The Farnals Award, the highest distinction of the Town Council of La Pobla de Farnals, annually recognizes individuals or entities whose trajectory has left a special mark on the municipality and has contributed to its visibility in areas such as social, cultural, sports, educational, or institutional fields. This year, the award has focused on Héctor de los Reyes, a resident of the town for 49 years and founder of the NGO Agua Pura.
The recognition was presented during the Major Festivities. Héctor de los Reyes emphasized that what is important is not individuals dedicated to a cause, but the "small grains of sand that we can all contribute to make the world a better place," he explained during the ceremony.
Before founding Agua Pura, Héctor was already actively involved in La Pobla de Farnals. As president of the former AMPA of the school, he worked with other families to improve the center and strengthen dialogue between families and teachers. This local involvement later extended to other solidarity projects.
The initiative that led to Agua Pura began with a conversation with his brother, who lived in Argentina and was involved in an initiative needing material support. Héctor organized a network from La Pobla de Farnals to collect and send clothes and footwear. The neighbors' response quickly grew the initiative, with the involvement of the community, local groups, and the cooperative.
The direction of this solidarity initiative changed during a trip that Héctor took with his wife through Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. There, they observed the difficulty women and children faced in accessing water, which led them to focus their work on access to drinking water through extraction systems based on clean energy.
The project's growth necessitated a stable structure, leading to the formal establishment of the NGO Agua Pura. Héctor recalls the initial support from the Universitat de València for funding and from the Town Council of La Pobla de Farnals for the administrative procedures related to export and customs.
Over time, Agua Pura has developed projects related to hydraulic engineering, water access, and renewable energies in African countries and maintains a collaboration agreement with the Universitat Politècnica de València.
The Farnals Award recognizes this dual dimension: a solidarity effort that has carried the name of La Pobla de Farnals beyond the municipality, but which was born and has continued to grow from neighborhood participation, education, and commitment to its immediate surroundings.
The Farnals Award has been presented since 2015 and recognizes unique merits of residents and entities. In recent years, it has honored stories such as those of Amalio Herranz Yago (2023), Isidro Andrés Pérez Falaguera (2024), and Gloria Montalar López (2025). In 2026, the recognition goes to Héctor de los Reyes, who insists on sharing it with his family, the volunteers of Agua Pura, and the collaborating neighbors.
