The Socialist Groups of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and the Arrecife City Council will propose in the following plenary sessions of both institutions that the Government of the Canary Islands be urged to recognize "the extraordinary work carried out by the Society of Culture, Recreation and Sports Torrelavega throughout its fruitful career with the granting of the Gold Medal of the Canary Islands 2025".
The socialists have pointed out that the Society of Culture, Recreation and Sports Torrelavega is about to celebrate 80 years since its foundation, a period in which it has been providing uninterruptedly "an invaluable service to the development of civic life in the city of Arrecife".
Constituted in the neighborhood of La Vega on November 8, 1944, the trajectory of the Torrelavega Society is distinguished by its defense of coexistence, democratic freedoms and culture, in addition to the promotion and practice of various sports, among which football and handball stand out. Its founders take the name of a tower of about three floors that stood out from a building of a distillery of alcohols located in the neighborhood, already disappeared, but the initial idea was to enjoy football, simply. Among other people, the act of constitution includes César Manrique, who contributed a drawing that has been used as an anagram of the entity.
Very soon, the society acquires a plot in Triana Street and on weekends everyone lends a hand and contributed materials to build its own headquarters. The building was inaugurated at the end of 1948. A key person in the evolution of the entity during its first lustrums was Mateo García Delgado, for many, the true promoter of the society during that time, but whose political affiliation prevented him from formally participating in the public life of Arrecife.
At the end of Franco's regime, the Torrelavega Society actively joins the voices that demand the recovery of democracy and talks, colloquiums and conferences are programmed with prominent personalities of culture, thought and politics.
In 1977 the social headquarters is reconstructed and expanded, whose facilities have been adapted over the years to house several spaces for management and meeting. Thus, it has had rooms for dancing, disco in the eighties, or for cultural events, a large library and reading rooms, game and gathering rooms, television rooms and bar and sports areas.
Among its main objectives has been to provide distractions and recreation and to promote education, culture and love of sport. Its years of history are enriched with the organization of charitable events, tributes, publication of newspapers, conferences, musical or theatrical performances, film evenings or exhibitions, parties and dances, leisure and sports activities.
“We have the obligation to recognize the work of the Torrelavega Society, and its contribution as a meeting space that has fostered cohesion and a sense of belonging to the city of Arrecife. Through its activities, it has facilitated the integration of different generations, cultures and social sectors, promoting a more inclusive and cooperative environment”, conclude the socialists.