I’m pleased to say that the people of Mallorca have stepped up and the help for the Ukrainian Church has been amazing. I visited twice last weekend and at that time they said no more clothes as they’d been inundated. By the time we’d reached Monday they had been offered space at the Fire station in Son Castello industrial estate, Palma as quite clearly their church wasn’t big enough. I’ve been twice this past week to deliver things that have very kindly been donated by various different people. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has donated something. I can’t mention everybody as there is so many but you know who you are. Suffice to say that the people who were volunteering at the drop-off points were very grateful for everything that was being delivered.  At the moment they need more than anything food and medical supplies. Every Saturday they are sending a lorry to the Poland/Ukraine border. 

The address for the fire station is C/ Gremi Picapedrers 1, Polígono Son Castello, Palma. 

A year ago this week we witnessed “that interview”. Come on you remember the one where Oprah Winfrey gave the former royals Harry and Meghan a free shot at the royal family. 

Now I can remember the shock and fallout in all the press at that time but gradually when you took each accusation by it’s merit it all started to fall apart. 

I don’t know if it’s me but aren’t they a bit quiet at the moment? 

More importantly which if any of their so called “bombshell allegations” have actually been shown to be true, exaggerated or unverifiable.

I’ll give you a few examples. 

Their secret wedding, which was actually a rehearsal. Disproven.

Archie has birthright to be a prince, but was denied due to the colour of his skin. He is not entitled to be an HRH or a Prince due to rules set out more than 100 years ago by King George V. He will be entitled to be an HRH or Price when Charles accedes to the throne. Disproven.

Archie wouldn’t get 24/7 security because he wasn’t a Prince. If they had stayed as working Royals no problem but by not wanting to be “working Royals” and moving to another country, security experts deemed it to be unworkable. Disproven.

Meghan claimed she’d not seen her half-sister Samantha for 20 years. Samantha said, “I’ve got photos of us together throughout our lives, the most recent from 2008”. Disproven.

Harry was cut off financially. Money was given to the couple by Charles after they announced they didn’t want to be Royals. Disproven. 

Meghan never researched the Royal family prior to joining. I couldn’t find anyone who believed what she said particularly in this day and age. You can’t disprove but it’s sounds exaggerated. 

They said they witnessed racism in the monarchy. This was denied and since then nothing has been proved. Unverifiable 

No help for mental anguish. Once again this was denied and I find it very hard in this and age that no help was as offered and if it wasn’t why didn’t someone shout from the rooftops? Unverifiable.

Remember this was a couple that said they wanted out of public life because of press intrusion but then courted it at every opportunity that suited them. The interview was recorded which meant they probably knew what was coming and had answers prepared. Taking into account that Oprah Winfrey was a guest at their wedding. They signed mega money deals with Spotify and Netflix, hardly keeping a low profile. At the time the message from the Royal family was “While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.” 

The Queen herself has kept a dignified silence whilst also dealing with the sad death of her husband, the fallout from Andrew and her own health problems. 

The silence for me is enough but I’d love to see Piers Morgan do a follow up interview!

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.00-10am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

Let’s go back four years to the 26th of May 2018. The biggest European club football cup competition the Champions League and Real Madrid were playing Liverpool in front of 61,561 fans. It was a final remembered by a couple of howlers from the Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius and an extraordinary overhead kick from Gareth Bale. Real Madrid ran out 3-1 winners which meant that Zinedine Zidane had won the Champions League for the third time in a row. He became one of just three managers, alongside Bob Paisley and Carlo Ancelloti to win the European Cup three times, while also becoming the first coach to win the trophy in three consecutive seasons. On the 31st of May, five days after the Champions League final, Zidane announced his resignation as Real Madrid coach, citing the club’s “need for change” as his rationale for departing. 

What is far more significant than any of the above was that final was played at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Who would have thought that less than four years later, Ukraine and in particular Kyiv would be being bombarded by its neighbours, Russia. In my opinion an act of total madness from Vladimir Putin has put the world at risk of a Third World War. I don’t think I’ve seen such a worldwide condemnation of an act of aggression like this. We’ve had the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan, that in their own rights have been questionable but this defies comprehension. A United Nations resolution this week saw 141 countries vote for Putin to withdraw his troops. There were 35 countries that abstained and just 5 that voted for Putin. They were Russia themselves, Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Eritrea. Hardly a list of stable nations in that short list. 

Putin has made a point of making Russia look like the good guys around the World by hosting some of the largest sporting events in the last 8 years. In 2014 they hosted the Winter Olympics in Sochi. The Russian F1 Grand Prix has been an annual motor racing event held at Sochi Autodrom – a permanent circuit built around the Olympic Park in Sochi. In 2018 just 19 days after the Champions League final that I mentioned above they hosted the World Cup Finals. 

However it seems that behind the scenes he has been planning this war for a very long time.

Are we really in a situation in 2022 that some power crazed crackpot can hold the world to ransom? Having just got through two years of Covid this is just what the world doesn’t need right now. Without doubt they are bombing innocent victims and he should be made to pay a heavy price. With the advent of drones, satellite images and social media it is very easy to see the atrocities he is committing. So how long will it last? I hope not too long and finishes in a way that is a victory for the Ukrainian people. You can’t but admire their bravery in all of this. Put yourself in their shoes, it doesn’t bear thinking about does it. I hope too that the Russian people will eventually see through the propaganda and be brave enough to stand up against this evil regime. 

At Pirates we are in touch with our 5 Ukrainian artists who were given permission to work for us last Friday, the day after the war started. They live in the central part of the country so at the beginning they were away from the attacks. When we spoke to them towards the end of the week, tanks had started to arrive in their area. Of course they don’t want to leave their families behind and would rather leave with them. We are working with the authorities to make this possible but as you can imagine it’s not easy. Vladislav, Yurii, Andrii, Vladisylav and Denis, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your families at this very stressful time. 

2000 Ukrainians live in Mallorca and through their Church, they are trying to send supplies back to Ukraine right now.

The Ukrainian Church in Palma is open from 9 am to 8 pm daily for donations (clothes and food mainly) solidarity and prayers for the people still in the Ukraine.

I went to the church yesterday evening and it was heartwarming to see so many people donating and helping. 

The list of items they desperately need are as follows..

preserved food, coffee, medicine, anaesetics, antibiotics, material for bandages and tourniquets, anti-inflammatories, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, gauze and dressings,

sleeping bags, blankets, water heaters, leather gloves, rucksacks, travel bags, cables, electric saws, generators, binoculars.

Ukrainian church: Carrer de Bartomeu Xamena 26, 07610, Playa de Palma. 

They appreciate and welcome your support.

If you can’t get there please contact me and I will arrange to get things picked up. 

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.00-10am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

The football fields across the Balearics remained silent and empty last weekend. Something we’d got used in Covid times, so why was it happening now? Normally there’d be more than 700 games across the islands from adult teams through to the junior teams. However a strike by our islands referees prevented any games from taking place. The reason for the strike was a series of serious assault incidents in mainly adult games but there was also a call from all the referees about the abuse they were getting in junior games too. 

Now I’m not here to condone anything that involves violence or verbal abuse that is deemed to be over the top to a referee but I wanted to look at this in more detail.

Those that know me know I have two boys who play football, so I’ve been around this for quite a few years now. It’s been reported both in this paper and in the Spanish press that I have seen that this is a common theme at most football matches. Nothing could be further from the truth. Football is a sport that comes with a lot of passion and that is controlled on the pitch by both the players and more importantly by the referee. The best referees are the ones you don’t notice and go about their business with the least fuss. Most players will tell you a referee who banters with you and explains his decisions will get the most respect. The ones who arrogantly run around thinking it’s all about them are the ones who normally get the verbals. Now of course this isn’t just a Spanish problem, verbals have been part of football worldwide way before I was born. 

I was interested to know how much a referee earns to officiate a junior game here in Mallorca. This information was pasted to me by two different clubs. 

Prebenjamin 48€

Benjamin 48€

Alevin 50€ 

Infantil 55€

Cadete 60€ 

Juvenil 65€ 

Liga Nacional 105€

Division Honor 155€

They pay a percentage to the referees association which is part of the FFIB,(the Balearic football federation). I haven’t been able find how much, despite asking the federation. They can do more than one game over the weekend and there are those who also act as linesmen in higher categories too. As part of my email to the Federation I asked about what training is given to a referee. As I said above, I haven’t received a reply. 

I asked a friend in the UK called Ian who is a level 4 referee. He can referee or be a referees assistant(linesman to you and me) up to National League level. I told him about the strike and asked what it was like in the UK. 

“Youth referees get around £30 and there alot of under 18 refs (new refs 15,16,17 yr oids). Senior referees in teams of 3 get around £53 each in Non league county level.

Isthmian League and national league south is referee level 4 upwards and money goes up as you get travel too, so can be £70

Training here for a new referee is about 30hrs they run weekend courses to give the basics then mentor them as they embark on their first games.

You start at level 7 and you’re under your local FA durastriction. Once you get to level 4 you’re an FA referee and in the top 2000 refs in the UK. 

I’m a believer that in some cases the referee can bring their own problems as if you manage the game correctly and have a football brain it goes well.

Some refs especially the youngest ones or refs who haven’t played the  game, blow for everything, card everything then they have 22 players frustrated and then they lose the game.

In my opinion if you want to be a referee, you have to be thick skinned, be prepared for the role as you’ll be under pressure from the outset. You’ll make errors but you’ll also have the chance to develop and become a good official. Have banter with players and coaches and always talk to people, go into the club house after games to gain a reputation of being a decent guy and decent referee. If you’re going to be arrogant and not speak to people and can’t absorb the comments and pressure and then be woak and cry abuse and mental health etc…. then you shouldn’t be a referee as it’s not an easy job or easy money. Do it because you love the game and do it cause you want to progress.

As you can tell I’m passionate about this too as I come across so many officials I work with who have no standards. Rubbish kit and terrible attitude and appearance., then they complain when they get abuse or grief etc…..

I also know some referees who boast about “8 yellow cards and 3 reds in my last game” ridiculous!

My yellow averages are 1 a game and that’s if I have to. So far I’ve had 1 red this season and 2 yellows.” It must be working as Ian was awarded referee of the year last season for the Mid Sussex Football League.

So that gives you a refereeing perspective in the UK. My thanks to Ian for being so open and honest. 

What’s the solution here? Well one thing I don’t get is the FFIB coming out and supporting the strike, when they are the ones tasked with preventing it. I’ve said this before the FFIB a is an old boys network, very much like the FA, with no younger people as part of its team offering new ideas and alternatives. I for one didn’t agree with cancelling the junior football as the all the violence that had taken place was at a senior level. If anyone is found guilty of violence towards a referee, ban them for life.  Before the pandemic there was a rule which said that at each game, each club had to appoint its own “Delegado for its supporters”. Basically someone in charge who monitored the behavior of their teams supporters who are generally family and friends. I did it a couple of times but even then not all clubs adhered to it. The other problem is alcohol at grounds. Some bars are adjacent to the pitch and are serving from 9am in the morning. I understand this is a revenue stream for clubs but it has to be monitored. The Government complains of the Brits and Germans “booze tourism” they might want to look closer to home at times. 

We are back to normal this weekend so let’s see if anything changes. 

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.00-10am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

After my colleague Frank Leavers revealed the news last week that I have become the MD at Pirates here in Mallorca, I have been inundated with messages of congratulations and good luck. Thanks to everyone that has contacted me, I have been blown away by the messages of support. Pirates was a favourite of mine before I joined the company. I arrived in Mallorca in 1990 as an Intasun holiday rep and Pirates was and still is the best excursion. Living and working in Magaluf meant it was my second home and I’d make sure I was always guiding on the nights that we sold it. Little did I know then that 31 years later I would be running the company. I was offered a job in 1994 by the late, great Jacques Sasson and haven’t looked back since. I am very grateful to Catherine who took over from her father when he sadly passed away. We have been friends and work colleagues for a very long time and to be honest whilst it was a little bit of a shock, it was an honour to be asked. 

It’s not been an easy couple of years for all of us but for us to be able to post on social media this week that “We’re Hiring” was a sign that life is returning to normal. Since the lockdown was announced on March 13th 2020 and our opening date of April 15th this year it’s been 764 days. We managed to open just 4 days last year but I’m confident that we have a busy summer season ahead. I am pleased that I’ve got a strong and experienced management team along with a dedicated and loyal workforce behind me and together we can get back to what we do best. 

I commented to my Wife the other day that I seemed to be filling up my car more frequently these days. Was there something wrong with it she asked and whist I’m an absolute duffer when it comes to cars even I knew there wasn’t. It was just that I wasn’t doing the same amount of kilometers on a tank of diesel than I was a couple of months ago. You like me may have noticed that the price of fuel is astronomical. I know it’s the same in the UK but it’s unusual to see it so high here. I thought I would visit some garages on an afternoon while my sons were football training to check out the pricing. I know, what a rock & roll lifestyle I lead but it was for research purposes to write this! What I found though was unbelievable. I visited four different ones in and around Son Fusteret in Palma. The cheapest was an Independent called Petroest situated right next to Viva Gym which was 1.44€ for diesel and 1.55€ for 95(unleaded). That was followed by Shell at 1.47€ for diesel and 1.59€ for 95, then Repsol at 1.53€ for diesel and 1.60€ for 95. The worst was Cepsa at 1.54€ for diesel and 1.66 for 95. So a 0.10€ difference per litre between the best and worst which might not seem like a lot but work it out over a year and it is. I have a Spanish friend who runs a transport company who use 1.5 million litres of fuel a year. Now they can buy it in cheaper as they buy in bulk and they have a huge tank at their depot. They were buying in diesel at 0.94€ a litre just before Christmas and now it’s 1.09€ a litre. Think what a difference that makes to their bottom line. 

Most garages offer an optimum fuel as well. Does anybody use this? Does it actually help your engine? As it certainly doesn’t help your wallet, 1.74€ a litre of optima unleaded was the most expensive I found.

BP announced last week record profits of $12.85 billion, yes you read that right. Whilst the price of oil has gone up, not of course being helped by Comrade Putin flexing his judo muscles over the Ukraine. But surely energy companies must be held to account when the rest of us are paying their shareholder bonuses. 

My advice is to shop around and use the independents, there’s good one called Buga on Son Bugadellas in Santa Ponsa. 

What a difference 2 wins in 2 games have made to Real Mallorca. Six points clear of relegation with a game in hand. An away game this weekend against a third placed Real Betis team won’t be easy. They now have 26 points and in the last three seasons the third relegated team has gone down with 34, 36 and 37 points respectively. The key will be their 7 home games that they have left and I urge the club to carry on the fan zone before the game. The atmosphere in the last 2 games has been amazing and has definitely given the players a lift. 

We walked our dog the other day in Parc de Sa Riera in Palma, which used to house Mallorca’s old stadium the Luis Sitjar. Sadly It’s hardly recognisable any more apart from the gated part on the main road. News came out last week that phase one of the American owners plans to upgrade the existing stadium looks like they’ll be passed and work can start in June. Hopefully Mallorca will still be a La Liga club at that time.

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.00-10am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

Just as we seem to be coming out of the pandemic and there’s light at the end of a very long tunnel, our people in power seem to be throwing out tourism negativity. President Armengol this week said “You cannot put all your eggs in the same basket” in reference to Tourism being the dominant industry on the islands. Can we at least put some eggs back in the basket before you start on your push for power in the elections next year please. The PSOE have been in coalition power here since 2012 and Armengol has been President since 2015. In all that time this is the first I’ve heard of a push for more diversification. 

At the peak holiday booking period since Christmas for the UK market, holiday makers had a wall of reasons not to book to come to the Balearics.

Surely it would have been prudent to say that all the current restrictions would be lifted by the time Easter and the Summer comes? Boris Johnson announced on January 24th that vaccinated travelers will not have to take a COVID-19 test after arriving in England from February 11th. So it could have been done. I understand the numbers have been high and needed to come down but they have been since after the holidays here on January 6th. So surely it would better put positivity out there not negativity?

Before and since Christmas all we’ve heard is;

Negative: Face masks are compulsory inside and outside.

Positive: From Thursday this week the rules were relaxed for outside wearing.

Negative: Covid passports needed to be shown in bars, cafes and restaurants.

Positive: From today that rule is scrapped.

Negative: 12-18 year olds need to be double jabbed. 

No Solution: A crazy restriction that has proven already to be affecting tourism in the Canaries as just 17% of over 12’s in England have been double jabbed. Hoteliers there are calling for the Government to cancel that restriction to help to prevent severe losses to the tourism industry.

Jorge Marichal, president of the Tenerife Hoteliers Association, predicted that losses could be almost €400m for hotels alone, before even considering the rest of the economy. 

The Executive Vice President of the Mallorca Hotels Federation, María José Aguilo said “what the tourism sector really needs is to regain British market share and for this it is necessary for the central government to change the restrictions that weigh on British 12-18 year olds. Every day that passes without this situation being resolved, competing destinations are gaining ground.”

Negative: Booster jab needed for anyone whose last jab was over 270 days(9 months) ago. 

No Solution: So if you’ve had two jabs and the second was 270 days ago, you will need a booster jab taken more than 14 days before your arrival date.

Negative: Probably the most controversial and the one that has created a lot of negative press and in some cases incorrect press in the UK is the new tourism of excess laws. Now these laws are nothing new they were brought in at the beginning of 2020. But because of Covid, the resorts that they apply to haven’t really been open for 2 years. 

So let me try and clear this up.

No Solution: This new law only applies to the resorts of Magaluf, Playa de Palma and Arenal in  Mallorca and San Antonio in Ibiza. There are maps that have been drawn in which there are red zones and in some cases they don’t cover all the resort.  Magaluf in particular being a prime example of this. Which is where it falls down for me. How can you have an establishment on one side of the road in the red zone but another establishment on the other side of the road not in the red zone? And as was pointed out by our esteemed Editor this week, it’s very easy to get trashed in Palma Nova and walk or stagger into Magaluf. It should be one rule for all or not at all. By the way I’m happy for the rule to be for all and then I’m sure standards will improve. Holiday makers will be swayed by the service they receive not by a free shot of “alcohol” that could clean my patio. 

The actual law is any guest on an all inclusive holiday staying in the red zones are only allowed 3 free drinks at lunchtime and 3 free drinks at dinner. All other drinks can be purchased. I copied this from the Easyjet holidays website from a hotel in Magaluf, that has it correct. “Just so you know, due to a change in the law in the Balearic Islands – which applies to summer 2021 travel and beyond – this hotel will now be offering an “All Inclusive light” package. This hotel includes a maximum of three alcoholic drinks per person during lunch, and three with dinner. You’ll have the choice of beer or wine. Outside of these times, alcoholic drinks are payable locally.” 

I love the “all inclusive light” analogy, is that the low calorie all inclusive? 

I find the law above unclear and so does a lot of the UK press. One headline read, “Brits in Ibiza and Mallorca limited to six drinks a day in drinking crackdown.” 

I do fully support though the laws aiming to put an end to bar crawls, 2×1 parties, happy hours, free drinks and also bans on alcohol from being sold in nighttime stores, which will now have to close from 9.30pm to 8am. Also the banning of so-called balconing, a term that refers to drunken people jumping from balcony to balcony in their hotels, or attempting to launch themselves from great heights into swimming pools. We have had quite a few deaths from this and it can’t go on. 

So whilst on the one hand there are good intentions here I find the whole thing muddled and I work here. I’ve had loads of friends in the UK questioning what it actually means. So my thoughts are, if this is the route you want to go down to end “Booze Tourism” make it a blanket ban across all resorts but make it clear. 

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.00-10am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

I’m slightly late coming to the party as this happened last Sunday but if there is a person right now in the sporting world that you can rightly call the G.O.A.T. then please step forward Rafael Nadal. 

It cannot be underestimated how much of an achievement this is winning 21 Grand Slam titles. He’s won the Australian Open twice, the French Open thirteen times, Wimbledon twice and the US Open four times. You only have to look at the all time list of Mens tennis players to see whose records he has beaten. His main rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are just behind him on 20 titles each. Then let me pick out, Pete Sampras 14 titles, Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg 11 titles, Andre Agassi 8 titles, John McEnroe 7 titles and Boris Becker 6 titles. All are major names amongst the few I’ve picked who haven’t got anywhere near 21 titles which should enhance the arguement about Rafa’s achievements. 

Sunday I was at my son Jude’s football match but keeping an eye on how Rafa was doing. He was playing a player who is number 2 in the world and who is 10 years younger. Medvedev had won the Mallorca Open in here in Santa Ponsa in June last year, he followed that by beating Novak Djokovic in the US Open Final in September. He didn’t just beat him, he won in straight sets and denied him the accolade of completing a calendar Grand Slam and getting to the 21 career wins himself. 

I remember commenting to my Wife that Rafa was two sets down, 2-3 down and 0-40 down and it was shame that he couldn’t win it after such a great run. I left it there and when I next looked he’d won the third set 6-4! Was the comeback on? As we left the football he’d won the fourth set too, so we sped back home to catch the final set. Blimey what a ding dong battle it was. Every time one of them looked like he’d got the upper hand the other seemed to play better. It was gripping stuff, so much so I was shouting at the screen. My sons who’ve experienced my shouting at football were asking why I was so excited? I explained that to achieve what he has and coming from our island is an amazing feat and he’s one of the most humble guys you’ll ever have the privilege to meet. I’ve said it before, there isn’t a better ambassador for Mallorca than Rafa. So what should you bestow on the islands greatest sportsman? Well if he was up for President I’d vote for him, actually maybe tourism minister would suit him better. “Hi, I’m Rafa Nadal and I live on the Worlds most beautiful island, Mallorca”. He wouldn’t need to say anything else.

That’s not going to happen unfortunately, but there are moves afoot to do something even better than above. Soon we could all be flying in or flying out from The Rafa Nadal Airport. I think it’s a great idea and an amazing marketing opportunity for the island. There is a Change.org petition online, here is the link, https://www.change.org/p/gobierno-de-españa-llamen-al-aeropuerto-de-palma-aeropuerto-internacional-rafael-nadal 

Some have said he only won because Djokovic wasn’t there. That’s rubbish as you beat what’s in front of you first and no one can predict what might have happened. All three are without doubt great tennis players and all of them have won a Grand Slam event with one of their rivals missing from injury or illness. 

Let’s not let that get in the way of what is for me one of the greatest achievements in sporting history and he and the others aren’t retired yet. So it could get better. Rafa Nadal I salute you and is there any chance of an interview please? 

The Winter Olympics officially got under way yesterday in Beijing, with almost 3,000 athletes from 91 nations competing to get their hands on one of 109 gold medals on offer. Probably not as popular as the Summer Olympics but still as exciting. My memories of Team GB in the Winter Olympics are the ice skater Tim Curry in 1976, Robin Cousins in the ice skating in 1980. Torvill & Dean also ice skating in 1984 and the failures of Eddie the Eagle in 1988. Most of us out there can probably remember the Jamaican Bobsleigh team of 1988 and the subsequent 1993 film “Cool Runnings”. Well 24 years later they have qualified again! Let’s hope we hear them chant before they start, “feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get on up, it’s bobsled time! Cool Runnings!”

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.00-10am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

Now something I’ve never done in writing is a book review. To be honest I’m not really a reader of books. I love an autobiography which I would normally take on holiday. But as circumstances have prevented me from taking one for the past two years my reading has become non existent. I do though love to promote Mallorca and over the last month I’ve been lucky enough to meet and interview two people who not only love Mallorca, they have written about it. 

Neither of these books are conventional which is what I love about them. All the writers have taken what is an amazing subject and looked at it in a totally different way. 

Firstly I met Mark Edwards just before Christmas, who has written a book called Faces of Mallorca with his co-author Steffi Schultz. 

Its a new book that seeks to show the island’s character through personal and moving photos & stories of the Mallorcans themselves.

Combining stunning imagery with moving stories, the book shows an eclectic range of Mallorcans as they share their hopes and dreams with the reader. The authors interviewed well-known people on the island, such as tennis trainer Toni Nadal, Michelin starred chefs, artists and musicians. But they also feature many more unknown people like fishermen, cloistered nuns and even an Indian sun dancer.

After interviewing Mark I knew it would be a book that my Mother would love for Christmas. Sure enough she said to me in the new year that she hasn’t been able to put it down. 

Stand outs from the 59 people featured for me were, Toni Nadal(Rafa’s Uncle) who wrote the foreword and someone who I’ve been lucky enough to interview in the past. Antonia Montaner the lamb lady of the restaurant Es Verger in Alaro. Who I remember was featured in one of Rick Steins programmes of Mallorca and he said it was the best lamb he had ever tasted. The restaurant also gets a mention in the other book below. Xisco Campos who was the legendary former Captain of Real Mallorca and finally Jorge Munoz. He was the pediatrician for both of our boys at Son Espases and a really lovely guy. The photography is stunning and the stories behind the people are very interesting. 

To find out more about the book, please visit: 

http://www.facesofmallorca.com

https://www.instagram.com/facesofmallorca/

https://www.facebook.com/facesofmallorca

I’ve met Lizzie Graham on a few occasions talking about her business Natura Cavall. She is a great character who like me shares a passion for her business and the island of Mallorca. Natura Cavall means natural horse, which describes the journey they are on as they bring together horses from all walks of life, loving them, dedicating their time and energy to them here on Mallorca. In their excursions you will get to know the most unspoilt corners of Mallorca. You can sleep outdoors, swim with the horses in the sea or discover historical sites in the mountains of Mallorca. They will design your individual horseback riding experience. 

Anna, Lizzie’s sister lives in Scotland. She is a Commercial and travel photographer and has so far written two books. Whilst exploring the islands a few years ago both sisters agreed that there wasn’t a book promoting the Balearics and more importantly all of the off the beaten track places that people would visit more if they actually knew about them. In my opinion there couldn’t be a better pair of people to put this together and it’s taken them three years of travelling across all of the Balearic Islands. It’s a must for all tourists visiting the islands and without doubt for those of us that live here. The book itself will be out soon for us to discover the hidden gems across all of the islands but I asked them to pick out at least one of their favourites from each of the islands. 

IBIZA 

Dip in the mysterious tidal pools of Atlantis, hidden at the foot of the towering cliffs, and watch the sun setting over the legendary island of Es Vedra 

MENORCA 

Hike the Cami De Cavalls trail from the Parc Natural Albufuera de Es Grau to the lighthouse at Cap Favaritx stopping to dip in all the remote beaches along the way 

FORMENTERA 

Visit Cap de Barbaria and look for the mysterious, hidden hole in the lunar landscape, climb down the ladder and wander through the cave to find a glorious sea view open up in front of you 

MALLORCA 

Gallop along the wild beaches from Son Real to Son Serra on a beautiful horse and enjoy a swim on horseback. Keep an eye out for the ancient talaiots.  

MALLORCA 

Feast on roast lamb at the mountain refuge of Es Verger before heading off to explore the wild trails in the Trumuntana mountain range

Wild Guide Balearic Islands by Lizzie Graham & Anna Deacon is out on March 1st through Wild Things publishing. Available in Mallorca via Amazon.es and in the UK in all major retailers online and in store.

We seem to be on the right path to normality and this gives us a perfect chance to find out more about our islands.

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.00-10am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

I’m always willing to wax lyrical about sport here in Mallorca. Our sporting facilities are second to none which without doubt helps us produce such great talent. The current crop that were born here on the island includes the footballer Marco Asensio at Real Madrid, the Basketball player Rudy Fernandez at Real Madrid, Rafa Nadal the current World number 5 in tennis and Cata Coll the Spanish ladies under 17 goalkeeper who’s just won the World Cup in that age group and the Women’s Champions League with her club Barcelona. Moto GP is another sport where we excel and Palma born Joan Mir has just finished third in the Moto GP World Championship.

I also write about Balearic Football on a regular basis and it is flourishing at this moment.

La Liga: Real Mallorca currently 16th.

La Liga Smartbank: UD Ibiza currently 10th

Primera RFEF: Atlético Baleares currently 4th

Segunda RFEF: SD Formentera currently 1st, Peña Deportiva 5th, Ibiza Pitiusas 7th, Andratx 8th.

In the Copa del Rey, Andratx made it to the last 64, losing only on  penalties to Sevilla. Atlético Baleares beat La Liga sides Getafe and Celta before succumbing in the last 16 to Valencia. Finally Real Mallorca are in the Quarter Finals after beating Espanyol in the last round. 

So sport, the teams and individuals we’re producing are doing very well on the islands. 

But today I wanted to write about two young guys who weren’t born here but have chosen Mallorca as their training home. I’ve been lucky enough to have met and interviewed both of them and believe me when I say they are both on the way to becoming very successful in their chosen sports. 

You may remember back in October I interviewed Welsh Boxer Liam Jones who was just starting out on his boxing path and had just turned Professional. Liam is from Wales and his parents own a place in the South of the island and he had signed a professional contract with trainer Paul Hamilton and the team at Shambhala Gym in Santa Ponsa. Since then he has won his first two professional fights and the New Year has brought some more good news. 

Mallorcan Real Estate businessman Javier James will be sponsoring Liam’s next 3 fights in Mallorca after he agreed a deal with the Balearic boxing federation.

Paul Hamilton is working with Néstor Domínguez (manager/promoter) towards Liam’s next fight, to take place in March in Mallorca. 

He said “this 3 fight deal puts us in a fantastic position to help get Liam to the top.”

Liam said “I am really happy to have the backing of a Spanish company and I can’t wait for a busy 2022.”

Liam also has great support, from his personal sponsors based in the UK.

Motor Connect, Cardiff Steel, Watches of Wales, Sam Dry Lining, Boxraw 

Unquie Sports Management. Who are all very excited about the journey ahead. 

From my part, Liam is a lovely quiet guy who keeps himself to himself but don’t let that fool you, he is what his nickname says a bull in the ring and I for one wouldn’t like to get punched by him. 

20 year Luca Kidd was born in Maidstone in Kent. Since the age of 10 he started Wakeboarding and by the age of 14 he was good enough to leave the garden of England and head to the sunshine state of Florida. Florida is the capital of wakeboarding and is where you want to be if you want to succeed in the sport. Now Wakeboarding for the uneducated like me is a water sport in which the rider, standing on a wakeboard, is towed behind a motorboat across its wake and especially up off the crest in order to perform aerial manoeuvres. Now when I say he was good enough that probably doesn’t tell the true story because at the age of 17 he won the Junior Pro-Man World Championships. That is an unbelievable achievement. From March to September he is training and competing in the US and the winters are spent here in Pollensa where his parents live. He says having travelled all over the World, Mallorca is without doubt one of the best places to live and he will always come back here.

He is the only Brit competing on the US circuit in a sport dominated by Americans and Australians who of course have the raw materials on their doorstep. In 2021 and now competing in the adult series he was ranked number 9 in the World. It’s off season right now but the next event is in Melbourne, Australia in March and then off to the States in April. 

Luca is sponsored by Malibu Boats, Liquid force, CBD mountain, M north inc and Bro! Clothing. 

From my part, Luca was such a polite grounded young man with a total surf vibe going on. To achieve what he has already in his sport is definitely something to shout about. 

Both of the guys were a joy to meet and interview. We should be proud that they’ve chosen Mallorca to train and I for one will be keeping an eye out for their results. 

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.00-10am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

It’s strange how people in power seem to think that they are above the law and can get away with pretty much anything. Now firstly I’m all for innocent until proven guilty but in this day and age of social media, most people have already made up their mind of a persons guilt before they’ve had a chance to explain or gone to trial. Now I don’t want to get in too deeply to the rights and wrongs here but there’s been some pretty high profile stories lately. I am of course talking about Boris Johnson and Prince Andrew. Neither have covered themselves in glory and instead of coming out and apologizing that they were wrong at the beginning, they’d rather hide behind excuses not to. Does the apologizing in most peoples eyes actually admit guilt? I would say not but it does give you the opportunity to explain if you can your actions and if there are further questions to answer then you do at the appropriate time. In both of these cases they seem to have been badly advised which I find staggering in the positions they are in. 

This leads me onto Novak Djokovic. The Worlds number one tennis player is another who thinks he is above the law. He has a choice not to be vaccinated but for someone that travels around the world doing the job he does, surely it was going to be difficult. In the words of our very own Rafa Nadal “He has taken his own position and everybody is free to take their position. But there are consequences. I don’t like the situation. In some ways, I feel sorry for him. 

“But he knew the conditions months ago. He made his own decision.” 

To come to one of the worst locked down countries in the World in his position was in my opinion always going to end in tears. Neither Djokovic or the Australian Government have painted themselves in glory here but the time it’s taken to make this decision has been far too long and drawn out. Surely it should have been sorted before he even stepped on the plane? But I’m sure he thought that in his position they wouldn’t refuse him entry and in the case of the Australian Government as soon as they saw public opinion changing they overruled the judge’s decision. Why? Well call me Mr Cynical but there’s an election coming up, which is probably why Boris in his case hasn’t been so apologetic as he could be in office for at least another couple of years.

Governments or governing bodies making such slow decisions is the norm these days and very frustrating. The F1 debacle, where in my opinion Lewis Hamilton was robbed of a record eighth World Championship is taking an age to come to a conclusion. We heard this week that we will all have to wait until March 18th to hear the result of the FÍA, the governing body of formula 1 investigation, Really? The race was on November 20th and we have to wait nearly four months for their decision? Come on!

Finally on decisions taking an age, VAR in football is actually causing more arguements than it was supposed to be solving. When before it was the referees decision on the pitch, right or wrong. Now if the VAR referee thinks he’s got it wrong he advises him to look at the screen. Nine times out of ten he then changes it. So it’s now the opinion of the VAR referee that is influencing the game. So now we’ve got two clowns running a game! Take last weeks Manchester United v Aston Villa FA Cup match, it took over three minutes for the officials to disallow a “goal” for Villa. If they can’t decide in that amount of time surely the goal should be awarded?

What happened to good old fashioned honesty? I suppose if everything in the World was correct, we’d have nothing to gossip or complain about and I would have nothing to write about! 

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.00-10am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

Happy New Year everyone! We had a great time in the UK visiting family and friends we’d not seen in two years. Two days after our return, I got COVID, so I’ve been in quarantine ever since. I’m out now and have tested negative, and to be honest for me it’s been like having flu. I was tired, achy and had a cough, but other than that I was ok. 

Before I left for the UK we finished up our Radio Christmas Appeal. I just want to say a big thanks to everyone that helped us whether you  sponsored a day, you gave us an auction prize, a raffle prize or you did a special event. Also thanks to people that donated toys, food, dog and cat food, clothes, money and those of you that bought a raffle ticket or an auction prize. All our charities were very grateful for your help at such a difficult time. 

Dear Richie

The Age Concern Team and myself would like to thank the generosity of everyone concerned who has contributed to the Radio One Appeal especially their listeners, with Ritchie and his troupe at the helm and of course the Majorca Daily Bulletin supporters for being so generous in these difficult times we have all had to contend with over the past year.

Our beneficiaries as you can imagine, are in awe with joy.  This help is second to none and more than they could ever expect.  Any extra help brightens their lives in these harsh times so they offer their heartfelt thanks to all of you.

At the same time, they wish as we do everyone all the best for the New Year and may it bring above all health, peace and joy and happiness to all.

Our most sincere thanks to you lovely people out there with big hearts and above all to Ritchie and Jo for organising everything, what would we do without you.

Kindest regards

Jackie Codd Moore, B.E.M. President Age Concern

From the Natzaret Foundation we want to thank you one more year for your generosity and making Christmas a little more special for our boys and girls.

Thanks to your donation, we were able to spread some Christmas joy among our young people.

We say goodbye, but not before thanking you once again for your very kind collaboration with the Natzaret Foundation and wishing you all a Happy New Year.

Guiem Cladera, General Manager Fundació Natzaret

Dear Richie,

All of us at Yachting Gives Back would like to say a massive thank you to Richie, Ayesha, Jo and all at RadioOne Mallorca for their fantastic donation from another hugely successful Christmas charity campaign.

We are immensely grateful to your listeners for their generosity and must also mention the very kind donations of food from Palma College and lots of lovely toys from Ian and Debbie Insull, Ian and Steve from Bosun’s Locker and Barry Goldsworthy too. 

Happy New Year from

Nick, Paddy, Louise, Anne and Aila, YGB 

On behalf of SOS CALVIÁ we would like to thank Radio One Mallorca, their listeners , to all those that donated “prizes” and  last but not least EVERYBODY that bought raffle tickets….with all your kindness and good will for your donation to help the Calviá families in need of help with which we bought a PALLET of milk and plenty left over to be able to supply fresh fruit and vegetables on a bi weekly basis….thank you so much and we wish you all a happy and better 2022!

Dino Zamora Jaume & Manuel Mas SOS Calvià 

The Santa Ponsa Food Bank would like to thank RadioONE Mallorca for their wonderful initiative to raise funds over Christmas in order to support local charities en well known organizations. Over the next few months we are committed to use the funds entrusted to us to support families in need in the Calvia area, not only with food, but as the necessities are changing, with ad hoc, specific aid. We are deeply thankful to RadioONE Mallorca, and thank you Richie, for your spirit of solidarity and your compassion in action. It’s a pleasure to partner with you!

Loretta Oddi Santa Ponsa Food Bank 

SOS Animal and the shelter would like to thank all the Radio One Mallorca listeners for their very kind donations we were able to get from you. We will use the money to buy food for our all our cats and dogs. Thank you so much, this is such a big help and we wish you all a happy new year!

Maxi Lange President SOS Animal Mallorca

I’m back on air with Ayesha this Monday at 07.00. 

Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend! 

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.00-10am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance! 

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com