Author Archive

Specsavers Ópticas in Santa Ponça donates over 500 pairs of glasses to help those in refugee camps in the Sahara

The team at Specsavers Ópticas in Santa Ponca has donated more than 500 pairs of glasses and sunglasses to a hospital supporting refugees in Algeria.

The glasses are being donated to the National Hospital in Rabuni, providing aid to refugees in camps 30 kilometres from Tindouf in Algeria. It will help adults and children living in the camps to improve their vision, protect their eyes from the sun and improve their quality of life by reducing the chances of vision loss and improving their opportunities to continue their studies.  

Esperança Mas Alcover, one of the volunteers who travelled to Tindouf in the middle of the Sahara desert to deliver the donation, explains: ‘Due to the sun and how it reflects on the sand, there are many people with poor eye sight in the area.’ 

The donation of glasses came about thanks to one of the employees of Specsavers Ópticas Santa Ponça, Mariló Frasquet, who suggested they get involved with the project and who was responsible for logging the glasses to be donated, labelling them with the prescription and preparing them to be taken to Algeria. 

The store director Andrés Román said he was delighted that his team was so committed to charitable causes such as this and happy to support it wherever possible. He also thanked volunteer Esperança Mas Alcover, for her hard work in taking the donated glasses and distributing them to the refugees. 

Esperança travelled to the Sahara with four other volunteers to help the Saharawi people. She says: ‘As well as glasses we took 20kg of medicines which are very hard to come by in this area. We also delivered school supplies, sports clothes and warm clothes for babies, children and adults, along with foods that are expensive and difficult to get in the area.’ 

Rosa Alcover also travelled with the group, as part of her role in the Balearic Association of Friends of the Saharaui People (Asociación Balear de Amigos del Pueblo Saharaui). Their project Holidays in Peace (Vacances en Pau) allows children between 9 and 12 years old to travel to the Balearic Islands to enjoy the summer months in peace, away from the heat of the desert. During their stay they also undergo a full medical check and can be treated for any conditions which are discovered. Part of the reason for their visit, as well as to deliver the donations, was to reconnect with children who had stayed in Mallorca in recent years and make sure they were happy and well cared for, according to Esperança. 

Describing the living conditions in these refugee camps, Esperança says: ‘Unfortunately these people had to leave their homes and their land and are living in the middle of the desert. After 40 years and thanks to support from Algeria and the international community they now have electricity and there is water delivered by truck several times a year, but resources are still limited, so all help is very welcome.’ 

She adds: ‘There are many programmes being run in the area to improve the refugees’ quality of life, healthcare and education including the creation of primary care and emergency facilities and education to prepare them for their future lives and improve their career prospects, but there is still work to be done and the community are very grateful for help.’

Visit www.saharaillesbalers.org to find out more about the Asociación Balear de Amigos del Pueblo Saharaui. Visit www.specsavers.es to learn more about Specsavers and find your nearest store to donate your unwanted glasses and help others. 

Patryk Klimala became Celtic’s first transfer of the decade and ‘Sign For Celtic’ are giving you the chance to win his signed shirt in our latest free to enter competition!

The Polish striker is raring to go and ready to prove his worth in front of the Paradise faithful, and you can win a shirt signed by the man himself.
All you have to do is tap ‘Enter Now’, and you could be our lucky winner!

Enter now

The competition closes at 12noon next Friday, January 24, so make sure you don’t miss out and enter now. Good luck Celts!

Speedomick (AKA Mick Cullen)

I came across a fantastic story today and it needs re-telling. I have nothing but immense respect for Mick and hope to meet up with him in Plymouth in a few days’ time.

Please either share his story or support him as best you can. Thanks!

I will be walking 1000 miles to fundraise for Leave the light on starting on the 6th December from John O’groats to Lands end. It will take at least 7 weeks and I will be walking close to a marathon a day .  I will of course be making this journey whilst being in my swimming attire, ie speedos goggles and hat which will make this challenge a very cold one but it will bring a lot of smiles to people’s faces I am sure, as well as raising awareness and vital funds to start up our new  projects .

We are fundraising for community projects for disadvantaged young people, creating opportunities to bring people together to overcome isolation and experience positive attention and affirmation and to hopefully broaden their horizons . 

A third of children our living in poverty in our area after decade of austerity has stripped away many of our vital services and safety nets that help stop vulnerable people falling through those safety nets . The measure of a civilised society and caring society is how we treat and care for the most vulnerable in that society.

In response to the issues that leave people isolated and hopeless, we want to respond with community projects that bring people together so that they may draw from each other’s strengths.

We would like to help build a more inclusive community where everyone is welcome respected and supported.

Please join us in trying to make a difference wether it be big or small . 
Thank you Donate

Our friends at Copa have been busy recently and launched two more retro collections – Fulham and Juventus

They say, ” One year ago we launched our Juventus FC retro collection. Today, we’ve added 4 new styles, capturing the essence of the club’s rich history. These classic retro shirts recreate many of Juventus’ most celebrated shirt designs through the years, like this shirt from the 1994 – 1995 season.


The season brought a 23rd Serie A title to Juventus. Marcelo Lippi fashioned a star-studded side which was in contention for every trophy it participated in, a team powered by the goals of Gianluca Vialli, Fabrizio Ravanelli and Roberto Baggio. The title was won with a 10-point margin over Lazio and Parma and the domestic double was completed via a Coppa Italia victory over Parma. Those same opponents denied the Turin side a remarkable treble by narrowly defeating them in the final of the UEFA Cup.

Also new in the extensive licensed retro collection: the 1952 home shirt, a 1983 away shirt and the first Juventus women retro shirt. All retro items from the collection are packaged and dispatched in luxury gift boxes.

The collection is made in Europe with great care and pride, using the best possible fabrics for the right vintage look & feel. All items can be found on copafootball.com, in our flagshipstore in Amsterdam, in the official Juventus stores and via selected retailers & online resellers.

They continue, “

As true football romantics, we are excited to reveal our new licensed collaboration. With its famous turnstiles, the Johnny Haynes stand and the red-brick facade, Craven Cottage is an unique ground; Home to Fulham FC, one of England’s most iconic clubs. Introducing the official Fulham FC retro collection, consisting of multiple classic shirts and a retro jacket. The collection captures the essence of theunique history and identity of The Cottagers. Fulham earned promotion back to Division 2, inthe 1996 – 97 season. The Cottagers came so close to adding the Division 3 title and were only pushed into second place by the narrowest of margins. Both Fulham and Wigan Athletic finished with the same points total and goal difference, but Wigan took the crown by having scored more goals over the course of the season. The collection can be found on copafootball.com, in our flagshipstore in Amsterdam, in Fulham FC stores and via selected retailers & online resellers.

West Ham 1980 Collection

West Ham have recently launched an impressive 1980s collection

Jump over to the online West Ham store to learn more.

Radcliffe F.C.

I was on a groundhoppers’ forum recently when I saw mention of a sponsor at a lower tier club. We all know of companies like Carlsberg, Emirates and Samsung as well as many major banks have pumped billions into club sponsorships over the past 30 years. Judging by the huge amounts, these companies obviously believe they get value. In fact, I am sure they sponsor as a purely commercial measure and if they did not get value, they would advertise on the side of planes or trains, buildings or monuments, TV or radio.

I started thinking more of the clubs fighting for survival every season who manage to secure sponsorship from a local benefactor. The club mentioned in the forum was Radcliffe Borough from north west Manchester. The company was Premier Screeds from Bolton and I thought I would see if I could thank them in some small way for supporting the local team. I made contact with the company and quickly got an email thanking me for my offer.Paul Norris, a director, said he would send an overview and true to his word has done so.

“Premier Screeds Limited is a screeding company set up by the best people in our industry!  We are here to change the view of main contractors on screeding companies. Our ethos is to help you, the contractor, save time and money on your projects by delivering our package on time and within budget. Sounds simple, but you would be surprised how many sub-contractors get this wrong.

At Premier Screeds we specialise in all types of screeds, underfloor heating, insulations and membranes. Whether you need a rapid drying sand & cement screed, self-compacting concrete, liquid screed or even just the standard 1:4 fibrescreed, we have the teams available to complete your job to the highest possible standard.  We really believe that your project is our project.

We also believe in giving a little back to the local community.  So far this year we have helped Radcliffe Football Club with their extensive refurbishment of the stadium facilities by installing the new floor which is now the dance floor in The Boro Longue.  We felt we wanted to support a club like Radcliffe FC as grass roots football is as important to the game as the Premier League.  Without clubs like this then the game just won’t be the same

We have also sponsored 150 dancers from dance schools all around the UK, in a once in a time life performance at Wembley Stadium during August’s Rugby League Challenge Cup Final.  We provided T-shirts and hoodies for the performance.  It has to be said that everyone had a fantastic day out, especially the children who got to perform in one of the world’s most famous arenas.

We are always keen to hear from local projects in the community to see if we can help them in any way.  Whether you’re a local football team looking for a kit sponsor or a youth club looking for some new equipment please drop us a line via our website”

Radcliffe FC (was Radcliffe Borough) are in the The Northern Premier League after promotion last season and keen to build on that success. It is seventy years old this year. They have not troubled the statisticians too much with just a single season in the FA Cup first round proper but have a newly renovated 4000 capacity stadium. I wish them well for this season.

Barcelona 2019

Not only do many of the biggest teams change their first choice strip seemingly daily, they are now onto changing all their other kits too!

News just in of Barcelona’s THIRD kit for 2019/2020

Pride in Barcelona inspires the design for Barça’s third kit this season

True to its origins and with the tagline ‘Barcelona Proud’, FC Barcelona is taking its inspiration from the city of Barcelona once again this season for the 2019/20 third kit. The new strip will go on sale to the general public from tomorrow, September 13, at all Barça Stores and via the usual distribution channels around the world.

The third strip, which Ernesto Valverde’s team will be wearing for the first time in their opening Champions League fixture against Borussia Dortmund on September 17, pays tribute to the city of Barcelona through its design which harks back to one of the shirts that Barça wore in the 1996/97 season. That memorable campaign saw victories in the Copa del Rey and the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the latter after beating Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the final and which starred players who are now considered club legends such as Jose Mari Bakero, Pep Guardiola, Guillermo Amor, Luis Enrique, Hristo Stoickhov, Sergi Barjuan, Albert ‘Chapi’ Ferrer and Miquel Àngel Nadal, as well as Brazilian star Ronaldo who topped the Spanish league scoring charts with 47 goals.

An important detail of the new kit is the retro-style V-neck in the club’s traditional blaugrana colours. There is also a dark blue trim on the sleeves, while the FC Barcelona crest is highlighted on the chest by a prominent border. 

Another design detail that evokes the 90s is the incorporation of the Nike Futura logo that the brand used in that decade. The strip also includes shorts in the same teal with navy blue trim as the shirt, and blaugrana edging at the top of the socks.

“When you see this colour you think of Ronaldo, Guardiola, Stoichkov, Luis Enrique…, so many great players. It will be a pleasure to wear this kit and bring our fans joy with victories both at home and abroad”, says Gerard Piqué, one of the FC Barcelona players.

Pete Hoppins, Nike Football Apparel Senior Design Director, stresses that “given Barcelona’s incredible archive of kits, it was great fun merging their iconic ‘90s identity with the modern Nike aesthetic. The colour itself conjures so many memories, while the collar and the jacquard pattern make this kit both nostalgic and highly original at the same time.”

Continuing from my review of the new season’s kits, this is the unique story behind Birmingham City’s offering.

Birmingham City have kept to their classic blue but have added a touch of 1920s social history from Unai Emery’s favourite TV series, Peaky Blinders.

The official club release says,

“For the 2019/20 season kit launch we paid homage to our links to this great city by working closely with Garrison Tailors – the official suppliers to the Peaky Blinders TV show – who kindly supplied the suits worn by the players in the photography and launch video.

Produced by adidas, the kit is designed with the famous royal blue accompanied with a striking yellow trim. It is the fourth home kit to be made by the Club’s official technical supplier.

Join us for the 2019/20 season in keeping the tradition and history alive.”

I came across an interesting article this week. It concerns Birmingham City who are in the English Championship and a new sponsor, Green Monkey.

BLUES LINK-UP WITH BIRMINGHAM-BASED GREEN MONKEY CBD.

In a world-first sports partnership agreement, Green Monkey CBD will supply a range of CBD products and drinks to the Club which will be available on matchdays throughout the St. Andrew’s Trillion Trophy Stadium.

CBD, or cannabidiol (cannabis oil), is the non-psychoactive part of the cannabis plant.

In November, the Government made the medical use of CDB oil legal in the UK.

Green Monkey CBD’s most prominent product is a 250ml carbonated canned drink which contains 10mg of broad-spectrum CBD, launched 10 months ago.

It has already reached one million cans sold, such is the demand in the market.

Green Monkey CBD drinks will be available at outlets throughout the Blues ground as well as in the corporate areas and cocktails such as a “Monkey Mojito” and “Gin and Green”, will be available in the hospitality sectors.

CBD has become far more prevalent in sports throughout the world as sportsmen and women around the globe have begun to use products that have been said to help with a variety of conditions, although the makers of Green Monkey CBD do not make such claims.

Superstars such as golfer Rickie Fowler, UFC’s Nate Diaz and Saracen’s rugby players George Kruis and Dom Day have all come out in support of the use of CBD in sports and both WADA and UKAD have no issue with CBD’s use as it is not on their banned list of substances.

Ian Dutton, Chief Commercial Officer at Blues, said: “We are delighted to be one of the first clubs to partner with a CBD Drinks brand. As a Club we are always looking to be innovative and create industry firsts with our partnerships programme.

“It was clear from the beginning that a partnership with Green Monkey CBD was going to give us the opportunity to deliver a new and unique offering for our fans on matchdays, so we look forward to having their very distinctive green cans available across our kiosk and hospitality areas.”

Serge Davies, CEO of Green Monkey CBD, explained the benefits of the tie-in with such a well-known football team as Blues by commenting: “With a big club, with a massive fan base right on our doorstep, it was a natural tie-in for us.

“Football fans are changing and progressive clubs such as Birmingham City are realising that their fans are searching for different products when at the game.

“What the Club have done in reinvigorating their fan base has been excellent and we wanted to be a part of that and introduce our brand to the fans. CBD is a growing market as people are becoming more concerned about their health and wellbeing and searching for something else.”

Speaking of the commercial opportunities, Mr Davies added: “Of course it will be great to see fans drinking our cocktails and cans at the game but the bigger issue is spreading the word about CBD and educating people on what it is. Obviously we can’t make any medical claims but the 250ml drink is designed as an entry-level product to the market so people can try for themselves.”

As part of the year-long agreement, the Club will work on a series of engagement events with Green Monkey CBD in order to co-promote the brand’s range. Green Monkey CBD will, in turn, use the Club’s advertising outlets to further spread their message.

The UK market for CBD products is already set to be worth more than £1 billion this year and according to the Cannabis Trade Association, the number of users is doubling every year (current estimate of 250,000 users) with some forecasts predicting the global market could reach £17.5 billion ($22 billion) in the next five years (Brightfield 2018).

For those who want to know more about the CBD/Hemp market and/or would be interested in becoming a customer or distributor click here.

West Ham – Children’s Kits

Hot on the heels of West Ham showcasing their women’s kits, they now launch their store for infants ……… and even babies!