People with an appreciation of cartoon art are advised to head to southern Spain this month, as an interesting new exhibition has opened in Alicante.

The Enrique 1972-2005 exhibition contains a selection of drawings by the celebrated Spanish cartoonist Enrique Perez Penedo, who was born in the Costa Blanca city.

Giving visitors the chance to view the work of one of Spain’s most gifted and humorous cartoonists, the exhibition runs until February 18th, according to Communitat Valenciana.

Penedo’s work has appeared in the local newspaper Informacion de Alicante, as well as Spain’s leading sports publication La Marca and the magazine Panorama Azul. He is also president of the Spanish branch of the European Federation of Cartoonists’ Organisations.

Alicante is currently a major attraction for cartoon fans for another reason - the new Asterix movie was shot on location in the city and premiered at the Teatro Principal on Tuesday (February 5th). Nearby areas such as Benidorm and Santa Pola can also be seen in the film.

Property in Spain has plenty to offer both second home buyers and professional investors, an expert has said.

Editor of independent property website BuyAssociation Paul Collins said that Spain will “always be popular with British overseas buyers” for a variety of reasons, such as the country’s climate, way of life and established status as a favourite holiday destination.

However, he also stated that Spanish property is very useful for investment purposes, particularly as the element of risk is comparatively low compared with other investment markets such as eastern Europe.

“Spain still offers some really good investment opportunities,” he said.

Mr Collins advised people looking for a property in Spain to take time over their decision and research all locations thoroughly, no matter what purpose they are buying for.

“Make sure that the property you find is exactly the right one for you,” he added.

According to a recent survey by pensions provider Scottish Widows, 39 per cent of British people consider moving overseas for their retirement, with many people favouring the warm weather and laidback lifestyle of the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca.

An area of the Valencia region will soon be protected as a national park, according to plans unveiled by the Spanish government.

The Sierra de Escalona, which provides a home of large number of rare animal species, will become Valencia’s first national park when it is established later this year, Homes Worldwide reports.

Maria Angeles Centeno, director general for the management of the environment, stated that the Sierra currently contains one of the largest populations of wildcat in the country, as well as a significant number of the Bonelli’s eagle.

The area’s new status as a national park will prevent major building projects in the area and ensure that the animals’ natural habitats are maintained, according to the website.

IberiaNature.com states that there are only about 1,000 pairs of Bonelli’s eagles in the whole of Europe, with 750 of these found in Spain.

Fans of Asterix may like to head to Alicante this week, as the comic character’s latest film instalment is set to premiere in the Costa Blanca city.

According to Typically Spanish, Asterix at the Olympic Games will be shown for the first time at Alicante’s Teatro Principal on Tuesday, having been shot in several locations around Alicante.

Made at a cost of €78 million (£58.5 million), the film is said to be the most expensive movie production in European history and was mainly shot at the Ciudad de la Luz in Alicante, while nearby locations such as Santa Pola and Benidorm were also used.

Gerard Depardieu reprises his role as Asterix’s faithful companion Obelix, while Clovis Cornillac takes the title role. Veteran French actor Alain Delon also stars as Julius Caesar.

The film is adapted from the popular series of comic books by French artists Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. According to Time magazine, the new movie also features cameo appearances from Zinedine Zidane and Micahel Schumacher.

A British family have relocated to the Costa Blanca and claim that it has enabled them to enjoy a more active family life.

John Chessher, a software businessman, decided to take a life changing decision to relocate and invest in a Spanish property on the coast after he found that he was working long hours and not spending enough time with his family.

The Chessher family now live on the Costa Blanca and have fallen in love with Spain’s inclusiveness, the friendly people and its rich traditions and customs, Homes Worldwide reports.

Mr Chessher, 40, is delighted to have swapped the executive lifestyle in England and Hong Kong for life in Spain, which gives him a chance to enjoy life outdoors because of the sunny climate.

“I used to go to work in the dark each morning and come home after my daughter had gone to sleep,” he explained. “Now I balance work with family trips to restaurants and scuba diving - it’s quite a change.”

An exhibition of ancient glass pieces has opened at the Archaeological Museum (MARQ) in Alicante, showcasing some fine examples of glasswork dating back hundreds of years.

Entitled La fragilidad en el tiempo: el vidrio en la Antigüedad (Fragility through the times: glass in ancient times), the exhibition of glass pieces from antiquity runs until March 4th 2008 in the Costa Blanca city.

The artefacts featured in the exhibition include pieces of jewellery, vessels, amulets, fragments and cooking utensils, have all been temporarily donated by the Catalonian Museum of Archaeology as part of a project on glass sponsored by the European Union, according to Communitat Valenciana.

Arranged to take visitors through different periods in the history of glass, use of the material and fabrication techniques, the exhibition features over 150 items made between the eighth century BC and the sixth century AD.

The city of Alicante is a Mediterranean port overlooked by the stunning Castle of Santa Barbara, with a population of more than 300,000 people and beautiful Costa Blanca beaches. The city is popular with both tourists and people buying homes in Spain and enjoys year round sunshine.

Property owners and holidaymakers on the Costa Blanca are in for a treat next week, when Spanish dancer Nacho Duato brings his new stage show to Alicante.

Described as “one of the best Spanish ballet dancers of all time” by Communitat Valenciana, Duato has been artistic director of the Spanish National Dance Company since 1990 and is renowned for his choreography skills throughout the dance world.

He will perform his Duato x3 show, consisting of three different dances from various stages of his career, at the Teatro Principal de Alicante on February 6th.

“Duato’s choreographies are a reflection of our times, concentrating in themes related to our everyday realities while remaining committed to important social issues,” Communitat Valenciana states.

Born in Valencia, Duato perfected his art at some of the most famous dance schools in the world, including the Rambert School in London and Maurice Bejart’s Mudra School in Brussels.

The local authority in Torrevieja is offering more free Spanish lessons following a “stupendous response” to its original courses, it has emerged.

According to Costa Blanca newspaper Round Town News, the Torrevieja council’s basic language course has been a huge success since it launched two years ago, with demand for Spanish instruction in the area growing steadily as the population becomes more diverse.

Now the council has developed a new series of lessons, led by experienced language teacher Jane Cronin, which offers a slightly higher level for expatriates who have graduated from the original Survival Spanish course.

“The course combines visual elements, using pictures to stimulate the memory and audio components, allowing students to hear the correct pronunciation and intonation applied by native speakers,” the news provider reports.

Designed to help foreign nationals engage with the language and culture of the Costa Blanca, the course takes place at Torrevieja’s Palacio de la Musica and has attracted interest from a wide range of nationalities, including British, Irish, German, Moroccan and Indian.

Torrevieja is one of the most cosmopolitan areas of Alicante province, according to recent figures, with 53.6 per cent of the city’s residents of non-Spanish nationality.

This month’s Santa Pola half marathon has been hailed as a great success, with 6,000 people running through the Costa Blanca town.

Often used by international athletes as part of their training regime for major summer competitions, this year’s half marathon saw many runners with hopes for the Beijing Olympics competing, Round Town News reports.

The race is now in its 19th year and has become the second largest running competition in Spain, with many of the country’s major athletic clubs praising its good organisation and location.

Kenyan entrant Silas Kipngetich Sang was the first to finish the 13-mile course, taking just over an hour to complete the route. Maria Jose Pueyo Bergua won the female competition with a time of one hour and eleven seconds.

Visitors and property owners in Santa Pola looking for a more relaxed experience can take a short boat trip to the island of Tabarca, the smallest permanently inhabited islet in Spain.

An industry group has revealed details of a special conference for female businesswomen on the Costa Blanca.

Organised to coincide with International Women’s Day, the Company Women Conference takes place at the Bahia Costa venue, near Torrevieja, on March 6th.

The event is entitled What marvellous women do away from home and will focus on the successful businesses set up by women in overseas locations, with a number of high-profile guest speakers booked to appear.

BT Female Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 Kerrie Keeling will give a keynote speech, while American newsreader Terri Wiltshire will also make an appearance.

Conference organiser Caroline Garrett commented: “We’re absolutely thrilled that such high-profile, successful female entrepreneurs have agreed to speak at our first conference.

“We extend a very warm invitation to all women who are working in Spain or about to set up a business in Spain to come along and join us.”

Torrevieja is now the fifth largest city in the entire Valencian community, behind Valencia, Alicante, Castellon and Elche, recent population figures have revealed.