Isha Sesay
A TOWN hall in Mallorca has decided to allocate its Christmas lights fund to help over 1,000 vulnerable families.
Calvia mayor Alfonso Rodriguez revealed that the €130,000 earmarked to install festive lights across the municipality will be shared among 1,257 families.
These families will receive vouchers to spend on food and other essential household items.
They will also be able to use the vouchers to buy Christmas presents for their children.
“This year we want to promote solidarity in the community and support those who need it the most,” said Rodriguez.
Meanwhile in Cordoba, a trade union has slammed plans to scrap the installation of Christmas lights this year.
Numerous calls on social media had called for the money to be spent on battling the economic impact of COVID-19.
However, a spokesman from the Union General de Trabajadores (UGT) denounced the pleas, claiming the cancelling of Christmas lights would put thousands of jobs at risk.
In recent weeks, initiatives to help vulnerable families have been launched across Spain.
San Fulgencio, in the Vega Baja region of Costa Blanca, has just started a collaboration that will provide housing for vulnerable families in the municipality.
The town’s mayor, Jose Sampere, and the president of the Esperanza Pertusa Foundation, Esperanza Navarro, signed the agreement for two years.
The agreement involves the foundation transferring a house to the council, which will be managed by the Department of Social Services and allow vulnerable families to be accommodated in cases of greatest need.
