The council of Orihuela has approved €14,721.65 in grants during a Local Government Board meeting, facilitated by the Department of Rural Development. These funds will support three projects aimed at cultural dynamisation, tradition recovery, and heritage conservation in the municipality's districts.
The grants, awarded through a competitive process, are part of the 2026 call directed at non-profit associations and entities engaged in activities related to cultural heritage conservation, popular traditions, and community participation in rural areas.
The Cultural Association Friends of Music and Dance of Orihuela (ACAMDO) has been awarded €10,295.40 for the project 'Monserrate and the Traditions of Our Orchard'. This cultural circuit will cover the districts of Torremendo, Desamparados, Hurchillo, Raiguero de Bonanza, La Murada, Arneva, and La Aparecida. The project includes educational activities in schools, parades with traditional instruments, and performances of the symphonic poem 'Our Lady of Monserrate', which narrates the history and traditions linked to Orihuela's patroness through music, storytelling, and dance. The activities are aimed at both schoolchildren and the general public.
Meanwhile, the San Bartolomé Musical Union has received €3,982.25 for the project 'San Bartolomé, Music and Orchard', which focuses on cultural dynamisation and the recovery of oral heritage in the district. This initiative includes intergenerational meetings to collect traditional work songs, lullabies, and other musical expressions from the orchard, as well as children's music stimulation workshops, informative activities about local history and traditional irrigation, and a participatory concert. The project also involves creating a digital sound map to preserve and promote this heritage.
The third grant, amounting to €444, has been awarded to the Friends of Culture and Rural World Association for organising the 'Cultural Week of Molins'. This event will feature a storytelling workshop aimed at children and families, as well as a workshop on crafting traditional rope chairs using artisanal techniques from the Segura orchard.
These grants are part of the 2026 Rural Development call, which was initially allocated €18,000 to fund activities taking place between 1 January and 30 October this year. The agreement also includes an advance payment of 80% of the grants, totalling €11,777.32, in accordance with the regulatory bases of the call.
