Christmas in Liverpool - Polish style

by Damian Richards-Clark. Published Thu 04 Dec 2008 19:55

Liverpool people are being invited to enjoy a very special Polish Christmas.

A new initiative, Merseyside Polonia, is celebrating the start of the festive season with a Christmas event aimed at bringing together the city’s Polish population and the wider community.

Set up by local charity, Yellow House, and supported by the city council, Merseyside Polonia is a monthly event which gives everyone the chance to enjoy Polish culture and form new friendships with people of different cultural backgrounds.

And it will be giving local people an early Festive treat on Friday (5th December), with local people having the chance to sample Polish Christmas Eve dishes, find out more about Christmas traditions in Poland and sing traditional Polish Christmas Carols.

Launched in October, Merseyside Polonia is proving to be a massive success. A big hit in the community, the initiative has also grabbed the attention of the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, who invited the team to visit him in the Polish Embassy in London and tell him more about their work. The meeting was even covered on Polish national television.

Further emphasising the impact Merseyside Polonia has already had on the community, the Christmas event will be attended by two very prestigious guests – Polish Consul General Piotr Nowotniak and Vice Consul Szymon Bialek.

Project co-ordinator, Gosia McKane, said: “We have been amazed by the response to Merseyside Polonia so far. We launched it to establish friendships between people of different cultural backgrounds, give the Polish community a voice and open up our history, heritage and culture to the whole city.

“To have received such fantastic feedback from the Polish and wider community, and to have been invited to meet the Prime Minister of Poland to tell him all about the project has exceeded all our expectations!

“We want as many people as possible, from all the city’s communities, to come to our latest event to make new friends and discover more about the magic of a traditional Polish Christmas!”

Liverpool City Council Leader, Councillor Warren Bradley said: “It’s great news that a cultural project developed here in Liverpool has been praised by the Polish Prime Minister.

“We’re delighted to be supporting Merseyside Polonia, which is playing an important part in uniting communities, empowering local people and celebrating diversity. I’d urge everyone to support this event, get a taste of Polish culture and enjoy a Christmas celebration with a difference.”

Merseyside Polonia features monthly events at community venues across the city, which give people the opportunity to get to know Liverpool’s Polish community better. The showing of new Polish films with English subtitles, the chance to try Polish food, and photo exhibitions and stories are opening up Poland’s heritage, history and culture for everyone.

The events also give people the chance to develop new ideas and projects, discuss community issues and share information about local services.

There has been a major influx of Polish people moving to the UK since Poland joined the EU in 2004, and Liverpool’s Polish community is the fastest growing in the city. Merseyside Polonia has been developed to help the community engage fully with Liverpool life, as well as helping to tackle misconceptions that the community is ‘taking our jobs.’

Feedback from the Polish and wider community about Merseyside Polonia so far includes: “This is just what I have been waiting and looking for in this city”; “Good opportunity to meet people from the Polish community and learn about food and movies”; and “There was a positive atmosphere and a feeling of friendship.”

The Merseyside Polonia Christmas event takes place at the Academy of St Francis of Assisi, L6, at 6.30pm on Friday 5 December.

For more information about Merseyside Polonia, or to get involved, please call Gosia McKane on 07531 723006 or 0151 260 2996. You can also e-mail info@merseysidepolonia.com or visit www.merseysidepolonia.com.