A Brief History

CASA was founded almost 50 years' ago in the late 1970's so that expatriates to the Algarve could get together on an informal social basis. The basis of the group was a monthly dinner, which was often followed by performances by some of the members who had acting talents.   In time the group became over-large for the local venue so the group split - those more interested in the performance aspect  went on to form the well known Algarvean's amateur theatrical group in the early 1980's, those more interested in the social activites formed C.A.S.A. Some people are still active in both associations. The club has changed much in subsequent years as both the Algarve itself and the ex-pat community have evolved.

Although originally formed in the small coastal town of Carvoeiro (hence the original name - Carvoeiro Association for Social Activities) we are now more diverse with membership across the entire West-Central area of the Algarve as represented by the map below.  Due to the currently more dispersed nature of our members, at the AGM in March 2023 the full name of the club was changed to Club for Algarvian Social Activities.

On the map below the red dots show the locations of our events held since 2015.

The yellow dots show the homes (approximate post code area only) of the members, committee members are shown in green.

Activities                  

CASA members generally meet once a month for a meal at a suitable hostelry; as may be seen on the map, these tend to take place somewhere between Lagos and Albufiera.  Some years we also have a trip away - usually by coach to either Northern Portugal or Southern Spain.  Many years we hold a car treasure hunt or aim to have an 'away day' trip to somewhere interesting. We publish a monthly Newsletter for our members.

All events are open to non-members, generally at a small surcharge. During the Covid pandemic the few events we managed to hold were all 'members only'.

Although primarily a social club we try to assist local charitable organisations and make donations when possible to organisations suggested by members. The Bombieros (B.V.) are a frequent beneficiary, receiving 1000 Euro in 2014, 1500 Euro in 2016 and 1000 Euro in 2021 and again in 2022. We raise some money for charity in the form of required equipment and we have given items to the Bombeiros, several children's homes, old peoples' homes and various other local Portuguese groups which are desperate for funds. More details about recent donations will be found on the 'Latest News' page.

Membership    

Membership is open to both singles and couples of any nationality - though all events and information are in English only. Current membership (summer 2025) is just over 140 people.

CASA is not only for resident English expatriates, it also has a number of members who live elsewhere and visit the Algarve for just a few months each year.  

The annual membership fee is €10 per person and runs from January to December.

Management

The club is run by an elected committee of unpaid volunteers. An annual A.G.M. and dinner (usually held in early March) gives the members a chance to elect a new committee and make vocal suggestions.

   Your Committee for 2025/26

From left to right are Morri Bookout, chairman; Bill Tomko, Publicity; Caroline Hughes-Griffiths, Newsletter and Co-Social Secretary; Jamie Hughes-Griffiths, Membership; and Karen Tomko, Treasurer and Co-Social Secretary.

As of March 2026, we will have 2 of these positions open and would like for interested members to contact us regarding the News Letter and Membership offices!

Please use our contact form.