Paphos pensioner donates £2.5 million estate to the poor

IN AN unprecedented gesture of philanthropy, Christodoulos Petrides, 85, from Paphos, donated his whole estate amounting to £2.5 million to the poor and orphaned children of Paphos.

Petrides, who lost his own children at birth and went through hardship as a child, nevertheless managed through hard work to become a millionaire.

“I lost my two children, and that’s why I’m donating my whole fortune to poor and orphan children,” he said.

The money will be used to set up a fund, which will help orphans and poor families, and also grant scholarships.

“Such actions prove the humanity and altruism of our people,” said Averof Neophytou, Minister of Communications, who is currently on a tour of the Paphos area.

Contracts for the construction of what will be known as the Petridion Foundation were signed yesterday in the presence of Neophytou, Bishop of Paphos Chrysostomos, and Michalakis Leptos, the building contractor.