In March 2025, a group of lads from The Florrie set off on an unforgettable journey from Dingle to Vallecas, a working-class neighbourhood in Madrid, Spain. The trip was the result of 12 months of planning and a proud continuation of The Florrie’s long-standing tradition of international cultural exchange. With community, solidarity, and friendship at the heart of everything we do, Walk Florrie travelled to share our story, learn from others, and build new relationships that cross borders and bring people together.
But it wasn’t just about football, food, and fun — the group were also carrying a deeper message: that mental health knows no borders. By connecting with like-minded people in Vallecas, Walk Florrie continued their mission to raise awareness, support one another, and prove that even across languages and landscapes, the struggles and the strength are shared.
Tony’s Vallecas Diary
DAY ONE
Up early, showered, dressed, and out the door to The Florrie. Twelve months of planning was about to become a reality. Walk Florrie was once again reliving a long-standing tradition: sending representatives of our great building abroad to showcase what we do and form new friendships, both culturally and socially.
Into the minibus to pick the lads up, then straight down the motorway to Manchester, where all flights lead to Madrid, and more importantly, to Vallecas. A quick 2-hour flight later, everyone accounted for, through customs, and out to meet the amazing Robin Munby. As well as being an all-round top fella, he had kindly volunteered (or maybe got pushed forward!) to be our tour guide, translator, doctor, and whatever else we threw at him by the end of the weekend.
Metro cards in hand, we jumped the rattler to Hotel Gran Legazpi in central Vallecas. No sooner landed and unpacked, we were back out to meet Jorge and Paul, representatives of the Puente de Vallecas neighbourhood association. They kindly showed us around their area and the amazing work they do locally, from welfare and social support to a beautiful community garden known as ‘Utopia’, where residents help themselves to homegrown tomatoes, lettuce, garlic, coriander, cauliflower, strawberries, and more.
As we walked the streets, you could feel their love, passion, and pride for their community hub, so similar to what we feel for The Florrie. Both are integral to their neighbourhoods and identical in their mission: to help those less fortunate.
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DAY TWO
Day two, and it was time to rally the troops for an early start. We met Robin at Metro de Vallecas, home of Club Independiente de Vallecas, an amazing grassroots football club with men’s, women’s, and youth teams, all flying the flag for their local barrio. A massive thanks to Diego and Rita, who run the whole setup and do so much for the community.
We were there for the derby against Elida Olimpia, who share the ground. A proper end-to-end game finished 1-1, with Independiente missing a last-minute penalty to snatch the win. But it was still a huge win for Walk Florrie, as we made new friends and spread the good name of The Florence Institute.
After the match, we sold some of our Florrie/Vallecas collaboration t-shirts and hoodies, which went down a storm with the locals. Then, back on the now-familiar metro to Vallecano, where we were guests of honour at Rayo Vallecano vs Real Sociedad. This was thanks to the Bukaneros, Rayo’s Ultras, who sorted us tickets for the fondo (ultras stand) and even gifted us silk Rayo scarves.
We met the Bukaneros pre-match in the Mercado de Numancia square. It was a lively affair with pyro, flares, and drums setting the tone. After a few refreshments, we headed into the stadium for the evening kickoff, which ended in another draw, this time a Desmond (2-2).
After a lovely meal, everyone was feeling the pace and bed seemed the only sensible option.
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DAY THREE
A well-earned lie-in for the group on St. Patrick’s Day, as we weren’t meeting Robin and his lovely partner Maddie until 11:30 at Metro de Vallecas. Robin had planned a brilliant treat: a Spanish Civil War walking tour with our guide Enrique, his wife Mon, and their friend Beth.
A few stops later we were in central Madrid, outside Museo del Prado, where the tour began. Enrique took us through famous battle sites in the city, scenes of fierce fighting between Franco’s fascist forces and the International Brigades, many of whom were Scousers, fighting shoulder to shoulder with their Spanish comrades.
Nearing the end of the tour, with almost 8 miles walked, Robin and Maddie surprised us with a booking at an Irish bar for a bite to eat and a few pints of the black stuff. Morrigan’s Irish Bar was quickly added to the itinerary. There, we gifted Florrie bobble hats and mugs to our guides in thanks for a brilliant day.
We ended the weekend with a visit to Matadero Madrid, a former abattoir turned cultural complex with bars, cinemas, a museum, theatre, and a free visitor centre. To our surprise, the staff there recognised Walk Florrie from our recent front-page feature in El Diario.
So what began as a pipe dream over a pint of Guinness in 2024 became a reality, twelve months to the day, in Madrid. I can’t thank Robin enough for his hard work and patience, arranging everything from metro tickets to building the relationships we’ll now carry forward. Most of all, it’s thanks to Billy, Jimmy, Michael, Ste, Terry, Ian, Lee, Mick and Paddy, who gave the best version of themselves and left a lasting impression on the people of Vallecas.
Now comes the exciting bit, organising the return leg: Vallecas to Dingle.
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