JÚZCAR STAYS BLUE AND HITS WORLD HEADLINES
By David Eade – Costa del Sol News
Júzcar is a small municipality in the Serranía de Ronda. On Sunday its residents voted for it to stay blue. The news was flashed around the world and appeared on many TV news programmes as the village of the Smurfs lives on.
This remarkable story started earlier this year in June with the Sony film company. They wanted a village, somewhere in the world, to be painted blue and to be the home of the Smurfs for the promotion of the new movie – The Smurfs 3D. They decided on Júzcar, just one of the many famous white villages of Andalucía, and in so doing changed the life and wealth of the entire valley.
Júzcar and the other surrounding villages of the Genal Valley are not on the main road but off the beaten track. So the fact the mayor of Júzcar had to hire three additional local police officers to control the increase in traffic shows just what an impact the promotion of the movie had. People came to see the village with its nameplate ‘Primer Pueblo Pitufo’, eat in its bars and restaurants, stay in its hotels and guest houses, buy its local produce and take part in Smurf themed events.
The PSOE mayor, David Fernández, decreed that once the Spanish general election was out of the way villagers would vote on whether to stay blue or revert to white. Sony had made it clear it would pick up the 60,000 euros bill for the repaint. The debate was should Júzcar stay as the village of the Smurfs or revert back to being a sleepy backwater.
On Sunday 141 people voted to stay blue with just 33 saying they wanted to be white. Six people sent in blank votes. A total of 250 people were allowed to vote; those who are on the town hall census along with people who own businesses in the village. Voting was from 10.00 to 18.00 and 73.6 per cent of those eligible to vote turned out.
Speaking after the vote David Fernández pointed out that his village had been transformed into an example of sustainable tourism in the Ronda region. “We have been visited by around 80,000 people. We are in times of crisis and these initiatives are very necessary, the village can remain blue during this time.”
So if the children are bored over the holiday season or you just fancy a drive, why not head up to the village of Júzcar for a unique blue day out.
CHARITY SLASHED
The Catholic charity Cáritas which helps the homeless and those in need in the parishes throughout Spain has seen a dramatic collapse in its income in Ronda. Up to the end of November 48,600 euros had been received compared with 131,000 euros last year. Seventy per cent of the funds are used to purchase food stuffs and necessary household items for needy families.
JOBS STIMULUS
The regional government is investing seven million euros in developing projects to create employment in the Serranía de Ronda. This will see the formation of at least a dozen employment schools and workshops next year. Funding will go to the municipalities of the Genal – Guadiaro – Serranía consortium which excludes Ronda. It is hoped that over 220 unemployed people will benefit from the schemes.
PROVINCIAL CASH
Málaga province is handing over 510,000 euros to eight municipalities for projects that have up to now been put on hold. Those to receive the cash are Algatocín, Benarrabá, Gaucín, Jimera de Líbar, Jubrique, Montejaque, Parauta and Ronda. In Ronda funding will be made available to finish the roundabout and road resurfacing on the industrial estate. Elsewhere schools, tourism and infrastructure will benefit.
