February 10, 2024, marks the first anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Sofía's visit to the city of Fraga. Undoubtedly, it was a highly anticipated event that drew considerable media attention to the capital of the Bajo/Baix Cinca region, due to the significance of the visit and the Queen herself.
Background
Within Her Majesty's work agenda and protocol, there was the possibility of visiting the city of Fraga in February. After some preliminary meetings and discussions, Queen Sofía finally visited the capital of the Bajo/Baix Cinca region.
To summarize briefly and avoid going into too much detail, the Queen visited the homes donated by the Queen Sofía Foundation to Cáritas Diocesana. These cabins are intended to house a project providing support to seasonal agricultural workers. The Fraga City Council paid nothing for the units themselves, but did undertake the site preparation and installation work. Furthermore, the council was also responsible for subsequent work to bring the cabins up to code. Although the initial bidding process failed to attract any bids, the contract has now been awarded (see epilogue).
Preparing for the visit
There are many elements to consider when a member of the Royal Family arrives. Security, protocol, communication... There are many details to assess and manage, and many elements that must be worked on weeks before the visit to coordinate and thoroughly analyze all aspects of the event.
The day Her Majesty Queen Sofía visited Fraga a year ago is undoubtedly etched in the memory of everyone involved. We wanted to commemorate it with the words of some of the people who were there that day.
Mayor
Santiago Burgos was the mayor who received the visit from Her Majesty the Queen. It was a very special day for him and for the entire municipal council.
“It was undoubtedly a great honor to receive Queen Sofía. It's not every day that a member of the Royal Family visits a modest city like ours. Of course, as mayor of Fraga, it was a great source of pride to receive her, but I'm also very pleased to have been able to show her our customs and traditions, to have been able to present her with that replica of 'La Fragatina' for the National Heritage, and that her visit also served to showcase our city, its businesses, and projects to the world.”
My wish is that the housing for agricultural workers donated by your foundation can finally be put into operation. I am sure that the current mayor, Ignacio Gramun, will be able to complete the project, renovate the houses, and put them into service so that Cáritas Diocesana can put them to good use. It is a much-needed resource for our region.”
Organization, Protocol and Communication
Victor Bonet , director of this media outlet, was the person who at that time managed the communication of the Fraga City Council and was the figure who coordinated all the organizational issues with the Royal Household, in addition to being the link with the office of Her Majesty Queen Sofia.
“ It was truly a wonderful experience. Being able to work closely with the Royal Household, alongside the protocol and communications officers, and Her Majesty's direct assistants, is not an everyday occurrence. Both the planning in the weeks leading up to the event and the day itself were incredibly well-coordinated and organized. The municipal workers who assisted during the visit were extremely dedicated and rose to the occasion. Without a doubt, the entire team involved that day and in the preparations beforehand played a fundamental role in making everything run so smoothly.”
I think this is the event with the largest media presence ever in Fraga. Television, radio, print, digital media… All the coordination, accreditation, and contact with the various media outlets was very laborious, but also very rewarding. When you see your city's image projected throughout the country, even in publications like Vanity Fair, Pronto, or Antena 3, and you've been a part of that, it's very satisfying.
Personally, I'm most grateful for the congratulations from the members of the Royal Household, from the protocol, security, and communications teams. Everything was very well coordinated. We presented a great image of Fraga, the town hall, the workers, and our traditions and folklore. They left with a very positive impression of the city in general and of everyone who collaborated that day. Everyone was very happy and involved, and it showed. Even days after the event, we received messages from the Royal Household thanking us for our hospitality.
My CV already includes festivals, sporting events, corporate events, and now even royal events, hahaha .”
Security
Francisco Villacampa is the local police officer who acted as a security liaison and was responsible for coordination at the municipal level. For him, it was also a great experience.
“ Working with different security forces such as the Civil Guard, National Police, bodyguards and private security of the Royal Household, was a great experience and, at the same time, it was also a challenge for a police force like ours.
It was the first time we had collaborated on an event of this magnitude, with so many police forces involved and with such a prominent figure as Her Majesty Queen Sofía. Clearly, all of this demanded a high level of involvement and commitment to ensure everything ran smoothly and to project a positive image of our city. I must emphasize that all my colleagues in the Local Police rose to the occasion, and there was excellent teamwork.
I personally enjoyed this experience immensely. We learned new ways of working, as well as different security protocols. All of this provides us with a wealth of new professional knowledge and helps us become better police officers.
As I mentioned, this visit was a professional challenge for us. We wanted everything to go smoothly. I want to emphasize that there was a lot of preparation involved. We held meetings in the weeks leading up to the visit to plan and coordinate for any eventuality. Naturally, there were some nerves on the day of the visit; Fraga doesn't receive a Queen every day. But we were also very calm thanks to all the planning that had been done. Every possible scenario had been considered, and everyone knew how to act. That gave us a lot of confidence, and it showed during the event.
The Local Police have an advantage over other forces. We are community-oriented, we have a closer connection with the public. This is something that is noticeable in our work on the streets, and during Her Majesty's visit, it also helped everything run more smoothly.
I am grateful for the thanks from the Royal Household and its head of security for all our staff and, of course, for the teamwork we do at the Fraga Local Police.”
Folklore and traditions
The town council was certain that the Queen couldn't leave Fraga without a showcase of our folklore and local traditions. At an event like this, a performance by the Rondalla de Peña Fragatina was a must.
Arturo de Dios was one of the members of the rondalla that performed that day.
“ We are very grateful to the City Council for including us. For the Rondalla de Peña Fragatina, it was a great honor to participate in this event and to be able to share a part of our folklore and traditions with Queen Sofía. A Queen doesn't visit Fraga every day, so we are very happy to have been part of this special day for our city and its entire population. It is undoubtedly one of the dates that all the members of the Rondalla de Peña Fragatina will remember .”
The dwellings
Perhaps this should be a prologue rather than an epilogue, but the article was about the Queen and her visit to Fraga. Nevertheless, it's important to discuss the houses and their condition.
Once the houses were transported to Fraga, simply installing the cabins wasn't enough. Technical services had indicated that they needed to be adapted to comply with the building code and be fully habitable, as required by current building regulations.
The town council published the tender, which unfortunately received no bids, and the service could not be launched in the summer of 2023. To this day, it remains unavailable. However, it should be noted that the Fraga Town Council has already awarded the contract for the renovation of the booths and has commissioned the project management . Both tasks will be carried out by local companies.
The refurbishment of the homes will begin shortly and, most likely, they will be operational this summer.
