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April is a month of tradition, sport and culture on the Atlantic island of Madeira.

With many of the world's golf fans watching events at the US Masters over in Augusta during the weekend following Easter, local golfers on Madeira were following their own special golf tournament, as the annual Madeira Island Open took place at the Porto Santo Golfe resort. Portugal is a country that has golf at the heart of its sporting culture and visitors to the southern Portuguese resorts on the Algarve are never far from a great golf course. What many don't realise is that Madeira, also part of Portugal, has its own golfing credentials, with the Porto Santo course of a sufficiently high standard to host a European Tour event. The 2010 event was won by English player James Morrison from his young English countryman Oliver Fisher, who played very well on the final day to push Morrison all the way.

For culture fans the 5th Funchal International Film Festival ran between 10th and 17th April and was held in the impressive Teatro Baltazar Dias in the island's capital. This theatre is the municipal theatre of Funchal and has been quickly refurbished after suffering some damage during the island's storms earlier in the year. The theatre was built in the late 1800's and has used several names over time, with its current name commemorating one of the island's famous playwrights.

For gardening fans the Madeira Flower Festival brought a wonderful splash of colour to Funchal. This year the festival took place on the 17th and 18th April, when the city's streets and buildings became covered with colourful designs of aromatic flowers. The city's children also took part with their own special "Wall of Hope" displays.

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