Interviews

Submarine Makeover

The Yellow Submarine is an icon of Lanzarote tourism. Owner Paul Bunce estimates that 3-5% of all visitors to the island take a trip in the Puerto Calero attraction.

“Projects that create jobs will be vital”

At the age of 32, Jacobo Medina is one of the youngest and most visible politicians on Lanzarote, who became the secretary general of the PP party on Lanzarote last year and currently holds the vice-presidency of the island's Cabildo after the agreement with the Socialists which ousted the Coalicion Canaria from power last year.

There’s Always Wine

While tourism ceased to exist on Lanzarote during the lockdown, the island's wine sector continued to face the future. We spoke to Víctor Díaz, the President of Lanzarote's Regulatory Wine Council, to find out what the future holds for the island's vintages.

“This is a crisis”

At the time of writing, 88 people have tested positive for coronavirus on Lanzarote since the virus arrived in March, and only three cases remain. Meanwhile, over 5,000 have lost their jobs and 19,000 have been furloughed on a reduced income which has often been delayed for months. Currently, the real crisis on Lanzarote is not a virus; it´s poverty.

Fighting for a better future

On Sunday 14th June, a group of supporters gathered in Arrecife's Calle Real to demonstrate in support of the Black Lives Matter protests in the USA. That demonstration was led by 26-year-old local activist and artist Laura Balde Ejjar

After the fire

On February 5th, fire broke out at The Good Old Days bar and restaurant on Puerto del Carmen’s Avenida de las Playas. No one was hurt, and it wasn’t the worst fire the resort has seen, but it’s still a huge setback for any business. We chatted to Nolita and Charlie about the experience.

Spotlight On: Blas Martínez

On the 24th of this month, the Lanzarote-born tenor Blas Martínez will present a programme of songs at San Bartolomé’s pretty theatre. We talked to a man who started life by the side of Arrecife’s Charco and went on to conquer the world.

The Heart of the Matter

Heart Failure is the most common cause of death for men in both the UK and Spain, and the second most common for women. Gazette Editor Shaun Addison, who suffered a heart attack last June, recently chatted to two other Lanzarote residents who have recently been treated for heart attacks, to hear about their experiences.

Cooking to be kind

Jilly Simmons is a Lanzarote resident who has just written and published a vegetarian and vegan cookbook that will be sold in aid of SARA animal shelter. We chatted with her last month.

Your Captain Speaking!

The Líneas Marítimas Romero ferry plies between the northern village of Órzola and La Graciosa’s capital eight times a day in the winter, with extra trips in the summer months. The 25-minute voyage is usually divided into two sections – a dash to the north-east tip of Lanzarote in waters that are often choppy and rough before the ferry rounds the Punta Fariones into the calmer Río, where passengers are treated to spectacular views of the brooding cliffs of Famara.