Caring for people in the Orihuela Costa Community

As part of our efforts to give back to our community, we are sponsoring the Help at Home Costa Blanca charity in Playa Flamenca.

We're making a donation for every property we sell to contribute to the work that this vital local charity does every day.

The charity was originally founded around 12 years ago to provide a simple service for people within the community. Over the years, Help at Home has become an essential part of the local neighbourhood, offering support and assistance for people of all ages.

From their established shops in Playa Flamenca, the charity covers areas from Pilar de la Horadada in the south of our region, to La Marina further northward in the Costa Blanca.

Despite the name, their focus is no longer on assistance within the home, and the mobile community team provide services to individual municipal areas including Torrevieja, Ciudad Quesada, Rojales, San Luis, and all areas of the Orihuela Costa.

Today, Help at Home's mission is to provide social care and assistance to people in need - wherever and whenever they need help. Whether people need physical assistance, psychological support, or simply someone to reach out to, the charity is always on-hand.

Help at Home Costa Blanca charity in Playa Flamenca

Help at Home is staffed by a dedicated team of volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, and nationalities. Each person brings their skills and experience to bear for the benefit of residents.

Members of the welfare team provide comprehensive support, including assistance with transport needs, the provision of mobility equipment, and in-home accessories so that less-mobile residents can live safely within their homes.

Their day-to-day services include providing respite care for people of all ages, personal shopping services for groceries and essential items, and providing short-term rehabilitation support for the ill and infirm.

Help at Home also provides translation services, organises access to the Spanish healthcare system, and helps with social security applications both here in Spain and in residents' countries of origin.

In the past, the charity has provided defibrillators to local businesses and assisted Ukrainian refugees. Help at Home works in cooperation with other charities, such as animal charities, to ensure that every donation is utilised and nothing is wasted.

Charity shops in Flamenca Beach commercial centre

Help at Home utilises its two shops to sell household items and pre-loved clothing to raise funds for the welfare team. In turn, the volunteers provide specialised equipment and a valuable service free at the point of delivery.

Their clothing outlet in Playa Flamenca is one of the largest sustainable fashion shops in the region, with an extensive range of secondhand clothing for men, women, and children, including a selection of footwear and accessories.

Just next door, visitors will find the Help and Home homewares shop. The spacious retail unit is filled to the brim with everything a property owner in Spain might need, including kitchenware, bed linen, children's toys, sports equipment, and so much more.

It's a veritable Aladdin's Cave of secondhand household equipment and the perfect choice for new Spanish homeowners looking to equip their holiday home in Spain for the first time.

Help at Home also offer a collection service for donations in association with a house clearance company. Items of furniture or household appliances can be donated to the charity, and collection is arranged by the charity free of charge.

Fostering a sense of community with a new meeting hub

Work is underway to open a new drop-in centre that aims to provide a focal social hub - a place in the community where people can come together to speak with each other and socialise.

Plans are in place to provide support for people feeling isolated or lonely, in addition to a men's mental health clinic that focuses on psychological and emotional well-being.

Despite the mature population in Orihuela Costa, these two areas of emotional care remain sensitive, somewhat socially indecorous, and commonly subject to stigmatisation.

You can find Help at Home's charity shops in the Flamenca Beach commercial centre in Playa Flamenca with this Google Map. The shops are open from 10:30 until 14:00 Monday to Saturday, and ample free parking is available immediately adjacent.

Alternatively, if you would like to learn more about Help at Home or donate to this worthwhile charity, call (+34) 634 328 794 or check out their Facebook page.

Our Managing Director, Alexander Pichlmayr, met up with the charity recently and spoke with Liz Ward, the secretary of the charity. Liz was kind enough to set aside some of her valuable time to speak with us, for which we are grateful. Watch the video interview below, or watch on your YouTube app here.