking any medications or are under medical supervision, please consult a doctor or healthcare professional and always read the label before use.

Gibraltar Amateur Radio Society (GARS) activated Europa Point Lighthouse ZB2LGT (GI 001) for the International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend (ILLW) on the 21st & 22nd August this year. This annual 48 hour amateur radio event is held on the third full weekend in August and involves participants setting up portable stations at, or as close as possible to, lighthouses and lightships around the world. Amateur Radio started in Gibraltar shortly after the Second World War and today GARS is a small but active society representing the interests of Amateur Radio both locally and internationally as a full IARU member society and the club is also affiliated to the Radio society of Great Britain.

Secretary of GARS, John King, explains that the club has been going since the late sixties. “In those days radio was quite popular because there was no such thing as Skype or WhatsApp and it was the only way to be able to talk to people without having to pick up a phone.”

Amateur radio (often called Ham Radio) is gaining in popularity throughout the world now, and year to year the number of licenses issued is increasing, which is not what most people would tend to expect in the age of smartphones which makes communicating with others much easier. Once thought of as a ‘geeky hobby’, John explains that it involves radio operators (called ‘hams’) talking to each other over HF/VHF and UHF frequencies.

“It used to be quite difficult to get involved,” John says. “Before 2003, to get a full UK amateur radio licence, you had to take the City & Guilds RAE exam, but from 2004 it became much easier with the dropping of the Morse code part and a new three way examination system – Foundation, Intermediate & Full – and since then a lot more people have taken up this hobby.”  This was evident in around the world during the lockdowns when people were stuck at home and looking for things to do.

The ILLW takes place as close to the Europa Point Lighthouse as members of GARS can get. “This year we operated from an old bird watching shack and over the course of the two days we managed to talk to about one thousand five hundred different stations around the world, including approximately thirty lighthouses who were taking part in the same event,” John states. Countries that made contact with Gibraltar were from most of Europe and the UK and included places further afield such as Uruguay, Canary Islands, Barbados, Zambia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Colombia, Chile, Algeria, South Africa, Eswatini, Tunisia, Israel, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Lebanon, Bonaire, Brazil, America, and Canada.

GARS has been involved in the Lighthouse event for the past twenty years and Gibraltar is unusual amongst the other countries taking part because there aren’t that many stations that are actually licensed here. “There are probably about fifty,” John says, “but of those there are only a handful that are actually active, so this means that when we call out everyone wants to talk to Gibraltar and we have to be very disciplined in how we operate.”

Something that ‘hams’ enjoying doing is collecting QSL cards which is a written confirmation of a two-way radio communication between two amateur radio or citizens band stations. A typical QSL card is the same size and made from the same material as a postcard, and most are sent through the mail. “If someone talks to us we will send them a QSL card with the station name on the front,” John comments. “The particular station for the lighthouse is ZB2LGT and this call is issued every year.”

A lot of people don’t understand amateur radio but it can be an incredibly social activity. “People see us down at Europa Point, sat on a chair, talking into a box and they have no idea what we are doing,” John laughs. As it says on the club website: “There is no better way to explore the fascinating world of radio communications than by becoming a radio amateur, and Gibraltar is a great place to do it from.” Amateur radio can be fun, social, and educational and there are many reasons why people become involved in the activity. These include being able to contact people all over the world by radio, to compete in international competitions, to engage in technical experimentation, to communicate through amateur space satellites or with the International Space Station and to act as a lifeline and to provide communications at times of emergencies. 

GARS is situated on Coaling Island and the club meet every Wednesday at 8 o’clock until 9.30 pm. John is keen to attract new members as well as welcoming any visiting radio amateurs. “If you are interested in learning about amateur radio and obtaining a Gibraltar licence, please pop down and have a chat with us and listen in and hopefully you will find a new hobby.”

Find out more about GARS from their Facebook page: Gibraltar Amateur Radio Society or from their website: www.gibradio.net or send an email to john_m_king@hotmail.com 

Gibraltar is celebrating the success of local rower Jack Prior who was part of Team Great Britain that won the gold medal in the Men’s Eight final at the 2021 European Rowing Under 23 Championships held in Kruszwica, Poland on 5th September. 

Jack’s passion for rowing came from his father who was a member of the Calpe Rowing Club which has become something of a well-established breeding ground for successful athletes. “I have been a member of the Calpe Rowing Club since I was a baby, and I would go and watch my dad race when I was younger,” he says.  “I started rowing from the age of 12 and kept improving.” Jack credits rowing with keeping him fit and also with developing a discipline that helped him through his GCSEs and A levels and then at university. “It makes you realise that hard work pays off and that if you study hard you are going to get the results that you want.”

In 2018 Jack moved to the UK to attend Oxford Brookes University and has recently graduated with a Sports Coaching and Physical Education degree. Fortunately, Jack is just starting his PGCE teacher training placement in October at the City of Oxford College which means that he won’t spend time commuting and will be able to carry on training with the Oxford Brookes Rowing Club. At the moment, Jack says that his life consists of rowing and studying. “Usually on a weekend I will wake up around 6.30 am, go to training and then get back around 2pm.” It’s not all hard work and no play though. “We do have social events at the Rowing Club and the coaches understand that whilst we are at university we need to enjoy ourselves as well.”

“At first, it was a difficult adjustment going from a junior rower into the senior set up. It was during my second year that I started making good progress but unfortunately because of Covid I couldn’t really finish that year, however in my final year I really improved, and part of that was down to the standard of the people I was rowing with,” Jack explains. “My personal scores improved so much throughout that year as did the general standard of the student group here at Oxford Brookes.”

“I had to submit scores on the rowing machine in November last year and then some in January and February after which I got invited to do some trials in May where they picked out who they wanted to take to the European scene.” Of those sixteen, the twelve fastest got picked for the team.

Rowing is the ultimate team sport, where every rower must match exactly the movements of the others in the boat to achieve a successful outcome. “I was training with Oxford Brookes the whole time but the last three weeks before the competition I was training with the Great Britain team, most of whom I hadn’t met before but luckily we got on really well because everyone was in the same boat, (excuse the pun),” he laughs. According to Jack, although people were apprehensive at first, the group dynamics really picked up once they knew they had been selected to go to Poland.

The team flew out on the Thursday before the competition which was being held over the following Saturday and Sunday. “It was a whole day of travelling and then about a four hour transfer to the hotel, so we were all a bit lethargic on the Friday session,” he states. “Saturday was a preliminary race where the fastest crew gets the best lane and the slowest gets the worst lane,” Jack explains. “On that Saturday morning we did a session before our preliminary race in the afternoon and we won that, but we didn’t really know how fast everyone else was going because they could have just been playing mind games and may have been going a little bit slower on purpose.” This set the team up quite nicely for the Sunday because they were able to identify a few things they could improve on. “On Sunday we had a session in the morning and the final was in the afternoon.”

Jack says that it wasn’t until they were about two hundred metres from the finishing line that the team knew they had done it and that then it was just incredible knowing that they had crossed the line first in front of other international crews from Germany, Romania, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. “It was a magical feeling.”

However, Jack says that at first it didn’t feel like they had it in the bag. “If you look back on the live-stream we were actually down a little bit for the first 500 metres and that is when we decided we were going to push through from the 500 all the way through to half way – so we started moving through everyone else until we had about two or three seconds on the rest of the field and from there it was just a chasing game with the other teams trying to chase us down.”

There were huge celebrations when Jack returned to Gibraltar, with a big reception at the Calpe Rowing Club as well as a private reception for Jack and his family at No. 6 hosted by the Chief Minister, whose wife just happens to be Jack’s aunt. 

Jack is now twenty-one years of age and will be eligible, if selected, to row for the Great Britain U23 team for one more year.  “I don’t automatically go through and although it will be much the same selection process as this year, it will be a little bit easier because they know that I represented Great Britain before – but I still have to hit all the qualifying standards.”

What does the future hold for Jack? “I would eventually like to come back to Gibraltar and teach, hopefully in the area of PE which is my main interest.” Maybe we will see Jack competing in the Olympics in the future? “I don’t know, I am just going to take it year by year at the moment and see what happens,” he replies modestly. 

How would you feel if your son disappeared and you didn’t know what had happened to him? That is the situation that Margaret and David Parkes found themselves in thirty-five years ago. 

Simon, from Kingswood near Bristol, was just 18 years old when he disappeared after a night out spent with crewmates from HMS Illustrious where he was known to have visited bars on the Rock. The ship had docked in Gibraltar on the 12th December 1986, on its return to Portsmouth from a deployment to Asia and Australasia but
Simon never re-joined the ship. 

Insight asked Margaret why they decided to launch a new appeal now. “This initially began when GBC journalist Ros Astengo approached us with the idea of writing a book about our son Simon. Obviously this needs a lot of research and preparation and we began with a new appeal. It is an open case, so police in the UK and Gibraltar are still investigating.”

Simon had been shopping and drinking with his shipmates and was last seen leaving the Horseshoe Pub in Main Street, around 10.30pm. All his belongings were still on board the ship, including his passport, clothes and Christmas presents that he had bought for his family. The Navy carried out an extensive search but there was no sign of him anywhere on the Rock, and Simon was declared AWOL (absent without official leave) after failing to return to the ship. Margaret and David have not heard anything from him since then and she tells Insight about their theories surrounding Simon’s disappearance. “Over the years it has been widely reported about what happened to Simon on the night he disappeared. There are gaps in those theories and we believe the new appeal will encourage people with more information to come forward. Our belief is that Simon died that night and an individual, or individuals, were involved in his death.”

Ten years after his disappearance, his case was reopened after a possible link was suspected with two brutal murders carried out by former Petty Officer
Allan Grimson – who was serving on HMS Illustrious at the same time as radio operator Simon. Grimson was dubbed the ‘December Twelfth’ murderer after his confession to the murders of Nicholas Wright, 18, on 12th December 1997, and Sion Jenkins, 20, exactly 12 months later. Grimson told detectives how he viciously attacked the men after luring them to his Portsmouth flat, and the judge who sentenced him to a 22-year jail sentence said that Grimson was a ‘serial killer in name if not number’.

In January 2003, searches were carried out in some Gibraltar cemeteries by police, and after what detectives described as ‘new areas of interest’ were identified, a two week search of the Trafalgar Cemetery took place in December 2019 by the Royal Gibraltar Police in conjunction with the Hampshire Constabulary. The results of forensic tests on bone fragments found in Alameida Gardens proved not to be those of Simon. 

A parole hearing is being held in December for Grimson, when parole may or may not be approved, but if there is any evidence to link him to Simon’s disappearance the police are keen to find it as soon as possible.

If new information does comes to light as it has done over the years, it raises the hopes of Margaret and David that they will find out what did happen to Simon and this will give them closure.  “There are people out there who don’t know what happened, but have information that might lead us to the truth. There are also some who will know the truth or think they know the truth. I ask them, after all this time, to come forward and take away our pain and never-ending grief.”

“I try not to put Simon on a pedestal, he would not have wanted that. But he was a loving son and brother with his life ahead of him. He was funny, kind and thoughtful and also a teenager who would have a messy bedroom and was always hungry! He went away a boy and would have come back, given the chance, a man.” 

Margaret uses a quote written by a close school friend to sum him up: ‘Simon was my friend. My dear friend. Simon was so many things it’s hard to explain what a joy he was and what a character he was. He was funny, bright artistic and kind. Most of all he was caring.’

Not knowing what happened to Simon has affected not only the lives of Margaret and David but also their wider family, friends and acquaintances. “At first, some did not know what to say so it was left unsaid. Others supported us in different ways. Sadly, others close to us have died. The worst time was at the beginning because although we had hope that he was alive somewhere, we were sure he would have tried to contact us. After the initial shock, we tried to keep busy, always hoping. We needed to know, we needed information, and we needed support but didn’t know how to get it. We were numb.

Even now it is difficult to comprehend how many years have gone by. When the first police investigation began, around 2000, it was such a relief but that meant we also had to relive the past which was painful and public. 

So here we are, getting closer to the truth we hope. Time is running out for us, so this has to be the biggest appeal ever.”

Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has made a plea for people to follow the Twitter account set up on behalf of the Parkes family and to provide information if they have any. Margaret is hopeful that new information will come to light because of this new push in the media. “We are so grateful for Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo asking people to follow the Twitter/FB account @SMissing1986 and to provide any information they have. It reiterates how important this case is to the people of Gibraltar. New information is coming in and we are encouraged that this will continue to grow.”

There is no doubt that Margaret and David will never
give up the search for Simon and are desperate to know what happened to their son. 

If you can help in any way or if an one has any information, please send it to: simonparkesmissing@gmail.com

How many of us have passed through Estepona, maybe gone down to the Sunday market in the Port or stopped off at one of the many chiringuitos dotted along the beach, but have never really explored the town?

Estepona is one of the largest coastal towns on Spain’s Costa del Sol, with a varied history that takes it back to the Phoenicians, then the Romans and on to the Moors. There is a small archaeological museum in Plaza Blas Infante situated in the old Town Hall (the building is a restored 18th century house) that is worth a visit but be aware that the descriptions are all in Spanish. 

If you want to find out more about the history, take a trip to the Museum of Ethnography where you can see more than 2000 objects that will tell you more about the life, customs and economy of the inhabitants of the Estepona region in recent centuries. Children will enjoy a tour around the Paleontological Museum which features displays of dinosaurs, marine-life fossils and flora. Both these museums can be found at the Plaza de Toros which also houses the “Antonio Ordóñez” Bullfighting Museum.

Drive through the town or stroll around the narrow labyrinth of streets festooned with thousands of different coloured flower pots and you will understand why Estepona is known as the Garden City of the Costa del Sol. Flowers and colourful shrubs abound everywhere, in fact over 250,000 are planted in the autumn and winter seasons. The plants come from the municipal nursery and are part of the beautification and rejuvenation of the town that started over a decade ago. If you want yet more stunning displays of flowers, the Orchidarium, otherwise known as the Orchid House, is a one of a kind in Spain, with over 5000 plants. The spectacular state of the art building with its three glass domes has more than 1300 different species of Orchids from Asia and South America, with an average of 125 species in bloom at any time. Follow a winding path past beautiful displays of orchids, wander behind the 30 metre high artificial waterfall (kids will love this) and then continue to a small bridge set over pools of water. Truly a must-see sight. 

Over the years, Estepona has established itself as a place for food lovers with a profusion of tapas bars, bistros and eateries, including some of the finest seafood restaurants in Andalusia. The old town’s main square is the iconic Plaza de las Flores, and a recently opened new addition to the historic centre is the imposing El Pilar Andalucía Hotel Boutique, managed by the Silken chain who invested 10 million euros in the renovation of the original building. For a bird’s eye view of the Plaza, head up to the roof terrace (open for food and drink after 5 pm) and sit and relax with a cocktail in the evening sun, or go back down to the bodega to sample some regional wines. 

The old covered food market situated in Calle Villa next to the San Luis Castle, closed down and re-opened in 2018 as a Gourmet Food Market, the ‘Mercado de San Luis’. From 6 pm until after midnight you can enjoy the alluring ambiance and a range of high quality international food from one of the many different stalls or partake of a drink from a choice of bars.

The bustling streets are full of independent boutiques, which makes a change from the large retail stores, where you can buy clothes, shoes, accessories and jewellery items that are just that little bit different. Something that Estepona has become famous for are the magnificent giant murals painted by artists from all over Spain on the side of some of the high-rise apartment blocks. They are scattered throughout the town and at the last count there were over sixty of them. The best thing to do is to get a Murals Route map from the Tourist Office (in the Plaza de las Flores) that will tell you where the murals are located, some of which are totally spectacular and one of which, ‘Fishing Day’ by Jose Fernandez, covers five apartment blocks.  Another by Fernandez, ‘Watering the Garden’  covers a wall measuring 240m and depicts a child watering a tree, but look closely because it is an optical illusion and if looks as though she is watering the real tree that has been planted in the street. Also look out for the sculptures of human figures and animals, 47 of them, situated on street corners dotted throughout the town, as well as the 17 poems that grace the walls of various buildings by well-known Spanish poets together with other bards such as Victor Hugo and Shakespeare. 

Estepona Port is just five minutes from the centre of the town where you will find the Sunday market, popular with tourists, that runs from 10.00am and continues until around 2.30, with stalls selling a wide range of goods including handbags, belts, shoes, clothes, and many other items. For a more local experience, try the bustling big open-air Wednesday morning market in the area by the Parque de Los Niños (children’s park), which also sells fresh fruit and vegetables.

The remodelling and beautification of Estepona and its transformation into a cultural and artistic hub has ensured that it is a truly special destination full of various attractions and it deserves a visit, even if only for a day.