Steven Proctor comes from Newbourne - a small town in the southern part of Great Britain. By profession he is a mechanical engineer, and by residence he is now a resident of the Rhodope Mountains and, more precisely, a resident of the Rhodope village of Stoikite. The 47-year-old Englishman settled here three years ago, together with his Bulgarian wife Vanya.

For Steven, the Rhodopes was love at first sight. Without hesitation, the family sold their ancestral property in Newbourne and bought a beautiful house in Stoikite. 

"We escaped the stress in Britain, life here is easier, better," says Stephen. But instead of passively enjoying the beautiful nature and the hospitality of the people of the Rhodope Mountain, Steve, as they call him, rolls up his sleeves and gets to work "for the benefit of the people". The inhabitants of the village are pleasantly surprised by the hard work and generosity of the Briton, for whom volunteering is a way of life.‎

At the end of January, Steve revived the ski lift in the center of Stoikite with his own funds and voluntary work, after the facility had been our of operation for 10 years. Now every resident of the village can ski on the small track for children and beginners completely free of charge, and for tourists the price is symbolic - BGN 5, enough to cover the electricity costs. 

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• Steven Proctor's interview for Radio Bulgaria's Veneta Nikolova

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‎"We just got talking in the restaurant one night about there being a lift. Until then, I had no idea that there was a lift there that used to work. So I went and found out who owns the lift and if there was any interest to open it there", says Steve. "There was a lot of interest so we decided to go for it. I did some of the work with another English guy during the summer, the roof and the deck area. We had a local electrician from the village  who helped us with all the electrics and power supplies but it was mainly my wife and me. It's mostly for children and learners. As a beginner's slope it's excellent".

For Steve, the small Rhodope village is a piece of paradise. According to him, it has everything you need, the people are friendly, and it is much cheaper than the big ski resorts. The Briton also made a voluntary contribution to the creation of the Bagpipe Museum in the village, and is currently helping to restore the old 19^th century school, which will be turned into an art center:

"We have several projects, one of them is to create an art studio, which will open later this year, but we are waiting for the weather to warm up. It is intended both for children from the village and for tourists. In it, they will be engaged in applied arts and crafts. But above all, we want to include the children in Stoikite and the children of our guests," Steven Proctor explains to us.‎

The art studio will be housed in the Stoikite's old 19^th school known as the type of  “cell school”. Visitors will draw, knit, play the bagpipes, learn about old crafts and customs.

“Steve was involved in the renovation of the building. We want everything inside to be preserved as it looked years ago," says Vanya Proctor and adds that for her family the village of Stoikite is synonymous with peace and freedom.

"We moved to live here and Steve began to actively help the village to be revived," says his wife, adding:‎‎  "In winter, he cleans the streets with a rotary machine (an attachment to a car for clearing snow), which he brought with him from England. Once the excavator has passed down the street, he follows. In the summer time, he sweeps the streets all day with a broom, throws away people's garbage, loads it on our personal van to dispose of it in the necessary places. He goes to help and mow the gardens of elderly people. We have 15-17 chapels around the village and he maintains them and mows around... We wish Stoikite would become a model resort village. This was exactly our idea from the moment we came to live here at the end of 2019. We want this village to be talked about, because it is like a diamond in the middle of the Rhodopes," said Vanya Proctor in conclusion .‎