Silves Câmara met with members of Retecork, the European network of cork territories, on January 9, to discuss the cork industry as well as the city’s cork factory, Fábrica do Inglês, which is facing closure.
According to a statement from Silves Câmara, the Retecork members visited Fábrica do Inglês and said that they hoped a solution could be found for the cork museum to remain open (see the Algarve Resident editions December 11 and 18, 2009 and January 1, 2010). “Cork in Silves council is historically very important, as the industry was the most dynamic in this area, being the highest producer of corks in the world at the start of the 20th century,” said the statement.
Meanwhile, a decision is yet to be made by Silves Câmara as to whether it will accept the proposal submitted by Fábrica do Inglês, which could save the cultural and recreational facility from closure.
