Madeira News Blog

Today’s Photo Thanks to  Debs … Pet garden butterfly, he’s getting a little old now hence the holes in his starboard wing – must have been in a dog fight!

From the Norwich Evening News : More holidaymakers can fly to Madeira from Norwich International Airport next year with Atlantic Holidays offering six direct flights from the airport on Mondays from July 26 to August 30.

Fátima arrived in Ribeira Brava last night with a huge entourage of cars and motorbikes, all honking their horns, as well as a police escort. The convey must have taken 10 minutes to pass my house. The statue is supposed to be going around the churches over several months, but checking back on earlier blogs it should have already been and gone from Ribeira Brava, so perhaps it was just ‘passing through’. UPDATE: Apparently it was on the way from the high zones of Ribeira Brava bound for Serra da Água, where it will leave again today for the Igreja de São Bento in Ribeira Brava, where it will stay until Sunday.

Many thanks to Elaine once again for yesterday’s top news stories :

Solidarity campaign has collected 2.200 Euros. The campaign to raise funds to donate an electric wheelchair to Ilda Maria Andrade has brought together around 2,200 Euros. The appeal began with a reader’s letter in the Diário and donations exceeded 700 Euros. This week this has more than doubled with a businessman linked to the company Modas Jacinto’s contributing 1,500 Euros. Even so, funds raised are still less than half the amount needed to purchase the equipment, estimated at 5,959 Euros plus VAT. The 59 year old meningitis and osteoporosis sufferer also needs a ramp built to access her home, and Ribeira Brava Council is studying the possibility of providing one, estimated at 25,000 Euros.

Parishes adhere to the banners of baby Jesus. All over Portugal and Madeira this Christmas you will be able to see on balconies and in windows, cloth banners with the image of baby Jesus. In order to bring the true traditional spirit of a Christian Christmas, in which the symbol is baby Jesus, several parishes across the region – Nazaré, Monte and Câmara de Lobos for example -  will sell such banners. From next week, they will be on sale for 15 Euros and the profits will provide baskets for needy families, support for the homeless and payment for works of the parish. The project ‘Flags for Christmas 2009′ was created on the continent by a group of families who wanted to share the joy of Christmas with others but noticed a void of Christian symbols in the decorations for Christmas. On the mainland there are about 20,000 banners and the object is to reach 30,000.

Integration of toxicodependents and police on the football field at Andorinha. The football match ended 8 – 4 in favour of the police. Social integration and promotion of healthy lifestyles mattered more than the result. A group of young people, mainly recovering drug addicts, Rua do Bairro de Santo Amaro Team, and the local police involved in the program Policing in Proximity were playing. The trophy won by the police was offered as a gesture of ‘fair play’ to the losing team and a joint lunch followed.

€46 million revenue from cruise ships. The Port of Funchal has higher taxes than the Canary Islands, justified by the fact that passengers and companies are pleased with the destination. The higher taxes are necessary to maintain the quality of the port. The new passenger terminal should improve tourist satisfaction. This year, six ships could not moor due to lack of space. The answer might be an extension of the south jetty or north pier. In comparison, the hotel business generates more than €300 million per year.

Two shopping centres among Europe’s finalists. Forum Madeira and MadeiraShopping are among the finalists for ESCA 2009 award. The International Committee of Shopping Centres announced the finalists last week and the winners will be known on 18 June 2010 in Vienna. MadeiraShopping is nominated in the category  ‘Public Relations’ for the fashion event ‘Pop-Up’, together with ArrabidaShopping, CascaisShopping and two Spanish centres. Forum Madeira is nominated in two categories. In ‘Community Relations’ it is nominated along with 10 other centres of the same chain, for the project ‘Will’s Book – The Magic Library’ and the project ‘RecyclART’. In the category ‘Sales, Promotions and Events’ for the project ‘Christmas Competition’. MadeiraShopping has already won European Awards 2002 in the category ‘New Shopping Centres’ and Madeira Forum won in the category ‘Christmas Present’ in 2008.

‘Miguel Angelo’. Enigmatic work in Gaula. An enigmatic work in Gaula has led to fears that public funds have been misapplied. The project which was completed in record time (5 days) was the elongation of Rua de São João Castelejo by a little more than one kilometre. According to the Regional Secretary of Social Infrastructure, the work was to repair deficiencies that occurred in the construction of the fast route  Funchal -Airport. But reports and photos show that when the contractor Construtura do Tamega tore up the tarmac to lay infrastructure, there have been left 5 cm longitudinal tears in the asphalt. Strangely, company officials and the population say that nothing had been placed underneath the tarmac, no infrastructure laid, just the trench opened and then closed. The members of the Parish Council of Gaula say they do not know anything about the work. They are puzzled why the road was subject to total resurfacing when the tarmac was in good condition and there are worse roads needing repair in the area. Both Tamega and the Regional Secretary say that the repair of defects in the construction work was written in the contract and the firm paid for the repair work. They both explain that the opening of the trench was to repair a longitudinal fissure that had occurred in the road surface.

Support for travel benefits half of the residents. Since the social mobility allowance was introduced by the State, 49.3% less trips (104,000 passages)  made by residents have been claimed after liberalization of air routes. Before liberalization of the air traffic, companies charged the State a fee of 118 Euros for  232,000 tickets sold to Lisbon and Porto. After liberalization, resident’s support is 60 Euros each trip or 30 Euros each way. Compared to trips made before liberalization, the State support to passengers fell 49.3%. So the State wins in two ways; the amount of support and the amount spent. The cost of air fare to and from Lisbon has fallen but it is not clear why the number of Madeirans claiming social mobility support has halved. Before liberalization, 22.9% of passengers were entitled to subsidy and since then, it has fallen to 11.4%. Some claims are outside the time limit and the Post Office still has 125 cases unresolved. The movement at the airports fell by 2.6% at Porto and 4.4% at Madeira, and has increased 18.5% at Lisbon. Before liberalization, the State spent 23 million Euros on support, an average of 103 Euros although the companies were entitled to receive 118 Euros per resident. This year, the full year of liberalization, the State spent only 7.5 million Euros for 117,513 tickets sold, ie a saving of 15.5 million Euros. The Government now wants an allowance equivalent to half the value of the ticket, which would be 73 Euros (13 Euros more than the current 60 Euros).

Driver without a licence and insurance arrested twice in a few hours. A 26 year old man was arrested twice on Friday and Saturday for driving without a licence and without insurance. He was arrested on Friday evening in Funchal and again, hours later, in the early hours of Saturday in Santa Cruz. The second time, he was arrested for these two offences and also for driving a seized vehicle and driving under the influence of alcohol (1.5 g/l). He went to Santa Cruz to "forget his grief". The police stopped him after his car broke down and he made a dangerous manoeuvre in the opposite direction to which he was travelling, between Santa Cruz and Funchal.

Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias :

Madeira hosts Christmas party of UEFA – Platini avoids touching on controversial matters. Besides the meeting of the top European Football executive committee, Madeira is to be the venue for the annual UEFA Xmas bash. The party will be tomorrow night in Reid’s Palace Hotel, the same hotel where all the committee members are staying. Some of the members of the reunion are known to be staying on after ‘official business’ to enjoy the delights of Madeira. UEFA boss Michel Platini had already made enquiries. "He asked me if there is good weather. It is very satisfying to finally have an Executive Committee scheduled for Madeira, which was not easy, because other countries had already been asking (to host?) for much longer than Portugal. There is curiosity to know Madeira and I hope the good weather continues", said the president of the Portuguese Football Federation. the main items on the agenda include the Euro 2012, where some important final decisions will be made about the stadiums to be used, and some issues related to regulations, and some discussions about the internal organisation of UEFA itself. I knew it, and said some weeks ago that it was a Christmas jolly in disguise. Life is tough for football’s top bosses, and an expensive bash in Reid’s is probably just the remedy (warning : Der sarcasm in use).

New president of U.D. Santana criticises previous management.

Today’s main news headline :  Government delays payments – There are 55 cases of  ‘burden sharing’ on Madeira and works have already been inaugurated that will only be paid in 2011. It’s not an uncommon practice when the treasury is stretched, with public and private institutions sharing the financial burden, with their due payments delayed until better times. The list of 55 such cases has already been decided. The ‘Construction of the connection tunnel to the central and northern parts of the town of Ribeira Brava’ is the first example given of the postponement of payments. The work was finished and inaugurated long ago, but last October, by order of Ventura Garcês the payment terms were amended from those that provided for payment of the work in three years (€205,000 in 2006, €1.9 million in 2007 and €1.9 in 2008). The first two years were paid, but in the final one nothing was paid, and just €500,000 this year. The final €1.4 million will be delayed until next year. It’s no wonder public works contracts are so darn expensive, with companies involved in the tender processes having to factor in the costs of vastly delayed payments, as well as the back-handers needed to win the business. Still, several senior politicians have fingers in the pies, so when it comes down to it, arms can be twisted and contract terms amended without too much reaction from some of the companies affected.

Azoreans reject the amendment to the Madeira Regional Finance Law. The Regional Parliament’s Economy Committee is opposing Madeira’s proposal to amend the law on regional financing. According to the Committee, the Azores would stand to lose 32 million Euros if Madeira’s amendment to the law is passed by the Assembly of the Republic. The amendment was proposed by the Madeira PSD. In the Azores, both the Socialist Party and the CDS are against any changes in the legislation. The only party in the archipelago to support the amendment is the PSD, providing the introduction of a clause ensuring that the Azores would not lose out. (Courtesy of the RTP Azores website / Kitty Bale).

The main photo on the front page shows an elderly lady, sat in her dressing gown, and looking rather perturbed. One year of waiting for an urgent operation – Isabel Rodrigues, aged 84, is desperate for the promised cataract operations. SESARAM hide the number of patients waiting and the waiting time for consultations and surgery. Isabel Margarida Rodrigues lives in Travessa do Pomar, and says that she doesn’t want to die without being able to see again. She cannot see anything through her left eye, and she no longer has the courage to go out of her house alone. With the problem worsening day by day, she waited and waited for an appointment at the hospital, that eventually came this Summer, when the consultant recommended cataract surgery for both eyes. At the same time it was reported that there were already 800 people on the waiting list for that type of surgery. The rest of the article looks at the long waiting lists for that type and many other  types of surgery and procedures. The information provided by the health service is criticised by the auditors, who say that "The information system associated with the management of waiting lists (surgical and consultation) has a limited reliability and does not represent a true and fair global view of the patients and potential patients who are awaiting the provision of specialist services by Funchal Central Hospital.

2010 has three less days of rest. Workers will only get 147 rest days in 2010, three less than in 2009. 2010 will provide opportunities for six ‘tolerance’ days, and 5 ‘bridge’ days, and those workers who know how to work the system can maximise their breaks from the 104 weekend days by another 43, using holiday leave (25) and weekday public holidays (10) and the goodwill of employers.

Recordings of ‘Until Tomorrow My Love’ start on the 14th – The mini-series of TVI gets underway here next Monday and brings familiar faces. The new anticipated TV series from the good people of Channel 4 is actually titled ‘Até Amanhã Meu Amor’ in Portuguese.

… and that’s when the Diário website crashed! If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link

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Casa Parsons is situated in Sítio do Salão, within the lower parish of Gaula. The house was designed by a local architect for a resident professional gentleman, in a rustic and "open plan" style and was constructed some 22 years ago. On two levels, the guest accommodation and public areas occupy the ground floor and the owners’ accommodation is privately contained on the upper floor. The Casa enjoys stunning panoramic sea views and is set in a rural location, close to the village amenities of Gaula. The Parish of Gaula, situated on the south coast of Madeira above Santa Cruz, presents a marvellous panorama, mainly maritime, over the coastal fringes, the Deserta Islands and Porto Santo. Dating back to 1509, the Parish is divided between two Patron Saints. Nossa Senhora da Graça of the upper, northern parish and Nossa Senhora da Luz of the lower, southern parish.

Casa Parsons is located close to the Gaulish mother church of Nossa Senhora da Luz and as such we are able to fully enjoy the numerous religious festivals that take place throughout the year. Starting at Easter time and throughout the summer, the streets around the church square are often covered in carpets of flowers (donated by local home owners) and filled with decorations, coloured lights and flags – laurel and eucalyptus branches add to the atmosphere. The traditional music and local folklore group of Gaula (created in 1978) together with local food and drink, bring even more excitement to the colourful streets and also act to preserve the villages history thereby sealing the continued good faith and devotion of the people.

Our Madeira neighbours exhibit the genuine warmth and friendliness that the Island is renowned for, particularly so in Gaula, and virtually unseen anywhere else in the world.

When exploring Gaula on foot you can still see the many watercourses that lead to the public fresh water springs, washing places and water mills. These signs of past and present life portray the availability and importance of water to the village. The old public springs of Sítio dos Furtados and Lages, splendid in their hand carved stone and tiled design are strongly linked with the religious festivals of the Church of Nossa Senhora da Luz.

The original processional cross from the antique mother church, dating from the 16th century, is now displayed at the "Museu de Arte Sacra do Funchal".

Further local archaeological interest is found just across the small valley from Casa Parsons, at Sítio da Torre with the remains of the "Quinta de Nossa Senhora da Assunção" dating from the first half of the 17th century. The squared stones of the construction give an insight into the elevated social status of its early inhabitants.

Many of the traditional village stone houses have water mills on the ground floor; these were used to grind the corn and maize grown locally. This was then used to make the traditional "bolo do caco" – bread cooked on a stone – and maize cake, unique to Gaula. You will also notice the raised terraces (Poios) of level fertile soil held up by dry stonewalls; these are plentiful and still farmed today in the traditional way. The Maize, corn, bean, potato and sweet potatoes grown are planted amongst the many herbs, flowers, grape vines and laurel covering the area. Dotted amongst the terraces are the "Corals" and little barns (with "A" frame roofs) used to shelter the caprin and bovine livestock, whose meat and milk are still used locally. The abundance of flowers provides a natural habitat for the bee and this natural resource is used to provide honey for locally made cakes and drinks – the drink "Poncha" (made from brandy, local lemon juice and honey) is especially good for colds, The use of natural resources continues with the art of weaving from cosier and cane branches. Heath brooms and basket work are still weaved locally and used today, along with the hand carved wooden spoons and wooden "mexilho" poncha mixers, unique to the parish.

The village has a new "house of the people". The "Casa do Povo" (village hall) combining and encouraging a local market for people to buy and sell their agricultural produce. The Mercado do Agricola is open during the weekends with Bolo do caco and chicken, cooked over wood available in the church square. Many community activities also take place in the Casa do Povo during weekdays and in the evening.

Gaula has its own indigenous Laurissa forest with many endemic plants and birds. These include canaries, European finches, wagtails and the protected Ring Dove species. Kestrels circle overhead the valleys, drifting down to the wild olive covered lower slopes, often seen to be chasing away the unwanted intentions of the larger Buzzard.

In the summer months these birds of prey exploit the rising thermals and drift lazily around the clear skies. Night time brings the little bats out to feed accompanied by the Owls, often heard calling across the valley.

The dawn chorus of the smaller birds heralds morning time and in particular, the melodious call of the blackbird fills the air. Wall lizards, which are endemic to Madeira, dart between rocks and stonewalls, basking in the daytime sun, they are frequently seen and are totally harmless.

To walk around Gaula is undoubtedly the best way to be in contact with nature and to meet the local human and animal population. The local paths and steps (veradas) which criss cross the countryside, together with the justly world famous water courses (levadas, with footpaths alongside) that meander through the valleys, offer a unique opportunity to enjoy the truly special landscapes, flowers, bird life and people found here.

Jon Parsons

Based on a Parish of Gaula council “Touristic Guide” September 2000. Original Text in Portuguese by Élvio Sousa and Helder Spínola. English version, thanks and additional material by J L Parsons. Deposito Legal: 154656/00

See what regular contributors get … free advertising! Thanks a lot Jon, I will be over for my ‘free stay’ very soon, if that’s OK with Debs of course!

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TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Vic … Gaula from Madeira Airport

You know, I was lying in bed the other night thinking to myself about Gaula. What’s Gaula all about I was thinking? Who lives there, and aside from a slightly irregular political profile, what does it have different to offer I thought? Well of course I didn’t have all the answers I needed, and added it to my mental list of places to visit. Well you can imagine my surprise to wake up the next morning and find an excellent article and lots of great photos all put together by a blog reader … all about Gaula … the premier is coming soon.

Babymoon on the beautiful Island of Madeira -  Babymoon has done a nice review of Madeira on her blog, but somehow I think she may also be a shareholder in a certain hotel. BABYMOON

I asked yesterday how high is the statue of Cristo Rei in Garajau, and the consensus ranged between 20 and 150 metres, and although I have never seen it I would guess that a lower estimate is nearer the mark . The reason I asked was to do with the story during the week, where the PND new Democrats had put forward a motion in the regional assembly to erect a statue of Uncle Bertie overlooking the port of Funchal. It wasn’t mentioned until a couple of days later that the statue proposed would be 50 metres high. The Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world (pictured), was believed to have been one of the tallest statues of its day at 30 metres, but as the picture shows it was rather a trim statue. With Uncle Bertie’s body mass, at 50 metres it would have been a colossus indeed, and a deterrent to cruise ships coming into port, not just though any physical danger, but also likely to frighten the kids and adults alike. The PSD of president Jardim rejected the proposal, and I think I would have voted with them on this occasion, given the opportunity. But had the proposal been approved I think it might have looked something like this.

MANGO CHUTNEY – Tobi’s ex-secret recipe :
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
5 fresh mangoes
2 pears (sometimes i leave these out)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
300 ml cider vinegar
175 g light muscovado sugar
1 tsp dried crushed chilli
pinch of allspice, salt, cumin, paprika, (don’t worry if you not got all these.)

Chop onions and heat olive oil in a pan, add onions and garlic and cook for 5 mins until soft, add the mangos, sugar, raisins, vinegar and cloves, and bring to the boil, then let simmer rapidly for 30-40 mins, stirring from time to time, until the mangos are tender and the liquid has evaporated. While doing this get your jars ready, I get mine hot in an oven for say 5 mins, with the lids off, but heat the lids as well, as this is just to kill germs, then place the HOT chutney in the jars and put the lids on, when they cool, the lid will pop down making it vacuum tight. Store in the cupboard for at least 2 weeks before eating, once opened it keeps in the fridge for 3 months. I have also placed in plastic tubs in the freezer, as it freezes very well, I love it with curry , or a tub of pringles …. Many thanks Tobi, it smells delicious

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Making a will within the EU : This piece was very kindly submitted by Sheila … many thanks.

Further to the comments about wills, the Portugal News had an interesting piece yesterday.

The European Commission has just proposed the simplification of cross-border inheritance rights. The new rules, if implemented, will allow people living abroad to choose to have the terms of their wills carried out in accordance with the laws of their own country.

At present, the laws of the country, where the deceased lived, apply to the entire estate, even if that includes property or assets in another EU country.

The new rules would allow a single authority (either in the country of residence or of origin) to deal with the whole estate. That would end contradictory rulings by courts, in several EU countries, relating to the same estate.

The Commission also proposes to create a special certificate to enable heirs and administrators of wills to prove their status in a particular country of the EU. At the moment, European countries sometimes refuse to recognise each other’s inheritance documents.

Around 450,000 of the inheritances dealt with in the EU every year have an international element. The total value of such estates is an estimated 120 billion Euros a year. Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot said that the proposed legislation would make inheritance laws more certain and flexible. He said: "It is imperative that citizens and legal practitioners are able to understand and, to a certain extent, choose the rules applicable to assets in a will, wherever they may be located". The new rules will not affect inheritance taxes, which will continue to be administered under national law.

Hopefully that clarifies things a bit but, if you are still in doubt, you might like to do what my husband and I have done – find a good Madeiran, English-speaking lawyer! Good luck.

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Many thanks again to Elaine for Saturday’s top news stories :

Reminder XXIV Regional Meeting of the Tunas and Mandolin Orchestras in Câmara de Lobos Saturday and Sunday. 16 groups in the Casa da Cultura. Sunday from 16.00.

Apprehension about the new Nursing Director. There was turbulence when the clinical directors were replaced at the hospital, now they think the focus will be on nursing. The previous Nursing Director had resigned for ‘personal reasons’, although few believe that was the real reason, and the successor has now been appointed. The President of the Union for Nurses says the managers change what is working well instead of restructuring regional emergency services or implementation of a regional network of continuing care. The Order of Nurses says they will act if changes mean the legality and safety of patients and respect for all professionals are affected. Focus is thought to be put particularly on the elderly and the Department of Dialysis, as the newly expanded  department will be operational next January. The hospital for continuing care, João de Almada is overcrowded and there needs to be more care for the elderly at the primary health care level (health centres). There is also  a long waiting list for residential homes and not enough money available.

Mackerel fishing fleet reduced. The fleet will be reduced to three when two boats are taken out of service next year. Weak demand, low prices, limitations in the Madeiran market and the only canning factory has closed means that profits are low. Last year’s taxable income was 1,800 Euros. One fisherman will join another company and the other will work with his brother. The EU aims to reduce the quotas (to 15% less fish) in the Atlantic and North Sea next year. For Madeira, it means a reduction from 1,280 to 1,088 tons but they only catch an average of 400 tons. The fishermen reckon there is enough mackerel and horse mackerel locally, especially as there is no Spanish competition. A Marine Biologist said it would be different if the quotas were reduced for the Black Scabbard fish as they are presently catching near the EU quota.

Madeira wine promoted in Japan. Madeira wine from five companies will be promoted to importers, journalists and wine experts. Over the past three years, the Japanese market has been the fourth largest export market for Madeiran wine. In 2008, 205,283.70 litres were exported representing a gross income of 1.0092.786,88 Euros. ——-This time, 0.70 litres has crept into the figure.

Judges are not independent. The President of the Association of Public Prosecutors admitted that the judges are not independent and impartial due to the size of the island and strong political and media scrutiny. They have to do more to resist pressure.

EU recommends that road tunnels are made safer. Smoke emissions in tunnels and car parks and fatal accidents in Europe mean that the present tunnels need to be modified. How does one make a tunnel safer exactly? Perhaps we could knock down the part that actually defines it as a tunnel, i.e. the rock? As our tunnels already have escape routes, cameras, ventilation, lighting, emergency services and equipment and whatever, one struggles to thing what more could be done. Ahh, I know … how about we close them to cars! Der

Diocese has new church paid by the Government. The new church in Feiteiras, São Vicente cost €1.5 million. The parish community raised 120,000 Euros for restoration of art works and interior furnishings. The building was started in 2003 and represents an inverted ship, a reference to St. Peter’s boat.

More than 1,000 crimes against children. In the first half of this year, there were over 1,000 cases of violation of the rights of children and young people, but the numbers have decreased since last year. Of the 1,097 cases, there were 300 cases of neglect, followed by ‘deviant behaviour, psychological abuse, physical abuse and emotional abuse’. The social workers and outreach workers were praised at the forum, especially those working in Câmara de Lobos and Nogueira, Camacha. The most cases occurred in Funchal, then Santa Cruz, Machico and Câmara de Lobos.

SANAS assistance quadruples. The lifeguards have dealt with three assistances every hour, four times those registered in 2005, due to a growth in the number of bathing areas. 36% of the help required is given to children, especially wounds. The elderly were vulnerable to drowning due to loss of consciousness. Cases of sunstroke increased, mainly  in adults and adolescents. The most cases of death were in Calheta and the Lido. 37 drownings last Summer, more than half  by exhaustion and three cases required resuscitation. There are over 130 lifeguards on 21 beaches. There were definitely no deaths by drowning this Summer from Madeira’s beaches, so I think there must be some national statistics mixed in here, but I can’t find the original article to check. Der

Portela to Ribeiro Frio levada walk still partially closed. Will remain so until next March. There are notices at Portela advising how much of the walk can be undertaken.

New hospital still has no guaranteed funding. Initial investment of  €150 million needed. According to the D. Notícias, but not confirmed, Jardim has been in talks with the Mello Healthcare Group who have investments in hospitals in Portugal and Spain. They say that in the short-term, they will be unable to make investments so it will not be for another 3 to 5 years. Two other private groups are interested in building the new hospital of around 662 beds. Private hospitals are 14% cheaper to construct and operate than public sector ones due to tight control of costs and efficiencies.

——-In contrast:

Barreiros stadium to be completed on time. Redevelopment will be finished by December 2010 and in time for the Schools Sports in May 2010. Contracts should be signed within a month. —-No mention of the cost. Questions asked at the pre-elections time why this is more important than the hospital. Jardim’s involvement? €45 million of taxpayers money is being used to fund the Marítimo stadium redevelopment. Der

12,625 unemployed (8%). September last year, the number was 8,184. 68%  received Jobseeker’s Allowance, 5% Social Integration Income and 8.9% were looking for their first job. 70% were short-term employed and 30% had been registered unemployed for more than one year.

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. 

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions or comments and photos / videos, or if you can contribute regularly, I can give you a special account that allows you to create your own blog postings.
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Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

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