Aren't there two aspects mixed up here?
I agree people should learn Spanish and not expect the Spanish to speak English.
But does that really mean they have to only / mostly spend their time with Spanish people and not British?
Learning Spanish to get by in everyday life is relatively quick and easy. But improving your Spanish to a proper conversational level is not, it takes time and effort - and you can't expect the average Spanish person to listen to your efforts for more than a few minutes at a time before getting bored :-)
How should a retired couple that has never learned a foreign language before suddenly mix with the Spanish and make friends? They depend on the British community. But that does not mean they should not make an effort and carry on improving their Spanish. Then making Spanish friends should come naturally over time. | 
