On todays episode of Gibraltar Today...

We speak to Jonathan Sacramento about the passing of Mesod Belilo at the age of 78.

-

Local singer Simon Dumas joins us in the studio to fill us in on future plans in terms of his career.

-

And we present part 2 of the News Review of the Year.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On todays episode of Gibraltar Today,

We speak to Charles Sisarello on his new book 'British Overseas Territories Family'.

-

A local football referee who has been officiating on the rock for some time now has decided to hang up his boots, and his red and yellow cards!

-

And lastly we finish with Part 1 of the News Review of the Year.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Local charity Action4schools joined forces with local supplier Wastage Products Limited (WPM) and Xylem Watermark Spain celebrated the completion of its 106th water well in Moyamba, Sierra Leone. We spoke to the founder of Action4Schools, Jimmy Bruzon.

Since the 2024 Cultural Awards, we've been inviting all the winners into the studio to reflect on their respective years. The ‘Best Educational Project’ was awarded to Claire Montado. Her innovative book, 'Women of Gibraltar', profiles 25 remarkable women from Gibraltar’s history, from the Neanderthal era to present day.

St. John Ambulance have been in Gibraltar for over 130 years. The charity's priority is the community and they are delighted to have acquired an additional new ambulance which they hope will add to their capabilities and resilience. We spoke to Franco Cassar.

This year the start of the Jewish festival of lights coincides with Christmas. Hanukkah follows the Hebrew calendar aligning with the 25th of December in the Gregorian calendar. Levi Attias of the Jewish community told us more.

And the Governor has issued a certificate to terminate the tenancy of the Murga Bar at the Victoria Stadium. Sir Ben Bathurst has used his authority under Section 66 of the Landlord and Tenant Act, to end tenancies when the property being redeveloped is deemed necessary for the public interest for the economic development of Gibraltar. GBC understands Alan Asquez, the owner of the Murga Bar, is taking legal action to quash it. Jonathan Sacramento told us more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Turning loss in to light" is the slogan of the Kabir Ramchandani Foundation - a charity set up in tribute to the late Kabir Advani, who tragically passed away in 2021 at the age of just 32. Christmas a busy period for the charity Colin Grech and our very own Iain Triay-Clarence are both involved, and told us about their latest initiative: a Christmas fundraiser to support Families in Need.

A new inquest into the deaths at sea incident in 2020 will go ahead. The Privy Council has upheld the Court of Appeal's decision to hold a fresh inquest, and denied the family of the deceased permission to appeal. The incident, in which an RGP vessel collided with a smugglers' launch, resulted in the death of two men. Jonathan Sacramento told us more.

Dean of Gibraltar Ian Tarrant to tell us what Christmas means to him, as well as the differences with the way Roman Catholics celebrate Christmas. In the face of consumerism, he was keen to emphasise what's important at this time of year.

With Christmas Eve just one day away festive meals and treats are high up the list of priorities for many. One person ready to cook a feast is chef, Vijay Vatvani. He gave us some tips for making a delicious Christmas turkey.

As well as the food, many look forward to the family get-togethers, the presents... and the traditional polar bear swims on Boxing Day! There are two popular spots for it: Catalan Bay and the Quari - Becca Ramirez organises the latter.

And Jose Mari Ruiz reported on the weekend’s football results and told us what festive sporting events we can look forward to over the next few days.  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fraud is on the rise - so how do we tackle it? The Chamber of Commerce is offering workshops to members to help them guard against online fraud. Kath Grant and Andrew Fitzgerald told us more.

The Chief Minister says the Leader of the Opposition misled Parliament when he cropped a photo of a lease document to remove the logo of the law firm Keith Azopardi himself works at, TSN. His motion was carried - though the Opposition voted against it. Mr Azopardi said Mr Picardo was deliberately twisting things to create a mirage... to deflect from the real issue: the value for money of a rental agreement for Government offices on Queensway.

Christmas is about giving, and the Environmental Agency has been distributing toys to families in need. Meanwhile the Red Cross charity has prepared almost 700 presents for those in hospital and care this Christmas. Our reporters Christina Cortes and Jonathan Sacramento have been following both charity efforts.

Today marks the end of Bayside school's annual fundraising week. They held a Spinathon from Monday to Thursday, a Christmas concert on Wednesday, and so much more. Bayside's Natalie Cocklan told us how the week has gone.

Jose Mari Ruiz looked ahead to this weekend’s football fixtures, as the domestic season rounds up its final games before the Christmas break.

And, it's that time of the week when we fly the nest! This week we spoke to Claire Hall from Casablanca, working at a British International school. A nomad by nature, she told us about the several other countries she’s lived in around the world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What would you do with £1 million?! We're going to get a sense of the excitement ahead of tonight’s big Christmas lottery. We spoke to our reporter Iain Triay Clarence, who was in town where there has been one last surge of purchasers hoping to buy the winning ticket.

Actress and director Erica McGrail was one of two winners of the Senior Award at the recent Cultural Awards. She was joined by local artist Monica Popham, who claimed the ‘Extraordinary Achievement’ Award after an unforgettable year! We caught up with them for their reactions to winning their respective awards, and what they have in the pipeline for the new year.

Students from Bayside School have spent the last few days putting together hampers for families in need. The initiative is a collaborative effort between Fr Charlie and the school, with others helping along the way. Claire Hernandez was there when the hampers were delivered to St Teresa’s Church.

And, food is important at Christmas, as is tradition. Broadcast legend Pepe Palmero, known by many as the face of ‘Pepe’s Pot’, has been visiting Comprehensive Schools in recent weeks to share his knowledge of local customs for the festive period.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Leader of the Opposition Keith Azzopardi was in the studio, who promised to ‘tell it straight’ and be honest with the electorate, answering questions from listeners on topics ranging from affordable housing to treaty talks and congestion on the roads.

Eager shoppers have taken to Morrisons supermarket, to stock up on Christmas food. A special air freight full of festive items arrived late last night. The items were unloaded just before midnight last night and were on the shelves first thing this morning. Shelina Assomull had more details to share.

And, following the success of the Governor Sir Ben Bathurst has presented cheques to a selection of local charities. Our reporter Kevin Ruiz was at the presentation and spoke to the Governor, who said plans are already underway for next year’s event.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new location for a half-way house for men has been earmarked.

The building, at 9 Johnstone's Passage, would temporarily house men who are homeless due to family separations or other issues.

Housing Minister Pat Orfila will be here, have you got a question on this for her? 

200 66 200 - call or WA us.

---

What will the focus be for the Royal Gibraltar Regiment’s new Commanding Officer? We speak to Lieutenant Colonel John Pitto.

---

It’s a busy time of the year for Father Christmas and his elves, but also for Gibraltar Postal Service. Peter Linares joins us...

---

And, we catch up with the DSA Sequence Dance Club, following their Special Recognition Award at the recent Cultural Awards.

I look forward to chatting to Lourdes Avellano and Stanley Flower...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s episode of the podcast was recorded live from Bayside School for their 9th Edition of the Annual Spinathon, kicking off a week of fundraising events.

Minister for Education and the Environment John Cortes dives into the announced 25 Year Environment Plan in greater detail.

Johnhenry Mauro, orgnaniser of the GBC Open Day Treasure Hunt but speaking in his capacity as Head of Year 13, told us about the Bayside School’s plans for the week, involving many charity fundraising events.

The Christmas Concert at the school is happening this coming Wednesday - Kate Madden who is Head of Music at Bayside told us more about this year’s show.

We were treated to a live performance by Alba Payas, Elena Tricker and Mrs Teweksbury.

Acting SENCo Dale Moreno heads a Christmas Fair to raise money for the SEN department, with students and LSAs making their own Christmas decorations for sale.

Head Student Sarah Bensadon told us about her involvement in the week’s events.

The seasonal Christmas hamper tradition has been carried on for decades, and Bayside School play a key role in the distribution effort. Fr Charles Azzopardi is at the helm of the project and emphasised the difference that it makes to local hampers at this time of year.

And Head Teacher Gaynor Lester told us about how the spinathon was going.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This year's GBC Open Day ended in the early hours of this morning, with a record breaking £300,000 collected. GBC's CEO James Neish joined us in the studio to reflect on how it went.

Former heavyweight world title challenger Dillian Whyte was in the studio ahead of his heavyweight rematch against WBC interim heavyweight title holder Alexandra Povetkin this weekend. He told us about how he’s been preparing, physically and mentally, fr the fight.

Last week the Gibraltar Chronicle featured an opinion piece from Robert Vasquez titled "Local Police Commissioner?". Robert is a former chairman of the bar, was an independent candidate in recent general elections, an active blogger. He told us more about what he feels are the pros and cons of appointing an external Commissioner of Police vs a local commissioner.

And, we fly the nest once again for "Llanitos Abroad". Today we spoke to Bernard Bonfiglio – from Torquay, where he works as a structural engineer. Despite living on the seaside, he told us how he is still a Caleteño at heart.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.