Benidorm renews its partnership with the Red Cross to improve living conditions and support people experiencing vulnerability

Benidorm City Council will continue its collaboration this year with the Spanish Red Cross to respond to social and health emergencies that may arise in the city. The continuation of this partnership has been formalised with the signing of an agreement by Mayor Toni Pérez and María Amparo Martínez, president of the local branch of the Red Cross in Benidorm. Under the agreement, the City Council will provide the organisation with €325,000 in 2026 so that it can continue carrying out its work. The signing was also attended by Councillor for Health Ana Pellicer.

The mayor explained that, as set out in the agreement, the City Council will make an initial payment of 75%, amounting to €243,750, at the time the agreement is signed, followed by a second payment of 25%, amounting to €81,250, before the end of the year.

Toni Pérez stated that “we are going to maintain this much-needed collaboration, which has worked so well in recent years and which essentially involves carrying out various initiatives and providing social and healthcare services to residents, while supporting different municipal activities, both in the area of preventive services and social assistance.”

The overall purpose of the agreement is therefore to carry out initiatives aimed at the entire population, in cooperation with the City Council, with the aim of improving living conditions and addressing situations of vulnerability that may affect residents. The agreement is valid for one year, from 1 January to 31 December 2026, and sets out the various activities and services to be provided as part of this partnership.

The mayor recalled that “among the main services that the Red Cross provides to residents in Benidorm are preventive services, emergency response, social intervention through home assistance services, social support for people experiencing extreme vulnerability and for immigrants, health education, programmes to prevent violence against children and young people, the promotion of academic achievement, and environmental monitoring.” He added that all these services “will continue to be provided with full guarantees thanks to this partnership.”

Furthermore, as part of the Comprehensive Emergency Response System (SIRE), the Red Cross will make available to the City Council two Basic Life Support ambulances equipped with all the necessary medical supplies, a ground vehicle, a mobile first-aid unit (PAPS) equipped with medical supplies, and a first-aid station equipped with radio and telephone communications, as well as a centralised system for coordinating vehicles and personnel.

Toni Pérez added that the service will also include staff trained as Emergency Medical Technicians, providing coverage 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They will be able to provide preventive services requested by the City Council at major events, as well as at festivals, educational, healthcare, sporting and other events where their presence is required.