https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed On October 2nd, a power outage left around 1,000 houses in a Madrid neighbourhood without electricity, writes Leah Pattem of Madrid No Frills. https://www.thelocal.es/20201130/caada-real-children-in-madrids-shanty-town-plead Mon, 30 Nov 2020 10:56:51 +0100 caada-real-children-in-madrids-shanty-town-plead A new petition is calling for signatures to pressure budget airline Ryanair to reinstate the popular direct route between Madrid and Newcastle. https://www.thelocal.es/20190917/madrid-residents-lobby-ryanair-for-direct-flight-to-newcastle Tue, 17 Sep 2019 18:49:25 +0200 madrid-residents-lobby-ryanair-for-direct-flight-to-newcastle Leah Pattem, the woman behind the Madrid No Frills blog, looks into how gentrification and overtourism are changing the capital, and argues that it is not for the better. https://www.thelocal.es/20190823/opinion-spains-struggle-with-gentrification-tourism-and-mcdonalds Fri, 23 Aug 2019 16:05:54 +0200 opinion-spains-struggle-with-gentrification-tourism-and-mcdonalds Let's face it, Benidorm isn't everyone's cup of tea. But a photographer is revealing that true beauty can be found in the most unlikely of resorts. https://www.thelocal.es/20190819/18-photos-that-prove-benidorm-is-beautiful Mon, 19 Aug 2019 11:39:44 +0200 18-photos-that-prove-benidorm-is-beautiful When Leah Pattem began her blog Madrid No Frills with just ten, short articles, she had no idea that in three years, it would capture so many people’s hearts. https://www.thelocal.es/20190807/meet-the-woman-with-a-mission-to-save-the-underdogs-of-madrid Wed, 07 Aug 2019 13:40:36 +0200 meet-the-woman-with-a-mission-to-save-the-underdogs-of-madrid Two historians have researched archives, old photos and oral accounts to piece together the forgotten stories of Madrid during the Civil War. Leah Pattem found out more. https://www.thelocal.es/20190326/ghosts-of-war-map-of-bombed-madrid-reveals-a-city-secretly-scarred Tue, 26 Mar 2019 15:00:30 +0100 ghosts-of-war-map-of-bombed-madrid-reveals-a-city-secretly-scarred One year ago a Senegalese migrant street hawker died after being chased by police. Riots ensued and the streets of Lavapiés were filled with the acrid stench of burning rubber. On the first anniversary of Mame Mbaye's death, Leah Pattem, a resident of the Madrid barrio, asks has anything really changed? https://www.thelocal.es/20190315/the-lavapies-riots-one-year-on Fri, 15 Mar 2019 12:38:20 +0100 the-lavapies-riots-one-year-on Hell’s bitter winds have suddenly reversed and the darkest visions of the Spanish Civil War have drifted back onto the streets of Madrid. https://www.thelocal.es/20190131/in-pics-spanish-civil-war-scenes-then-and-now Thu, 31 Jan 2019 11:25:15 +0100 in-pics-spanish-civil-war-scenes-then-and-now Leah Pattem shares what it's like to be on the front line of an eviction. https://www.thelocal.es/20190124/meet-madrids-anti-eviction-warriors Thu, 24 Jan 2019 14:46:46 +0100 meet-madrids-anti-eviction-warriors Two years ago, Leah Pattem, 33, from Newcastle Upon Tyne, embarked on a mission to photograph every fading, no-frills bar she ever visited in Madrid. https://www.thelocal.es/20190119/in-pics-how-one-british-woman-revived-spains-love-for-its-own-no-frills-bars Sat, 19 Jan 2019 17:13:55 +0100 in-pics-how-one-british-woman-revived-spains-love-for-its-own-no-frills-bars What's it like to live homeless on the streets? Andrew Craig has been there and is now inspiring others to get back on their feet. https://www.thelocal.es/20181221/my-spanish-story-homeless-andrew-craig Fri, 21 Dec 2018 10:47:10 +0100 my-spanish-story-homeless-andrew-craig Anti-homeless architecture is often disguised as useful features for pedestrians, but it secretly doubles up as defence against rough sleepers. Leah Pattem of Madrid No Frills investigates. https://www.thelocal.es/20181219/in-pics-madrids-hostile-anti-homeless-architecture-that-you-see-everyday-but-dont-even-notice Wed, 19 Dec 2018 14:37:52 +0100 in-pics-madrids-hostile-anti-homeless-architecture-that-you-see-everyday-but-dont-even-notice