Celebrating the end of our 2015 Costa Women Year

In 2015, Costa Women celebrated our 5th year. We were excited to welcome the arrival of 1027 new members to our community of 4382 Women across Spain (or Women looking to relocate here). It was a busy and exciting year and here’s why:-

We featured

30 members were interviewed via Youtube videos with host Fiona Catchpowle. In 2016, it could be YOU! If you want to tell us about your business, charity, hobby, or project, let me know by emailing costawomen@gmail.com

You Met Up

Thanks to our lovely group of volunteers, we started Costa Women meet ups in NEW locations:-

Almeria – thanks Elle Draper and Jacqui Malpass
Barcelona – thanks Nadine Astorga
Benalmadena/Torremolinos – thanks Mum and Daughter team Nicola and Kerry Sidhu
Costa Tropical – thanks Deborah Johnson
Valencia – thanks JS Kaiser
Costa Blanca South – thanks Sandra Piddock
Costa Women Guadalhorce – thanks Pat Jay

These new groups have extended our reach to 16 locations in total. If you want to meet other Women in your area, join the groups on the website and Facebook too. Check out where we meet up – Find a Meet Up in your area

We are looking for more volunteer hosts to start meet ups in other parts of Spain. Contact me via costawomen@gmail.com. It can be as simple as arranging a coffee morning, or glass of cava at a local bar in your area.

In total Costa Women hosted 127 (66% more than last year) events and you created and hosted 510 events. Our biggest event was International Women’s Day when we were proud to collaborate with Jackie Groundsell of 1230 The Women’s Company and were joined by 90+ women at Andalucia Lab in Marbella. Read all about it – ‘The Stand Out Lesson from Top Professionals’ (thanks Dorothy Dalton). Keep 11th March in your diary for 2016!

On the website YOU shared

183 Blogs about life in Spain and your thoughts and ideas
324 jobs and requests for work
Told us your story via 603 introductions
Created 190 classified posts
Created and joined one of our 100 interest groups for hobbies, ideas, projects, business, plus writing, photography and reading clubs, online groups for locations across Spain, and groups in different languages.

Project Focussed

We also got involved in projects:-

Took part for the second year running in the 5 x 50 challenge – www.5×50.org (thanks Fran Rajewski)
Launched a Fabulous February Carnival where you enjoyed downloads, offers and discounts from various Costa Women Members
Set up Action August during which you launched 2 new businesses
Collaborated with The Mumpreneurs Networking Club and Inspiring Global Entrepreneurs as part of Global Entrepreneur’s Week and distributed 9 videos for you to watch and get some tools and tips for your business and life. Thanks to our speakers.
Amy Hackett-Jones created a new group – ‘100 Days of Happiness’ – setting a positive tone to the last 100 days of 2015

Were promoted

Costa Women were honoured to be presented with an award at the Mijas Foreigners Department 30th Anniversary celebrations. Well done to Anette Skou and the team for setting up the first foreigners Department in Spain which is now a showcase for other Towns and Cities.

Were Featured

(and you may have found us thanks to):-

· Expat Focus – 20 Twitter accounts every expat should follow
· Euroweekly News
· Expat to Inpat
· Expats Blog – ‘Expat Women in Spain creating jobs’
· Currencies Direct – ‘Emigration myths debunked’
· Insider Abroad – ‘Networking and socializing for Women all over Spain’
· Eye on Spain – where, thanks to Sandra Piddock, we have our own blog page
· 3Plus International – ‘6 ways Women’s networks add value’ (thanks Dorothy Dalton)

· Nicole King’s TV and Radio show on Marbella Now – RTV Marbella
· And thanks to Mijas 360 Comunicación have a regular slot on radio and TV to promote Costa Women events and YOUR businesses, charities and projects (thanks Karen McMahon). Let me know if you want to be promoted send me an email to costawomen@gmail.com

· Have a regular article published in Key To Mijas Costa magazine (thanks Sandie)

· Became community partners with Global Living Magazine

Connected on Social Media

Our Facebook page connects us to 4680 friends and followers
Twitter Account – @costawomen made 6318 friends. Are you following us and also the list of Costa Women members?
Our Linkedin Costa Women Entrepreneur’s group now has 170 members

Made a Difference by raising for charity

As part of our International Women’s Day Coference, raised 870€ for Amusuvig Malaga (Asociación de Mujeres Superviviente de la Violencia de Genero) and donated gifts for the Women and Children for Reyes
At our Costa del Sol Summer party raised 1,660€ for Cudeca.org
Supported the Kayak Charity Challenge. Find out more here in a blog from Sandra Piddock
Costa Women Barcelona group raised a whopping €845 which went towards food and medicine for refugees in the camps at Calais.
Through our KIVA group lent 23 enterpreneurs money through microloans to help them create their businesses and help alleviate poverty
Collaborated with Cudeca Goldies and took part in events which raised over 20,000€ for the cudeca.org Hospice.

We loved meeting you at events, on the website, via Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest and through Meetup. Thank YOU Costa Women for making this such a fun Year and for creating happy memories.

Here’s to an even bigger 2016 – watch this space!

Ali x