Portsmouth Hispanic Society

Classical Guitar Recital - Saturday 16^th July 2022

Many members will have enjoyed Debra’s playing at Fratton as part of a guitar trio in March 2019 but also more recently at our lunch at Nicholson’s restaurant, where together with Andrew Richardson they were kind enough to serenade us.

On 16^th July 2022 Debra will be giving a guitar recital at St. Michael and All Angels, Chalton. Andrew, our very own guitar virtuoso, says the concert “… will be of world class quality and will include several great Hispanic pieces among others.“

Click here to see the promotional poster in a new tab.

Society Members Participate in Language Research Project

The society has been approached by University of York academic Angela de Bruin asking for members to participate in a Spanish-English bilingual language use and switching research project.

Angela is looking for Spanish-English bilinguals who would be interested in taking part in this study, which consists of several online language tasks and questionnaires as well as some recordings with a Spanish-English conversation partner of choice. People could take part from anywhere in the UK and would receive a £40 Amazon voucher.

Anyone interested in taking part should contact Angela via email.

Please note that the society is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Click here to view Angela's academic profile

Click here to read more about the study

Tom and Ash

The society welcomed Tom and Ash to May's monthly event. Tom and Ash have been playing together since 2011 after meeting whilst studying music at Chichester University. They are well known in the locality, playing at many venues, restaurants and festivals.

The guitar duo delivered an astoundingly virtuoso set comprising a mixture of traditional Spanish, classical, jazz, contemporary, and original music. The set list comprised of cover versions including Diablo Rojo from Mexican duo Rob y Gab's 2006 album, Bésame Mucho by Consuelo Velázquez, and Manhã de Carnaval by Luiz Bonfá (written for the 1959 film Orfeo Negro), plus original material such as Ash's Song for Madelaine, dedicated to his wife, and Prelude and Dance (Prelude written by Tom, Dance written by Ash). When approaching cover versions the duo's style is to use the original structure as a base around which they improvise.

Tom and Ash are passionate about their music and ensured the audience were aware of each track's history and the techniques employed during the performance. The society recorded the evening's event and present a short video featuring a cover version of Tico-Tico no Fubá, originally by Zequinha de Abrue, and one of Tom and Ash's own compositions.

Tom and Ash delivered a memorable evening of guitar virtuosity. They play locally on a regular basis so do go along to see them. Their online presence encompasses:
Please note that the society is not responsible for the content of external websites.

• YouTube
• Website
• facebook

Upcoming gigs can be found on their website and on facebook.

Hispanic Society Lunch 12^th May 2022 - featuring guitar accompaniment by Andrew and Debra

After a prolonged absence due to Covid the society has planned a Spanish themed lunch at Nicholsons Tapas Restaurant, Southsea, on Thursday 12^th May 2022.

We are also pleased to announce that Andrew and Debra will be giving a guitar recital. Many of you will have enjoyed Andrew Richardson's performances for us on Zoom during the Covid restrictions and he will be joined by Debra Adamson-Brattland, a member of the Vivace guitar trio who played at the March 2019 society meeting.

The event is open to members of the Society and their guests.

For further information email the Membership Secretary.

¡Español de paseo!

Un nuevo grupo de conversación - ¡pero con una diferencia!

As advertised another Spanish Walk was held on Thursday 28^th April.

Attendees gathered once again by the Victorian fountain in front of Canoe Lake, Southsea, Hampshire. The leader of this excursion was Judith Worley. Her plan was to lead the group east from Canoe Lake to Lumps Fort, highlighting items of historical or cultural interest along the way. Diane Hiley, Chair of the society's committee, had prepared detailed notes in Spanish and English, which were handed out to the group.

Lumps Fort's history stretches back to the Tudor period. Originally a simple redoubt acting as a lookout across the Solent to prevent a beach landing east of Southsea Castle, Lumps Fort has been modified, redeveloped, and finally turned over to more peaceful means.

However, we should not forget the major role the fort has played as part of Britain's vital defenses since its creation.

The fort was reconstructed as part of the "Palmerstone's Follies" project (1859 - 1869) to protect Britain against French Invasion.

At the end of WWI Lumps Fort was abandoned as a military installation before being purchased by Portsmouth City Council in 1932 for public recreation. During WWII the fort returned to military duty as a training base for the Royal Marine Boom Patrol Detachment, later the Special Boat Service. In July 1942 the fort was used as the base for Operation Franklin, a daring raid on German shipping located in the Gironde Estuary, southern France.

After WWII the moat was filled in with bricks and rubble from bomb sites around Portsmouth and the Rose Gardens were planted in the parade ground, encircled by the remains of the fort. The western portion has become a Model Village. The Rose Gardens are planted with over forty varieties of roses. The periphery of the Rose Gardens' formal layout is bounded by pergolas, which are covered with wisteria and other trailing plants.

The aims of the society's Spanish Walks are to reveal aspects of local history, recent and ancient, and help students of Spanish conversation learn vital elements of grammar and language use in a light hearted and congenial atmosphere. Diane's provision of detailed notes in Spanish and English certainly underpinned the main aim of today's walk.

Many thanks to Judith for arranging the walk and to Diane for researching and compiling the accompanying notes. To view Diane's notes click on the buttons below.

Keep checking the website for the date, time, and location of the next Spanish Walk or contact Judith on judithworley@aol.com for more information.

A Vinous Tour of Spain.

The Portsmouth Hispanic Society's April meeting was a vinous tour of Spain hosted by Bob and Chrissy from Bush Vines, an independent wine merchant based near Emsworth, West Sussex. Bush Vines specialise in sustainably produced wines from smaller producers in Spain, England, Portugal, South Africa and New Zealand. However, their main focus is Spanish wines. Spain offers a terrific variety of grapes and styles. Bob and Chrissy source all their wines from smaller wineries, usually family-owned, that pay attention to detail in the vineyards as well as in the making of the wine.

This evening's tasting menu comprised of three white wines and four red wines from widely differing areas of the Spanish Peninsula. Before tasting began the geographical areas from which the wines were sourced was shown on a map. The regions included Galicia, Aragon, Rioja, La Mancha, and Valencia and Murcia. The effect of the geography, geology, and climate would become apparent as the tasting progressed. For example, Bodegas Altolandon is located in a mountainous region 135 kilometres west of Valencia. At a height of 11,000 metres the temperature fluctuates significantly during a 24 hour period. The vineyard's soil contains a significant proportion of large stones, which protect the vine's roots by absorbing heat during the day and warming the soil during the night.

With the geography lesson out of the way it was time to start tasting. Bob and Chrissy's passion for their subject was evident from the presentation that accompanied the tasting. They had visited each vineyard, could talk in detail about each location, the families that grew the grapes and produced the wines, their production values and methods, with supporting photographic evidence. The following section includes nuggets of interesting information from the evening.

Vines can be grown using one of two methods; trelllised and bush. The latter method allows the vines to grow naturally as a bush. Trellised vines produce more grapes but bush vines survive longer. The Merayo bodega's bush vines are 80 years old. Wines from the Aragon area, which is close to the French border, have a strong French influence. The Dominio de Puntum vineyard produces its wines using the Biodynamic method where viticultural activities are regulated by the lunar phases and the astrological calendar.

Bob and Chrissy discussed each wine, helping tasters to identify and enjoy its unique flavours and appreciate production methods. Bob related an amusing story where vineyard proprietors had taken Bob and Chrissy to a far flung area of their vineyard for an al fresco tasting only to discover that a corkscrew had not been packed!

For more information about biodynamic wine production visit the Biodynamic Association's website.

Visit Bush Vines' website by clicking here.

Please note that the society is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Bush Vines delivered a really enjoyable tasting experience by supplying an eclectic range of red and white wines produced by small family run wineries located in vastly differing regions of Spain. Feedback from our team of intrepid tasters has been overwhelmingly positive so thank you Bob and Chrissy.

¡Español de paseo!

Un nuevo grupo de conversación - ¡pero con una diferencia!

As advertised another Spanish Walk was held on Thursday 24^th March.

Attendees gathered in the early spring sunshine by the Victorian fountain in front of Canoe Lake, Southsea, Hampshire. The leader of this excursion was Tony Spender, a longtime member of the society. His itinerary was to lead the group west from Canoe Lake to Southsea Rock Gardens highlighting items of historical or cultural interest along the way. Tony had prepared detailed notes in Spanish and English, which were handed out to the group.

After a short walk the first point of interest was a D-Day memorial sited just to the north of South Parade Pier. The memorial commemorates the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord, June 6^th 1944. The actual memorial stone is an artefact retrieved from anti-submarine defenses constructed to protect Portsmouth Dockyard during WWII.

Tony then led the group the short distance to South Parade Pier. This historic building, constructed in 1878, has had a long and varied history. Twice destroyed by fire, once in 1904 and more recently in 1974 during filming of the Ken Russel film Tommy. In fact Tony, our guide, was working close by on that fateful day and witnessed the disaster unfold. He stood alongside Oliver Reed, watching the structure as it was engulfed in flames.

The walk continued along Clarence Esplanade to the Rock Gardens, taking in the glorious Victorian architecture of the seafront houses. The Rock Gardens comprise of 1.35 hectares of landscaped ornamental parkland with a rich horticultural diversity and history dating back to the 1920's.

The aims of the society's Spanish Walks are to reveal aspects of local history, recent and ancient, and help students of Spanish conversation learn vital elements of grammar and language use in a light hearted and congenial atmosphere. Tony's provision of detailed notes in Spanish and English certainly underpinned the main aim of today's walk.

Many thanks to Judith for arranging the walk and to Tony for researching the route, compiling the accompanying notes, and leading the group. To view Tony's notes click on the buttons below.

Keep checking the website for the date, time and location of the next Spanish Walk or contact Judith on judithworley@aol.com for more information.

Finding Your Ground - a personal Odyssey in Las Alpujarras.

The society's March meeting was held on 3^rd March at the Fratton Community Centre.

The keynote speaker was Ken Scott of Touching The Light but before Ken took the floor there was the usual light tapas buffet and a topical Hispanic news item presented by Mike English.

This month Mike reviewed an internal power struggle currently being played out in one of Spain's main political parties, the Popular Party.

His presentation, Guerra Interna en el Partido Popular, was given in Spanish with English translation. Mike delivered an intriguing overview of the political party, the protagonists, and their Machiavellian machinations to win power over their rival.

Guerra Interna en el Partido Popular (in Spanish) is available to read as a PDF by clicking here. A new tab will display the presentation.

Ken then enraptured the audience with a heartfelt presentation about Las Alpujarras, an area of Spain a few kilometers south east of Granada.

Ken, a photographer, adventurer, speaker and coach, has a long association with this special area of the Spanish Peninsular. A UNESCO Heritage Site, Las Alpujarras is bounded to the north by the Sierra Nevada mountains and buffered from the tourist honeypots of the south Mediterranean coast, between Malaga and Almeria, by a range of coastal hills.

Ken explained his discovery of Las Alpujarras over twenty years ago during a difficult period in his life and how he has come to find great peace and wellbeing from his association with the area. His presentation took us on an audio-visual tour of a beautifully tranquil and largely unspoilt area of Southern Spain.

From the town of Ógiva, the area's gateway with its twin steepled cathedral, Ken led us from the Poqueira Gorge, through villages and towns such as Lanjarón, Las Barreras, Los Tablones, Cañar, Capiliera, and Pampaneira. His images and videos captured many aspects of the region's community, inhabitants, architecture, and fiestas.

An Associate of the Royal Photographic Society, Ken's images were exquisite in colour, texture, light, and composition. His presentation was truly audio-visual with photographs, videos, and music expertly interwoven to entrance the audience.

An inspiring presentation that made many in the audience ache with desire to visit such a beautiful area of Spain.

Ken is a really interesting character with much energy and many facets to his life. Visit his website touchingthelight.co.uk to find out more about his activities and to view his extensive portfolio of images. Please note that the society is not responsible for the content of external websites.

¡Español de paseo!

Un nuevo grupo de conversación - ¡pero con una diferencia!

The society's next Español de paseo will take place on Thursday 28^th April at 2pm.

This event will start from the Emmanuel Emmanuel Memorial Drinking Fountain, a Grade II listed monument located at the southern end of Canoe Lake Gardens. Canoe Lake Gardens are a few hundred metres east from

• South Parade Pier, South Parade, Southsea, Portsmouth PO4 0SW.

The route for April's walk will visit the following places of local historical interest:

• Lumps Fort, a Victorian fortification where the ROSE GARDEN is located today.
• The Yomper, a magnificent statue dedicated to the heroes of the Falklands.
• Cumberland House Museum.

The aims of the society's Spanish Walks are to reveal aspects of local history, recent and ancient, and help students of Spanish conversation learn vital elements of grammar and language use in a light hearted and congenial atmosphere.

For further information contact the event organiser by email at judithworley@aol.com.

The sounds of Galicia - an Introduction to Galician folk music.

The society's February meeting was held on 3^rd February at the Fratton Community Centre. The main speaker was Xan, a native of Galicia with a passion for his culture and traditional Galician folk music.

The evening's entertainment started with a light tapas finger buffet. Whilst the audience tucked into their tapas Mike presented a topical news item from the Iberian Peninsula.

Mike's news item was titled “Carles Puigdemont, ¿Héroe, mártir o villano?.”

Puigdemont served as the 130th President of Catalonia from 2016 to 2017 when he was removed from office by the Spanish Government following the unilateral Catalan declaration of independence.

Mike outlined the history behind the politician, trying to determine which description was most appropriate - Hero, Martyr, or Villain.

The decision, of course, rested within each attendee's perspective and conscience!

Next to take the stage was Xan, our keynote speaker. Xan's presentation delivered a wide ranging introduction to Galicia, the countryside, architecture, food, people, and culture. The first few nuggets of information included the fact that Galicians could draw on a vocabulary of sixty words referring to rain, that Galicia's coastline measures 1500 kilometers, and that area of Spain is home to Europe's largest wolf reserve.

Xan's presentation built a detailed picture of Galicia, delving into the history of the area, its people, and culture, including an extensive range of supporting photographs and images.

One example depicts how the Galician's adopted and adapted incoming cultures to reflect their own cultural heritage - religious iconography depicting a statue of the Virgin Mary with a very noticeable baby bump!

The latter half of Xan's lecture was dedicated to the Galician bagpipes. He outlined the history of the instrument, its development, and the various styles of music used in traditional folk music.

I am certain that a significant number of people in the audience were unaware that many musical genres that form the backbone of today's musical heritage were originally developed by Celtic musicians using the bagpipes, for example the Polka.

We were exceptionally fortunate that David and Josefina were able to support Xan with demonstrations of the different styles of folk music played on a set of traditional Galician bagpipes.

David and Josefina had travelled from London to play for the society. Attired in traditional Galician costume David brought the beauty of the instrument and music to life.

Sadly the evening came to an end much too soon. David and Josefina had to catch their train back to London

The audience was in agreement that the keynote presentation had been extremely interesting. Xan's presentation was a detailed overview of Galician history, culture, and music. There was a wealth of information, photographs and videos. Xan has provided a PDF version of the presentation for you to view online, or download if you prefer.

Click here to see Xan's full presentation, which will open in a new tab.
Please note that the presentation includes links to YouTube content and other external resources. The society is not responsible for the content of external websites.

¡Español de paseo!

Un nuevo grupo de conversación - ¡pero con una diferencia!

Walking whilst talking Spanish - an innovative idea conceived and established by Portsmouth Hispanic Society member Judith Worley.

Since beginning Spanish Walks in October 2021 Judith's excursions have explored Southsea Castle, Old Portsmouth and The Point, the Portsmouth Museum, Portsmouth Guildhall Square and Victoria Park, and the war memorials of Southsea Seafront.

Judith selects an area of interest around Portsmouth's environs, undertakes historical research, then builds and circulates the relevant vocabulary in advance.

The atmosphere is light hearted and congenial with no requirement for any level of language competency. Each walk will reveal aspects of British history, recent and ancient, of which many attendees may be unaware, and help students of Spanish conversation learn vital elements of grammar and language use.

The walk usually ends with refreshments and a chance to discuss the afternoon.

The next ¡Español de paseo! will be held on 24^th March 2022 at 2pm.

Meet at the Victorian Fountain/Statue in front of Canoe Lake, a few hundred metres east of

South Parade Pier,
Eastney Esplanade,
Portsmouth PO4 0SW.

Contact Judith on judithworley@aol.com for more information.

Return Journey - Art of the Americas in Spain

Take a virtual tour of an exhibition hosted by the Prado Museum, Madrid, which recounts the little known phenomenon that following the conquest of Latin America and until its independence, more works of art arrived in Spain from that continent than from Flanders or Italy and that the movement of works was not one-directional, from Spain to Latin America, as is generally suggested.

The virtual tour costs € 2.50 and once activated is valid for a day or two.

Click here to visit the museum's website.
Please note that the society is not responsible for the content of external websites.

The virtual tour is available until 13^th February.

Fiesta de Navidad

Andean Medical Mission

The Andean Medical Mission is well known to the Society having delivered a presentation about its work. Dave Smith, the charity's General Manager has sent an update for our membership.

Milestone reaching and online teaching

I trust you are well and keeping safe in these most extraordinary times. As one of our valued team of volunteers and supporters of our work in Bolivia, I want to update you on our plans for 2021.

Following an amazing 2019 where Andean Medical Mission passed the milestone of successfully operating on our 1,000th blind patient, like much of the world we found ourselves on pause during 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. As the year progressed it became obvious that whilst our online teaching of management of eye emergencies could continue very successfully, our eye surgery trips would be on hold for some time. We needed to consider our next moves carefully.

Supporting the vaccine roll out

After much thought we have arrived at the conclusion that the best use of our resources in 2021 is to help in the roll out of the Covid19 vaccines to rural villages in El Beni where we have built relationships. Bolivia has purchased several million vials of vaccine and will need help to distribute it outside of the main cities due to the shortage of medical professionals available in these remote locations.

The successful delivery of the vaccine will achieve two things. Firstly, we can save lives by making sure that as many isolated families are vaccinated as possible. Secondly, once sufficient vaccine coverage has been achieved, we can resume our eye care services safely and in the knowledge that we are not bringing differing strains of the virus from outside of Bolivia to these populations.

Whilst we are primarily an eye care organisation, this is the right thing to do at this time.

Spread the word

Now more than ever we need your help to ensure we receive vital funds. As a regular supporter or someone who has seen what we do first-hand and made significant contribution to providing eye care in this forgotten part of the world, you are in a great place to tell others about AMM and help us to grow our network of supporters.

Regular donations change lives

Please share this link https://www.justgiving.com/andeanmedicalmission  with friends, family, or anyone who you think might be willing to support our work.

The most impactful way anyone can contribute is with a regular monthly donation. A regular gift allows us to forecast for the future and ensure that we are able to direct our help where it is needed most.

There is no doubt that your support has changed lives. With your continued support we can pursue our aim of eliminating avoidable blindness in Bolivia.

Thank you so much.
Warm regards

Dave Goldsmith,
General Manager.
Andean Medical Mission
WhatsApp: +591 67358221

Arquitecto de tu Casa

My Colombia by Lucy Sanchez

¡Español de paseo!

Un nuevo grupo de conversación - ¡pero con una diferencia!

We will walk while we speak Spanish. There are many sites in Portsmouth and Southsea that are worth visiting and talking about. We will start with Henry the 8th's Castle, where there is much to see; there is a whole museum to explore. You can also have coffee! If you are interested, it is better to contact me by email or phone and we can arrange a meeting time. For me there is a preference: I am available on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Contact Judith Worley: paseo@spanishportsmouth.org.uk or Tel: 02392 483217

New Spanish Curriculum for 2021/22