After an intense week full of cultural, coexistence and leisure activities, the elderly people of El Poble Nou de Benitatxell put an end to their Cultural Week of the Elderly People last Tuesday. They did so with the celebration of the traditional fellowship meal and the mass in honour of their patron saints, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, two emblematic events that were initially scheduled for Sunday, October 18th but had to be postponed for security reasons due to the red alert for rainstorm.
Despite the change of date, the closing day had a large participation. The events began with mass in the church of Santa María Magdalena. At the end of the religious ceremony, the attendees moved by bus to the Canor restaurant in Teulada, where the popular meal took place and the subsequent dance session by Toni Catalá.
In the parliaments, the president of the Association of Retired People and Pensioners, Mónica García, took the floor to announce relevant news for the associative life of the group: the current board of directors (with the exception of Pep Llobell) is saying goodbye to their positions. Mónica García explained that the members of the board had formally presented their resignation at the assembly held on Monday of the previous week, stressing that, after 7 years, it was time to rest and make way for new people to take over at the head of the entity.
The Councillor of the Elderly People, Isa Garrido, addressed a few words to the attendees to praise the participation and vitality of the group, emphasizing the importance of continuing to enjoy each stage. «Growing up does not mean stopping doing things, but continuing to find reasons to enjoy life.»
In addition, Garrido dedicated a few words of recognition to the work carried out by the management team. «Thank you for your time, for your effort and for everything you offer for our elderly,» he said, while encouraging the rest of the members to take a step forward and join the new board to guarantee the future of the association. «An association like this needs renewal, new ideas and above all people willing to contribute a little of their time.»
Finally, the mayor made an emotional balance of the last eight years at the head of the municipality. The mayor especially recalled how the board of retirees and its president at the time, Pepe Vidal, received him and made things easier for him, since this was precisely the first official public act they had to face as soon as they entered government. «We have done the best we have known. It has been a pleasure to work with you hand in hand and share all these years,» he concluded.
One of the most emotional moments of the afternoon was the delivery of the traditional bouquet of flowers to the eldest member present at the celebration, a recognition that this year fell to Marian Barr, who is 87 years old, who received the affection and applause of the people present.
A week full of activities
This meal closed a very complete programme that began last Monday, October 12th with an afternoon of bingo, assembly and chocolate at the Social Centre. Last Tuesday 13th, the elderly enjoyed a cultural trip to Bocairent, while last Wednesday 14th health and well-being were the protagonists with the talk ‘The new old age’, given by Dr. Régulo Lorente, and a laughter therapy workshop by the psychologist Sefa Mulet.
Last Thursday 15th the day started in the morning at the Espacio Amigos with line dancing given by Juan Carlos Vallés at El Puig building, and in the afternoon the music took over with the performance of Marta Fornali. Looking ahead to the weekend, last Friday there was an aperitif enlivened by Toni Catalá and last Saturday culture filled the Social Centre with the ‘Nit de Teatre’ and the representation of the play ‘Donde las dan las toman’, by the Artistic Group of Callosa de Segura.
