The sound of leather on willow, men dressed in white, chatter of averages, last week’s win and next week’s opposition, half-read copies of the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror and Sun would suggest that this place is an idyll of British summer. In fact it is Sporting Alfas Cricket Club in L’Alfàs del Pi, southern Spain (Figure 1). Just a stone’s throw from Benidorm, this little corner of Spain is populated by a community of British ex-patriots, most of whom live and work throughout the year in the area. Drawn initially by the climate (average annual temperature 18°C compared to 12°C in London) and the desirable pace of life, the young, middle-aged and retired all gather at the cricket club to take part in the most English of sporting pastimes.
In recent years all has not been trouble free in this corner of paradise. Once upon a time it was possible to sell a home in the UK, move to a much larger one in Spain and live off pensions and savings in English banks. As the pound has lost value against the euro, the expense has risen and belts have tightened. Figure 2 shows how the value of the pound has declined against the euro since 2000 and Table 1 illustrates how this has impacted upon the cost of living for British residents whose savings and income are in sterling.
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