Pafos2017 main summer event will be spectacular
By Bejay Browne

“Eternal Voyages,” will be the summer highlight of the Pafos2017 cultural capital programme. The large scale outdoor theatre piece, which will feature the castle, will be presented at Paphos harbour, on July 1.

Pafos2017 announced an open call for participation in the European cultural capital’s main summer event, and the successful composer/musical director, choreographer and writer will be announced in March.

Anastazia Anastasiou of Pafos 2017 said that the event promises to be spectacular, utilising dramatic performance- including poetical text and song in both English and Greek.

There will be dance, mass choreography, processional performance, acrobatic aerialists, fire drawing, a water spectacle, dynamic lighting and sound design accompanied by an original musical score and awe inspiring special effects including a pyrotechnic finale, she said.

The overall show will be around one and a half hours long and the finale composition will be uplifting with a celebratory feel. Three travellers will feature, whose individual stories unfold as they arrive by land, sea and air.

“Paphos has been visited by many different travellers throughout history, like many of the Mediterranean islands it’s been a place of shelter and a strategic location. It’s both a place of connection and of friction,” she said.

The castle will take centre stage, illustrating the stories of the three featured travellers from the ancient times up to the present day, using projections and high quality digital animation and mapping.




Vandals destroy trees and smash shop windows
By Bejay Browne

Vandals in Paphos old town were caught on CCTV cutting down newly planted trees and smashing shop windows, aided by insufficient street lighting, officials said.

The incidents took place in a part of Paphos old town which is currently undergoing major upgrading works leaving some roads dug up and areas unlit.

Paphos Green Party district secretary, Andreas Evlavis, said that the mindless stupidity of such actions must not go unpunished and is appealing to the municipality and the police to ensure measures are in place to curb such behaviour.

“The three young men were captured on camera leaving a nightclub and footage shows them cutting trees,” he said.

The incident which occurred at 3am involved newly planted saplings which are being planted around the town with the aim of beautifying the area. He said around two hours late, at 5am, the trio turned their attention to nearby shops, smashing the windows of three of the premises.

“There are not enough lights and not enough police. There need to be more police in the area, especially after 12am, at least until the roads are completed and the lighting installed.”

He warned: “We don’t want the old town to turn into another Ayiou Antoniou street,” – referring to ‘bar street’, in Kato Paphos which is in the heart of the tourist area and full of bars, clubs and cafes.

Evlavis said that store owners in the area are worried about such incidents and the lack of lighting.
“These are the actions of stupid people doing stupid things just for fun. These matters must be taken seriously. The police must find and arrest these three and they must pay for their crimes, there can be no excuses. We need to be stricter.”



Two Paphos buildings get new lease of life
By Bejay Browne

Two historical buildings in Paphos have been given a new lease of life and will be left as a legacy of Pafos2017, the town’s culture capital title, for years to come, according to the projects’ architect.
The Shelley residence and the old Sodap ice factory are being tidied up on a minimal budget for the present, but Lanitis Bros – major sponsors of Pafos2017 – will foot the bill for the complete renovation of both buildings in the future.

“These spaces were selected by the Pafos2017 organisation in order to be used as venues for hosting events, therefore we strongly feel that they are part of the Pafos2017 legacy programme,” said architect Valentinos Stefanou, who is also an event organiser for Pafos2017.

Although the present budget for each building is small, less than two thousand euros, it will take two months to clean up the old Sodap ice factory and four months for the Shelley residence, as the project is reliant on municipal staff, said Stefanou.

He added that work, which is purely cosmetic at this stage, will include clearing and tidying outside areas, interior rooms and installing new lighting where needed.

“Both projects were implemented by the services of Paphos municipality and the Pafos2017 contribution and it’s a small amount and obviously won’t mean they can be fully renovated right now,” he said.

However, he added that Lanitis Bros will pay for proper renovation in the future.
“I don’t know how much this will cost, it depends on the plans and it will be some time in the future, but this is very important for Paphos,” he said.

The Shelley residence is located on a cliff edge in central Paphos and is named after Dr Shelley, a British doctor, who lived there between 1955-1959, said Stefanou. It is now hosting part of the Pafos2017 ‘Planites’ exhibition.

The old ice factory is located in the area of Panayias’ Pantanassa and the Technical School and belongs to the Sodap wine cooperative which offered it to Paphos municipality.

The old ice factory’s outdoor space was used for a theatre event in October 2016, which Stefanou said was a success. He added that it would be an excellent venue for music and theatre events.
“As Paphos is now under construction, it is important to renovate spaces for future use. These two projects will be added to the list of new cultural venues for Paphos and open up many new opportunities.”




Mayor officially signs for EU funds
By Bejay Browne

The mayor of Paphos signed the official documents to release the EU structural funds, which are being used for the major upgrading works currently underway in Paphos.

Some money had already been allocated to Paphos and this enabled significant portions of the works to start.

“Time was pressing and Paphos was given enough money to go ahead, but today is the so called ‘official’ signing and approval,” a spokesman for the municipality said.

The funding, which amounts to 23.6 million euros being is handed over in staggered payments, he added.

Phedonos signed the documents for the funds, which are being implemented under the European Union’s ‘Sustainable Urban Development Programme’, at the offices of the interior ministry’s unit for European funds, the intermediate body for sustainable urban development projects.

The money is being used in five important projects in Paphos. A budget of €4m has been allocated for connecting and developing October 28 Square, Kosti Palama Square and Dionysios Solomos Square in central Paphos.

The renovation, remodelling and improvement of services in Moutallos are underway, with a budget of €3.8m.

A budget of €8.7 million is being used for upgrading of roads in the traditional commercial centre in Paphos old town. These are ongoing and will improve traffic management and the appearance of Kennedy Square. Some €3.9m are going to the Markideio theatre and its surroundings.

Finally, the restoration of ‘Ibrahim’s Khan’ in central Paphos is being completed with a budget of €3.2m.



Thousands expected for Cyprus marathon in Paphos
By Bejay Browne

Thousands of runners will line up in Paphos to participate in what promises to be the largest Cyprus marathon event to date.

Now in its 19th year, the Logicom Cyprus Marathon will be held on Sunday March 5, and will see around 2,000 runners take part in the four events: the Logicom Cyprus marathon, the half marathon, the 10km road race and the 5km fun run.

The event traditionally attracts amateur runners from all over the world, including club and occasional runners.

“We have already exceeded the 1,800 runners that took part last year, entry to the marathon is now closed but there are still a few places left in the other races,” race director Stavros Kakourides said.

Three hundred runners will take part in this year’s marathon compared to 200 last year including British marathon runner Richard Waldron, 29, who has vowed to beat the course record.

Waldron, from Southampton, is currently training hard to beat his personal best and to become the first English runner to win the title, Kakourides said.

The 29-year-old currently runs with the Southampton Athletic Club and one of his achievements last year was winning the Palma de Mallorca marathon in 2 hours 38 minutes and 31 seconds.
The Cyprus marathon record was set in 2005 by Salameh Al Aqra from Jordan who ran the course in 2 hours 33 minutes and 3 seconds.

“Waldron’s target is 2 hours 25 minutes, his personal best is 2 hours 27 minutes, we wish him luck,” Kakourides said.

The marathon will be run over an almost flat course starting from Petra tou Romiou at 7.30am and finishing along the Paphos seafront to the castle square.

The Cyprus half marathon, 10km race and 5km fun run will be out and back starting and finishing at Paphos castle square.

This year’s marathon is again dedicated to the memory of legendary Paphos born marathon runner Stelios Kyriakides, and the overall winners will be presented with gilded olive wreaths by his son, Dimitris.

www. logicomcyprusmarathon.com