Filenews 16 August 2022
A request to the Ministry of Interior for the community council to be granted the right to perform civil marriages, intends to be submitted by the KS Lembas.
As stated by the president of the C.S. Lembas Thucydides Chrysostomou, they ask that the community councils be able to perform civil marriages as well as the Municipalities. "Unfortunately, the Legislation provides that only the Municipalities have the right to perform civil marriages", he said and said that they grant spaces of the community council for the celebration of weddings by the Municipality of Paphos in locations of Lemba, adding that the issue is of great concern to them, since "it is not possible that only the Municipality of Paphos can perform civil weddings and only it benefits".
As he stated, "unfortunately we only give up the space and collect some money charged by the Lemba Community Authority for the beautification and cleaning of the space".
Civil weddings in Lemba are held in the area of Vrisi, in the Valley of Lemba, near the centre of the community and the Valley of Lemba is in the first places of preference in the lists of tourist agents and municipal authorities.
According to the president of the Community Council of Lemba, the Valley is an ornament for the community and for the whole province. It receives dozens of local and foreign tourists every day who enjoy the natural beauty and take commemorative photos. The Valley is high in the preferences of many newly married couples for their wedding photos but also a place of inspiration for artists from different countries of the world who visit the area.
In addition, Mr. Chrysostomou noted that the K.S. Lembas secured a budget of €26,000 which, with the help of the Department of Forests, is used for maintenance, improvement, expansion and creation of new paths within the Park. The 4 natural water sources that run during the whole year and are used to irrigate the park and the valley have also been improved. They are, he said, the same sources of water that have been flowing for thousands of years.
Describing the location where young couples wish to celebrate their wedding, he said that there is also a natural cave near the fountain source with stalactite remains. All these together said Mr. Chrysostomou, along with the unobstructed view to the sea make the Valley of Lemba unique. Finally, he said that K.S. Lembas, appreciating the importance of the Park for the Community and for the protection of its natural wealth and history, after a great effort managed to integrate a large part of the Park into a protection zone Da 1 and the rest into a White Zone.
The ultimate goal of K.S. Lembas, he noted, is the inclusion of the entire Park in a Da1 protection zone in order to preserve its long-term protection.
CNA
