THE annual `Radiomarathon of Love’ charity event started off at the break of dawn yesterday with 58 kiosks set up throughout the island collecting money for children with special needs. The event, running into its 13th year, was organised by Laiki Bank and the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) with the support of the Phileleftheros Group.
The event ends today with 12 mobile money collectors travelling island-wide to complement the ad-hoc kiosks in an effort to raise funds for the better quality of life for children with special needs.
Supporters of the two-day charity event include popular Greek stars Despina Vandi, Keti Garbi and Dionysis Schinas, flown over by Cyprus Airways. Laiki’s Radiomarathon organiser Rodoulla Hadjikyriakou informed reporters before the event that the charity had succeeded in raising £10 million in Cyprus and £1.5 million abroad in the 13 years since its beginning. “Many of these children with special needs now graduate from the same school as other children. They fit in well with other children and their learning environment,” she said.
The fund-raising festivities actually began on Saturday with a one-day organised trip to Crete, aptly titled `The Love Flight’. The flight was sponsored by Cyprus Airways, allowing the £200 ticket price to go directly to Radiomarathon’s account. Around 200 passengers, organisers and flight crew left Larnaca airport bright and early Saturday morning headed for the charm and beauty of Crete’s second largest city, Chania.
The group was taken in a five-coach convoy to the burial place of Eleftherios Venizelos and his son, Sofoclis, in Akrotiri, from where they witnessed the majestic beauty of Chania port, designed by the same Venetian architect who made the port of Kyrenia.
As the tourists emptied their coaches they were greeted by a traditional folk band dressed in Cretan attire playing songs that roused the interests of one Limassol guest who couldn’t wait till dinner to break into dance. A little boy in the outfit stood solemn in customary costume, unruffled by the flash of numerous digital cameras. Without flinching, he waited for the parade to pass before breathing a sigh of relief, “I never thought so many people could come from one plane.”
The group was then taken to the old part of Chania surrounding the port where people dispersed into areas of preference. Some walked through the old town, while others went straight for cafes to make their introductions to the local intoxicator, Raki. And of course, many of many. went shopping.
Eventually the guests boarded their tourist coaches, and were confidently guided through the breathtaking twists and turns of the Therissos Mountains towards a local tavern for food and dance.
A show of true Cretan hospitality awaited the crowd as five black-clad elders stood at the foot of the tavern singing `rizitika’ to welcome their guests. Their fine performance was followed by a feast of traditional Cretan dishes and spirited melodies and dances telling of the history of Crete and its closeness with the Cypriot people. In turn, good food, wine and more Raki soon conspired to lift revellers off their seats and onto the dance floor.
When the time had come to leave, both Cretans and Cypriots were ready to continue the merriment into the night. But, in the presence of CY chairman Haris Loizides, all agreed that one shouldn’t be late for a Cyprus Airways flight. So, with more singing and laughter on the way home, the group finally landed at Larnaca airport at nine in the evening, definitely not rested, but certainly contented.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
