History

The Brotherhood was founded by a Greek Orthodox cleric in 1934 and is the oldest Cypriot association in Britain.

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Its original aims were to provide cultural, educational and moral support to the first Cypriot immigrants to Britain. People could go to the Brotherhood to get advice and help on settling into Britain. The Brotherhood also organised English classes for the initial Cypriot immigrants and then the first Greek schools for the generations born outside of Cyprus.

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As the needs of the Cypriot community and Cyprus have changed, so have the aims and campaigns of the Brotherhood. It now dedicates a large part of its resources to activities aimed at a fair solution of the island’s problems following the invasion by Turkey in 1974. It calls for the re-unification of Cyprus’ people, the withdrawal of occupation troops, the establishment of and respect for human rights, giving all the communities of Cyprus political, cultural and social stability. It also hosts a number of cultural and educational events, including free monthly lectures by the University of Cyprus.

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The Brotherhood purchased its own premises in 1996 in North London from Barnet Council. The premises are used as a base for all its activities and are used for meetings and other functions. These premises are not only used by the Brotherhood but also the wider community. The National Federation of Cypriots in the UK is also housed at the premises. Dinners with visiting Cypriot politicians and Presidents are often hosted there as well.

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The term ‘Brotherhood’ often comes with connotations of a mysterious, secret society, but this is not the case. A change of name has been considered in the past but a Member of Parliament once told the Brotherhood that such a distinctive name makes their correspondences and letters to MPs recognisable and therefore stand out ahead of other organisations.

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The Brotherhood recently celebrated its 90th Anniversary at which President Nikos Christodoulides was made a Patron (photograph below), joining previous Presidents; Archbishop Makarios III, Glafcos Clerides, Spyros Kyprianou, George Vassiliou, Demetris Christofias and Nicos Anastasiades as well as the late Archbishop Chrysostomos I.