My name is Ophelia Smith I took over the presidency of Age Concern Marbella & San Pedro on 17 July 2026.
As your new president I’m sure you’d like to know a bit about my background and what my plans for the future of your organisation are.
Starting with who I am, I have a long standing commercial background in business to business media with major publishing companies in the UK running from 1979-2009. On retirement I started my own marketing communications company ‘Amethyst Communications’ which I ran until 2016. During this period I also enrolled for a language teaching course at Kingston University. Languages and communications was something I’d enjoyed and worked in most of my adult life so it seemed like the obvious choice.
In 2016 we sold our home in London and decided to move to Spain where we’d owned a property for the last 16 years. Having done charity work in the UK with Contact the Elderly for a number of years and giving this up on our departure. I was anxious to join and work with a charity over in Spain. So, when my husband mentioned about the possibility of joining the CONCORDIA AIDS charity I was eager to find out more about it and to finally join their team.
I worked with the amazing Concordia team for a number of years until they dismantled the charity on the president’s retirement and positive developments in the management ,containment and prevention of the disease itself.
Towards the end of last year, a mutual friend of ours told my husband that AC Marbella and San Pedro would be looking for a new president in 2026. It was then suggested that I might want to consider putting my name forward for it and after some consideration I decided to do so and this is how I came to be your new president.
My aim going forward is to raise awareness and funds to allow us to not only carry on the good work which has been done in the past but to hopefully improve on it.
This I am sure is doable, I have inherited a good, hard working committee and team of volunteers who I am sure will be instrumental in helping me achieve my aim.
Communication,is key to create awareness of the excellent work undertaken by all members of the AC Marbella & San Pedro team. Communication, is also key for informing lonely people out there that they don’t have to suffer loneliness in silence that we’re here to listen, to share a cup of coffee or tea with, to help decipher official documents, to help with a trip to the supermarket, the doctor’s etc., We are only a phone call WhatsApp or text message away!
Funds are required to help us carry out the continued good work, by purchasing the necessary equipment such as wheelchairs to loan to those who need them . They also help us to fund medical and other types of assistance for those who have little or no income.
Thank you, for sparing me the time to read all about who I am and what I plan for the future of your organisation. I really look forward to meeting you all.
