Cliff Richard’s 40-year love affair with the Algarve intensifies
The Algarve and its inhabitants may be right to be proud of a lot of things -Beautiful beaches, an enviable climate including mild winters, culture and tradition interwoven with the right proportion of contemporary glitz. But legendary British singer Sir Cliff Richard being a self-confessed advocator of the region has to be high on list of Algarve-lovers’ triumphs. So intense is Sir Cliff’s admiration and worship of the southern Portuguese tourist hotspot, which apparently spans over some 40 years, that not only did he buy a property there in the year 2000, but he has also planted a vineyard on the property.
As well as relaxing and enjoying tasting the wine produced in his own vineyard in the stunning surroundings of his villa in the Algarve, Cliff Richard dedicates much of his time to charitable affairs and none more so than his recent venture to become a patron of Associacao Madrugada, a charity in the Algarve which helps people living with terminal illnesses.
The charity has many events lined up for next year, including Madrugada Day, which is to be held on 12 June. Having such a prolific and celebrated celebrity onboard will inevitably raise the profile of the charity, similar to how the singer’s presence has hoisted the notoriety of Albufeira, the town close to Sir Cliff’s Portuguese holiday home.
Naturally Assoociacao Madrugada is excited about its newest patron. Alison Blair, the charity’s president said:
“Having the Algarve’s most famous British personality on our side will do much to raise our profile at all levels.”
Owning property in New York and Barbados, as well as the Algarve, Cliff Richard certainly has incredible and diverse taste when it comes to where he wants to spend his spare time. Talking about his Algarve home, the legendary singer said:
“I go there after Wimbledon and watch the grapes in my vineyard ripen, ready for picking around late August or early September. Going there is real mental therapy. I’m usually on my own, I never see anyone. It’s a quiet holiday, very different from Barbados.”
The Algarve has many different sides to it. Bustling but beautiful beaches, historical landmarks, classy towns and villages and, as Sir Cliff points out, quiet and secluded areas of tranquillity. It also has charities such as Associacao Madrugada doing wonderful and admirable work, and with Sir Cliff Richard now involved, its future, like most things in the Algarve, is bound to be a bright one.