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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 23 APRIL 2014 18 Events GasanMamo's eye for excellence GASANMAMO has recently supported the successful 'Two of a Kind', an exhibition of paintings by Rachel Galea and Sue Nightingale, which brought together two sce- narios in the art scene – horses and landscapes. "Although horses and nature are different, they are similair and work together and the artists ability to bring out a positive energy is what made this exhibition such a remark- able success," said Mark Mamo, General Manager at GasanMamo Insurance. Sue Nightingale's paintings paid tribute to the horse, an animal which in Nightingale's own words, she has loved and painted since she was seven, paintings that seem to have been finished with no effort at all, like a river flowing. The horse painted in her works represents splendid features of this most gor- geous animal. Rachel Galea, an artist in her own right, presented a new collection of expressive landscape paintings, fea- turing the local landscape, valleys and the Mediterranean sea and the beautiful countryside with Gozitan villages in the background. HSBC Malta special offers on home loans and car loans HSBC Bank Malta's special offers on home loans and car loans are still available for customers. First-time home buyers taking a HomeStart mortgage of up to €200,000 may enjoy a discounted variable rate of 2.75% for the first 18 months whilst also benefitting from interest only repayments for the first 36 months of the loan. Apart from this HomeStart of- fer, the bank currently also has two special fixed rate offers - 1.99% fixed until 2 August 2015 and 2.65% fixed until 2 May 2016. HSBC Bank Malta p.l.c. is also of- fering a special 4.99% fixed rate cur- rently on all car loans taken by 30th June 2014. The offer is available for terms of 2, 3 and 5 years and, if the loan amount is €10,000 or more, for 7 years. "We are committed to help first time buyers and other customers who are buying a property which will be used as their main or second resi- dence. We have therefore launched these fantastic offers to give custom- ers more choice. This year provides an exceptional opportunity for anyone looking to purchase a first property, especially when considering HSBC Malta's latest offers and the budget measure of a waiver of stamp duty on the first €150,000 of the property price", said Paul Steel, HSBC Malta's Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management. First time homebuyers opting for a mortgage with HSBC may also ben- efit from 3 months' free premium on new life assurance policies. "This is also a good time for cus- tomers to look into buying a car. Besides benefitting from our special rate, customers can enjoy the peace of mind, knowing that the fixed rate will apply for the duration of the loan," explained Steel. These offers are available for a lim- ited period of time only, and are sub- ject to terms and conditions. More information about HSBC Malta's of- fers, products, and services may be obtained online at www.hsbc.com. mt, by calling HSBC's Customer Service on 2380 2380, or by visiting any of HSBC's branches in Malta and Gozo. M&Co entertain guests at the launch of their SS14 collection M&CO, the popular UK cloth- ing brand which recently opened in Malta, treated guests to after- work drinks and canapés at the exclusive launch of the Spring / Summer 2014 collection. M&Co has presented a beauti- ful collection in a gorgeous col- our palette of sweet sorbets, bold mono-chromatics, vibrant brights and a sea of blues ranging from china blue to denim. The collec- tion is overf lowing with signa- ture f loral prints delivered in bold blooms through to delicate orien- tal f lorals, whilst "Boho" paisley, tribal markings, playful hearts, spots and cut-about stripes offer an alternative burst of pattern. The collection also sees the re- turn of stunning separates for versatile dressing. Blouses, knits and shell tops are adorned in lace, embroidery, cutwork and beading whilst casual sweats and denim separates are given an added edge with an embroidered and embel- lished finish for that straight-off- the-catwalk look. The kids' collection at M&Co is jam-packed with playful statement T-Shirts perfect for layering and leggings, all at affordable prices. "M&Co is one of the largest, privately-owned retailers in the UK and has been selling quality clothing for more than 50 years," announced Gail Dunkerley, Group Marketing Manager, Camilleri Group. "We are excited to have introduced the brand to Malta and we are also looking forward to opening two stores with the Group's partners in Libya, where the focus will be ensuring service and quality," added Ms. Dunker- ley The M&Co outlet in Merchant Street Valletta was abuzz with shoppers and members of the press enjoying a 20% discount on all transactions, as well as being treated to canapés and refresh- ments courtesy of Camilleri Ca- tering. Celebrating 10 years of EU accession YESTERDAY morning Fon- dazzjoni Celebrazzjonijiet Naz- zjonali (FCN) held a press confer- ence for the events taking place on the night of the 30 April to com- memorate the 10th anniversary of Malta's accession in the European Union. FCN Committee Member Lou Bondi said that thousands are ex- pected to attend this year's anni- versary celebrations, just as they did on that historic night 10 years ago. He added that arrangements have been made with Transport Malta for bus service to keep going till the early hours of the morning. Keith Chetcuti, who leads the consortium directing this event, explained that several activities will be taking place at the Valletta Waterfront. A pre-show will be in the hands of local artists and will kick off at Ta' Liesse at 8.30pm. A children's area will also be set up. The night's multimedia spectacle projected Fort St Angelo accompa- nied with a light show will start at 11.40pm and it will be followed by a fireworks display at midnight. DJ Jjoy explained that starting from 9.00pm many of Malta's best DJs including Ziggy, Alvin G, Clay C and Luc Adams amongst others will be hitting the decks until the spectacle starts and will continue afterwards. The international DJ sensation Gareth Emery kicks off his set at 1.00am. DJ Carl Bee stated he is honoured and excited to be taking part in one of the big- gest entertainment events this year in Malta with such an incredible line up. Ylenia Duncan, the first child to be born in European Malta (at 12.10am on 1 May to be precise) said that when she was a child she found it difficult to understand why her birthday was connected to Europe. However, she added, today she feels very lucky to have been born on such a historic day. Parliamentary Secretary for the EU Presidency 2017 and EU funds Ian Borg talked about FCN's ar- tistic programme which includes more than 60 activities to mark the four anniversaries coinciding this year. He said that during these celebra- tions, it was right to pay homage to three prime ministers: Gorg Borg Olivier, Dom Mintoff and Eddie Fenech Adami who had a key role in shaping Malta's political history. Borg remarked that while their might still have been political divi- sions during the 2004 celebrations, he is positive and confident that 10 years on the nation will be celebrat- ing a European Malta together.