FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4060423

LEAD IN:

Brexit has cast uncertainty over the future of thousands of British residents living in Spain's Costa del Sol.

EU leaders are due soon to begin unprecedented - and knotty - negotiations on how to extricate the UK from the bloc.

Some Britons living in Spain are considering changing nationality and brushing up on their Spanish language skills.

STORY-LINE:

A cloud of uncertainty hangs over British expats in Spain.

Nobody is saying what the rights of Britons living in the EU might be in a future outside the bloc. Many are worried about losing entitlements in Spain, which is part of the EU.

A dozen students, most of them British pensioners who have been living in the "Costa del Sol" for decades, have joined a new Spanish Nationality Course at the Parnell Academy in Mijas.

They're learning the basics of the language, as well as some local history and culture, to prepare for two exams that must be taken ahead of being granted Spanish Nationality.

"I really have no intention of going back to the UK", says Lesley Lawrence, one of the students, who has been living in Spain for around 20 years.

"It's possible that I will change my nationality because of the Brexit vote", she adds. "It depends how things go after they trigger article 50, because until then we don't know how it's going to affect us."

Another student Philip Hubner has owned a house in Spain for 17 years and moved to Mijas full time two years ago. He is now keen to mingle more with the local Spaniards.

"I'm going to make a determined effort to learn the language to integrate with the local people here in Spain. I know a few words, I know how to buy...get a beer, "cerveza", …, "la cuenta por favor", could I have the bill?"

The owner of the school, Richard Parnell, is familiar with both countries. He was born in Britain and has lived in Spain since he was 5 years old.

After the Brexit result he started the course to help his fellow Brits living in Spain to cope with the long term implications.

"I saw the fallout of the vote to leave and I knew that myself, as a foreigner living in Spain, I would have certain problems and I knew that there would be other people. I was thinking of opening an academy anyway, well, why not make a course that would make these people who need to learn Spanish and maybe help them get the Spanish nationality," he explains.

The value of the British currency is another major concern. Many retired expats, live on a U.K. pension that is sent in pounds and pensioners must exchange that income to the Euro, which is used in Spain.

The pound has lost almost a fifth of its value since June 23.

Shortly after the Brexit vote, Anne Hernandez, a decades-long British resident in Mijas, co-founded the 'Brexpats in Spain' association, to try to address those fears.

"Having met people come to us asking for help, we've identified a list of priorities and obviously everybody's individual, but there are general priorities, being for example: health care, pensions, finance and banking, education, and nationality," she says.

The association currently has 2,800 members and has expanded outside the borders of Mijas to other towns along the coast.

The local mayor's office estimates that there are 11,000 British residents in Mijas, out of a total population of 80,000, so the mayor takes a strong interest in their concerns.

"We in the town hall have offered the association that has been created, the Brexpat association which intends to unite all these British people who feel helpless, defenceless or disoriented, all the help that we can provide from Mijas, with the goal of extending (movement) along the "Costa del Sol". Around 65,000 British live in the province of Malaga, so it's a significant part of the population," explains Juan Carlos Maldonado, the mayor of Mijas.

"When the results of the Brexit (referendum) were known, a big uncertainty was created. We're talking about the (local) economy, because it's tourism, residential tourism, and in the local administration this uncertainty creates a concern, because we know how important tourism is for us," he adds.

An estimated 1.2 million Britons live in other EU countries, many of them in France, Spain and Portugal, according to Britain's House of Commons library.

But analysts believe the true number could be at least double that — and maybe a lot more, because many don't bother registering with their embassies or the local authorities.

Mijas, Malaga - October 6, 2016

1. Wide of coastal area of Mijas

2. Pan of typical apartments in the area and people walking by the sea side

3. Mid of people having drinks on a terrace

4. Various of British pensioners taking Spanish classes in the Parnell School

5. Set up Lesley Lawrence

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Lesley Lawrence, Student of Spanish Nationality Course:

"It's possible that I will change the nationality because of the Brexit vote. It depends how things go after they trigger article 50, because until then we don't know really how it's going to affect us. But if it does affect me and it's better for me to speak and live in Spain, then I shall stay in Spain, rather than go back to the UK. I really have no intention of going back to the UK."

7. Wide of teacher at whiteboard

8. Close up of Lawerence

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Lesley Lawrence, Student of Spanish Nationality Course:

"I was very disappointed with the vote, to put it mildly. I wasn't allowed to vote because I've been living in Spain too long and I felt that was very unjust. It is an European issue, it's not just an issue in Britain and the effects of Brexit are going to affect those of us who've lived in Spain for a long time. It's already affected me, I'm retired, it's affected my pension."

10. Teacher at the whiteboard

11. Mid of students

12. Close of hand writing

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Philip Hubner, Student of Spanish Nationality Course:

"I'm going to make a determined effort to learn the language to integrate with the local people here in Spain. I know a few words, I know how to buy...get a beer, "cerveza", …, "la cuenta por favor", could I have the bill?"

14. Richard Parnell talking to students

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Richard Parnell, Parnell Academy:

"I saw the fallout of the vote to leave and I knew that myself, as a foreigner living in Spain, I would have certain problems and I knew that there would be other people. I was thinking of opening an academy anyway, well, why not make a course that would help these people who need to learn Spanish and maybe help them get their Spanish nationality".

16. Various of Anne Hernandez sitting at a terrace drinking coffee

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Anne Hernandez, University lecturer and co-founder of 'Brexpats in Spain' association:

"Having met people come to us asking for help, we've identified a list of priorities and obviously everybody's individual, but there are general priorities, being for example: health care, pensions, finance and banking, education, and nationality."

18. Mid of Juan Carlos Maldonado, mayor of Mijas, working in his office

19. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Juan Carlos Maldonado, Mayor of Mijas:

"We in the town hall have offered the association that has been created, the Brexpat association which intends to unite all these British people who feel helpless, defenceless or disoriented, all the help that we can provide from Mijas, with the goal of extending (movement) along the "Costa del Sol". Around 65,000 British live in the province of Malaga, so it's a significant part of the population".

20. Close of Maldonado

21. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Juan Carlos Maldonado, Mayor of Mijas:

"When the results of the Brexit (referendum) were known, a big uncertainty was created. We're talking about the (local) economy, because it's tourism, residential tourism, and in the local administration this uncertainty creates a concern, because we know how important tourism is for us".

22. Various of woman on beach

23. Various of Royal Beach bar in a predominantly British residential area of Mijas called Calahonda

24. Pan of beach and the owner of Royal Beach talking

25. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sergio Morales, co-owner of Royal Beach bar in Mijas:

"Most of our clients here, around 80% of them, are British. And then a few of everything: Dutch, Germans, Norwegians, Spaniards… a bit of everything, but the most abundant in Calahonda is the British".

26. Various of people at the seaside

27. Wide of the beach

28. Wide of people on the beach

LEAD IN:

Brexit has cast uncertainty over the future of thousands of British residents living in Spain's Costa del Sol.

EU leaders are due soon to begin unprecedented - and knotty - negotiations on how to extricate the UK from the bloc.

Some Britons living in Spain are considering changing nationality and brushing up on their Spanish language skills.

STORY-LINE:

A cloud of uncertainty hangs over British expats in Spain.

Nobody is saying what the rights of Britons living in the EU might be in a future outside the bloc. Many are worried about losing entitlements in Spain, which is part of the EU.

A dozen students, most of them British pensioners who have been living in the "Costa del Sol" for decades, have joined a new Spanish Nationality Course at the Parnell Academy in Mijas.

They're learning the basics of the language, as well as some local history and culture, to prepare for two exams that must be taken ahead of being granted Spanish Nationality.

"I really have no intention of going back to the UK", says Lesley Lawrence, one of the students, who has been living in Spain for around 20 years.

"It's possible that I will change my nationality because of the Brexit vote", she adds. "It depends how things go after they trigger article 50, because until then we don't know how it's going to affect us."

Another student Philip Hubner has owned a house in Spain for 17 years and moved to Mijas full time two years ago. He is now keen to mingle more with the local Spaniards.

"I'm going to make a determined effort to learn the language to integrate with the local people here in Spain. I know a few words, I know how to buy...get a beer, "cerveza", …, "la cuenta por favor", could I have the bill?"

The owner of the school, Richard Parnell, is familiar with both countries. He was born in Britain and has lived in Spain since he was 5 years old.

After the Brexit result he started the course to help his fellow Brits living in Spain to cope with the long term implications.

"I saw the fallout of the vote to leave and I knew that myself, as a foreigner living in Spain, I would have certain problems and I knew that there would be other people. I was thinking of opening an academy anyway, well, why not make a course that would make these people who need to learn Spanish and maybe help them get the Spanish nationality," he explains.

The value of the British currency is another major concern. Many retired expats, live on a U.K. pension that is sent in pounds and pensioners must exchange that income to the Euro, which is used in Spain.

The pound has lost almost a fifth of its value since June 23.

Shortly after the Brexit vote, Anne Hernandez, a decades-long British resident in Mijas, co-founded the 'Brexpats in Spain' association, to try to address those fears.

"Having met people come to us asking for help, we've identified a list of priorities and obviously everybody's individual, but there are general priorities, being for example: health care, pensions, finance and banking, education, and nationality," she says.

The association currently has 2,800 members and has expanded outside the borders of Mijas to other towns along the coast.

The local mayor's office estimates that there are 11,000 British residents in Mijas, out of a total population of 80,000, so the mayor takes a strong interest in their concerns.

"We in the town hall have offered the association that has been created, the Brexpat association which intends to unite all these British people who feel helpless, defenceless or disoriented, all the help that we can provide from Mijas, with the goal of extending (movement) along the "Costa del Sol". Around 65,000 British live in the province of Malaga, so it's a significant part of the population," explains Juan Carlos Maldonado, the mayor of Mijas.

"When the results of the Brexit (referendum) were known, a big uncertainty was created. We're talking about the (local) economy, because it's tourism, residential tourism, and in the local administration this uncertainty creates a concern, because we know how important tourism is for us," he adds.

An estimated 1.2 million Britons live in other EU countries, many of them in France, Spain and Portugal, according to Britain's House of Commons library.

But analysts believe the true number could be at least double that — and maybe a lot more, because many don't bother registering with their embassies or the local authorities.

Mijas, Malaga - October 6, 2016

1. Wide of coastal area of Mijas

2. Pan of typical apartments in the area and people walking by the sea side

3. Mid of people having drinks on a terrace

4. Various of British pensioners taking Spanish classes in the Parnell School

5. Set up Lesley Lawrence

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Lesley Lawrence, Student of Spanish Nationality Course:

"It's possible that I will change the nationality because of the Brexit vote. It depends how things go after they trigger article 50, because until then we don't know really how it's going to affect us. But if it does affect me and it's better for me to speak and live in Spain, then I shall stay in Spain, rather than go back to the UK. I really have no intention of going back to the UK."

7. Wide of teacher at whiteboard

8. Close up of Lawerence

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Lesley Lawrence, Student of Spanish Nationality Course:

"I was very disappointed with the vote, to put it mildly. I wasn't allowed to vote because I've been living in Spain too long and I felt that was very unjust. It is an European issue, it's not just an issue in Britain and the effects of Brexit are going to affect those of us who've lived in Spain for a long time. It's already affected me, I'm retired, it's affected my pension."

10. Teacher at the whiteboard

11. Mid of students

12. Close of hand writing

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Philip Hubner, Student of Spanish Nationality Course:

"I'm going to make a determined effort to learn the language to integrate with the local people here in Spain. I know a few words, I know how to buy...get a beer, "cerveza", …, "la cuenta por favor", could I have the bill?"

14. Richard Parnell talking to students

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Richard Parnell, Parnell Academy:

"I saw the fallout of the vote to leave and I knew that myself, as a foreigner living in Spain, I would have certain problems and I knew that there would be other people. I was thinking of opening an academy anyway, well, why not make a course that would help these people who need to learn Spanish and maybe help them get their Spanish nationality".

16. Various of Anne Hernandez sitting at a terrace drinking coffee

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Anne Hernandez, University lecturer and co-founder of 'Brexpats in Spain' association:

"Having met people come to us asking for help, we've identified a list of priorities and obviously everybody's individual, but there are general priorities, being for example: health care, pensions, finance and banking, education, and nationality."

18. Mid of Juan Carlos Maldonado, mayor of Mijas, working in his office

19. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Juan Carlos Maldonado, Mayor of Mijas:

"We in the town hall have offered the association that has been created, the Brexpat association which intends to unite all these British people who feel helpless, defenceless or disoriented, all the help that we can provide from Mijas, with the goal of extending (movement) along the "Costa del Sol". Around 65,000 British live in the province of Malaga, so it's a significant part of the population".

20. Close of Maldonado

21. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Juan Carlos Maldonado, Mayor of Mijas:

"When the results of the Brexit (referendum) were known, a big uncertainty was created. We're talking about the (local) economy, because it's tourism, residential tourism, and in the local administration this uncertainty creates a concern, because we know how important tourism is for us".

22. Various of woman on beach

23. Various of Royal Beach bar in a predominantly British residential area of Mijas called Calahonda

24. Pan of beach and the owner of Royal Beach talking

25. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sergio Morales, co-owner of Royal Beach bar in Mijas:

"Most of our clients here, around 80% of them, are British. And then a few of everything: Dutch, Germans, Norwegians, Spaniards… a bit of everything, but the most abundant in Calahonda is the British".

26. Various of people at the seaside

27. Wide of the beach

28. Wide of people on the beach

British expatriates on Spain's Costa del Sol are fretting about what Brexit might mean for them, now that the UK Parliament has rejected the deal negotiated on their country's departure from the European Union.

Mick Robinson, who has owned an apartment in southern Spain for the past 13 years, said the impasse was "very worrying", adding expats "don't know what's going to happen" following Tuesday's vote.

Sitting outside a cafe in La Cala de Mijas, 66-year-old retiree Kevin Fox said he was worried about his future public health care entitlements in the EU, as well as how much his UK old age pension will be worth.

When he moved to Spain 12 years ago, one pound sterling was worth 1.47 euros, he said.

Now, he gets around 1.12 euros for each pound.

"I can't afford to stay here if they're not paying for my health care," Fox said, referring to a possible end of the current reciprocal care system between the UK and other EU countries.

But some expats, like Elaine Williams, insisted they would not leave Spain, no matter what happened.

"What can we do about it?" she said, adding: "Brexit or no Brexit, I will not be leaving Spain."

The Spanish government says some 300,000 Britons are legally resident in Spain.

La Cala de Mijas - 13 March 2019

1. Various of British expats outside cafe, drinking beer and reading English-language newspapers

2. Close of Sun newspaper headline reading (English) "Croaky Horror Show, PM loses voice as deal crumbles" (referring to UK Prime Minister Theresa May losing her voice in parliament on Tuesday)

3. Close of newspaper headline reading (English) "Brexit Chaos"

4. Various of traffic and pedestrians

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mick Robinson, British national who has owned an apartment in southern Spain for 13 years:

"At the moment, nobody knows what is going to happen, so it is very worrying. Because the vote was defeated last night, so now it is even worse. We don't know what is going to happen to anything now. We don't know trade, we don't know here with us, we've got an apartment here. We don't know if we have got to start paying for visas from end of March. And the people living out here full time, we don't know if they're going to get their pensions, nobody knows."

6. Various of British pensioner Kevin Fox crossing the street, Spanish flag in background

7. Various of Fox entering cafe and drinking coffee

8. Close of menu showing English breakfast options

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Fox, 66-year-old British pensioner who has lived in Spain for 12 years:

"I can't afford to stay here if they are not paying for my healthcare. If I go back to England I can get onto the NHS system, which I have been paying for for years when I was working in England. But if they take that off of me, then I need to go back to England to get it, and I don't want to go back."

10. Wide of stores

11. Mid of exchange rate on sign outside shop

12. Various of newspapers showing headlines related to Brexit

13. Various of British pensioner and volunteer Elaine Williams at charity shop

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Williams, British pensioner who has lived in Spain for 15 years, and a volunteer at Lion's club charity shop:

"I think at the moment, obviously because we don't know what is going to happen, people are just basically fed up of hearing about it. And what can we do about it? We can't, whether they vote to go out or stay in, in the end, we can't do anything. We have to just wait and see and go with the flow."

15. Cutaway of Williams

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Williams, British pensioner who has lived in Spain for 15 years, and a volunteer at Lion's club charity shop:

"We bring our money into this country, into euros, and we spend it here because we are happy to live here. Brexit or no Brexit, I will not be leaving Spain."

17. Various of European Union flag fluttering