Nominations open for Hearts of Gold Awards
By Bejay Browne
Nominations are now being accepted for the annual Hearts of
Gold Award Cyprus, and this year can be made via a new
website. Organisers said: “Every year, we rely on
the public to let us know all about the people that are
doing something terrific or are extra special. Our thanks
for this and also to all of the wonderful people in our
community which means that we have a reason to honour them
with these awards.” Nominations for the 2016 awards
should be between 50-100 words and include contact details
of the nominee, along with the contact details of the person
nominating them. “Think carefully about who you are
nominating and why. We will inform successful nominees at
the beginning of December.” The awards are open to
individuals only, of any nationality, living in the district
of Paphos. Businesses are not eligible for the awards. The
closing date is Saturday December 3. Marios Joannou
Elia is Patron of the award for the third year, and said he
is proud to be part of such an important event. “It
is an honour to be the patron of this important
philanthropic community-based award for the third year,
which promotes courage and courageous behaviour, as well as
ethical values. All these are indicators of our cultural
status.” This year, the Paphos Hearts of Gold award
has been renamed- ‘Hearts of Gold Cyprus,’ as in the future
the popular awards will be open to residents in other areas
of the island. However, this year, as with previous
years, the awards are open only to those living in the
district of Paphos The Hearts of Gold Award Cyprus
is a way to thank those children and adults which are extra
special in some way. Members of the public can nominate
people each year, that they feel are deserving and the
winners are chosen by a panel of judges. There are
four awards in the 2016 programme and they are all
philanthropic, community-based awards which aim to recognise
those who have shown tremendous courage, strength and
determination, worked tirelessly within the community or for
charities, overcome tragedies with a smile or have simply
been a great help and support to neighbours and friends.
This year’s annual Hearts of Gold Award ceremony will
be held at Palia Ilektriki Cultural Centre in Paphos on
Friday December 9th. Nominees and their families will be
invited to attend the ceremony. Entertainment will
be provided by the Paphos Zingers and George Michaelides who
will represent Cyprus at Junior Eurovision in Malta on
November 20. Father Christmas will also be making an
appearance with gifts for the children. All nominees
will be given a certificate and a flower. The winner
of the adult and junior Heart of Gold Award will receive a
solid gold pin, hand crafted by Aphrodite Jewellers, a
certificate and a bouquet of flowers. The adult
winner will also receive a weekend stay and dinner at the
five star luxury Almyra Hotel. The Lifetime
Achievement Award and Jasmitha Award for Courage winners
will receive certificates, flowers and awards. Both
winners in the adult section will also win a large box of
artisan chocolates and winners in the children’s section
will take home special junior hampers. Refreshments
will also be provided and as space is limited, this is an
invitation only event. Nominations can be made three
ways: by emailing – info@heartsofgoldcyprus.com or by
private message on the dedicated Facebook page, or by post
to Hearts of Gold Cyprus 2016, PO Box 64142, Paphos, 8072,
Cyprus. Please ensure that postal nominations will
arrive in plenty of time before the closing date of December
3, 2016. For further information:
www.heartsofgoldcyprus.com The awards are
supported by: Paphos Municipality, British High Commission
Nicosia, Aphrodite Jewellery, Almyra Hotel, Massiva
printers, Cyprus Mail, The Paphos Post, Radio Pafos,
Flybynite Media, Palia Ilektriki Restaurant Paphos, Chris
Hopkins Photography, TOTT Events and Joulietta Chocolatier
and Patissier. Paphos youngsters dance
to success By Bejay Browne Two talented
Paphos teenagers are vying to take the crown at this year’s
popular Mega TV show- ‘DanSing Junior.’ Thirteen
year old British resident, Georgina Moakler, has lived in
Peyia in Paphos with her family for the last ten years and
dreams of winning this year’s high profile competition.
So too does 12 year old Nikoletta Antoniou, a Cypriot born
dancer from Paphos. Both girls attend the Young
Stars Theatre and Performing Arts School in Kissonerga in
Paphos, which is run by Principal Anna Michaelides.
Michaelides’ son George, who also attends the school, will
represent Cyprus at the upcoming Junior Eurovision to be
held in Malta on November 20. Georgina is the only
British dancer to ever compete in the show, which is filmed
in front of a live audience, and she is thoroughly enjoying
it. And Nikoletta wowed judges with a beautiful lyrical
piece at her June audition, which won her a ‘golden ticket’,
taking her straight through to the live shows.
Eleven children were chosen in the dance category and eleven
in the singing. The judges will crown the best dancer and
the best singer, as there are two separate awards.
Along with other competitors, including Georgina, Nikoletta
will have to perform different songs or dances each week,
depending on their field, and the judges deliver weekly
individual scores. None of the children are eliminated
during the series and during the final weekend, the public
are invited to vote for their favourites. The
singing and dancing TV show is broadcast every Saturday and
Sunday night and sees talented young singers and dancers
compete for the two top spots. Each performer faces a
panel of three Mega TV judges who give the dancers and
singers scores and feedback at the end of each routine.
The girls will face the public to vote on December 18;
the only time viewers can vote for their favourite.
CHRISTMAS NIGHT MARKET TO BE HELD IN PAPHOS
Its exciting and its where its all happening - get in
the Christmas cheer! The floodlit
Christmas night market will take place December 8th, 5pm -
9pm in the huge car park in front of REVIVAL Fashions and
The Paphos Post office on the main Coral Bay Road
(Kissonerga) Paphos. Additional Christmas lighting has been
organized to enhance the festive atmosphere. This
will be the 4th Night Market by very popular demand from the
community and stall holders alike and it gives us all the
opportunity to help the needy in Paphos. The Keg &
Barrel are supplying a Full bar serving beer, wine &
spirits, soft drinks & delicious hot food. Teas,
coffees, cakes, mulled wine & many festive delights will be
available and over 50 stalls will be exhibiting all sorts of
items (this is your chance to buy your Christmas gifts!) we
have many local crafts stalls, books, vinyl records,
jewellery, bric a brac, cakes, pastries, sweets, homemade
preserves; there will also be charity stalls and lots more!
The entertainment will kick off at about 7pm with the
'Zingers' choir singing Christmas carols, there will be a
'jukebox jive' with DJ Dave and a dance team from Young
Stars will be performing and Judith Evans Davies will be
singing a solo to round off the evening! Although
Solidarity charity which provided a lifeline for thousands
of needy people in Paphos closed its doors earlier this year
a number of churches and groups are continuing to offer
vital help to those still in need "Five euros from
every stall at the Night Market will go to the Pcfi Matthew
25 project which helps to feed over 50 families in Paphos
every week by giving them a bag of necessary groceries. This
includes pasta, rice, tinned goods and toiletries. People
may also bring donations of non-perishable foodstuffs to
the night market. This project has been set up by
Paphos Christian Fellowship international Church and is also
supported by the Calvary Chapel. There will also be
a huge Raffle which will be drawn on the night and tickets
will be available at only 2 euros each from Monday 7th
November from Revival fashion store & other outlets. There
are over 40 amazing raffle prizes which have been donated by
generous local businesses & stall holders.
Beautifying Paphos By Bejay Browne
Paphos municipality is intensifying efforts to
clean up its image and with this aim has launched a
programme which will enable residents to obtain free paint
to decorate the outside of their homes. A
municipality spokesman said: “We are offering free courtesy
paint to those who submit an application, as part of our
efforts to promote Paphos as a decent and clean city.”
The innovative project is titled: "I paint my
house, clean my neighbourhood,and beautify my city."
The programme is open to all residents of Paphos (living
within the Paphos municipality boundaries) whose homes have
an exterior that needs painting, after submitting an
application. He noted that the conditions and
procedures for participating in the programme are as
follows: “The programme only covers the outside of the
building, the Technical Department of Paphos municipality
will visit the building and certify that it needs painting,
the municipality will offer a free specific quantity of
paint, depending on the total outer surface of each house.”
In addition, the costs of workers to carry out the
painting and preparatory work will be borne entirely by the
applicant, the colour will be agreed in advance and based on
the data of each region. With the approval of the
request, the municipality will grant half of the quantity of
paint, while the remaining required amount will be given
immediately, as required, depending on the progress of work.
The municipality plans to keep a firm grip on the
programme, insuring that the projects will be completed.
“If for any reason the project is not started or not
completed, the municipality will have the right to claim
damages,” he warned, adding that all work will be performed
under the technical supervision of the municipality or
another authorised officer. Approved requests will
also include specific conditions which will be agreed in
advance with the municipality technician, based on the type
of surface to be painted. He said that requests that
are submitted collectively from a particular neighbourhood,
will receive priority. Other stipulations state that
participants own the properties and hold all relevant
licenses. The premises to which requests pertains should
have been constructed prior to 2010. We are
accepting applications now, those interested should come to
the public service department at the municipality to collect
the forms. This phase of the project is open until November
30, 2016, and then the evaluation of all applications and
the start of the paint work will commence.” Paphos
is readying itself ahead of the Cultural Capital of Europe
2017 title, an honour which it will share with Aarhus in
Denmark. For more information call: 26822270 or
contact the Service Centre October 28th Square, Paphos
during working days and hours to collect and deposit
applications. Gift of Love appeal
is launched By Bejay Browne The Gift of
Love appeal which sees the public fill hundreds of shoeboxes
with Christmas gifts and raise cash for needy children and
their families in Paphos has been launched again this year.
Volunteer organisers, Dikla Smith and Mikka Heaney,
both agreed there is still a need to ensure children are
given gifts this year. Currently, Paphos
municipality social welfare department is collating a list
of children from underprivileged families that are
registered with them that the appeal will help.
Heaney said children of needy families from surrounding
villages would be included as well. “Solidarity
charity which helped needy families may have closed, but the
kids are still there, they can’t be forgotten. This is about
the spirit of Christmas, it’s the time of year for giving
and every child should receive a gift.” This year,
bespoke shoe boxes are being made and will be available from
drop off and collection points- which are listed on their
Facebook page- across Paphos for a small fee of one euro,
making it easier for the public, said Smith. Boxes
must be clearly marked whether they are for boys or girls
and the age category. The gifts must be of a suitable size
to fit into a shoebox. The age categories cover a
two year span, such as 0-2 years, 2- 4 years and so on. Each
box should be clearly labelled whether it’s for a boy or
girl and the age group it’s suitable for. Boxes will
be available from the second week in November until December
15, but this may be extended, said Heaney. Smith
said that a charity tournament is also being organised at
Olymipico football pitch in Paphos on November 20. Teams of
groups of players aged 6-13 years are being invited to take
part, she said. There will also be a fair and food and
drinks, she added. “There will be a charge of three
euros for each player and all of the money raised will go to
Gift of Love. Please get in touch and let us know you want
to take part,” she said. In addition, the volunteers
are appealing for delivery drivers who have trucks as
presents this years will be taken to schools, halls and
community centres. For further information call
Dikla Smith on 97 789099, Mikka Heaney 96 462558.
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GiftOfLovePaphos/
|