The British Consulate in Alicante held an open day for Spanish social services and local English speaking residency groups on Thursday, 19th of November. The event, called ConeXiones, was jointly organised by The British Consulate, the Diputación in Alicante and the Consellería de Bienestar Social, and was the first of its kind in Spain.

The open day brought English speaking charities and local social services together to improve the way they jontly help vulnerable British Nationals in Spain. The Consulate’s key partners were represented, including Age Concern, the Royal British Legion and HELP, along with two cancer support groups, AECC and MABS.

The event was opened by Alberto Martínez Díaz, the Regional Director of the Consellería de Bienestar Social and by the British Consul, Janine Lamont, who said:

“The support we have had from our colleagues in the Spanish Social Services, the Diputación and the Conselleria de Bienestar Social and the local voluntary sector is amazing and shows just how much of an appetite there is for ensuring British residents are able to fully access appropriate services in times of need.

“This is the first stage in finding ways to ensure British residents have the information they need to access the services they require, and that they know who to go to. I’m excited to see the momentum which exists to bring real benefits to British residents. ”

Closing the event, María Asunción Prieto, the Diputada for European Residents in Alicante, said:

“We want the European residents to feel like they belong in Alicante, to treat it as their home. This initiative from the British Consulate is, without doubt, a very innovative and useful project, not only for the British people that live in this province, but also for the professionals such as social workers who work with them.”

New initiatives that came from the event included the possibility of creating a directory of social services and charity organisations in the Alicante province.