Úrsula Llinares Martínez, known in Benidorm as Sola, has received the town’s Exemplary Neighbour award for 2026 in recognition of a lifetime of helping others through Buen Pastor parish and several community organisations.
The town council and Neighbourhood Council presented the distinction on Thursday 22 October in the council chamber, at a ceremony attended by municipal representatives, associations, previous award winners and members of her family.
A nomination supported by three organisations
Buen Pastor parish, Cáritas Parroquial and the adult education school supported her nomination for an award in which residents, through the Neighbourhood Council, put forward, assess and select the recipient.
Mayor Toni Pérez emphasised the community-led nature of the award and highlighted Llinares’s decades of dedication to activities such as visiting homes, helping people who are ill and taking food to those in need.
Her record includes helping to establish Cáritas in Benidorm in 1975 and working with Manos Unidas and the Spanish Association Against Cancer, alongside her involvement with Buen Pastor parish.
She has also served as a mayorala, a member of the Comissió de Festes Majors Patronals festival commission, and belongs to the Cofradía de la Virgen de los Dolores religious brotherhood, reflecting her participation in local associations.
A commitment to keep helping
In her acceptance speech, Sola shared the award with Benidorm’s civil society, associations and religious communities, making particular mention of Cáritas and the support she has received from her family.
She said the distinction did not make her better than anyone else and, instead, committed her to continuing to help and to being there as one more neighbour of the town.
Born in Benidorm on 22 August 1938, she spent part of her childhood and teenage years in Larache, where her family moved in 1941 before returning in 1957.
She worked as a dressmaker to help her parents.
The ceremony also included contributions from Teresa Garrido of the Neighbourhood Council and Jesús Rosillo, the 2019 recipient and jury spokesperson, together with councillor for Citizen Participation Ana Pellicer.
Conservatoire teacher Aroa Blanco provided the musical programme, performing three pieces with the accompaniment of singers Margo Climent and Luís Alvado during the ceremony honouring Llinares’s contribution to community life.
Your city, in your inbox.
Useful news and plans for Torrevieja and the surrounding area. Mondays at 08:00 and Thursdays at 18:00 (Europe/Madrid): two emails a week. In English, free and without the noise.
Your choice. Confirm your email and unsubscribe at any time.
