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I was lucky enough to meet the nominees for this year’s Paphos hearts of gold awards at the ceremony at the town hall.The award is now in its forth year and seven children and more than twenty adults were nominated by members of the public.The event was packed full of nominees, their family and friends and to learn all of their stories was a real inspiration.

 The mayor of Paphos, Savvas Vergas, is the patron of the award and he said he ‘felt proud to have such great citizens in his town.’

It was a refreshing change to be part of such a heart-warming experience, as much of the recent news out of Paphos is gloomy. Flights being cut, tourism down, restaurants and bars closing, empty shops and families out of work.

This event is a celebration and a way to say thank you. The award is one of the Paphos events, which brings the whole community together, no matter what nationality, age or religious leaning. It celebrates one of the good things about Paphos and that is our community spirit.

OK, so the roads are terrible, the infrastructure could be better and some of the buildings leave a lot to be desired. A Cypriot acquaintance-from his lofty heights in Nicosia- recently described Paphos as a sprawling mess full of peasants.While this may be the view of many who reside in the capital and other towns of Cyprus, it is not my view.

Its true to say mistakes have been made. There is a distinct lack of green areas, parking places, educational facilities and good transport in Paphos, but that is all changing- slowly.

Despite these problems, Paphos is still a great place to live and events such as this award highlight just how many people are quietly ‘getting on with things,’ without a hidden agenda. Sometimes it’s good to just sit back and remember what really matters in life, and that’s people.Friends, family and the community in which we live are what are really important. I am lucky enough to live in Paphos, a town with a great community spirit .