Supporting the parents of Larnaca – in all languages !
Founder of the non-profit organisation – Sharon Mckinley – has seen the success of the LPN grow since its inception in 2012, and has the full backing and support of the Larnaca Municipality, who will now be including the LPN events in its official monthly events diary. The LPN also coordinates with the Municipality for the donation of items for needy families and other services.
As a result, Sharon is seeking volunteers who are able to assist in any way they can: “As the LPN continues to grow, we need more help from people who are willing to donate a bit of their time – as much as they feel they can, and whenever they feel they can. It won’t be anything difficult; it could be assisting at an event where we are collecting for charity, or if anyone fancies writing for our blog, we always welcome pieces. I would also like to get our posters put up in more places so that our events can receive more publicity and need people who are willing to undertake this task too.”
Sharon moved to Cyprus six years ago with her partner of 14 years, Grant, whom she met when the two worked on a cruise ship. Sharon had always been drawn to the island, having worked here as a nanny in her early twenties, and it seemed like the ideal place to relocate and set up their company ‘Progress Cyprus’, which trains staff for cruise ships internationally.
In 2010, the couple had their son Alex and Sharon suddenly found herself propelled into a different world as a mother… one she was not familiar with. Feeling alone and not sure where to turn for support, she realised that many others must also feel this way and decided to set up a blog site where English-speaking parents could find useful information on the services available, events, child-friendly places and advice, which blossomed into the LPN of today.
She explains: “I initially started the LPN in English because that is the language I speak, but I don’t want it to be an ‘ex-pat thing’ and always planned on expanding it to include Greek and Russian. This is now becoming a reality as we welcome new members onboard who can speak these languages and are willing to assist in getting the information out there in their own languages.”
Aside from the website, the LPN also holds monthly coffee mornings and talks – all free of charge. The talks cover a range of topics from expert speakers and Sharon feels that this is something everyone should take advantage of: “Our events are fantastic! We have had such amazing speakers who have most recently talked about empowering women, managing stress, Cyprus herbs, and raw food diets. These people kindly donate their time to hold the free talks and I want everyone to take advantage of their knowledge and expertise. We have some great talks lined up for the future, including one with the mayor of Larnaca in January where he will tell us all about the works currently taking place in the town.”
But Sharon is still not content and wants to give as much as she can to the community which - as she says - has given so much to her as her adopted home. In the pipeline for 2014 is a new members card that will offer island-wide benefits and discounts for families, and she also has plans to take the network island-wide with each town having its own tailored Parents Network.
For more information, or to volunteer, visit the website: www.larnacaparentsnetwork.com or email info@larnacaparentsnetwork.com
Telephone :96585496
