Whilst attending the Day of the Parish of São Pedro, which comprised of the celebration of mass in the Convent of Santa Clara, followed by a solemn session taking place in the Universe of Memories of João Carlos Abreu, the President of Funchal City Council, Pedro Calado, noted that the parish was ‘rather aged,’ as over 25% of the population is over 65 years-old, with only 20% aged under twenty-four. Taking into account the averages, Pedro Calado proposed a way of solving aging parishes by creating a “housing cooperative for young people,” thus attracting a larger cross section of people living in São Pedro.
Pedro Calado stressed that this proposal had already been adopted in Santa Luzia, with encouraging results.
For the mayor, the objective is to attract more young people to the centre of Funchal, create investment opportunities, attract local and international companies, who will provide greater employment opportunities as well as re-invigorate the city centre and its parishes.
We went on to say, that although younger populations would create a more vibrant city, social protection would be of paramount importance to the elderly living within the neighbourhoods. “We are channeling support to the population that actually needs the support, we are working with various bodies of the Regional Government and committed to giving more and better support to those who need it, through improving the conditions of assistance and conviviality of the senior population.”
Another topic addressed by Pedro Calado, in his speech, was the issue of security. “The streets” he said, “of Funchal are affected by a scourge of people affected by alcohol and drugs and that after the summer, the CMF and the Public Security Police (PSP) will be looking at ways to improve the security and safety of the city centre, and that it is of paramount importance to control and resolve the situation for both residents and visitors to the island.”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
