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This article was submitted by Elaine Ablett of Rest Assured Properties. Elaine tells us the story of Mike the "Musicman and Disco Roadshow" and his family's move to rural Spain.
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Earlier this year, Mike Nunnerley, former resident DJ of the well known night club "Bumbles" in Bournemouth and his wife Marie decided to trade the stress and strain of the UK and start a new life in Spain. Many readers will remember Mike for his popular Musicman Disco Roadshow.
In February, Mike and his family flew over to Spain to meet up with Property Agents, Elaine and Alan Ablett of Rest Assured Properties. Alan and Elaine own a family run estate agency based in the pretty village of Abanilla in the rural area of Murcia Spain. Having made the same move some four years ago as Mike and his family were now considering, they were the ideal people to help Mike and his family find the right property in the perfect location.
Mike and Marie particularly wanted to live in a rural area of Spain rather than on the coast as they didn't want to live in a built up area and be surrounded tourism. Rather, they wanted to experience real Spanish life and integrate into the community. After viewing a number of properties, Mike and Marie decided to purchase a new three bedroom detached house on "La Tosquilla," a new housing development that is currently under construction. "We chose this property because of the beautiful location." says Mike. "It's nestled at the foothills of the Sierra de la Pila nature reserve and we will wake up every morning to the beautiful mountain views. Also, the house was at a very good price."
Although their property will not be ready till early next year, Mike and Marie decided that they could not wait that long to make their move. So after returning from their visit to Spain they put their house on the market straight away and decided that they would rent a property in Spain until their house is completed. With the house sold, Mike, Marie and young son, seven year old Luca, crammed the personal items they decided to take with them, and of course, all of the disco equipment into their car and began their 1,500 mile journey to Spain.
The one thing that Mike was unsure of was how his Musicman Disco Roadshow & Karaoke nights would go down in a country location and how he would integrate his work into the Spanish community, especially as he has not learnt the language. But anyone who knows Mike knows he has such drive and energy for his work and a thirst to succeed.
Hot off the ferry, Mike was printing off posters, fliers and cards and him and Marie were out on the street giving out fliers and visiting bars, clubs and restaurants. Mike never misses a trick to promote his work and within just one week of being in Spain he had already performed his first "gig" and had several more lined up. He now has a regular Friday, Saturday and Sunday night spot and a booking for New Years eve playing to a crowd of four hundred plus - not bad in just a week, eh! If anyone deserves to succeed in this game, it's Mike (and Marie of course who also contributes a lot to the business, helping with promotions, with the setting up of the discos and is a great support).
Mike and Marie are amazed at how things have quickly fallen into place. "I can't believe we've only been here a week" says Mike. "Mind you, we could never have done this without the help of Elaine and Alan. They've been absolutely brilliant and have gone far beyond the realms of duty. As well as help us with all the legal and financial aspects of buying a property abroad, they have helped us find rented accommodation, pointed us to the right places to pick up work and have come along to give their support at my first bookings. Living and working locally themselves, Alan and Elaine have a good knowledge and understanding of the area and so have saved us a lot of time in getting settled here. And Luca? Well, he has settled into Spanish life, too, and will be starting Spanish school in the coming week – he’ll soon be able to help Dad, Mike with his Spanish!