Spain's five-star La Manga Club is celebrating its 45th anniversary in style after joining a select group of courses in Spain to have been granted royal status by the Spanish royal household, the 'Casa Real – Royal House'.

Having received the Spanish Royal Golf Federation's coveted 'Merit in Golf' award last December, the resort's golf club has been awarded the title 'Real Golf La Manga Club' in recognition of its royal connections and key part in promoting Spanish golf since opening in 1972.

A five-time host of the Spanish Open, La Manga Club's five-star hotel, the Hotel Principe Felipe, is named after Spain's present king, who stayed at the resort in 1992. In addition, his parents are among the numerous famous VIPs and celebrities that the top sports and lifestyle venue has hosted since its inception.

The accolade, which is only given to golf venues that are at least 25 years old, comes nearly a year after the resort – in conjunction with the national and regional golf federations – first approached the royal house to be considered for the honour to help mark its anniversary.

La Manga Club joins some of the most prestigious names in Spanish golf to have been awarded the royal title including Real Club de Sotogrande and Real Club Valderrama, a regular host of the European Tour and venue for the 1997 Ryder Cup.

José Asenjo, general manager of La Manga Club, said: “La Manga Club has been at the forefront of promoting Spanish golf, both home and abroad, and to be acknowledged in this way means a huge amount and makes us very proud.

“It has been our pleasure and privilege over the last 45 years to have played host to some of the most famous people in the world, including the Spanish royal family on more than one occasion.

“La Manga Club is one of the most famous golf, sports and lifestyle destinations in Europe, and to be given this prestigious accolade is a fantastic achievement in what is a special year for the resort.”

Boosted by continued investment on and off the course, La Manga Club has enjoyed a 2017 to remember. Other notable achievements include being named 'Europe's Leading Luxury Resort & Villas 2017' at the World Travel Awards Europe, receiving a Golf Digest 'Editors' Choice Award for Best International Resorts 2017', and being shortlisted to be named as Spain's Best Spa Resort at the 2017 World Spa Awards.

Gonzaga Escuriaza, president of the Spanish Royal Golf Federation, said: “We are delighted that La Manga Club has received this recognition. The resort, among many other things, has always worked tirelessly to promote golf in Spain and, having hosted many national and internationl championships, the award is very much deserved.”

The royal announcement marks the start of a busy period for La Manga Club that will see the resort stage a number of promotions and events to commemorate its 45th anniversary.

Three 18-hole golf courses, a nine-hole academy course and outstanding practice facilities have helped to establish La Manga Club as a firm favourite with golfers worldwide, with its temperate climate and outstanding other sports and leisure facilities making it the perfect venue for professional and amateur tournaments, or a sunshine golfing break.

Set in an area three times the size of Monaco, the resort's unrivalled facilities as a sports and leisure destination also include a 28-court tennis centre, a 2,000sqm spa and fitness centre and new European Cricket Performance Centre – the first of its kind. In addition, it also features the choice of a five-star hotel, four-star serviced apartments and townhouses and more than 20 bars and restaurants.

Free children’s activities, fitness classes and sports activities are on offer at WV Active’s next Super Saturday.

The last Super Saturday of the year will take place at WV Active Aldersley between 10am and 2pm on Saturday 21 October, 2017.

Visitors will be able to have a go at a range of sports, including basketball, badminton and table tennis, while tennis and netball courts will be available to use free of charge.

Four fitness class tasters – Group Cycle, Body Pump, Tabata and HIIT Abs – will also be taking place for those who fancy tackling a fitness challenge.

Families can enjoy Kids Club and Tots Play sessions as well as free face painting throughout the day, while children can also enjoy an energetic bounce party or get stuck into arts crafts activities being held by representatives from Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

The City of Wolverhampton Council’s Healthy Lifestyles Team will be offering free mini health checks which cover BMI, weight, height and blood pressure, while the Fostering for Wolverhampton team, local brewer Ale Bar Box and WV Catering will also have stands at the event.

Councillor Steve Evans, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for City Environment, said: “Super Saturdays are a great opportunity for people to find out more about what is on offer at our three WV Active leisure centres, and to have a go at a new sport or activity for free.

“This is the last Super Saturday of 2017, so I would encourage people to get themselves down to WV Active Aldersley and join in the fun on 21 October.”

New tennis coaching courses for adults and children of all abilities will be launching at WV Active Aldersley shortly.

The City of Wolverhampton Council-run leisure centre is working in partnership with Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis and Squash Club to offer the courses, with the first taster session on Tuesday 31 October free of charge.

The courses will last for eight weeks and cost £20 per person, with the option of taking part in sessions on a Tuesday evening or Friday evening.

The programme, available on both Tuesdays and Fridays, includes Mini Tennis for children aged six to 11 years old from 4.15pm–5pm, Touch Tennis for anyone over the age of 12 from 5pm–5.55pm and Cardio Tennis for people aged 16 and over between 6pm and 6.45pm.

Councillor Steve Evans, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for City Environment, said: “We’re delighted to be teaming up with Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis and Squash Club to offer these new sessions for people of all ages and abilities at WV Active Aldersley.

“Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis and Squash Club is affiliated to the Lawn Tennis Association, which is one of a number of governing bodies we partner with through WV Active to provide opportunities to local people, including England Badminton, England Hockey and England Netball to name but a few.”

Ever fancied doing a Triathlon, but feel you are just not fit enough to complete it in one go? Or do you simply want to develop new fitness habits? David Lloyd Clubs, Europe’s leading health and fitness group, is offering everyone the opportunity to take part in MySwimRideRun - a Triathlon which is completed in chunks, spread over the month of October. Opening its doors on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the month to non-members wanting to take part, it is holding the initiative to raise vital funds for the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) life saving research into heart disease.

Whether it’s their first triathlon challenge or whether they’re a seasoned pro, members and non-members alike have the month to complete it whenever they want, and a level to suit them. There are four levels of triathlons available – sprint, olympic, half and full triathlons.

Sign up is easy. Participants simply need to register at www.bhf.org.uk/myswimriderun and register. Here they will find a range of fundraising and training tips. Non-members will then receive information about how to access their day passes.

Money raised from sponsorship will go towards funding pioneering BHF research, which will help us better understand how to prevent, diagnose and treat heart and circulatory disease, which is the cause of more than a quarter (26%) of all deaths in the UK.

Andrea Dearden from David Lloyd Clubs commented, said: “The autumn is the ideal time to get back into a new routine after the excesses of the laid-back summer holidays.  MySwimRideRun is offers everyone opportunity to take part, and is the perfect way to get back on track to achieving their health and fitness goals.”

“MySwimRideRun is completely flexible and includes a challenge to suit every fitness level, whether you are new to fitness or regularly take part in sporting events. As well as being a great fitness motivator, it’s a fantastic way to support the BHF’s work in making heart disease a thing of the past.”

Jane Aldous, Head of Corporate Partnerships at the BHF, said: “MySwimRideRun is a challenge like no other and we’re delighted to be partnering with David Lloyd Clubs with this new and exciting initiative.  By taking on this fantastic challenge, every mile you complete will bring us closer to beating heart disease for good. Our research has already helped halve death rates from heart and circulatory disease over the past 50 years, but there is still so much more to be done.

“An estimated seven million people live with heart and circulatory disease in the UK today, so everyone taking part in MySwimRideRun will be helping us stop heart disease in its tracks and  support us in our search for more lifesaving breakthroughs.”

Pupils from local schools helped Show Racism the Red Card at a special event at Molineux Stadium last week.

Over 100 young people, including pupils from St Luke's CE and Eastfield Primary Schools in Wolverhampton, took park in an anti-racism workshop, watched a Show Racism the Red Card educational film and enjoyed a question and answer session with a panel of guests including Wolverhampton Wanderers FC players and representatives of the City of Wolverhampton Council.

The event was organised by Show Racism the Red Card, the UK's leading anti-racism educational charity which uses the high-profile status of football and football players to publicise its message.

Councillor Claire Darke, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Education, said: “Show Racism the Red Card educates 50,000 young people every year, helping to make Britain a safer, more inclusive place to live, and I am delighted that so many local pupils were able to take part in this session and find out more about the issues around racism.”

With the 2017 State of the Tourism Industry Conference (#SOTIC2017), scheduled to official open tonight 10 October at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort, in #PureGrenada, a number of member countries of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) have been speaking with the media in a specially arranged day of destinations briefings yesterday.

Overall, they spoke in detail about the impact of hurricanes Irma and Maria, at and the recovery process.

Each affected destination recounted its losses, acknowledging the countries that have extended support and also explaining how they are forging ahead with the much costly rebuilding process.

Grenada

Chief executive officer of the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) Patricia Maher highlighted some of the major achievements of the tourism sector in Grenada during the past year, including a significant surge in visitor arrival, because of an increase in the number of cruise calls and flights to the Spice Island.

Ms. Maher also alluded to bright prospects for the Grenada tourism sector, with an increase in room stock, through the construction of the first luxury resort, Silversands, on Grand Anse Beach; the Kimpton Kawana Bay Resort to be constructed in the near future, and the refurbishment of the Spice Island Beach Resort, among other projects, aimed at boosting the tourism product.

Nevis

Devon Liburd, the director of tourism for Nevis, said the island escaped the worse of the storms and was open for business. Mr. Liburd also indicated that St. Kitts and Nevis had contributed US$1.5 million to some of the affected countries.

Barbados

In his address, William “Billy” Griffith, the chief executive officer of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) spoke of the state of the Barbados all-time high cruise arrivals of more than 800, 000 visitors in 2017 and increased development of the hotel product, such as the opening of a new Sandals Royal Hotel in December, 2017, doubling the hotel’s capacity, and the US$200 million-dollar Sam Lord’s Castle Resort – expected to be the biggest hotel project on the island - which will add 400 new rooms in 2020. He noted that air capacity has been growing due to increased demand for the destination.

St. Maarten

Rolando Brison, the director of tourism for Dutch Sint Maarten, who joined remotely, said his country lost at least 70 per cent of the hotel inventory, leaving much work to be done to restore the tourism industry there.

He announced that the Princess Juliana International Airport would resume operations today (10 October), and that Royal Caribbean cruise lines is return to the destianation in November, 2017, when the cruise port reopens for cruise arrivals.

St. Martin

Valarie Damaseau, president of the St. Martin Tourist Office, in French St. Martin, who also address the media via Google Hangout, said her country’s focus will be on preparing for the 2018-2019 tourist season.

Ms. Damaseau said roads and beaches had been cleared and cleaned; grocery stores and petrol stations are well provisioned; many bars and restaurants have reopened; electricity has been restored to 88 per cent of the households and a full recovery, including restoration of water and telecommunications, is expected by the end of October 2017.

Bahamas

Joy Jibrilu, director general of the Bahamas ministry of tourism, spoke of the growth in that country’s tourism industry and also some of the challenges being faced. The growth, however, was largely attributed to the massive Baha Mar resort. She also noted an increase in airlift to the Bahamas, independently initiated by carriers.

Martinique

Karine Mosseau, Martinique’s commissioner of tourism, commenced her country’s presentation by expressing her deep regret at the damage caused by the recent hurricanes, and shared a message of support and togetherness. She also was thankful that Martinique had been spared.

Valerie Vulcan, deputy director of the Martinique Promotion Bureau, noted that Martinique was voted as one of the safest islands in the Caribbean in 2016. She detailed Martinique’s growth as a tourism destination, particularly as a cruise destination, while stating that stayover guest arrivals were increasing, in areas such as the yachting sector.

Anguilla

Cardigan Connor, Anguilla’s parliamentary secretary with responsibility for tourism, sports and culture, noted that up until the passage of Hurricane Irma, on September 6, 2017, Anguilla had recorded strong growth in the tourism sector for the year.

Mr.Connor said the island had been ranked as the top island in the Caribbean by Travel and Leisure Magazine for 2017. He said despite hurricane damage, which could exceed the annual budget of EC $200 million, cleanup across the island was progressing well. Basic utility services are being restored, the airport in Anguilla has reopened, with restored access to the Princess Juliana Airport on neighbouring St. Maarten, as of October 10, 2017, and that many hotel properties were planning to reopen for Christmas.

Hotels that have already reopened have been mainly accommodating hurricane relief workers. However, Anguilla is now officially open for business, with plans for significant development of their current airport facilities in the near future.

British Virgin Islands

Sharon Flax-Brutus, director of tourism for the British Virgin Islands (BVI), also joined remotely and said that pre-Hurricane Irma the BVI was poised to have a record-breaking year.

She said progress was being made in restoring communication, basic utilities and airport services.

Ms. Flax-Brutus said most luxury properties may take up to two years to complete refurbishment, properties like the Nanny Cay - a top resort and marina – will be the first to reopen to guests, with other smaller hotels and places of accommodation soon to follow.

The BVI will not be open for business during the month of October 2017, during which time assessments will be completed; yachts repaired; accommodations, beaches and tourist attractions restored and the integrity of access ports repaired.  Like Anguilla, available room stock is currently being utilized by hurricane relief workers. The BVI will begin to welcome guests to the islands on November 1, 2017.

St. Eustatius

Charles Lindo, director of tourism at the St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation, made a brief presentation about his island, which is a short flight from St. Maarten. The island currently has a room stock of approximately 175 rooms, which is expected to increase to 250 by 2018. The island, known for its diving and nature, boasts a tranquil, environment, he said. Lindo said the island is actively seeking suitable investors.

SOTIC, which has as its theme Supercharging the Caribbean Brand: Meeting the Needs of the New Explorers, is the preeminent educational forum for Caribbean hospitality and tourism professionals. This year’s conference is being organised by the CTO in collaboration with the Grenada Tourism Authority and Grenada’s ministry of tourism, and will be held from 10-13 October at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort. The conference will be preceded by business meetings on 9 and 10 October.

Key conference sessions include Infusing Dynamism in Caribbean Tourism, Who are the New Explorers, Business Models that Rock, Turning Our Waters Into Goldmines - Investing in the Blue Economy, and Spicing Up the Caribbean Brand.

The highly anticipated tourism youth congress and a Stakeholders Speak Out session are also part of the programme.