It’s party time for Polish expatriates

Jan 14 2008 by Chris Robinson, The Journal

MEMBERS of the Polish expat community came together on Tyneside yesterday to celebrate their country’s equivalent of Red Nose Day.

On the first time that the Great Orchestra of Christmas had come to Newcastle, children and adults from the Polish community in the North-East came together to raise money for children’s charities in their homeland.

The event at Newcastle College was organised by Katarzyna Bobrzak, 39, who has lived in Newcastle for 15 years.

Katarzyna, a maritime designer for a construction company, said: “Only in the last two years has there been a real Polish community here.

“I wanted to do something to help bring that community together, and hopefully to bring English and Polish people together.”

Sponsorship from Durham Tees Valley Airport and Wizz, the Polish airline, meant the occasion could go ahead with any money made going directly to charity.

The party began at noon with events for toddlers and young children.

With classic Polish cartoons being played on TVs, the youngsters had their faces painted and there was a DJ playing Polish music. Two men who arrived with medieval Viking weapons and armour acted out traditional Polish stories and as the day went on, the younger children and their parents were slowly replaced by a trickle of teenagers and older people.

The event was rounded off with live music, DJ sets and an exhibition of fire dancing taking place in the evening, with money being raised through collection boxes and auctions.

Karel Gorski, 35, a bus driver from Sunderland who has lived in Britain for three years, had come along with his daughter Kamila, eight.

He said: “Even though there are lots of Polish people here, it is not always easy to meet them. Parties like this are a good way of doing that.

“It would be better if there were more English people here, but it’s still a good party.”

Although plans to have a live TV link-up between Newcastle and the Polish capital Warsaw fell through, the event was getting regular mentions on national television over there.

A Polish internet TV company filmed the event for broadcast online in the next few weeks.