The Mayor of Ruse Pencho Milkov met with Georgi Peev, an exceptional athlete, inspiring ambassador of donation and the only person in Europe with a heart and kidney transplant. The occasion of the meeting was Peev's participation as a special guest at the "Sportsman of the Year" ceremony for 2024, which takes place this evening in the Dokhodno zdanie.

Georgi Peev is a symbol of the strength of spirit and overcoming life's trials. After a viral illness in 2011, he underwent a heart transplant in 2013, followed by a kidney transplant a year and a half later. Despite the health challenges, he has become a true champion both in sport and in life.

Among his greatest achievements are the gold medal at the World Championships for Transplanted Athletes in Perth, Australia, in 2023, as well as the four gold medals won this year at the European Transplanted Games in Lisbon. In 2019 Georgi climbed the highest peak of the Balkan Peninsula, Musala, and in 2023 he climbed the highest peak in Africa - Uhuru (5895 m) on Mount Kilimanjaro and became the first person in the world with a transplanted heart and kidney to do so.

Georgi has dedicated his life to promoting donation in Bulgaria, organising campaigns and meetings to inspire people to support this vital cause.

“You are an example of how willpower, strength of spirit and human kindness can change the world. Your successes inspire not only athletes, but all of us to believe that even the greatest difficulties can be overcome. Not only sports achievements, but also the mission to popularize donation are an inspiration for our entire society,” said Mayor Pencho Milkov.

Georgi Peev shared that his transplanted heart is from Ruse and he could not refuse the invitation to attend the ceremony. “My cause is for people to believe that anything is possible. Donation is not a topic about death, but about life and the opportunities that are provided to you,” he noted.

During the meeting, possibilities for organizing joint initiatives in Ruse were discussed to direct public attention to donation. The mayor emphasized that the municipality will support all efforts in this direction.

Pencho Milkov met with the Chairman of the National Society "Tradition" - Ruse Branch Martin Kalendzhiev. The Mayor was awarded a plaque for the support provided by the Municipality of Ruse for the celebrations of the 140th anniversary of the Fifth Infantry Danube Regiment, which took place at the end of last year.
"Your activity is key to the preservation of our cultural and historical heritage, and your dedication inspires generations of Ruse residents to be proud of their past. This anniversary not only pays tribute to the heroes who contributed to the freedom of Bulgaria, but also reminds us of the power of unity and patriotism," said the Mayor. He expressed his gratitude for the award and said that he accepts it with great respect as a symbol of the fruitful cooperation between the National Society "Tradition" - Ruse Branch and the Municipality of Ruse.
This year, the Ruse branch of "Tradition" celebrates 25 years since its establishment as part of the national society, which on January 10 turned 34 years old since its establishment in Bulgaria. On this occasion, Martin Kalendzhiev presented the mayor with a specially made plaque and expressed his readiness for future joint activities.
In the history of its activities, the society organizes and participates in reenactments of historical events related to the past of Bulgaria, some of which in other countries. "Tradition" is also involved in the maintenance of war monuments, and organizes open lessons in a number of schools. It has extensive publishing activities, republishing books by direct participants in historical events of the past.

On January 14, the Municipality of Ruse successfully completed the activities under the project "Home Care in the Municipality of Ruse". It was launched in November 2022 and provided care in a home environment for over 700 elderly people unable to self-care and people with disabilities. The main goal was to improve the quality of life and social inclusion by providing mobile health and social services, psychological support, delivery of food and essential products, as well as organizing training for the staff involved in the implementation of these services. The project is implemented under the financing contract BG05SFPR002-2.001-0165-C02, procedure BG05SFPR002-2.001 "Home Care", financed by the European Social Fund Plus, through the Human Resources Development Program 2021-2027.

At the time of project completion, 761 people born in the period 1923–1978 had benefited from the services.

Ruse Municipality is actively preparing for a new initiative under procedure BG05SFPR002-2.012 "Innovative Health and Social Services", which is expected to launch in early 2025. It will build on the results and experience achieved from the "Home Care" project, with services to be provided until December 31, 2026.

The indicative number of users for Ruse Municipality under this procedure is a minimum of 245 people. Target groups include:

- people living alone with disabilities who do not have specific external assistance, but have medical documents certifying the need for support.

- people living alone in old age who cannot take care of themselves and do not have a specific degree of reduced work capacity.

For all users eligible under the procedure, a real assessment of the need for support will be prepared according to a methodology specially prepared by the Managing Authority. It uses the two-scale toolkit to perform a functional assessment of individuals for performing daily activities and an assessment of individuals' abilities to perform instrumental daily activities.

The Municipality of Ruse is participating for another year in the International Marriage Week, which is traditionally celebrated in the period 7-14 February. The initiative aims to promote marriage and family and support couples on their path to building a successful marriage. This year, the Municipality is announcing a competition for the most attractive family photo, taken in a favorite place in Ruse.

Those wishing to participate in the initiative must send their photos, which were taken in various emblematic or interesting places in the city and capture the harmony, love and uniqueness of a married couple. The photos can tell a story, show emotions or present the couple in an unusual or inspiring light.

A family can participate with only one photo, which must be sent to the email pr@mayor-ruse.bg by February 5. It must be accompanied by the names of the family, a contact phone number, as well as brief information about the photo itself - where it was taken and why the specific place was chosen. The competition is open to both amateur and professional participants. Sending photos for participation in the competition will be considered an explicit consent for the photos to be published on the official channels of the Municipality of Ruse solely for the purposes of the competition. Prizes are provided for the winners, who will be selected by a special jury.

Traditionally, during the Marriage Week, the oldest couple living in the territory of the Municipality of Ruse will also be awarded.

In the period 7–14 February, wedding rituals will be performed in the building of the local administration at 6 Svoboda Square by Deputy Mayor Zlatomira Stefanova, and on 14 February /Friday/ a couple will be married by the Mayor of Ruse Pencho Milkov.

The Marriage Week in Bulgaria is celebrated with numerous initiatives organized by the various municipalities. According to a national survey, marriage continues to be a value for most Bulgarians. The campaign also has a preventive goal - on the one hand, to help couples remember what made them fall in love and commit to each other, and on the other - to understand what it takes to maintain love in their marriage.

More information about Marriage Week can be found on the website and on the initiative's Facebook page.

The youngest participant is a 13-year-old girl from Ruse, and the veteran in the competition is a 70-year-old man from Gabrovo

Ruse is hosting the two-day National Tournament "Danube Arrows", which began today in the "Arena Ruse" hall. The archery competition is organized by the Sports Club "Jumbo-2006" with the assistance of the Municipality of Ruse. The event was officially opened by Borislav Rachev, Deputy Mayor for "Sports and Youth Activities". He presented the Chairman of the SC "Jumbo-2006" Yordan Dzhambazov with a congratulatory address on behalf of the Mayor Pencho Milkov, who emphasized how many talented athletes contribute to the successful development of archery in Ruse. The Mayor wishes all participants a fair sports competition and expresses confidence that this event will leave a lasting mark on the state sports calendar. Since today is the World Day of the word "thank you", Borislav Rachev thanked all the competitors and coaches for the efforts they put into the training and competition process, and for proudly carrying the Bulgarian flag in international competitions. Among the official guests of the event were also the director of ME "Sports properties" Lachezar Ivanov and the president of the Bulgarian Archery Federation Atanas Temelkov.

The 37th edition of the competition includes 154 participants, who are among the best representatives of all clubs in the country. They will compete individually and as a team in the Olympic style, compound and naked archery divisions.

Ruse is especially proud of the participation of Ivan Banchev from the "Jumbo - 2006" club, who in November last year set a national record for men's recurve indoors during the "Danube Arrows" tournament. Then the Ruse resident achieved a result of 588 (295/293) points, which improved a 19-year-old record. Another pride of Ruse is 13-year-old Miya Yordanova, who is the youngest competitor of the tournament. The veteran in the competition is 70-year-old Ivan Mihaylov from Gabrovo.

The finals of the tournament will be on Sunday, January 12. The results of this competition will determine our national team for the European Championship in February in Turkey.