Simon Wade
EL RASO Urbanisation may not have been in existence two decades ago, but it’s international community shows a maturity way beyond its years.
The friendly mix of expats – and, of course, some Spanish – has pulled together to create a real sense of community.
And the global group has just one goal: To create a clean, safe neighbourhood that everyone can enjoy.
The Olive Press spoke to some of the locals, who have come together as a partnership and also registered themselves with the nearby governing body in Guardamar.
June-Anne Whitlock, who runs the area’s neighbourhood watch scheme, told the Olive Press the Mayor of Guardamar recently turned up when the group got together to tidy up domestic and industrial rubbish from a local rambla.
“It was a great success with the town hall providing refuse bags, safety gloves and drinking water for the day,” she explained.
Meanwhile, other locals like Linsey Blair and Donal Walsh are in a group started by neighbour Liesbeth Hulspas, that has been regularly tidying up other areas where rubbish has been mounting up, such as roundabouts.
They said, “The collective community spirit is fantastic,” and suggested to the councillor Maria Venerdi that each neighbourhood could ‘adopt’ its own roundabout to maintain and keep tidy.
It came as Ms Venerdi, Guadarmar’s Councillor for Urbanisations, announced that a grant has recently been awarded to employ more workers for areas like El Raso.
She revealed that: “With over 2,000 palm trees to maintain, it’s a challenge keeping them all in prime condition.”
Other locals worth a mention, are French-Canadian couple, Susanna and Hugo Brouliette, who are very active with crime prevention, and insisted, “An open relationship with the Guardia Civil is essential.”
Other neighbours such as Belgium couple, Rina and Willy Van Baelen, have even gone as far as patrolling the streets, as well as tidying up dog mess left by owners.
On other occasions, conscientious neighbours clean up illegal sticker ads that plague the area’s lamp-posts and other street furniture.
In reality, El Raso is a very young community in that it’s first homes were built less than two decades ago.
However, its cosmopolitan neighbourhood has a mature and responsible attitude that other towns and communities could look to as an example of how to assimilate and grow together in harmony.
MORE ABOUT EL RASO: More about El Raso, it’s origins and we get up close to one of its residents
