Latest news with #GranadaVillage&Country
Telegraph
04-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
‘We bought Casa Alamanda – we want to breathe new life into rural Spain'
Nicola and Mickey Walters had never heard of the tiny village of Moclín until they watched Amanda Holden and Alan Carr's recent house renovation series, Amanda and Alan's Spanish Job. They were so taken by the TV duo's transformation of a derelict Andalucian townhouse into a colourful Alhambra-inspired property that they have just bought Casa Alamanda, the three-bedroom, house that Amanda and Alan built. 'We had no plans of buying another property,' says Nicola, who with Mickey owns a villa in the Costa del Sol. But then she couldn't resist. 'I put in an offer without even viewing it. A few weeks later, we were asked if we'd like to visit it, so we flew out the next day, and the moment Moclín came into view, we both just said 'Wow'. We knew this was the place we'd like to spend time and for others to enjoy, too.' More British people are being drawn to Europe's dying rural villages in the hunt for ultra-cheap properties and unspoilt countryside. In Italy, some villages are offloading unloved homes for €1 a pop to draw in buyers, boost the population and revive the area; elsewhere you can find properties for a few thousand. Moclín is a prime example. It is off-the-beaten track, with just 200 residents; when someone dies, it makes a dent in the population. It has just one shop and two bars (one of which is only open on weekends). Most young people have left for jobs in Granada or Malaga, and it is not known for its competitive housing market. Before the BBC bought the house it had been empty for 35 years. But Nicola and Mickey were up against unprecedented demand for a property in a town where you can still pick up ruins for under €50,000. The newly-renovated house – which was originally bought in its rundown state for €65,000 – went on sale for €245,000 last month (with all profits going to charity). It attracted 35 offers from overseas buyers in the UK, South Africa, Sweden and the US, one at asking price, with the highest reaching €455,000. One bidder offered €100,000 plus a Ferrari. Yet it wasn't simply a case of selling the house to the highest bidder. 'The point of the series is to breathe new life into dying villages, so we don't want someone who will simply buy the house as a holiday home that will sit empty for most of the year,' says Ian Rutter, of Granada Village & Country, who handled the sale. He recalls the delight of his neighbour when he and his husband, moved to Moclín in 2016, as almost every house in the street had been abandoned. One bidder didn't want to rent out the property when he wasn't there. Another needed to go through a complex visa process to move to Spain. The Walters, meanwhile, as cash buyers, could act quickly and have pledged to support local charities such as Moclín's Women's Association. Nicola and Mickey, who are from Flint in north Wales, aren't planning to run Casa Alamanda as a B&B, which was Holden and Carr's vision for it, but they intend to employ local people to operate it as an Airbnb property to ensure, they hope, a constant churn of visitors when they aren't using it. 'Villages like this have lost essential services over the decades, such as healthcare, education, banks and shops,' says Nicola, who, with 54-year-old Mickey, runs a medical manufacturing company. 'We hope to encourage tourists back and encourage the idea of renovating and rejuvenating these areas, and we want to start by working with the locals, young and old, on tours and experiences that we can offer while staying at Casa Alamanda. Moclin is considered to be the last border of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada and holds so much history, which should be remembered and shared.' Although the subject of tourist lets stokes great antagonism in many Spanish cities and popular coastal destinations, where they are blamed for pushing up house prices beyond the reach of locals, in rural areas it's a different matter, says Rutter. 'Inland Spain relies on sustainable tourism to revitalise underpopulated areas, so tourism is positively encouraged. By renting out their properties, buyers are making a constant contribution to the local economy,' he says. It's a similar story in rural Portugal, where properties are often handed down through the generations, and are of little appeal to younger family members who have long since left for the city. Pedrógão Pequeno in the Castelo Branco region is one such town. It's less than two hours' drive from Porto and Lisbon, and set in stunning landscapes of mountains, lakes and river beaches. But with just 700 residents, its population is less than a third what it was 50 years ago. For a supermarket, bank or pharmacy, you need to drive to neighbouring Pedrógão Grande. One of the few foreign residents is Paul Rees, founder of Rural Properties, who has spotted an opportunity in renovating ruined properties and selling them in fully-finished and modernised form to overseas buyers – three quarters of whom relocate to the area. 'You can find ruins for €20,000, but most buyers don't want to take on a big renovation job, and there is little fully complete stock for people to buy,' Rees says. 'Most properties aren't advertised for sale either, as people don't like paying an estate agent's commission. So if you go to a village, you'll see one For Sale sign that has been there for three years, but go to a local café and you'll hear about dozens of houses for sale when you get chatting to people.' Rees does the chatting, the sourcing and the renovating – and buyers can have a say in the finishings and finer details. One current option, near the market town of Figueiro dos Vinhos, is a large, ruined stone 18th-century farmhouse set in a secluded hamlet with a river running through it, priced at €140,000 for the fully-finished, modernised version. The rural lifestyle and relative affordability are the main attractions for buyers from the UK, Northern Europe and the US. But the villages also benefit, says Rees. 'Selling renovated properties to incomers helps breathe new life into towns and villages that have suffered decades of depopulation,' he says. 'People moving in means more money spent in the local bars and shops. If a family moves in, that's more kids for the village school. The locals are delighted. All they've seen for years is people moving away and never coming back, so they welcome newcomers.' Christine Cole, who recently moved to central Portugal from Liverpool with her husband Simon, is renting a cottage while Rees renovates the 16th-century house in Pedrógão Pequeno that they have bought for €175,000. 'These houses are often left to ruin and some streets are almost entirely derelict. Locals are glad that people are moving in,' says Cole, 64, who co-runs an online retail business with Simon. 'It's hard if you don't speak Portuguese, so we are taking the free classes offered by the local council,' she adds. 'We love the feel here of the little communities. We have our bread delivered by a van – we just Whatsapp our order the day before. And the countryside is stunning.' They moved to Portugal after having spent six months sorting their D7 residency visas first. Mandy and James Walker moved to Castanheira de Pera – a picturesque village with beautiful river beaches – in 2020, after they were both made redundant during the pandemic. They paid €80,000 for an unrenovated stone house in the centre of the village. 'Our lounge used to house the Post Office and our barn was a tavern,' says Mandy, 59, whose cousin, a builder, has renovated their property for them. 'We're the only non-Portuguese residents in the village, and most people are fairly elderly. I know one child who lives here and a couple of teenagers. But we've been welcomed with open arms,' adds Walker, who now works as an estate agent for IAD Portugal. Her clients are mainly foreign – Dutch, British, Americans and Israelis are amongst the current crop – and the sort of property they want, such as a fully-renovated two and three-bedroom houses with a garden, costs around €200,000. 'They want to get out of the rat race and this is a beautiful place to live. People here embrace families moving in. Once a house is renovated in a dilapidated village, others follow.' It's a trend that many residents of Spain and Portugal's depopulating rural villages will hope holds true. Back in Moclín, Ian Rutter is doing everything he can to raise awareness of such locations. 'We love living here and our neighbours are like family,' he says. 'That sense of belonging, of family and of community is priceless and as long as we continue to help to assure the future of the village, then we will be happy.'
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Amanda Holden, 54, wears a mini dress made entirely of MONEY as she flaunts 'millionaire' lifestyle in a private jet and Ferrari
Amanda Holden made sure to command attention on Thursday morning as she headed to work at Heart FM via a private jet and luxury Ferrari. The presenter, 54, was celebrating the final of Heart's Make Me A Millionaire competition and got into the spirit by soaking up the 'millionaire lifestyle'. Amanda was dressed for the part as she donned a strapless minidress made out of £50 notes and toted her belongings in a matching handbag. She added to the look with a money pillbox hat and donned a white fur coat and stilettos. The mother-of-two posed up a storm in her private jet as she sipped a glass of champagne and larked around with her pet pooch. The Britain's Got Talent judge then hopped into a waiting red Ferrari and drove to the Global radio studio in central London. During her breakfast show with co-host Jamie Theakston, Amanda made one listener won a million pounds, after competing against nine finalists in the biggest on-air game show on British radio. It comes as Amanda and Alan Carr are set to make a tidy profit from their Spanish TV renovation project. The pair snapped up a crumbling 100-year-old townhouse in Granada for €65,000 (£55,000), transforming it into a stunning holiday home on their hit BBC show Amanda and Alan's Spanish Job. They later listed it on Rightmove through Granada Village & Country with an asking price of €245,000 (£208,335). After just over a month on the market, the Spanish townhouse appears to have found a buyer, as it's now marked as 'under offer'. However, Amanda and Alan won't be keeping any profit as all proceeds from the sale will go to Comic Relief and Children in Need. According to Manchester Evening News, a total of 35 offers were made for the property from buyers all over the world. Ian Rutter, director of Granada Village & Country, told the publication: 'We invited offers over €245,000 for the property, allowing demand to settle the final value of the house. 'We always knew that the purchase price would be above market value, and it was clear that many of the potential buyers were very keen to support the two charities that will benefit from the proceeds of the sale. 'Some of the offers were very generous, but we looked at a number of factors when putting together a shortlist for the vendors.' Amanda and comedian Alan painstakingly transformed the property with a Moorish-themed interior design - even hand picking the perfect kitchen tiles from the Bert & May factory in nearby Cabra themselves. Having been unoccupied for 35 years, this prominent village house was restored across three floors while maintaining the charming original features. The master bedroom suite features a beautiful hand-moulded ceiling that drew inspiration from the Alhambra Palace in nearby Granada while the bed is framed by similar Moorish-inspired mouldings. The French windows have Juliet balconies overlook the main village square and have stunning views. The house is in clear 'Amanda style' as there are many details which mirror her own lavish £7million home which has bright walls and homely details. It even features a fun bar area similar to in Amanda's house - complete with dark blue wood. Amanda risked the wrath of BBC bosses after claiming that she took 28 flights during the making of the show in Spain. Her comment came weeks after the BBC unveiled its first Climate Transition Plan, detailing how it intends to be net zero by 2050. Speaking of his green plans, director general Tim Davie said: 'This will be a huge collective effort. It won't be easy, but we must act, and act now, to reduce our environmental impact.' The pair snapped up a crumbling 100-year-old townhouse in Granada for €65,000 (£55,000), transforming it into a stunning holiday home on their hit BBC show Amanda and Alan's Spanish Job But it seemed Amanda didn't get the memo. She let slip that she took more than two dozen flights while she hosted the show. A BBC insider told the Mail in February: 'They were spitting feathers in Broadcasting House when they heard how much jet setting goes on to make that show. 'If that's how many flights Amanda took, you can only imagine how many there were with Alan and the rest of the crew. 'Tim Davie is always speaking about the need for the BBC to reduce its emissions, and this makes a mockery of his words.' The renovation show, which broadcasted on BBC1, was filmed between March and September and is made by production company Voltage TV. Amanda told podcast The Rest Is Entertainment: 'I think we made 28 flights in total, so we were absolutely shattered and I broke at least four sets of nails. 'We fly out backwards and forwards, obviously I've got other jobs that I do, so does Alan. So we will fly out for three days, come back and do the other work, and fly out ten days later. 'Also there are times when me and Alan can't be there together, so you might see me relaxing on the beach or going to the spa, and Alan might be bashing down a wall and that's because our schedules weren't able to work together.' Amanda's team disputed it was 28 flights and said the figure was 16. The average return flight from the United Kingdom to Spain generates 195kg of CO2 per passenger. When approached the BBC said 'all efforts were made to reduce carbon emissions' during production including waste recycling, rechargeable batteries for all filming equipment, and car sharing. The BBC told the Mail: 'Amanda Holden and Alan Carr were required to fly back to the UK during breaks in filming for other work commitments. 'The construction crew was sourced locally and crew members who travelled from the UK were mostly based in Spain for the duration of their contracts.' The series followed the success of Amanda And Alan's Italian Job, which was aired for two series in 2023 and 2024 and was nominated for a National Television Award, which saw the pair renovate two dilapidated apartments in Sicily.
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Amanda Holden and Alan Carr are set for massive profit as they nab offer on stunning Spanish villa they renovated on latest series of their BBC show
and Alan Carr are set to make a tidy profit from their Spanish TV renovation project. The pair snapped up a crumbling 100-year-old townhouse in Granada for €65,000 (£55,000), transforming it into a stunning holiday home on their hit BBC show Amanda and Alan's Spanish Job. They later listed it on Rightmove through Granada Village & Country with an asking price of €245,000 (£208,335). After just over a month on the market, the Spanish townhouse appears to have found a buyer, as it's now marked as 'under offer'. However, Amanda and Alan won't be keeping any profit as all proceeds from the sale will go to Comic Relief and Children in Need. According to Manchester Evening News, a total of 35 offers were made for the property from buyers all over the world. Ian Rutter, director of Granada Village & Country, told the publication: 'We invited offers over €245,000 for the property, allowing demand to settle the final value of the house. 'We always knew that the purchase price would be above market value, and it was clear that many of the potential buyers were very keen to support the two charities that will benefit from the proceeds of the sale. 'Some of the offers were very generous, but we looked at a number of factors when putting together a shortlist for the vendors.' Amanda and comedian Alan painstakingly transformed the property with a Moorish-themed interior design - even hand picking the perfect kitchen tiles from the Bert & May factory in nearby Cabra themselves. Having been unoccupied for 35 years, this prominent village house was restored across three floors while maintaining the charming original features. The master bedroom suite features a beautiful hand-moulded ceiling that drew inspiration from the Alhambra Palace in nearby Granada while the bed is framed by similar Moorish-inspired mouldings. The French windows have Juliet balconies overlook the main village square and have stunning views. The house is in clear 'Amanda style' as there are many details which mirror her own lavish £7million home which has bright walls and homely details. It even features a fun bar area similar to in Amanda's house - complete with dark blue wood. Amanda risked the wrath of BBC bosses after claiming that she took 28 flights during the making of the show in Spain. Her comment came weeks after the BBC unveiled its first Climate Transition Plan, detailing how it intends to be net zero by 2050. Speaking of his green plans, director general Tim Davie said: 'This will be a huge collective effort. It won't be easy, but we must act, and act now, to reduce our environmental impact.' But it seemed Amanda didn't get the memo. She let slip that she took more than two dozen flights while she hosted the show. A BBC insider told the Mail in February: 'They were spitting feathers in Broadcasting House when they heard how much jet setting goes on to make that show. 'If that's how many flights Amanda took, you can only imagine how many there were with Alan and the rest of the crew. 'Tim Davie is always speaking about the need for the BBC to reduce its emissions, and this makes a mockery of his words.' The renovation show, which broadcasted on BBC1, was filmed between March and September and is made by production company Voltage TV. Amanda told podcast The Rest Is Entertainment: 'I think we made 28 flights in total, so we were absolutely shattered and I broke at least four sets of nails. 'We fly out backwards and forwards, obviously I've got other jobs that I do, so does Alan. So we will fly out for three days, come back and do the other work, and fly out ten days later. 'Also there are times when me and Alan can't be there together, so you might see me relaxing on the beach or going to the spa, and Alan might be bashing down a wall and that's because our schedules weren't able to work together.' Amanda's team disputed it was 28 flights and said the figure was 16. The average return flight from the United Kingdom to Spain generates 195kg of CO2 per passenger. When approached the BBC said 'all efforts were made to reduce carbon emissions' during production including waste recycling, rechargeable batteries for all filming equipment, and car sharing. The BBC told the Mail: 'Amanda Holden and Alan Carr were required to fly back to the UK during breaks in filming for other work commitments. 'The construction crew was sourced locally and crew members who travelled from the UK were mostly based in Spain for the duration of their contracts.' The series followed the success of Amanda And Alan's Italian Job, which was aired for two series in 2023 and 2024 and was nominated for a National Television Award, which saw the pair renovate two dilapidated apartments in Sicily.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Amanda Holden and Alan Carr's beautifully restored Spanish house from BBC show is now up for sale
A beautiful home which has been completely restored by Amanda Holden and Alan Carr is now up for sale at €245,000. The duo set out to transform the derelict property in the historic village of Moclín in Granada, Spain as part of their BBC One show Amanda and Alan's Spanish Job. The final episode, which aired tonight (Friday, March 14), saw Amanda and Alan go all out for their final room in the home, which had been unoccupied for 35 years, designing a lavish Moorish-themed bar to complete their home restoration. Similar programmes on the BBC have previously seen the Britain's Got Talent judge and comedian renovate homes in Sicily and Tuscany, after finding the properties for just 1 euro. READ MORE: 'I live rent-free in a shipping container and spend just £260 a month on bills' READ MORE: Turn rough towels 'super soft' without fabric conditioner with 30p ingredient that hotels use Following the finale of their Spanish renovation journey, the beautiful three-storey house is now looking for an owner to cherish it. The home is being marketed through Granada Village & Country and will also be featured on Rightmove, with offers in excess of €245,000. Whilst carefully retaining some of the original features and integrity of the building, the house has now been brought back to life. Amanda and Alan's interior design ideas were drawn from Andalusian culture, art and design, whilst also reflecting their own styles, which has resulted in a unique and eclectic home. The restored house now features three large bedrooms, two bathrooms, a stylish kitchen with a large central island, a dining room and a top floor bar and living area which resembles a sophisticated London private members' club. Outdoors there is a sheltered and private patio garden with a first floor roof terrace and the option of creating more accommodation on the ground floor in the former stable. The master bedroom suite is rather impressive, with a hand-moulded ceiling that drew inspiration from the Alhambra Palace in nearby Granada, and the bed framed by similar Moorish-inspired mouldings. The French windows each have Juliet balconies that overlook the main village square. A spacious Jack & Jill bathroom links the master bedroom suite with the adjacent guest bedroom on this floor. The top floor guest bedroom has an open-plan ensuite bathroom with an arabic-style built-in bath, and a walk-in wardrobe and dressing area. Ian Rutter, director of real estate agents Granada Village & Country, who originally sold the house to the TV pair, said: 'This house had been empty for 35 years, and one of the attractive aspects of working with Alan and Amanda on this project was that it would breathe new life into a property right on the village square. Ian added: "Many villages like Moclín suffer from rural depopulation, as young people leave their family communities to find work in larger towns and cities. "Restoring old and abandoned village homes brings so much to the area in terms of the local economy, the continuation of traditions, the opportunity for revenue generation and even employment, so it has been a joy seeing this lovely house being brought back to life, and with such sensitivity.' Proceeds from the sale of the property will be split equally and donated to Comic Relief and BBC Children in Need. More details of the property can be viewed on the Granada Village & Country website.
