The British vice consul in Alicante, Elizabeth Bell, acknowledged and showed her appreciation for the association's work, and discovered firsthand its contribution to our community, which has spanned more than two decades. The mayor, Carlos Linares, took the opportunity to present the president, Pat Bramah, with a certificate of recognition for the work carried out in the town.
The Asociación Benéfica de Teulada opened its doors in 1989 as The Red Cross Shop, supporting the Asamblea de la Cruz Roja local with the purchase of ambulances and equipment, as well as regular donations to la Cruz Roja of Teulada. The collaboration with the Cruz Roja of Teulada lasted around 20 years, until 2009, by which time donations were calculated to be around 128,840€.
As from September 2009, the Asociación Benéfica de Teulada went on to work with the Town Hall of Teulada's Protección Civil and Social Services, investigating the viability of the creation of a new ambulance service under the auspices of the Town Hall and operated by Protección Civil. This plan came to fruition in March 2012, with the signing of an agreement with the Town Hall and the handing over of the vehicle. In a short period of time, it became indispensable and they began to consider the need for a support patient transfer vehicle, thus guaranteeing the ambulance's availability for emergencies. In the Association's Annual General Meeting in 2014, it was agreed that Protección Civil should be provided with another vehicle.
Some of the other initiatives which stand out are the decision to support AFA Teulada with a cheque of 20,000€, for the purchase of a vehicle to transport the day centre's users, presented in September 2014 during the Autumn Festival supporting World Alzheimer's Week. The president of AFA Teulada, José Buigues, also wanted to thank the work done by the Asociación Benéfica and gave them a plaque on behalf of AFA recognising all of the help received.
Since beginning its partnership with Protección Civil and AFA Teulada, the AsociacÃón Benéfica de Teulada has donated an amount of around 151.868€.
The association is manned by volunteers, who give their free time and support altruistically. Its president, Pat Bramah, wanted to recognise the work of all the members, both past and present, with a special mention of Wendy Ollis, who opened the shop more than 25 years ago.
In her speech, Bramah declared that they are going to continue working and supporting charities and her wish for the people of the municipality to support them, both by donating articles that they no longer need and by shopping in the charity shop. Furthermore, she made an appeal because "volunteers are always needed, and if anyone can give a morning a week of their time to work with us, we would be delighted to have them" she stated.
Linares, and the Councillor for Voluntary Service and Integration, Laura Hillstead, wanted to recognise all of the work carried out over all of these years, and they highlighted Teulada-Moraira as an altruistic supportive and caring place, which is active in all types of charities.
