Greasy pole

The penultimate day of the fiestas of Gijón's Cimavilla / Cimadevilla barrio, which takes place just after the end of the summer holidays.

The local week-long fiesta had started to become moribund over the last year or so. For this year a group of local lads and lasses, mostly 'twenty-somethings' I would guess, decided to get together a new committee and start afresh. They got about 200 residents to subscribe 18 euros each to get it started and this year has been a great success. With music and other events throughout the barrio.

Apart from enjoying the fiestas, subscribers also get a bottle of wine and a bollo preñado, as a thank you. The latter is a bread roll, baked with chorizo sausage inside.

I think they've done a fantastic job. Not only have they taken the initiative and put in their time and energy, but they also comprised most of the volunteers (victims!) to walk the greasy pole.

It's great to see the community's younger generation taking over this responsibility. The barrio's future is in good hands.

(extra photos)