The K9 animal charity has entered a new phase as they announced this week their new committee and plans to become even bigger and better.
At their AGM last week a new president and committee was elected who are all eager and keen to continue with the charity's main priority - the welfare of animals. New president Sheona Lavisher is now joined by Sheila Taylor as vice-president; Diane Smith is treasurer and assisted by Brian Anderson and Sue Whiting is now secretary and funding and redevelopment manager and all are excited about the future for the charity that aims to continue working in the La Marina area to rescue and re-home abandoned dogs and cats. "We had a very good AGM and a very good response from people," Sheona tells the Leader, "We have got a new dedicated team and are moving forward. We have around 20 volunteers working in the charity shop and 30 or 40 others in the background. Sheila is one of the founding members of K9 and is a real trojan and brings with her a wealth of experience to the committee."
Many members of the previous committee sadly chose to step down due to other personal commitments but they had put in place plans to purchase a new vehicle for the charity. Under the previous local government they had been granted an animal rescue vehicle to help with rescues and the transport of animals, this was removed when the new council was sworn in last year and K9 decided to try and get their own transport. A deposit was paid but the vehicle was later deemed unsuitable so the new committee are now looking at following through with those plans and will search for something more appropriate. "This is important to us but our first priority is to get support for all the animals in our care which is currently around 100," explains Sheona.
Sue is also planning a re-fit for the store. With a background in retail in publishing she has arranged for her friend to come over from the UK to help. Having worked with a wide range of French, Italian, Portuguese and Indian companies carrying out refurbishments for top retail stores, he is volunteering his advice and services and will be in La Marina next month to get a feel for the shop and the area to best assess how the charity shop can work for both K9 and the local community. Sue says, "We wanted to do a refit to make it more inviting and part of us wanted to stamp our own mark on it and make it look fresh, new and inviting and it will help motivate the volunteers." The team are looking for donations of any type of shop fittings from shelving units to mannequins that they can use or volunteers who may be able to help with the actual refurbishment planned to take place in March.
A range of fundraising events are currently in the pipeline to help raise vital funds for K9, which receives no funding from the government or local authorities, including bingo nights and raffles. Tickets for the Valentines raffle are now on sale from the shop and they plan to have a large monthly fundraising event. Items of clothing and bric a brac are also always needed. For more information on K9 or to offer your help with the shop re-fit you can call the shop in calle Alfredo Kraus, near the police station and tourist information office during its opening times Monday-Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday mornings 10am-2pm on 965 077 208, alternatively call Sheona on 966 180 131.

FLETCHER JONES, the failed menswear group, is to sell all its stock while the administrator tries to find a buyer for the iconic brand. From today, stock in all 30 remaining stores will be liquidated by Hilco Merchant Australia, a retail shutdown specialist that worked on last year's collapse of the Borders bookstore chain.
The administrator, Bruno Secatore of Cor Cordis, said the company's 159 staff would have work for the 12 weeks needed to sell the stock. After then, their fate was uncertain.
While the former owner, the Dimmick family, has guaranteed that employees will receive their entitlements, continued employment depends on the fate of each store.
Mr Secatore said that in addition to trying to sell the brand name, he was looking for retailers who would take over individual stores and buy shop fittings. ''We had some parties who were only interested in the name and the store network,'' he said. ''While there are some people who are still interested in the store network, until such time as we've realised all the stock, the store network has to stay with us.''
He had received offers to buy the business as a going concern, but the Hilco offer would give Fletcher Jones's creditors a better return. ''I've got a duty to all the creditors to maximise the return to them,'' Mr Secatore said.
The Dimmick family had been propping up the business, but it put the company into administration on December 9 last year, with about $8.5 million owing to unsecured creditors. Mr Secatore said a meeting of creditors would be held ''shortly after'' May 14.

Dinosaur attractions continue to fascinate and educate children, and there are large dinosaur exhibitions in most large metropolitan areas of California. Museums are excellent for field trips and family outings, and other dinosaur attractions such as the Cabazon Dinosaurs can at least be entertaining for their curiosity value. California also has the distinction of having more than one tyrannosaurus skeleton exhibition. Both Los Angeles and Berkeley have skeletal displays of this awe-inspiring creature.
University of California Museum of Paleontology
The museum of paleontology at the University of California in Berkeley boasts the largest paleontology artifact collection in the world. A rare, full-scale tyrannosaurus rex skeleton is among the many dinosaur bones in the university museum's collection. The Valley Life Sciences Building contains the tyrannosaurus skeleton, as well as other dinosaurs, and is the sole area of the museum that is regularly open to the public. The rest of the museum is used for scientific research, though it opens to the public once a year during Cal Day, every April.
Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County has numerous dinosaur attractions. Kids can admire the many dinosaur skeletons -- including a tyrannosaurus rex and triceratops, watch animatronic dinosaur puppets and get a glimpse of paleontologists at work inside the museum's Dino Lab. It is recommended that you call ahead if you want to experience the puppets, and though many exhibits such as the dinosaur skeletons are permanent, there are sometimes temporary dinosaur exhibits as well.
San Diego Natural History Museum
Visitors to California's Southernmost metropolis can check out the San Diego History Museum, which is conveniently located near the world famous San Diego Zoo. In addition to a permanent dinosaur bones exhibition, the museum also features dinosaur themed 3-D films. Movies are subject to change, and there are sometimes temporary dinosaur exhibitions, so it doesn't hurt to call or visit the museum's website in advance.
Cabazon Dinosaurs
Although it's more kitschy than educational, kids and adults may enjoy the Cabazon Dinosaurs which can be found near I-10 between Riverside and Palm Springs. The dinosaurs consist of a giant brontosaurus and tyrannosaurus, which tower over the interstate and are claimed to be the largest dino sculptures in the world. Originally built adjacent to a motel as a roadside tourist attraction, the Cabazon Dinosaurs now feature a museum and small children's ride.

Administrators are searching for a buyer for shop fittings and display equipment manufacturer, Anglo ERI, after it collapsed yesterday.
The company, which is based in the Cambridgeshire town of St Neots, had a turnover of ?28 million and counted high profile retailers including Arcadia, GAP and Next among its customers. It is part of the Estrella Group of companies, and it is understood that administrators have also been appointed to some other companies in the wider group, including Radius Interiors, CDM Displays Ltd and CDM Shopfitting.
Anglo is now in the control of administrators from the Cambridge office of Grant Thornton, with Ian Carr and David Dunckley keeping the business trading while they lead the search for a new buyer. Mr Carr said that the whole group had suffered under very challenging market conditions, making administration for Anglo ERI the only viable option.
"We are seeking the support of customers, suppliers and employees to enable trading to continue while a potential buyer is sought," he said. "However, this is obviously a worrying time for all those involved with the business, especially the employees."
Anglo ERI employs 120 permanent staff, but has a "significant" number of contractor workers.

Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, (11th November, 2011) - Displaysense, leading suppliers of shop fittings, is urging UK retailers to begin their winter promotions early this year, to make the most of the mild weather in case of heavy snowfall.
The company believes shops which stock their shelves with seasonal goods may be left with a large amount of unsold items if snow hits, and they are therefore unable to sell the volume they need. The past few years have seen colder than usual winters, with temperatures in some parts of the UK reaching lower than -20 degrees Celsius. This costs shops and businesses millions of pounds, as well as sending travel networks into turmoil.
Displaysense marketing manager Jim Moody said: "Heavy snowfall can be devastating for retail stores, so we are encouraging retailers to drive their promotions sooner rather than later while the weather is still good. In recent years we have seen much colder winters and so less people have been heading out to shop, which has led to display cabinets packed with excess seasonal stock after Christmas. Retailers should take advantage of the mild weather whilst they can; you never know when the snow and ice could return."
About Displaysense:
Established in 1978, Displaysense is a leading supplier of bespoke sale displays. Their range of products includes display cabinets, fabric steamers, mannequins, leaflet stands and shop fittings. They have a wealth of experience in quality retail displays and operate manufacturing units in over 25 countries around the world. They have offices and two warehouses in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, from where they ship all over the UK and Europe.