A LEADING UK government official pledged that the rights of British expats were the number one priority during the Brexit negotiations.
The pledge came when a full house at the English Library of over 50 residents heard a talk on UK and Spain: Beyond Brexit from the deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Madrid, Mr Tim Hemmings, who was accompanied by Charmaine Arbouin, the Consul for Southern Spain and the Canary Islands, and Helen Keating, vice-consul in Tenerife.
He outlined the current negotiations in as far as was relevant, stressing how many areas of agreement already existed between the British Government and the EU team.
He assured those in attendance that the rights of Britons who had chosen to live abroad were genuinely the UK government’s number one priority before opening up the floor to questions.
After the meeting the general feeling was that people’s principal questions had been answered and they were grateful for the chance to meet with the Embassy representative and hear at first hand about the progress of the talks.
For his part Mr Hemmings stressed the importance of keeping the consul and the Embassy up to date on the public’s concerns about the negotiations as, given the large number of Britons living in Spain, the UK government does pay particular attention to the views coming from this country.
PRIZES for the Library’s popular annual Christmas raffle are now on display and tickets are on sale. A huge thank you goes to all who donated prizes. Star prize is an Amazon Fire Tablet and there are many more goodies to be won.
This is our most important fund-raising event of the year so please dig deep, buy your tickets, help support your library, maybe you’ll be lucky and win a prize.
SPACES for another popular event in the Library calendar, the annual Christmas lunch, are disappearing fast so if you haven’t booked already you need to make a beeline for the Treasurer’s desk and book your seat. The venue is the Masaru hotel in La Paz and the date is Thursday, December 14 at 1pm for 1.30.
The Masaru never disappoints with their excellent buffet lunch and, as expected, reservations have gone at a cracking pace. There are only a few places left so don’t miss out. It’s excellent value too at €16 per head.
THE LIBRARY welcomes holidaymakers and other visitors to join us during opening hours (Mondays and Fridays 3-5.30 pm and Wednesday and on Saturdays 10am-1pm). Refreshments are served in the garden on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, perfect for a meeting with friends or simply as a quiet, leafy corner in which to relax.