MNF > Articles by: Madrid No Frills

Madrid No Frills

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Esta Es Una Plaza: la comunidad que ayuda a Lavapiés a combatir el calor

ras una discreta puerta metálica en el número 24 de la calle Doctor Fourquet descubrí un jardín autogestionado que se convirtió en una auténtica extensión del colegio. Allí los niños y niñas sembraban hortalizas, observaban insectos, cuidaban el espacio, conocían a vecinas de distintas generaciones y aprendían que también se educa cuando se comparte la responsabilidad sobre un lugar común.
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Esta Es Una Plaza: The urban garden community helping Lavapiés beat the heat

Hidden behind an unassuming metal gate on Calle Doctor Fourquet 24, the self-managed garden became a living lesson. My students planted seeds that would grow into vegetables, observed insects and raked up fallen leaves. They played with neighbors of different generations, and discovered that learning could happen through caring for a shared place.
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Spain needs to normalise festival drugs testing – here’s how it’s being done

About a 10 minute walk from the Estrecho Metro stop in the Tetuán District of Madrid is Energy Control’s Madrid office and lab. A non-profit that spans all of Spain, Energy Control started in 1997 as part of a Spanish public health initiative, with the aim to monitor the purity of illegal drugs in an unregulated market. Free of charge, people can anonymously submit small samples of their desired substance to make sure they will be getting the experience they paid for – with reduced risk.
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‘Soy Tribulete 7’ documentary: One block’s fight against Madrid’s housing crisis – out now

Spain's housing crisis has finally come for you. Your home has just been sold to a vulture fund and they want you out. What would you do?  The residents at Calle Tribulete 7 came together and set out on a path of resistance, one that would transform them into a Madrid-wide symbol of the battle for housing rights. The documentary Soy Tribulete 7 (I am Tribulete 7) takes us inside the 107-year-old Lavapiés building and into the lives of an extraordinary community whose looming eviction launched the fight of their lives.
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Magical outdoor Iftar for kids reclaims public space for the people of Lavapiés

Until January 2020, the terrace of Baobab, the first Senegalese restaurant in Madrid, spilled light and life across Plaza Nelson Mandela. People ate around the historic fountain while kids drifted between tables and benches. People on the other side of the square would stop for a chat, or simply people watch. It never felt unsafe.
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Photographers of the Future May 2026 course enrolment now open!

Learn how to become a visual storyteller using photography. I'll teach you everything from developing an idea right through to creating a finished photography project – ready to publish – accompanying your images with storytelling in a way that respects the subject and inspires the spectator.
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Alejandro’s fight to keep his La Latina home sparks brand-new barrio movement, AV La Chispera

Those who have met Alejandro over the years talk a lot about his passion and his faith, and how much he loves his barrio. At 81, there is one more fight he is determined to win: to stay in his home, and he has joined forces with a new force in the barrio. Over the past few weeks, Alejandro has worked closely with the brand-new neighbourhood association Asociación Vecinal La Chispera, in La Latina, whose members have pushed his campaign so hard that his story has now been covered by El País, La Sexta, El Diario, El Salto, Europa Press, TeleMadrid, Madrid Diario and more – in just the last two weeks.
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Bodegas Calatrava: “There aren’t many bodegas like this anymore”

This is one of those true city bodegas that functions first as a shop and then as a bar – though, over time, the bar has become the main event. It feels closer to a social club, or a working men’s club like the ones back in Newcastle where I’m from: somewhere you might stop for a quick drink before the match, or find yourself drowning your sorrows after a funeral with complete strangers who turn out to have known your uncle – they worked together for years and used to drink here together after shift.