Gibraltar Today

Robin Sheppard-Capurro covers the show today, discussing:

International Rugby with former coach Steven Payas, as the Gibraltar team travel to Scandinavia tomorrow.

Veterans' football is thriving on the Rock - Leigh Thorne and Yaro Borg explore

Art Psychotherapy has multiple benefits - recent graduate Jacquima Rios explains

Air cadet recruitment day is coming up - Cpl Tony Macedo, Rosana Fernandez & Sebastian Colinsknock tell us more

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Today’s episode was recorded live from Western Beach for the latest instalment of ‘Gibraltar Today: At the Beach’.

Being right next to the airport, Western Beach is a great spot for plane spotting, and the use of drones has become increasingly popular. Trevor Hammond from the Directorate of Civil Aviation told us how they keep drone activity on the Rock safe.

Mario Nuñez is a regular at Western Beach. He told us what the beach was like when it part of the MOD. He told us about the strong family atmosphere there, even when non-regulars go when it’s levante!

Daphne Alecio believes that Western Beach is the forgotten beach, yet despite this it seems to be more popular than ever this summer. But it’s not perfect – she told us about the issues with the cleanliness of the sand.

It’s the first year that Michael Perez started coming to Western Beach, and he has fallen in love with the place. He told us why he plans to continue coming to Western in the future.

And, Kevin Salmon has been doing water sports at this beach for about 40 years! He started with windsurfing back when the beach was closed off for the MOD, and progressed into a newer sport known as wing foiling.

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The Teachers Union, NASUWT, says it is in dispute with the Government over what it considers to be worsening pupil behaviour at Westside School, and claims to have secured a mandate for industrial action. The Government however says it remains engaged with union representatives on the concerns they have raised, and is working actively to resolve all matters. Our reporter Jonathan Sacramento has been following the story.

Jose Mari Ruiz had just returned from a press conference held by the GFA ahead of their friendly against Andorra tomorrow. They spoke about the importance of finally bringing international matches back to home soil.

A revised design for a mixed-use development on the old Queen's Cinema site will go before the Development and Planning Commission this week. The project would include flats, commercial units, and a dance hall. Christina Cortes brought us the details.

And, the Association of Spanish Workers in Gibraltar, ASCTEG, met La Linea Mayor Juan Franco this weekend to speak about the concerns of the 11,000 La Linea residents who work on the Rock. Their concerns are around the current situation of cross frontier workers and worries about their future pensions. We spoke to Juan Jose Uceda & Antonio Sanchez from ASCTEG.

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September marks Suicide Prevention Month, and GibSams have come together with several charities for an awareness day at John Mackintosh Square. Today’s podcast was recorded live from Piazza, where we spoke to of the key figures advocating for mental health.

This year’s theme is “Changing the Narrative”, aiming to inspire people, communities, organisations and governments to face up to the challenge that suicide poses.

Before diving into this important conversation, sports reporter Jose Mari Ruiz brought us the latest in local sport from the weekend.

‘Love, Compassion, Hope’ is emblazoned on the banners for the charity ‘Walking Together’. Denise Wilkinson and Alan Clarke told us what their support group represents, and how they help those who have lost loved ones to suicide.

The Youth Service has been running in Gibraltar since 1963. Rebecca Figueras told us more about the variety of opportunities and services for the youth and have worked with partner organisations to support young people.

Conchita Triay from the Mental Welfare Society spoke about how mental health awareness has come a long way in the last few years, but now the focus needs to be on implementing an efficient system to support those in need.

GibSams’ Brendy Cuby told us what the impetus was for organising this event, and how the goal is for people to feel free to talk about suicide without fear or stigma.

Department of Education’s Jackie Linares and Natasha Cerisola from The Health Authority told us how young people are being supported and how vital it is to focus on suicide prevention. 

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Minister for Tourism Christian Santos said in an interview shortly after becoming Minister that he wants the Gibraltar experience to be a seamless tourist and cultural experience. Now that the summer season is coming to a close, we spoke to CEO of the Tourist Board Kevin Bossino about how tourism has been lately, and what the expressions of interest for improvements to the Upper Rock could bring.

Sports Reporter Jose Mari Ruiz told us what’s coming up in local sport over the weekend, as well as looking back to the disappointing result for Lincoln last night. We had a special surprise up our sleeve for Jose which he did not expect!

Jeanette Ochello has recently been appointed as the new Chairperson of the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Society. We asked Jeanette about her journey with GADS. We also spoke to Karen Truman, Dementia Coordinator for the Health Authority and Elderly Residential Services.

And, in this week’s edition of “Llanitos Abroad” we caught up with Kevin Murphy who is sailing the Mediterranean on a yacht for a living! He told us what it’s like being at sea full time. He’s back on the Rock briefly after arriving from the South of France. 

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Earlier this week an exhibition on Llanito opened at the Fine Arts Gallery in Casemates. The exhibition has been curated by the University of Cambridge and the National Archives, and brings together a wealth of research into the origins of the language. Christine Vasquez has been following the story.

There's a new event happening in the next couple of weeks, as part of September's national celebrations. ‘Rock El Kasbah’ is billed as the Calle Comedia street party, with live performances, both dramatic and musical, and food and drink thrown in for good measure. El Kasbah's Lauren Linares, and musician Mark Muscat from Broken Arrows told us what we can expect at this new event.

Gibraltar is well-known for raising money for charity and our guests are hosting a Charity Concert in aid of Cancer Relief Gibraltar. “Keep the Faith” is the idea of Nathan Villalba and he reached out to Stylos to collaborate with him. Lilian Montero from Stylos, Bianca Yeo of Cancer Relief and Nathan Villalba told us more about the show.

And, Christmas may seem a long way away, but the Musicians Association of Gibraltar and Andria Olivares are already looking ahead to Christmas productions. They're holding auditions next week for 'BELIEVE: Once Upon a Christmas'. We spoke to Andria about what they’ll be looking out for in the auditions.

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Jimmy Cavilla walks his rescue dogs at El Rolli almost every day, as it is the only beach that allows dogs to swim even in the summer months. To him it is vital that public access is maintained for the enjoyment of the local and their pets.

Sister Dee, known locally for her music, spends almost every afternoon at El Rolli, and described as a place for free spirits. She explained how regulars have a great respect for the area and about the amazing wildlife encounters that she’s witnessed there over the years.

Dog owner Lorraine Moberly lives very close by and moved there in part to be right next to El Rolli. She has enjoyed taking her rescue dogs there over the last 20 years. She suggested some features to make the area safe whilst preserving the heritage.

Plans that were proposed in 2021 to develop El Rolli led the Environmental Safety Group to join forces with the Heritage Trust and the Natural History Society presented a joint front to oppose it. ESG’s Janet Howitt explained why it is so important to protect the heritage and marine life.

And, Lewis Stagnetto from the Nautilus Project told us about the abundance of marine life in the area, including two species of seahorse! He stressed the importance of protecting the area’s heritage from decay.

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The Fine Arts Association has organised a Graduate Visual Arts Showcase at the GEMA Gallery, which opened this morning. The exhibition brings together pieces from five local university graduates, with their own individual styles on show for the next two weeks. We spoke to Victor Gonzalez from the Fine Arts Association, alongside artists Asta Azopardi and Tyrone Vera.

The Gibraltar Fair kicked off on Friday, but for people not able to go to the fair themselves, GBC will be bringing the fair into their homes. Stefan Borge and Jose Mari Ruiz will be down at the Rooke site this evening bringing us coverage on GBC Television. They gave us a flavour of what will be happening this evening.

Ros Astengo told us about what’s been happening at the Europa Stadium – she was there earlier today to see the upgrades made to the turf to make the pitch FIFA approved. Gibraltar will finally be able to host international matches on home soil as early as next month!

Jose Mari Ruiz stuck around to bring us the latest in local sport, including two big international events with local representatives in both sailing and golf that took place over the weekend.

And, do you fancy un vinito? Rioja, Albariño, Malbec, Sauvignon blanc? This Friday the 9th Wine Festival take place down at Reclamation Road. With music, food and of course wine on offer, it's an event that brings people together at the end of the summer as part of the national celebrations. We caught up with organisers Glen and Michelle Sanders in the studio.

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Two new sets of European Union border control mechanisms will come into effect, the introduction for the new entry exit system has now been confirmed for the 10th November, and the Visa waiver programme in early 2025. They are likely to mean increased delays in crossing borders, including the Gibraltar frontier. Jonathan Sacramento told us more.

Tonight is opening night for the Gibraltar Fair! It promises to be jam packed with rides, food, and entertainment for the whole family. Seamus Bryne, who has been getting everything ready for the fair, told us what we can look forward to over the coming week or so at the former Rooke site.

As we look to enjoy the remainder of summer, we need to keep in mind what the consequences of drink driving can be. The Health Authority has issued a new advert on this on social media. We spoke to paramedics John Perry and Angelina Haveland.  

Louis Parral told us what we can expect in local football over the weekend, and also discussed a great night for international football for Lincoln in Faro yesterday.

And, we conclude the podcast with our "Llanitos Abroad" segment – and this we have travelled about as far away as possible: New Zealand! Dr. Laurence Barea told us about life in the Land of the Long White Cloud and what drove him to leave the Rock.

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A section of scaffolding has collapsed outside the old NatWest building on Corral Road. The Royal Gibraltar Police says no injuries have been reported. The road has been closed to traffic and pedestrians and will be closed for several days. Our reporter Christina Cortes was at the scene.

And, its GCSE Results Day! It’s a nerve-wracking and busy day for both staff and pupils across all of Gibraltar’s secondary schools. We had the chance to speak to each of them in turn: From Bayside teacher Natalie Cocklan and student Sophie Lines, as well as Westside teacher Zinah porter and student Art Wicks from Westside School.

Joelle Valverde, teacher at Prior Park’s Joelle Valverde, as well as two students Isabella Crowther and Darren Cerisola told us about the journey that they’ve been on to arrive at the results day.

Karla Imossi is a teacher at the College and was joined by college student Paris Stepney, who returned to education after leaving school for the working world and has achieved great results today.

We also caught up with the Senior Education Advisor from the Department of Education  Melba Noguera. She gave us an insight in what goes into preparing for results day and how they help students know what options are available to them once they know their grades. 

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