Bernie and the Blues Raise 2420 Euros for Cancer Research UK

Bernie Singleton from Cancer research UK recently teamed up with the Traveller Blues Band and The Clubhouse Restaurant and Bar in Los Gigantes to hold the first Cancer Research Event in Tenerife. The event was held on Wednesday the 2nd of March to raise awareness for the world’s biggest epidemic and disease. The latest statistics now show one in three people will suffer from the disease in some way, and we are still no closer to finding a cure. Cancer Research UK are raising money everyday to help through people like Bernie. They save thousands of lives

each year and now our tiny island of Tenerife has played a part to help the charity.

The Clubhouse Restaurant is located in El Caldera Los Gigantes, and they helped Bernie to organise and hold the even

t. The evening started with a champagne reception followed by food and live music. People came from all ends of the island to support the event, with coaches arriving none stop for the first hour. The venue was overflowing with residents and tourists all willing to help this valuable charity. Bernie had also been out gathering raffle prizes from local businesses such as The Sound of Musicals, Business Pages Tenerife, Dive centres, Jewellers, gift shops the list goes on and on, and a big thankyou was made over the mic to the local companies who

had given so generously. With the venue full and the champagne flowing it was time for the Traveller Blues Band to take stage. They also donated the gig and played a full three hours of Rock and blues entertaining the guests all evening.

The clubhouse had put together a buffet which looked fantastic, Nikki the chef had done a great job of the food, and everyone got feed as they danced around the quiche and chicken drummers. Bernie then held a short talk about Cancer research and the vital help the charity

needs to keep searching for a much needed cure.

Whiskey from the band then offered his original Cigar Box Guitar for auction which raised 250 Euros, before moving onto the raffle and other fund raising games. The prizes were fantastic, and people gave so generously throughout the evening the final figure raised was 2420 Euros.

Bernie was delighted with the turn out and the amount raised in just one evening, she was very thankful to everyone and we look forward to seeing her again next year. The Traveller Blues Band are now in talks with the local tourist board for an open air gig next year in aid of raising money for the Charity. Bernie Singleton will be involved and hopefully we can again show the world that Tenerife is more than just a quick getaway.

For further information you can contact The Clubhouse Restaurant on 0034 600 272 035 or Bernie Singleton at berniefs@live.co.uk

Business Pages Tenerife - back to work.....

After a long summer, our offices are now back in action and we are ready to help with any of your enquiries. As the new 2010/11 Business directory is being delivered, residents will notice our new cut out Residents Card on the front cover. This card needs to be registered from the homepage of the website, or by calling 902 881 061. We will give you a unique residents number which will entitle you to huge savings across the island.. You can save upto 20% on some products and services available in Tenerife with our new Residents Savings Card. These offers will be sent out to our residents mailing list (sign up here) and offer you fantastic deals with Business Pages Tenerife advertisers. Look out for the Bptenerife Logo, in shop windows, on vehicles and in local adverts. Anyone who displays it, are part of the residents savings scheme, and will offer you a discount when you display your card.

For further information email support@bptenerife.com

An Evil night out! San Miguel Medieval Castle

The Medieval castle at San Miguel invited me down to review its evening entertainment last Saturday. With three young boys and a long summer holiday I was only too pleased to take their offer. I have been to the castle before, but my first son was really too young to enjoy the experience, now he is 9 years old, with two younger brothers, aged 5 and 6, the evening was a magical event that took them back to a time of gallant knights and noble kings.

The castle is situated in Aldea Blanca, San Miguel, the building itself is very authentic, and the whole setting as you arrive sparks a night to remember. We parked in the adequate car park, and as we climbed the steps were met by knights and horses. Obviously my children were delighted, and the step back in time had begun. As you enter the castle, it really is like stepping into a time machine, shinning armour, swords and brutal weaponry hang from the walls, with flags and authentic burning fires and lanterns. The whole set is very well designed, and everyone who enters gasps with delight as they venture around the halls. You are casually lead around the castle and get given your coloured bib and crown, then you must hold your tounge, as the count of San Miguel greets everyone of his guests whilst posing for a photo.(Although I did find it strange that we all had to be photographed indiviually, and what a waste of paper, there is more chance of one photo being purchased than 4 or 5 indiviual ones.) As you make your way to the arena, the setting continues to delight, with medieval ornaments and wall hangings. Into the arena, and its huge, bench seating is more than adequate with wine juice and water all part of the price. Slowly the arean fills up, and it becomes aparent what the bibs are for. Everyone is colour coded and the colour matches your Knight, for whom you must cheer and scream every time he needs your support.

The lights dim and the show begins with spectacular dance routines from horses, yes horses. The training and time this must take is amazing, they do not seem to put a foot out of place. This continues to amaze the crowds, and wine starts to flow, beer is also available from the local wench, who visits you in turn. Once the count has made his entrance the food begins to arrive, the children are given a tidy chicken and chips, all included in the price. The only let down for me was the adult meal, it is served with attitude, and casually thrown at you. I know we are at a medieval castle, I know its authentic, but we are not peasants. This with little expense could be hugely improved, and that's not just my opinion, if you look at the mountain of found they throw away its obvious this needs some attention! As the knights begin the games each coloured section cheers and screams as their hero wins points for the team. The end of the night sees some magnificent displays of sword fighting, realistic battles scenes, and fantastic horse riding skills. My children were truly amazed at the whole evening, it was breathtaking for them. I actually enjoyed just sitting and watching them, as their eyes lit with pure amazement.

If you are visiting Tenerife, and are looking for a fantastic way to spend an evening, then this is one of the best you can find. I rate it 41/2 out of 5 stars, it really is worth seeing. The entertainment is fantastic, and you can really appreciate the time and effort that goes into each performance.

For further details you can visit their website here http://www.castillosanmiguel.com/castilloinformacion-en.html

Multi-Tasking

Living in Tenerife can try your patience on many occasions. It seems the word multi-task for many companies is very hard to understand. How many times have you walked into a business premiss and waited and waited until its was your turn, only to be intercepted via a telephone call to the cashier. This then goes on for hours whilst she or he explains how to find the store, over the phone.

In the times we find our companies and businesses facing, it seems obvious that the word multi task should be of most important to employers and employees, if you cant understand the term, then maybe its time for you to sack or be sacked. Its all about getting your hands dirty, that's my conclusion to recession.

When I am old, I mean really old, and my grandchildren look up and ask me "what was the great recession about grandpa?" I will reply, " It was about getting your hands dirty, rolling your sleeves up and multi tasking young one"

My final question is this,

"What are else could you be doing, whilst you are reading this!"

"This better work"

"This better work"

... is probably the opposite of, "this might work."

"This better work," is the thinking of safety, of proven, of beyond blame.

"This might work," on the other hand, is the thinking of art, innovation and insight.

If you spend all day working on stuff that better work, you back yourself into a corner, because you'll never have the space or resources to throw some 'might' stuff into the mix. On the other hand, if you spend all your time on stuff that might work, you'll never need to dream up something that better work, because your art will have paid off long ago.

Seth Godins Blog

Whats your USP?

Do you have one, do you even no what one is? well its not the U.S. Mail service for a start. Your USP(unique selling point) is the unique thing that makes your product or service more valuable then any other. If you haven´t got one, then how can you sell your products and services? You could try and sell them by demoting your competitors, and spending your valuable sales time talking about other products available and why you should not buy them. But this will only exhaust your sales meeting, and maybe even highlight another product not even considered by your prospect. Professional sales is an art form in itself, and compiling the correct tools before you go to work is extremely important. If you don´t know why people should use your products or services, and can only base the reasons on why they shouldn´t use anyone else's is a pointless way to go about your business. Find your unique selling point, package it, and concentrate it in your meetings, you will definitely see your sales improve, and your customer will walk away knowing about your product, its uniqueness and why it is so valuable for them to be a part of.

Carrefour or Care for?

I visited a store on Saturday, with the intention of purchasing a Wii console for my son. The store is usually great value, but this time I realized why shopping online is now taking huge steps, and traditional stores are closing down.
Let's start with the store, my son is fluent Spanish and knew exactly what he wanted, but me, having not researched the product entirely was in the hands of the store attendant.
We headed straight to the console counter, my sons money burning a hole in his pocket as usual. I have three children, and they seem to get good value for money out of their video games. But there is always a fight over controllers and turns etc, so I try to stick with two or three player games for them. That was my first question to the store attendant, I hadn´t looked at the Nintendo games before, and needed to know where it stated players, he pointed to the completely wrong area, and I was left to work this out for myself. We managed, but compared to an Internet store, I would have this information in front of me immediately. We picked up the console and needed to know how many controllers, I again grabbed a store assistant, who pointed out that it came with one. Now inside a Wii package is more than just a controller, you also need a motion sensor, I know, I was confused also. But the store assistant didn't tell me this, I found this out when I returned to my home, and reviewed it on the Internet.
So we plodded through, trying to select a game, but we couldn´t even take it out of the plastic security box to look at the manual, to check players or to research our product, and when we asked the store assistant, he didn't really know either. The point I'm trying to make here is simple, If I had been buying on the Internet, all this information would have been at hand, I would have found videos to check the graphics, reviews on the game play, information on what would be best for my childrens age group. All in front of me, when I asked Google, the best in store assistant in the world.
The most disappointing thing about our shopping trip was the store assistant advised us completely wrong, and going back to the motion senor, without it, you cannot play the two player games he had shown us, we could not play any two player games, because with out it, the second controller we purchased may as well prop the door open.
This is where Internet shopping is taking giant steps, Its time we started to learn from the Internet shopping experience, if we want our stores to survive. We need knowledge at the raise of a hand or the push of a button. I want a store assistant who can help, not who can check my 20 for a dud. You need your products to be thoroughly understood, your services to be above excellent, and your employees to be experienced in what you are selling.
The down fall with shopping online is the time factor, but If we learn to become patient and purchase in advance we will save money, save time, and mostly get what we want.

Rock Story Tenerife

Rock Story is Tenerife latest addition to the live music scene. It seems bands and live music acts are becoming very popular on the island, and Rock Story combines the settings of a hard rock cafe, with three styles of music for three different generations. Bptenerife went to check out the venue, and the sounds.. The location for Rock Story Tenerife is in the old Bingo hall, opposite the Ocean Palace in Fanabe. As you enter and take the steps you immediately feel a Hard rock setting. Signed guitars and memorabilia fill the walls of this huge venue. The decor has been picked out well, and a really classy rock theme produced throughout the club. Inside the venue the seating arrangements are a little strange, around the edge is lush settees and soft furnishings, in the middle of the floor are pop corn seats, which is the main seating area for the stage. To the rear of the room is a well dressed bar, with plenty of staff to serve you. Mind at this point I realized that you would need a small mortgage to get drunk, as three bottles of beer came to nearly 13 Euros. With the small heart attack out of the way, I found myself a comfortable seat around the edge of the room. Maybe it should be pointed out here, if you want people to sit and watch the band, then don´t make a second class seating area for it. You could see many people had been put in an awkward position, with the seating set up they had created. Teething problems I am sure, as when the first band appeared on stage, they took the roof off. The Beatles cover band were fantastic, they had the image, the guitars and even the Banta, I enjoyed them and they seemed to warm up the whole room. The second band The Wall, are a tribute to the amazing Pink Floyd, and a mixture of lights, projections and excellent musical skills recreate the whole place into a Floyd concert. It totally changed the atmosphere, and sucked people into the wall. A great band with excellent skills, many hours of practice must have gone into this fantastic set. We then went into a break, and I realized I had been there for nearly two hours. Time flies when you´re.... oh you now what I mean. The third tribute is Queen, with a great singer, and musicians to create a dazzling performance. I must say this band was my favorite, and really did seem to hit every note. It might have also been down to the fact I had broken into that second mortgage and had, had a few by now! To summarize the overall night, it is really worth going to see, but watch the prices of the drinks, and look out for ticket deals. Buying direct can be expensive, but you are paying for three bands. They are also professional musicians, and not a local knees up, what I am trying to say, is you get what you pay for. It's a shame the drinks inside are so expensive, I would rather pay alot for the ticket and get cheap drink, or vice versa, not both. Rock story Tenerife is a great night out, wether it will be here to stay is another story....

Added 14th July 2010

I received an invitation last week to visit the new"Rock Story Tenerife Musical" a new fuller show, from the much respected Rihanna Shows. The new venue is Exit palace, Junction 29 San Eugenio, just look forSiam park and you will see the theatre at the entrance. I have always liked this venue, and have enjoyed many shows here. The present economic climate forced the previous show to shut down, leaving the Exit Palace Tenerifevacant for a newbie.

Rock Story Tenerife combines three famous bands and a magnificent light show, with an added addition of dance routines and acrobats. The show now seems to come alive, and is in some places amazing. I really don´t want to say too much other than go and see it. The extra work they have put in will certainly pay off, and as word gets around I am sure this will be a huge success for them. The venue is comfortable, and seating in Exit Palace makes for a great show. You can see the stage from any angle (your eyes won´t leave it believe me). The extra lighting and thought they have put into effects makes the price of the ticket pennies for what you get. Drinks are reasonable, and table service at no extra cost just adds to the evenings enjoyment. As you all know, when I review a show like this I give you the facts and figures, on this one for the first time all I will say is this...

"Thank-you for a great evening of music and entertainment, I would recommend this show to everyone, and give it a full 5 stars, YOU MUST GO AND SEE IT!"

Extreme Fishing with Serenity

Free from stress and all anxiety is exactly what you will feel, when taking a trip out on Serenity. The Big Game fishing trip available in the San Miguel marina, is a great day out on the water, accompanied by Eugene, Jim and Imelda.
I arrived down in the marina around 11am, fully sunblocked and ready to fight a shark. My eldest son came along with me after a week worth of Robson Greens fishing shows on Channel 5. His enthusiasm for fishing is extreme to say the least. We found the boat Serenity moored the far end of the marina, just before the Submarine. This was handy, as the coffee shop is a walk away and allows you to get set for your day out. Eugene and his partner Imelda met us, and were very easy to get along with. Both from Dublin, and both keen fishers with warm personalities. They made us feel extremely welcome and talked us through the rigs and equipment on board. My son beat me to the chair, and strapped himself in ready for his first fight. Jimmy the skipper cast off and we headed out to sea.
The marina in San Miguel has really come on, its plesant and peaceful, well built and has a great feel to the place. The fish farms have been moved out, and just the views of the golf course, and shore lines remain. It seems to be a much pleasenter place, compared to the commercial feel of Puerto Colon.
The water was pretty calm, and as we headed out Eugene began to release the lines and set up the outriggers. The equipment was all top class, with rods and reels for both bottom fishing and trawling. In Eugene's words "We go out to fish, not to cash in" and I fully understand him, after taking several trips out before with other excursions, we have been left many times baking in the sun, without even touching a rod. And then after many hours of trawling and not catching, taken back to shore with a shrug of shoulders and a grunt. Eugene and Imelda are keen to make sure you catch, even if it's only a trace of mackerel, they are passionate about making their trip a rememberable one for every passenger.
We pleasantly headed towards Los Cristianos, and hit an amazing surround of dolphins, zipping and spinning around the boat. It always makes a great trip when you see these creatures in all their glory. They are amazingly fast, and certainly seem to control the waves as they ride them. Next was the turtles, flapping their way out to sea, they  don't look as confident as the dolphins, but were a pleasure to see in the wild.
As we waited for a line to run, we took in the sea air and Imelda brought out a prepared sandwich and drink for us both. The Irish are always great as hosts, and we enjoyed each others company, all waiting eagerly for the zip of a reel.
Once passed the small harbor of La Caleta, we decided to try some bottom fishing, and dropped in some lines. For those who don't want to touch the bait, Eugene will rig up for you, and get you going. My son caught the first fish of the day, and we help him to pull up a king mackerel, this made his day, he had caught something, I knew he would be happy. He was positive there had been a bigger fish on the line, and I agreed, after all a seven year old pulling up a mackerel could have felt like a shark.
We began to head in and again the trawling lines went out, eight in total, with some huge lures and traces. Big game fishing is certainly what Eugene does, and his boat and tackle spell it out.
As we waited patently for the reels to snap, the skipper fought the waves. Going towards San Miguel seemed to be a fight, as the wind had picked up and waves were fierce. I took a seat and began to nod off against the tow and fro of the boat. You can easily drift into a deep daydream, and time passes by so quickly. Then came a huge scream of line, the elastic on the rig snapped and we were in. The skipper jolted the boat forward for a split second and then came  shouts all round. The line continued to scream, as Eugene quickly got the other gear in. I took the chair, and the fight was on. Eugene's experience shone through and he talked me through the fight, slowly wearing the fish down. As I pumped the rod, and slowly drew the fish in, my arms began to wear out. It was a good 20 minutes before we had a show, and Eugene seemed to think it was a Bonito, I kind of small Tuna. But we will never know, as the hook came free, and on my final heave it was gone. I was gutted, and my son, well what can I say. You can imagine, all the way home he was explaing to me how I should have done it.
Anyway, I big thankyou to Serenity and its crew from bptenerife, a great value for money trip, with great company and sport.
For further information you can visit their Website, it has full details of what they offer, and availability.

Eight Supermarket Shopping Savings!

Does your food bill seem to grow without fail each week? Then follow these eight simple BPTenerife shopping tips to help bring it back down to earth! I'm not even going to tell you how much my wife and I spend on food each week because it's an utterly ridiculous amount of money for 5 people to spend! Maybe I am just a greedy pig and enjoy my food too much. But what I can tell you is that if I didn't have to eat, I'd be a lot richer! According to Mercadonna the average cost of a basket of 24 staple grocery items has increased by 18%* over the last year. And at a time when we all need to cut back on spending, that's not what we want to hear. So that's why I have come up with eight top tips to help you bring your food bill down to a more digestible size.

1) Plan ahead Think about what meals you're going to have in advance and plan your shopping list around that. When you're at the supermarket, stick to what's on the list. That way you'll avoid impulse buying and you'll only purchase what you need.

2) Look out for special offers Keep an eye out for any special offers at your local supermarket. Most supermarkets' web sites will advertise special offers so you can find out what's available before stepping into the supermarket itself. Make the most of these offers when you can and freeze whatever you don't need immediately (providing it's freezable of course). If you shop towards the end of the day, you're also more likely to be able to take advantage of the 'reduced to clear' shelf. Be wary of 'buy one get one free' deals, however, as they don't always offer good value for money -- particularly if they're on perishable items. You could end up buying more than you need and then throwing some out. To combat this, you could go shopping with a friend (providing you can agree on the BOGOF offers!).

3) Bin the big brands! We seem to be automatically programmed to associate the big brand names with better quality (or perhaps it's all just down to advertising). But supermarket's own label products like Hacienda can taste just as good and cost a lot less! 'Value' items can also be great for basics such as flour, sugar and rice -- you probably won't notice any difference in the taste. But for other items you might be better off paying a little more for a standard brand. Washing up liquid, for example, can be so low quality that you end up using more than you would do with a standard brand.

4) Avoid pre-packaged food If it's possible, try to buy food that isn't wrapped up in loads of packaging as it'll be cheaper. Buy your fruit and veg loose, and also purchase more from the deli counter -- cheeses and meats are likely to be cheaper here than those wrapped up in plastic on the shelves. It will also taste fresher.

5) Shop online Shopping online is also likely to make you more disciplined at only buying what you need. Rather than being tempted to buy items you see on the supermarket shelf, you're more likely to stick to your shopping list!

6) Don´t go Hungry! Shopping on an empty stomach, can be expensive. Seeing all the things you could eat right now, can lead o a basket full of junk. Take my advice and shop AFTER your meal.

7) Cheaper fruit and veg If you want to eat healthily for less, farmers' markets can be a great place to buy fruit and veg. They offer good quality food at supermarket-beating prices. There is a farmer market every Friday Saturday and Sunday, next to the fire station in Las Chafiras, Tenerife Alternatively, you could try to grow your own.

8) Watch out for supermarket scams! Supermarkets will do anything to try to get you to buy more than you really need. So keep your eyes peeled for these cunning tricks: • Store additions -- many of the larger supermarkets now have a café or a Tapas bar attached to them. These encourage you to spend far more time at the supermarket as well as far more money. • Store layout -- ever gone into your local supermarket to find that all the aisles have switched round and you can't find anything? I suspect this is a sneaky trick to confuse you so that you spend more time wandering around passing items that might tempt you. • Delicious smells -- the smell of freshly baked bread wafting down the aisle gets me every time. It's a great way to tempt you into buying some. • Product placement -- cheaper items will often be at the very bottom or top of the shelf, while the more profitable items are placed at eye level so it's those you see first -- so you'll need to hunt around for the bargains. Similarly, more expensive items, such as electricals, are likely to be nearer the entrance so that you have to pass them to get to what you really want. So there you have it -- eight top tips which will hopefully help to reduce your food bill! Happy eating!