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Hero holidaymaker foils gunman
Like most people, Police Community Support Officer Andy Hawkeswood came on holiday to Tenerife for a break. He little expected that he would be called upon to foil a local gang member who was spotted brandishing a gun outside the bar where Andy was drinking with his family.
According to a local Bolton weekly, the off-duty officer tackled the gunman, overpowering him and pinning him to the bonnet of a car until the police arrived.
Now, back patrolling the streets in his hometown in the UK, Andy has had time to digest what he did and modestly said, “It was just a quick reaction and it worked.”
The incident took place when 28-year-old Andy, from Bolton, was out with his girlfriend Karen Abrahams and their four-year-old son, Lucas.
The family had stopped off at the Our Place bar in Costa Del Silencio and were waiting for a taxi while Lucas played with family and friends outside.
Andy said, “There was this Moroccan guy walking down the street. Someone inside the bar said something or shouted something and then Karen said, ‘he’s got a gun’.
“As I turned around he pulled out a handgun and pointed it towards where we were sat.”
At first he found it difficult to take in, thinking it was some sort of prank.
It was only when he saw the terror on the faces of other drinkers that he realised it was not a joke and began to worry about his son.
“I could hear everybody outside shouting, ‘he’s got a gun.’ When I looked around everyone was in shock. My first thought was, where is my son? Nobody was doing anything, so I thought ‘what do I do?’.
“I got up and walked straight in front of him and he put his hand up towards my face,” said Andy, a former court security guard.
“As soon as he did that I just grabbed his arm and pushed it up his back. I took him outside and put him over a car bonnet and restrained him. I don’t think he was expecting it and he dropped the gun on the floor.”
The next morning, police told Andy that the man was a known criminal. “He was a member of some sort of gang which goes around terrorising people and robbing them,” he added.
Mr Hawkeswood’s commanding officer Sgt Danny Brophy added, “He never fails to impress me. He looks to make a difference to the area and has been instrumental in the arrest of offenders on his patch.”
This incident has come as no surprise to the many residents who have been urging local authorities to take notice of the increase in muggings and other violent crimes in the area.
As reported in the last issue of The Paper, escalating levels of street muggings and house robberies in Costa del Silencio have left many residents so scared for their safety that they are refusing to go out after dark. The area is heavily populated with pensioners from Britain and elsewhere, who were attracted to the warmer climes of Tenerife and the strong community spirit of ‘The Silent Coast’.
At the recent meeting held at the Tenerife Sun bar in Parque Don Jose, shocking stories emerged of the high number of attacks on locals.
“This is now a no-go area,” said local pensioner Gladys Lyons, originally from Hertfordshire. “So many people here have been attacked or broken into and the police do nothing about it.”
In response to the resident’s complaints, The Paper contacted Arona Town Hall for a comment.
They said that although a problem had existed earlier in the year, the crime situation had been resolved.
Dissatisfied with the town hall’s response, residents are now planning to go over the heads of the local authorities and take their complaint to Madrid.
Jackiey Budden to wed Tenerife lover
The saga following the tragic death of Jade Goody continues with the news that Jade Goody’s mother Jackiey Budden, who has previously been in same-sex relationships, is believed to be planning a May 2010 marriage to her younger lover Jason Cooper. According to reports, Jason, a 36-year-old former soldier, has handled the matter of the upcoming nuptials in the time honoured fashion and contacted Jackiey’s dad John Craddock, who lives in Bermondsey, London, to ask for her hand in marriage. Happily his prospective 70-year-old father-in-law John agreed.
Jackiey, 51, is quoted in The Sun, saying, "I know Jade would be as surprised as anyone that I've found happiness with a man.
"But she always said, 'Man or woman, I want you to be happy.' I hope this lasts forever."
According to the newspaper, the couple will throw an engagement party here in Tenerife within the next week or so and it is expected to be a huge affair.
Jackiey and Jason met here in April as Jackiey tried to recuperate following the tragic death from ovarian cancer of her daughter Jade, who was 27, in March of this year.
Her new man Jason is said to be divorced, with two children, and works as a chef in his mum’s bar in Los Cristianos.
Holiday teen dies of swine flu
A gifted teenage girl who dreamt of being a doctor has died after contracting suspected swine flu while on holiday here in Tenerife.
Madelynne Butcher, was diagnosed with the virus after returning from Tenerife where she had been celebrating the end of her A-level exams with a special sunshine holiday.
The 18-year-old had shown no symptoms before jetting off with a friend and apparently only started to feel poorly shortly before her flight back to the UK. When she returned home to Southampton, she complained of being sick and short of breath, and was consequently prescribed Tamiflu.
Madelynne, who was due to receive her A-level exam results in two weeks, was taken to Southampton General Hospital. But after two weeks she was transferred to a specialist unit at Leicester’s Glenfield Hospital.
Tragically, her parents Beverley and Alan set off one morning to visit but when they arrived to see their daughter they were met with the news that she had died.
Her grieving mother Beverley has spoken out and told how her daughter had been offered a place at the University of East Anglia where she planned to study biology. She wanted to go into medicine or research.
“Madelynne loved every minute of life. She was so adorable, everyone who met her thought so,” she said.
Her brother Robin, 22, said, “She worked hard and played hard, her phone was always ringing. She lived life to the max.”
Madelynne, known to everyone as Maddy, was managing to hold down three jobs so she could save up save for university. She worked as a play worker, where she looked after disabled children, a job she loved. To supplement that income she also worked in a bar and as a supervisor in a Sainsbury’s supermarket.
The family has already been flooded with tributes to Madelynne, who was president of the student union at Itchen College in Southampton. She had just sat A-levels in biology, chemistry and drama at the college.
It is unknown at this stage whether she had contracted the Swine flu before she left the UK or whether she caught it while here in Tenerife.
Summer fun for the kids!
The Science and Cosmos Museum has organised a whole range of activities and workshops on science and astronomy for children over the school holidays. The activities have been divided into week-long cycles, with each cycle costing 70 euros. The final cycles commence on August 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st running from 8am to 3pm. For further information and to register call 922 315 265 or 922 315 080 or write to reservasmcc@museosdetenerife.org.
The museum comments, “Over the summer months school children more have time to enjoy activities that they may not be able to during the rest of the year. It is also a worrying time for parents as they have to leave their children at home while they go to work.
With this in mind, the Museum has organised an 'Open for Holidays' program, which this year, the International Year of Astronomy, focuses on astronomy. The Museum seeks to be more than a simple child care centre or a place to leave your children. We strive to encourage children to take an interest in science, experiments, in learning more about the world around them and the reason behind things. The program we have designed is dynamic and educational, and is set in an enjoyable environment where children are encouraged to participate. In any case, children are likely to remember their experiences for a long time. The activities that have been programmed for this summer are 'Introduction to Astronomy', 'Big Scientific Games' and 'Live Experiments'.”
The great getaway!
Having suffered more than a fortnight of rain and following the UK Met Office’s revised forecast for wet weather until September, travel firms are being inundated with requests for late deals.
The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) said that members were reporting increases in business of up to 40 per cent, while Thomson said that because people had put off booking early for this summer, there were still bargains to be had.
The recession and the Met Office's long-range forecast for a blistering "barbecue" summer meant that foreign holiday sales were running at 10 per cent lower than last year, leaving half a million up for grabs.
Families were either holidaying in the UK or simply putting it off until next year but the bad weather has now led many to reconsider.
Sean Tipton, spokesman for ABTA, said, "We were expecting a late booking market because of the recession and people worried about their jobs were leaving it as late as possible to make a decision, but the bad weather has created a real surge.
"We sold 45 million holidays last year and were running well down on that. The good news for consumers is that means there are more late deals than usual as tour operators struggle to fill capacity.
"Normally booking late in August it would be very expensive because companies are at or close to capacity, but that isn't the case this year so there are some good deals out there.
"However, they are running out fast and those wanting a bargain in the next couple of weeks are going to have to be quick."
As Barbara Gilbert, from Maidstone in Kent found out when she booked a week’s holiday for herself and her family here in Tenerife.
“I got a great deal last minute for a week in Los Cristianos, which is just as well since all our plans for this summer have been a wash out,” said Barbara.
“We bought a new barbecue, which wasn’t cheap, on the strength of the fabulous weather forecasts and I’ve got a freezer full of food to cook on it.
“We had decided we would stay in the UK this year but clearly that is no longer an option.
“We called our local travel agent and grabbed a really good price and at least we can rely on the weather in Tenerife. So much for staying in the UK.”
Andy Washington, sales director for lastminute.com, said, "In the last seven days enquiries for foreign holidays have increased by 40 per cent, and booking by 20 per cent.
"Unlike last year, when everyone booked early, we have 15 per cent more capacity this year so it's a great time for consumers to be booking.
"Consumer confidence in the economy, the bad weather and the feeling that swine flu is not as bad as originally thought has turned everyone's thoughts to getting away, and getting away now."