Just a few days after the UK’s Brexit Treaty Of Withdrawal was presented by Theresa May, the British Ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley addressed some 200 Brits at the Hotel Villa Cortes in Arona. General reassurance of business as usual was well received but when questions were invited from the floor, it became clear that there are still some key areas of concern that need nailing down. The 587 page treaty has to be accepted by the British and European parliaments by March 2019 to become international law, but the ambassador stressed that nothing will change before the December 2020 transition date and the best way for Brits in Spain to protect their interests is still to register with the national police as residents, and on their local authority padron.

The mayor of Arona Jose Julian Mena opened the meeting by talking about the long history of British people living in Tenerife in general, and Arona in particular, over 7,000 are currently registered on the Arona padron. He spoke of the strong partnership between the communities and his hope that those ties would not be broken. Echoing that partnership, the ambassador reminded everyone that ongoing Brexit talks are also vital to ensure that Spanish living in the UK would also keep their current rights. Common ground will be a great help in pulling together some of the outstanding threads. Another key part of the ongoing talks is a determination to allow Brits to vote in local Spanish elections as well as in their own in the UK. This is not guaranteed at the moment in the new treaty.

Eager hands were soon up for open questions, many different circumstances exist among the ex pat population and this became clear in a question about how long part time residents can stay in Spain. This is another thing that is under discussion but cannot change until at least December 2020. Healthcare is always a sensitive issue, particularly who covers costs for treatment, Newcastle for many ex pat Brits. The questioner pointed out that Spanish claiming in the UK tend to be younger and less in need than those who have moved to Spain for a better climate in their later years. The Ambassador confirmed this and said that legislation going through the UK parliament now should allow for any imbalance in funds.

There are clearly a few more hoops to be jumped through but it was good to hear that many points raised were at least already on the minds of the Ambassador,and the British Consulate team which included Charmaine Arbouin (British Consul for Andalucia and the Canary Islands). Employment fitted in that bracket. An employer at a British School in Tenerife asked if there would be problems recruiting new British staff from the UK after Brexit had been fully installed. The Ambassador said he had been asked the same from a school in Madrid, one of 100 British schools in Spain. It was another key thing to be ironed out but again was equally important to the Spanish, there are 12,000 Spanish students in the UK, so plenty of common ground to pull an agreement together. Disinformation and rumours abound over Brexit, the Ambassador and the British Consulate staff were keen to remind people to use the official websites, and social media outlets that post all updates as new information is confirmed. Try Living In Spain  or this specialist Brexit site  Then there is the British Consulate site, or the Healthcare In Spain site.

Confident going forward but a bit naive in defence, CD Marino slipped into the bottom four with a 2-4 home defeat at the hands of high flying Santa Ursula. Even though the score flattered the visitors, it was a classic lesson in capitalising on scoring chances and shutting down opponents.

Sebas was to be the main tormentor for the north Tenerife visitors, he made his intentions known within a couple of minutes as he scooped a shot wide. Jony Cabrera was shaping up for a free shot at the visitors goal but keeper Juanje charged and stopped him, in the process he picked up a muscle strain that haunted the stopper all game. There was a different look to the Marino attack, with Javi Gonzalez taking over the central role and Juanmi adding strength and size alongside him that forced a Santa Ursula defender to intercept his early shot on behalf of his goalie. Yeray was instrumental in driving the visitors forward, his corner deserved a better finish from Joel. With just 20 minutes gone, Yeray found space out wide before crossing into the box for Sebas to snap up a goal as the Marino defence hesitated. Jonathan Sesma was sharp at the other end to send in a swinging shot that just missed the visitors goal. Javi Gonzalez turned Santa Ursula defender Mauro but was fouled before he could unleash a strike, the free kick from Saavedra was some way off target. Just as Marino were threatening to draw level, a speedy break from Pedro unlocked the Marino defence and he pushed on to make it 0-2.

A quick response was needed to stop Santa Ursula from killing the game, Niki provided it by sending across a deep ball from a corner for Javi Gonzalez to head past Juanje. Now it was the reds turn to drive forward and force a corner, Pedro played a long ball across but it had too much power and beat both teams players in front of goal. Yeray cut loose on the right and looked dangerous before Favarel robbed the ball off him. After the half time break, Marino replaced Niki with Ahmed, the pacey forward prompted more pressure on the visiting defence. Jony set up Javi for a decent effort but goalie Juanje cut out the danger. Santa Ursula were always willing to risk a shot, Yeray screwed a shot in from a long way out and it wasn´t far off the target. Joel thought he had an easy finish to extend the lead, David read his intent well and seized the ball at his feet.

Marino still had plenty to offer, a slick move saw Jony go close after some neat passing from Javi and Sesma. Antonio Samuel took to the pitch for Sesma and made a quick impression with a hard shot that Juanje took two attempts to gather safely. Another link up with Ahmed forced Juanje to be at his best again. Marino´s best moves weren´t quite enough to beat a strong, physical defence and a quality goalie, so they added another striker, Djavan in place of defender Connor. Juanje was in the front line again as Djavan challenged him for a high ball, both players fell to the ground, the keeper needing some attention to his niggling injury. The outfield players of Santa Ursula were constantly niggling at the Marino players with pushes and trips, they were determined to protect their advantage.
Another Marino attack saw the ball ricochet around the penalty area like a pinball, Juanmi had the vision to catch it at the right moment and force it into the reds net to tie the game with 10 minutes left.

The blues pushed up for a home win but it left them vulnerable at the rear. Ahmed stepped over a cross ball to let Samuel have a shot but it went wide. Santa Ursula spotted their chance and broke with Miguel riding a half challenge to regain the lead for his team as the final four minutes arrived. Marino kept on attacking but when they lost the ball deep into injury time, a long clearance found Sebas racing down the centre of the pitch to take on David, he slowed and took his time to pop the ball beyond the home keeper. All the youthful promise of recent weeks hasn´t stopped them sliding into the drop zone but reinforcements could put them back on track. Experienced goalie Brandon Hernandez has arrived, and Belgium forward Mylan Carrasco (brother of ex Monaco and Atletico Madrid player Yannick) has also signed.

Five mid week goals in a friendly at lowly La Orotava was supposed to sharpen up CD Tenerife but despite good build ups, they couldn´t find a way past Albacete and ended with a frustrating 0-0 home draw. A return to a traditional back four gave the side more stability, Malbasic hustled and bustled up front but goals were elusive, and they are the key to pulling away from the relegation zone.

At least a couple of wayward players returned to top form. Jorge was dominant in the centre of defence from the moment he saw off early danger from Febas. Eugeni had a pop for the visitors that produced a fine low save from Dani Hernandez to fend off the shadow of recent wobbly displays. Olivera gave Dani another chance to shine with a close effort that the keeper pounced on. That signalled a robust response from Tenerife, with Nano looking lively and forcing their goalie to smother his shot from the left. Luis Milla nearly caught them out with one of his curling shots, Zozulya had to look smart to clear the danger.

Albacete, nicknamed The Clockwork Cheese, arrived as one of the eye catching teams of the division, sitting in 5th place but only looked half wound up on the night. Febas wasted their clearest chance just before the break when he sent his free kick wide of the goal. With a little slice of luck, Tenerife could have been ahead but the breaks are hard to find when results have been poor. A foul on Malbasic gave Tenerife a free kick, four home players crowded around the ball before Luis Milla took a poor shot as Camille begged for the ball out wide. Alberto sprung up well to power in a header that the confident Nadal claimed well between the sticks.

Nano tried to set up Malbasic, his pass was a bit short for the charging Serbian, and another let off for the visitors. Suso was having a quiet game and gave way to Joao Rodriguez after 63 minutes, the Colombian still looked a little rusty after a recent lay off and needs to be stretched with a full 90 minutes. Jose Narranjo became the second sub, replacing Bryan Acosta who left with unfinished business. Acosta was a booking away from a one game suspension, and should have forced the extra card so the ban could be served when he was unavailable anyway on international duty for Honduras a few days later. Incredibly no one on the coaching staff reminded him of that little useful nugget, a worrying glimpse into the slack way the club is run.

There was still time to unlock Albacete, Luis Perez blasted a shot high, Naranjo struck hisi effort straight at a defender, and Camille’s aim was true but the goalie rode his luck, patting the shot down and grabbing the ball. There was a nasty clash of heads when Gentiletti and Naranjo went for the same ball, after lengthy treatment the Albacete player had to go off, Naranjo played on but felt the affects for a few days afterwards. Final home sub Tayron added some renewed urgency to Tenerife as he made some determined runs down the central channel. Malbasic bulldozed his way past the visiting defence and squared the ball across the face of the goal, Naranjo should have popped it in the net but ran over it without applying the needed touch.

The result could have gone either way in the closing minutes. Joao carved an opening but Jorge’s shot hit the post. At the other end Albacete had their own near thing when their attempt was thwarted by the woodwork. A draw was probably a fair result and leaves Tenerife hovering over the drop zone in 17th place. Coach Oltra has a long list of potential absentees for Saturdays trip to Osasuna, Jorge is on Spain under 21 duty, Acosta in Honduras, Alberto suspended, and injury niggles for Naranjo and Suso. January is six games away, Tenerife need to dip into the transfer market again, a goal scorer is an absolute must.

They love their golf and they love helping others. A keen field of 50 locally based golfers took on the challenging and visually pleasing Amarilla Golf Course for their annual Scottish Tenerife Open competition on 6th and 7th November. They doubled up on the previous year with a further 8,000 euros for FACT – Fighting Against Cancer Tenerife.

Starting each day just after 10 am with a shotgun start, they started at different holes to converge on the clubhouse for a well deserved cool off. After the score cards had all been tallied up, the winner was Alex McMullan, followed by Peter Hipkiss, with Mark Ross picking up third place, and Dean Adams clinching fourth position.
It wasn´t just down to the on green action. The money started rolling in with a Ladies Button competiton on the Monday at Bad Bobs Bar, netting 736 euros. On the Wednesday night, the presentations were made at The Crystal Palace on The Patch in Playa de Las Americas. Events on the night, and also at The Star Bar in San Eugenio swelled the funds to the new record return.

There were plenty of tales of shots just missed and luck deserting players on their crucial putts. There´s already a hunger to improve on personal performances next year, and a desire to push the fund raising total even higher. The cause is special to all the players and they can´t wait to take up the challenge again next year.

Even more poignant on the 100th anniversary of the end of the first world war, there were millions of reasons to reflect and give thanks to those who gave their lives for a better world. Tenerife may be a far flung holiday fun spot but ex pats and tourists joined together on Sunday 11th November for the annual remembrance day services.

I ventured to Costa del Silencio for their outdoor service around the swimming pool of the Westhaven Bay complex. Medals shone in the bright sun but many of the faces echoed the dark memories of loss and suffering within their families. The comforting and financially supportive arm of the Royal British Legion embraces all outposts, and offers support and nurture to servicemen, servicewomen, and their families affected by all conflicts. Church services took place at six other venues across the south west of Tenerife but Costa del Silencio offers a unique setting, its view out to sea acting as a window to a wider and more turbulent world. Many people wore not just medals relating to their own service in recent conflicts, but also inherited medals from family no longer with us.

Wreaths were laid at the table and makeshift altar as several hundred people rose to sing the first of the hymns, lessons were read out by veterans, it was an emotional and testing time for them but there was no shortage of friends to encourage them along. It was noticeable that many younger people and a few children were in attendance, warnings unheeded and lessons learnt need to be shared with the next generation. I consider myself so lucky not to have been called upon to defend my privileged life, my grandad told me about a few of the horrors of WW1 but I wish I had asked him about more of his memories.

In keeping with the Tenerife setting, the British Vice Consul, Helen Diaz de Arcaya Keating, read the act of commitment in Spanish. More prayers and hymns, including Abide With Me, followed, and the act of remembrance reached down into many memories and many souls. “They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.”
This was followed by the last post, and an immaculate silence. One of the beauties of the setting is the closeness to the sea. A small pathway led down the cliff to a ledge where a wreath of poppies was cast onto the sea and joined by small wooden crosses thrown into the tide. It was a wonderful service to mark a special day, however the good work of the Royal British Legion goes on throughout the year. We have a lot to be grateful for.

Emerging up the dressing room steps of the Heliodoro stadium, Egatesa Granadilla Tenerife soaked up the adoration of 2,374 fans. CD Tenerife’s home ground in Santa Cruz may have been a bit bigger than their usual San Isidro setting but the ladies rose to the challenge with a confident and well deserved 2-1 league win over Sevilla.

Early exchanges were cautious but Maria Jose Perez showed her usual flair with a daring long range lob that beat former Granadilla goalie Noelia Ramos, and the bar. There was plenty of commitment from both sides, with 10 minutes gone Eva Llamas and Sevilla captain Ali clashed heads when leaping for a loose ball. Both needed treatment, and Ali returned to the pitch with her head swathed in bandages. Pinel of Sevilla made some speedy wide runs but the Granadilla defence coped well with her. Ivory Coast forward Ange Koko on the right for Granadilla posed plenty of problems for the visiting back line, and Martin-Prieto was unlucky to see her skewed shot rise over the bar.

The blue and whites were building the pressure on their mainland opponents. Martin-Prieto opened Sevilla up with a quick raid, Noelia couldn´t hold her shot, and Maria Jose buried it in the open net. The ref whistled for a harsh offside. Five minutes later their was a similar call when the same two players combined to bulge the net again. The lineswomans flag went up and despite captain Pisco pleading her case, the goal wasn´t given. Sevilla must have sensed a dip in the Granadilla morale, Amparito nipped past the Granadilla defence for a shot that Aline Reis couldn´t hold onto, leaving Pinel with an easy tap in lead. That brought an immediate response from the home side, a well measured ball from Joyce found Maria Jose in a good position but Lucia robbed the ball from her. Ange changed wings and found room on the left, Bores stopped her progress with an arm in the face, and a Pisco free kick just before the break came to nothing. They carried on their assault on goal in the second half, Joyce went close with an effort just the wrong side of the post. Within minutes Granadilla were level, a surge forward was partially repelled as far as Estella who stretched to poke the ball over the line. Sevilla were keen to restore their advantage, a hard shot was tipped over by the alert Aline Reis to keep them at bay. Martin-Prieto was close at the other end, beating Lara before putting her shot a little too high.

Ana Gonzalez and Sara Tui added new blood from the bench for Granadilla but it was Ange who made Noelia work hard to snuff out another opportunity. Estella thought she had got a second home goal, it was destined for the back of the net before Noelia produced a classy full stretch save. Jackie Simpson pushed up to add her power in the air to the Granadilla cause but going for the same high ball as Sevilla´s Lucia meant both players needed attention.Twice Paloma unleashed long shots to try to break the stale mate, neither brought their reward. Sevilla started to show more urgency, Morilla tried a delicate lob to let her fellow sub Olga through, the final shot missed the target.

With time running out, Noelia parried a shot from Ange and saved at the second attempt. Four minutes of injury time were signalled, Ange took off for another mazy run and picked out Paloma who’s finish was lethal to make it 2-1.The action switched to the other end where Olga floated in a hanging cross. Before a team mate could get to it, Brazilian Aline Reis plucked the ball down safely. That was the last chance, Granadilla just had enough seconds to take off Maria Jose, giving sub Natalia Ramos a brief moment to share the pitch with her sister Noelia. The final whistle brought joy to the crowd, the players, and recently appointed coach Pier Cherubino, on the ground he graced as a CD Tenerife player. Most important of all were the three league points that put Granadilla in fourth place, in Spain´s premier league.

From their promotion wave to their top of the table start to life in the Tercera Division, UD Tamaraceite have caused quite a stir as they swept long established teams before them. In the first half at CD Marino it was easy to see they had height, power, strength, and bags of confidence to fire them into a 0-2 lead. The home side had more youth team blues in their line up, and they learnt quickly to forge their raw talent into a formidable force, and ultimately were unlucky not to go one better than an impressive 2-2 draw.

A mix of injuries, suspensions, and absentees left gaps to be filled and positional changes to be made. Coach Zeben Hernandez had confidence in his young guns who have come up through the youth ranks together. Connor moved into central defence and inspired those around him, especially Niki at right back. Jony Cabrera again flew down the right wing, and Antonio Samuel still made his lightning breaks of the previous game but this time was overlapping from the left back role. Jonathan Sesma enjoyed more freedom as the lead striker with Gaizka tucked in just behind him.

In some ways, Tamaraceite´s hot form instilled some wariness in the home side. Zizu tested David in the opening minutes, but the keeper was equal to the shot. It took just 7 minutes for Eros to find the back of the home net from a Jose Maria pass. Big left back Jordan of the Gran Canarian side pushed forward and imposed himself at first on Niki but it didn´t last long. Making his own pitch long run, Niki got a great cross in that the goalie, Jonay, had to cut out. Gaizka won a midfield ball and passed on to Jony who found Antonio galloping in, his shot was a little wild but it showed that the visitors were vulnerable to pace.

Tamaraceite made their breaks in numbers with plenty of width and support from their defence, it paid off again after 25 minutes when Jordan picked out Borja for a clear shot to make it 0-2. They should have added a third a minute later, Jordan beat Jony and Niki before setting up Borja who made a mess of his shot. Niki showed his defensive coolness when he tidied up a dangerous loose ball back to David whilst under pressure. Jony made room for Ahmed to run at the away goalie, he scrambled the ball to safety. A third goal conceded before half time would have buried the game, Tamaraceite put more pressure on but the Marino defence stood firm despite Lopez Silva going down in search of a penalty.

Marino were more adventurous in the second half, after Niki had headed clear a Tamaraceite chance, Ahmed´s chipped into the box just eluding Sesma, both in the opening minutes. Jony felt hard done by after being hacked down in the penalty area, the ref didn’t want to know. Pace always worries defenders, Marino had already shown that they were full of running, bringing on another youth player, Djavan for Gaizka just added to the attacking threat. Quickness of reaction was also serving Marino well in defence, Alvarez and Borja combined well for the visitors but Niki nipped in and cut out the danger.

Sesma was enjoying being back in the initial eleven and cut in from the right only to see his shot go out of play after clipping the post. Marino deserved a goal for a slick move involving Niki and Jony that ended with Juanmi heading wide. Tamaraceite were pinned down, goalie Jonay rescued them by snatching the ball off Jony as he bore down on goal. A home goal was overdue, Antonio powered down the left and crossed the ball, Juanmi used his strength to drive the ball into the visitors net with 15 minutes left. Djavan got in on the act, turning Jordan easily and aiming at goal, a defender managed to get the loose ball back to his goalie but it was just a temporary reprieve.

Ahmed picked up a loose ball and picked his way through the Tamaraceite defence before burying the ball in the back of the net to level the scores. There was a frantic end to the game as Marino queued up to try to find a winner. Djavan had another chance that was stopped when the keeper rushed out to claim the ball. Prince easily beat Borja but he went over a little easily and got the free kick call. The final chance came in injury time, a Sesma cross was destined for the head of Djavan but he couldn’t get the direction he needed and it passed outside the post. The point kept Tamaraceite top of the pile, and Marino in 13^th place, a gallant draw and another boost for the future growing confidence of the home squad.

Even the sandy beaches of Los Cristianos have a rival when it comes to attracting competitive swimmers to the Tenerife municipality of Arona. There’s hardly a week goes by when an international swimming club doesn’t immerse itself in the eight lane, 50 metre Olympic sized pool at the Complejo Deportivo Jesus Dominguez Grillo in Avenida Chayofita. I caught up with some old friends from the Aards, and Banbridge Swimming Clubs from Northern Ireland, and found many newer, and older converts to the outdoor sports centre.

Team managers Michael Angus, and Fiona Cleland were two of the four coaches with a party of 30 male and female swimmers aged between 13 and 18 years old. “It’s half term so a good chance to get them together for some intensive warm weather training” explained Michael, a long term holiday visitor to Los Cristianos as well as an annual coaching swallow. “We have 230 swimmers just at Aards club, we have long term links with Banbridge and many of the swimmers know each other so there´s a good competitive but friendly edge to training.”

Fiona outlined the schedule for the week long visit. “We have two pool sessions a day, one early morning after a light breakfast, and one late afternoon. Fitness and technique are worked on but we like to have a different focus each session. Paradise Park hotel is our base, a short walk up and down the hill each work out, which helps to limber everyone up. It´s a comfortable base for us and they look after us well.” It isn´t just work, the swimmers had a few beach fun excercise sessions, and visited Siam Park water kingdom to enjoy some adventure rides. There are always targets to aim for as Michael outlined. “Next up are the Ulster short course, and Irish short course championships, the girls have the Ladies Junior championships ahead, and there around four or five swimmers who have realistic hopes of making the 2020 Tokyo Olympic squads.” It might seem a logistical nightmare to bring a large party of youngsters to Tenerife but Michael isn´t phased. “We fly in and out of Belfast International airport, we have a block of seats together, and everyone looks after their own kit.” Pointing to the distinctive orange, and lime green kit bags Michael chuckles. “The colour scheme makes it easier to pick out everyone as we spread through the airports.”

On the training camps, there are often other groups using some of the other lanes so they soon make new friends. Fiona pointed out a Swedish mother and her daughter who was over to sharpen up her own competitive skills. “We got chatting and invited her to join in our routines, its all good practice for mixing in international events.” There was a strong Northern Ireland influence as a separate Ulster Schools party (in blue) were also over with a break that overlapped the Aards and Banbridge schedule. They had an even longer history of Tenerife swimming as teacher Heather Henderson explained. “Ulster Schools used to pop over to train in Puerto de la Cruz 22 years ago, before moving down south a little later. We are slightly different to the other party, we have 25 swimmers, they have to qualify for the trip through school galas. During the week here we will put in 13 sessions of two hours each as we prepare for the All Ulster championships which include three areas in the south of Ireland as well. Our long term base has always ben the Bitacora Hotel on the edge of Playa de Las Americas, they always make us welcome and it’s a short walk from the pool.”

I have visited several other UK swimming clubs in Los Cristianos over the years, such as Southport, Camden, and Swansea, they all impressed with their dedication, good humour, and devotion to their chosen sport. Arona makes a big commitment to youth sport in the municipality, through football, athletics, and swimming and welcomes overseas parties to hire the facilities and enjoy the delightful weather. Commercial use of facilities at off peak times helps to balance the books, and it´s a pretty impressive way to show off the charms of Tenerife. A major refurb is on the way for the swimming complex but in the meantime it is of course open to the public, check out their Facebook page. You might not become a future medal winner but if it makes you as healthy and happy as the dedicated overseas visitors, that´s a golden reward in itself.