Good Neighbour Awards Part 4

These are the last of those commended for the Good Neighbour Awards 2024 as announced by Age in Spain.

A Good Samaritan

Kimberly Olsson, from Torrevieja, has a reputation locally for caring for the feral cats in the neighbourhood. But recently, while feeding the colony of cats that come to her, she found a man whom she initially thought was dead.

When she discovered he was still alive, she took responsibility for finding him shelter, washing and ironing his clothes, and dealing with the bureaucracy around getting him into the social care system.

She registered him with Helping Hands in San Luis to provide food for him and has followed this up by ensuring that he is in contact with a social worker. Says the neighbour who nominated this Good Samaritan ‘ He is a gentle Spanish man who had fallen on hard times. Without Kimberly I don’t know what would have happened to him.’

Helping a neighbour in need

The final commendation was for Esther de Veer from Lloret Blau, nominated by her 90-year-old neighbour whom Esther has been helping in all sorts of ways since the neighbour had a bad accident.

Apart from shopping and cooking for her neighbour, Esther has been walking her dogs and dealing with all the requirements of daily life. Her neighbour commented “As I live alone and recently celebrated my 90th birthday, it gives me great peace of mind to know Esther is at the end of the phone.

“I believe she helps others, but she doesn’t talk about it.”