Here’s The Sentinella Axarquia magazine of July 2011. Click on it below and turn the pages, just like you would as if it were a physical magazine!

To advertise in the August 2011 edition call Kami on 664 210 468 before July 15th, or email sales@thesentinella.com

Some of you may know this already, but for those who don’t I’m about to recite The Sentinella story…how this little mag materialised in its current form.

It all started way back in the late nineties when a man called Colin Checkley launched a magazine called The Sentinel. Colin, as some of you may remember, was a man who loved to drink in the local bars and his wit, sarcasm and humour slipped down a treat with readers.  However, unfortunately, in 2004 Colin was bitten by a snake while walking his dog in the mountains of Iznate. He was rushed to hospital and while there, the blood tests revealed that he had Leukaemia. Within just seven days of hearing this devastating news, Colin passed away at the age of 44.

A couple of months before this tragic occurrence, I moved to Spain to join my parents. As I didn’t have a place of my own at that point I stayed with them in their apartment in Torre del Mar. I planned to move to Spain permanently, however finding a job proved very difficult. In the UK I’d trained as a journalist, copywriter and editor, so the prospect of bar or waitressing work didn’t appeal. I considered starting my own expat magazine, but I hadn’t thought about it much at this stage.

My dad sometimes went to the Viva Bar in Torre del Mar to watch certain football matches, and it was there that he got chatting to Colin’s father, who broke the news of Colin’s illness and later his death. A few weeks passed before my dad suggested that I should call Colin’s dad to see if he’d agree to me taking over The Sentinel. I didn’t feel very confident about broaching this, so my dad called Colin’s father for me. My stomach tightened as I overheard the conversation. Then I heard that one word which changed my life forever… “Yes!”

So my dad and I began traipsing around the local businesses to see if they wanted to continue advertising in the magazine with the slightly different name of The Sentinella. The first edition included four colour pages in the middle, while the 36 other pages were printed in black and white. Two years later the magazine had tripled in size to 120 pages per month, including a fat colour section in the centre. As time passed I got itchy feet and asked my sister and brother-in-law, Kami and Tony, if they’d like to move over to take over the day to day running of the magazine. Luckily they said yes and they do an absolutely amazing job…in fact The Sentinella has gone from strength to strength, now at 132 pages a month, plus it’s all in colour! The magazine also appears online every month on www.thesentinella.com.

Meanwhile I looked at ways to expand and I began to franchise The Sentinella to different regions of Spain. There are now five editions covering from Marbella right the way along to Mojacar. From west to east there’s the Marbella edition, the Malaga edition, the Axarquia edition (this one), the Costa Tropical edition and lastly the Mojacar edition. That’s why it’s important when you place an advert to confirm which edition you would like to appear in – many of our advertisers even place publicity in every edition! For those who are interested there are still opportunities to launch The Sentinella in the Granada, Murcia, Almeria and Gibraltar regions.

I often feel that Colin, in his spirit form, has helped The Sentinella to grow and every day I express my gratitude for that, the workforce, the readers and the advertisers, all of whom have helped to make this magazine what it is. Viva The Sentinella!

Keidi Keating

Here’s The Sentinella Axarquia magazine of June 2011. Click on it below and turn the pages, just like you would as if it were a physical magazine!

To advertise in the July 2011 edition call Kami on 664 210 468 before June 15th, or email sales@thesentinella.com

Here’s The Sentinella Axarquia magazine of May 2011. Click on it below and turn the pages, just like you would as if it were a physical magazine!

To advertise in the June 2011 edition call Kami on 664 210 468 before May 15th, or email sales@thesentinella.com

Here’s The Sentinella Axarquia magazine of March 2011. Click on it below and turn the pages, just like you would as if it were a physical magazine!

To advertise in the May 2011 edition call Kami on 664 210 468 before April 15th, or email sales@thesentinella.com

Here’s The Sentinella Axarquia magazine of March 2011. Click on it below and turn the pages, just like you would as if it were a physical magazine!

To advertise in the April 2011 edition call Kami on 664 210 468 before March 15th, or email sales@thesentinella.com