Javier Gutiérrez at the 2019 Goya Awards. Photo: Pedro J Pacheco / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized to 1200 × 700.
The actor from Lluanco will receive the distinction on 7 November at Llagar Cortina in Villaviciosa. Organised by the Sidra de Asturies PDO and the Sandra Ibarra Foundation, the event will devote part of its proceeds to supporting people with cancer and cancer survivors.
Cider will once again bring people together for a charitable cause. On Saturday 7 November, at 7.30 pm, Llagar Cortina will host the 12th Espicha Solidaria against Cancer, a gathering that combines cider culture with support for people facing the disease and those who have already been through it. This year’s guest of honour will be Javier Gutiérrez, who will be named Asturian Charity Cider Ambassador for 2026.
The initiative, organised by the Sidra de Asturies Protected Designation of Origin and the Sandra Ibarra Foundation, draws on the social character of an espicha, a traditional standing cider gathering, to encourage participation and raise awareness of the needs of patients, survivors and families. Sharing cider thus becomes a way to contribute to a support project focused on people’s everyday lives and well-being.
Support for people with cancer and cancer survivors
Part of the proceeds will go to the Sandra Ibarra Foundation’s Escuela de Vida, or School of Life. This project offers information, resources and support to people with cancer and those who have overcome the disease, as well as their relatives and carers. Its work addresses a reality that can sometimes be overlooked: finishing treatment does not necessarily mean that its lasting effects or the difficulties of returning to everyday life have disappeared.
Escuela de Vida has a free mobile app, available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. Through it, users can access a community of people with similar experiences, training and information on physical and emotional health, working life, sexual and reproductive health, and social and family relationships. It also brings together resources and services outside hospital settings, aimed at improving quality of life.
Javier Gutiérrez, charity cider ambassador
The choice of Javier Gutiérrez gives the event a direct connection with Asturies. Born in Lluanco in 1971, he moved with his family to Ferrol when he was barely a year old. His career in theatre, film and television has made him one of the best-known actors in the Spanish audiovisual industry. He has won two Goya Awards for Best Actor: in 2015 for «La isla mínima» and in 2018 for «El autor».
The actor now returns to his birthplace to receive a distinction recognising both the chosen ambassador’s career and their ability to help promote Asturian culture and roots. Gutiérrez succeeds Dr María Neira and joins a list of ambassadors that also includes Marta Reyero, Carlos Franganillo, Antonio Lobato and Víctor Manuel.
Now in its twelfth edition, the espicha continues to bring tradition and solidarity together. The ambassador’s appointment will be one of the central moments of an event that seeks to turn a gathering around cider into support for people living with cancer and its consequences.
Tickets for the 12th Espicha Solidaria
Tickets cost €40 and can be purchased at the Regulatory Council’s headquarters, by emailing administracion@sidradeasturias.es or through Entradium. On 7 November, Villaviciosa will once again offer an opportunity to share our cider culture and contribute to an initiative supporting people with cancer and cancer survivors.
