Dear Member / Owner,
I thought that you all might like to learn a little more about the charity which both Chris Mear, the past Captain and I, as your current Captain, have chosen to support through the generous donations from our Desert Springs Community (both the Club and our members) The Charity is a private non-profit making entity first registered in 1999.
The current President is a lady called Juana Beatriz Mulero Navarro. She and her husband and a number of local residents of Cuevas del Almanzora volunteer their time to run the charity and organise its various activities in conjunction with a number of health professionals, teachers and tutors. The number of “members” whom the Charity assists totals around 100. Some members require more assistance than others. Some have severe learning difficulties, and some have physical impairments. There are a whole range of disabilities to be catered for.
The aim of AMCAL is simply to improve the quality of life of its members, to integrate them into their local community, to maintain their dignity, to incorporate them into life in school, work and socially and to facilitate a positive attitude towards them. To promote and support legislation which might assist its members and to ensure that the Charity is fully involved with any issues which may affect its members on a local and national level.
AMCAL believes that the quality of life of its members is improved through creativity and art, through mental stimulation and self-expression. These aims are all achieved through a number of workshops held each week concentrating on art, drawing and painting, creating items in plastic, memory workshops using word search games and quizzes. AMCAL also wishes to resume its physical and mental health support through psychological and physiotherapy sessions by medical professionals which had to cease a while ago because of lack of funds.
Currently the Charity uses space in the Museo Alvarez de Sotomayor (opposite the church). However, one day they aim to have their own workshop space, especially as the Museum is currently undergoing a major renovation.
We were presented with a detailed budget when we visited the Mayor’s office last week (we being myself, Chris and Denise Mear and Wikkie) and this illustrates just how monies have been and will be used to achieve the Charity’s aims. In the year 2025/2026 the Charity requires 15,133.60 euroso to provide all of the materials, tutors, health professionals etc. for the benefit of the members. These monies will all come from private donations as the State only contributes a token sum to the Charity.
The Captain’s Charity has donated over €15,000 in the year to 31st March 2025 and we hope to do the same this year too. We already have over €7,000 in the Charity account.
The Desert Springs Community is recognised by AMCAL, the Cuevas Community through the Mayor’s office of Antonio Fernandez Liria and the Town Hall as an important supporter of the Charity and I feel that we should all be very proud of this.
I am hoping to visit the members during one of their workshops in Cuevas and invite some of them up to Desert Springs to see the Golf Course and Club House at some stage.
To be continued …
Many thanks
Sue
Capitana
