THE UKCA in Chlorakas Paphos has shed its dated image, along with its old clubhouse, in favour of a facelift of the premises, and a new direction for the membership.
Chairman of the UKCA in Paphos, David Cornthwaite, took over the position 11 months ago, and in that time, has already racked up major changes to the British expat club.
The new chairman aims to help the club embrace the culture and language of Cyprus and rid them of their elitist and sometimes-unfavourable image.
It’s true you still have to be a British passport holder to join the club, although there are exceptions.
“I want to give the members real value for money when they join the UKCA and to help the British community integrate into the Cypriot community. The image of the UKCA was outdated, and I wanted to reach out to the community, and see where it takes us. We’re living in another country and we must always respect that,” Cornthwaite told the Cyprus Mail as he described the club’s vision of the future.
He cited the example of the Paphos fisherman who recently approached Cornthwaite to see if the club would be interested in taking part in a clean up operation in Paphos harbour.
Thirty or so Brits turned up at the event titled, ‘Working Together‘ and laboured alongside 23 Cypriots, filling rubbish bags and cleaning up the harbour.
The project, although practical, was also an exercise in the two communities working side by side; something Cornthwaite hopes will become a regular occurrence.
“It was great to be asked to help with this project, and I hope it’s the first of many. We’ve set ourselves a goal for this year. It’s to forge improved links with the local community, not only in Chlorakas but within Paphos as well,” he said.
“One of the main barriers is language, but I hope this will soon change.”
Club member June Iles came up with the idea of Cypriot, as opposed to Greek, language lessons.
“I thought it would be a good idea to offer members lessons to help them learn Cypriot conversation. Most lessons these days are in Greek, and involve learning grammar. Many of the members have already done this, but it doesn’t help with trying to converse with the locals,” she said.
“The language lessons will be partly subsidised by the club, and members will be able to claim back part of the fee on completion of the course.”
The response overwhelming said Iles with more than 121 people signing up for the 64 spaces.
The clubhouse has just undergone a facelift, and 40 volunteers undertook the work for free, saving the club more than €150,000.
“We have an extensive library which holds around 2,000 books, DVDs, videos, jigsaws and brail books as well,” said Cornthwaite.
“We provide assistance with a wide range of information for Brits, from pensions, paperwork and legal requirements, to funerals. It can be daunting when you move to a new country.
“The club is also a great way to make new friends, and meet people. Our members are steadily getting younger, as the demographic of ex- pats coming here to live is changing. More and more people are coming here to live and work, and not just to retire.”
But there are also members who have been with the UKCA ever since it started back in the 1960s. One of these is Patricia Kingston who has been a member since 1964. She was a special guest at the club’s re-opening ceremony at the end of June.’
And what of the membership being restricted to British passport holders?
“In the future, we will have to address the matter of membership, and criteria needed to join. We do have non-British members now, who hold guest, or honorary memberships. I can see we will probably open this up in the future.”
The club does much to help with charitable work, regularly raising money for the Paphos Friends hospice, and the children’s playground at Paphos general hospital.
Cornthwaite is confident the club will continue to grow; and they’ve accepted 300 new members in the last 10 months
“People use the UKCA for a variety of different reasons. We’re a social club with many extras. We also have welfare assistance for those in serious financial difficulty. We provide help and support, that’s something that will never change,” Cornthwaite said.
“On one Saturday of the month we have entertainment. We also have an open forum, where members may quiz the committee. There’s a new members evening. We have a UKCA Paphos magazine, and a website.”
Other social activities include quiz nights, bingo, darts, Mah-jong and karaoke. The club’s three course Sunday lunch for €9-90 is very popular and is fully booked almost every week.
“I want to sign 100 businesses, who will give members a special discount, and in turn, we will promote them. I want to ensure value for money, and encourage a positive view of the UKCA within the community,” said Cornthwaite.
“It’s far tougher for Brits coming to live in Cyprus than it was a few years ago. Many pensioners are suffering with the change to the euro, and the global credit crunch. We‘re here to help, and I hope we always will be.’
Paphos UKCA Tel: 26952470,website: www.ukca.com.cy
