The mining company Sandfire Matsa has signed agreements with Almonaster la Real, Calañas, Cortegana, El Cerro de Andévalo, and La Zarza-Perrunal for the Pueblos Programme, endowed with €60,000 for local improvement initiatives.
This week, the mining company Sandfire Matsa formalised collaboration agreements in Almonaster la Real with five municipalities in the province of Huelva to launch a new edition of the Pueblos Programme. The initiative, which has a budget of nearly €60,000, will finance public interest projects designed by the municipalities themselves during the fiscal year 2026-2027, which begins on 1 July 2026 and ends on 30 June 2027.
The beneficiary municipalities are Almonaster la Real, Calañas, Cortegana, El Cerro de Andévalo, and La Zarza-Perrunal, all located within the influence area of the company's mining activities. The funds will be allocated to actions in areas such as improving local infrastructure, education, culture, heritage, and addressing social emergency situations, as detailed by the company in a statement.
The Pueblos Programme, which has already enabled the launch of more than 40 initiatives in previous editions, aims to strengthen Sandfire Matsa's ties with the communities near its operations. In the 2025 edition, for example, Almonaster la Real used the funding to finance activities for its August Festivals, while Cortegana revitalised its districts of Valdelamusa and San Telmo. Calañas, for its part, carried out energy and climate improvement works in the Multifunctional Hall of Sotiel Coronada, a key space for the social life of the district.
In El Cerro de Andévalo, last year's funds were allocated to organising the Grand Show Festival of Equestrian Art and the Festival of Gastronomy, Sport, Art, and Music. La Zarza-Perrunal, on its part, expanded its municipal gym, improving the sports offering for residents and promoting healthy habits.
The signing of the agreements took place at Sandfire Matsa's facilities in Almonaster la Real, with the attendance of municipal representatives and the company's management team. From the mining company, the president of mining operations, Dale Burgess; the director of Legal Advice, Compliance, and Corporate Governance, Rafael Ancio; and the head of Communication and coordinator of Institutional Relations, Isabel Bermejo, participated.
“The Pueblos Programme reflects our commitment to continue building a solid relationship with the nearby municipalities. We want our activity to go beyond mining operations and contribute to the social and economic development of these communities, supporting projects that arise from their own priorities and that generate a positive impact on people's lives,” said Dale Burgess.
Representing the municipalities, the mayor of Almonaster la Real, Jacinto Vázquez; the councillors of Calañas, Ana Ramírez Delcán and José García Fernández; the councillor of Cortegana, José Domínguez Páez; the mayor of El Cerro de Andévalo, María Ángeles Moreno; and the mayor of La Zarza-Perrunal, Alejandro Ruiz, attended.
The municipalities now have until 30 September 2026 to submit the project proposals that will apply for funding from the Pueblos Programme. The proposals will be evaluated by Sandfire Matsa, taking into account their social impact, contribution to local development, and ability to generate direct benefits for the residents of each municipality.
This initiative is part of the company's corporate social responsibility strategy, which seeks to integrate its mining activity with the well-being of the surrounding populations. For the residents of these localities, the programme represents an opportunity to drive concrete improvements in services and infrastructure that might otherwise fall outside the municipal budget.
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