Anne Hernandez MBE

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Anne Hernandez MBE. This is a personal tribute from my part, but I have no doubt that that my feelings and thoughts will be mirrored not just on the Costa del Sol, but also around Spain and beyond.

Which expat living in Spain had not come under the care and interest of Anne? I was honoured to be invited to her investiture, by the British Ambassador, as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). It could not have been more deserved by anyone for her tireless work on behalf of others.

Strangely enough, we didn’t get off to a great start, and in no time, we became good friends. At a personal level, she will be missed. But when Brexit reared its ugly head, Anne was clear that there were going to be problems, and the Brexpats in Spain Facebook page was set up. She could not have imagined then that she had created a monster which would grow and grow, until the team she needed around her to manage all of the concerns and problems expanded to Brexpats International. Anne was a no-nonsense kind of person who said it as she saw it. If she didn’t know, she said so and the conversation was over, for then. She had a sharp mind and was a problem solver as well as having great insight to the workings of government and identifying who could help.

She was always available and in great demand. Basically, if Anne didn’t know about it, no one did. She had a hotline to the British Embassy in Madrid and collaborated with news media, radio, television, and most importantly, with more individuals than anyone could count.

Anne was known in every corner of Spain and she was the ‘go to’ person. What tells us more about the person is that she always made herself available.

A spokesperson for Brexpats in Spain said ‘Brexpats is going to continue.  We want to honour her and her dedication, hard work, and kindness. She will be a great loss throughout Spain, but especially here in Mijas.’

Everyone here at the Euro Weekly News sends our deepest condolences to the family.