Dear Friends

The current pandemic upsets our lives and requires a great effort from all of us to cope with it. The Friends of Paros and Antiparos wish you good health and good luck once again.

This health  crisis has  forced us  to change  our program  for 2019/2020. While some activities have gone well with success as shown in this Bulletin, others, for example the holding of a seminar on waste management and recycling, or the organization, as every year, of theatrical  workshops of Petros Sevastikoglou, or the bilingual presentation by Michel Volkovitch of the last two books in Greek and French by Ilias Papadimitrakopoulos, or the  presentation of the  works carried out for the Temple of Apollo at Despotiko, finally, the annual  Friends ceremony, in August will mostly be rescheduled.

More than ever, this pandemic is putting concerns, which were also our concern, on sustainable  development and tourism, an issue that is again hosted in our magazine.

The seminar  we recently  organized on the  health  system  in the Cyclades, the issues that were presented and discussed are highlighted even more through the current  context of the situation, as a harsh light of reality shows its shortcomings. Solidarity, mutual  aid, the core values of our action must  come out strengthened in this ordeal. Likewise, the seminar on Ancient Quarries demonstrated all the cultural and social interest for the re-appropriation by the islanders of their sites, which also strengthens a more sustainable  tourism and a more resilient destination.

Finally, the Friends launched  a successful collection of funds for the purchase of cardiopulmonary  resuscitation  equipment (CPR) so that  more and more people can learn to save a human being with simple techniques. Similarly, they have just launched  a collection to provide the  public Health  Center  of the  island  with  a professional washing  machine  (see  below) to guarantee  the  hygiene  of medical garments,  sheets,  towels, etc.

For the  moment,  we are of course awaiting  the  evolution of the  pandemic  to reprogram  all of these  activities  (and  others that  could also be organized, for example, a discussion for the creation of a collection of books by the Friends of Paros), which testify  to the  vitality  of our Association.  This vitality must continue to be supported by members of the association, visitors and the local population, including financially.