Looking for Poles in Newcastle

Made in Poland Festival 2012

2012-10-03T12:31:00.001+01:00

The Made in Poland Festival is back ,and this year the line up is as inspiring as always.

Check out their website: http://www.madeinpolandfestival.co.uk for a comprehensive list of events.

MADE IN POLAND FESTIVAL 2012

Culture Kitchen

When: Saturday 13th Oct from 11am till 2pm
Where: The Beacon Community Centre, Fenham, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 9PQ
A great way of meeting interesting people over a meal. A professional cook from Krakow Restaurant with teach you how to prepare two typical Polish dishes and a dessert. Be quick! Number of places is limited to 12. Cost: £10, contact us on madeinpolandfestival@gmail.com for more details.

Children’s event: Who are you? I’m a little Pole. When: Sunday 14th Oct from 1pm till 4pm
Where: Toy Cafe, St. Matthews Church Hall, Summerhill Street, Summerhill Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 6EL
Event for children. Parents welcome! Let’s spend the afternoon playing, singing and having lots of fun. We will bring you closer to Poland.
Organiser: Multicultural Organisation Challenger

Dress the Poetry
When: Saturday 20th Oct from 12.00 till 4pm
Where: City Library, Charles Avison Building, 33 New Bridge Street West, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8AX
Dress the Poetry – live music and poetry with Silver Belles, Graham Moffit, Jamie Adams, Simon O’Byrne.
Video animations and poems performed by Tymoteusz Sułek;
Fairtrade fashion show organised by Asia Lompart-Chlaściak;
Cakes and poems created by Barbara Kulikowska;
Special guest from Warsaw – poet Juliusz Erazm Bolek.
Organiser: Grażyna Winniczuk

Exhibition of drawings and paintings
When: Saturday 20th Oct 2012
Where: City Library, Charles Avison Building, 33 New Bridge Street West, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8AX
Anyone can enjoy good humour – the exhibition of the drawings by Szczepan Sadurski and of the paintings of Polish artists in the North-East of England.
Organiser: Kasia Bobrzak

Polish short films When: Sunday 28th Oct 2012, 6pm
Where: Krakow Restaurant, 2-6 Shakespeare Street, NE1 6AQ
Polish short films. A unique opportunity to watch Polish 'shorts' that appeared as part of the Play Poland Film Festival.
Film Mountain
Droga mistrza/The Way of the Master, dir. Kamil Krukowski, Poland 2010, 12'
Twist&Blood, dir. Kuba Czekaj, Poland 2010, 32' (Silesian)
Drwal/Lumberjack, dir. Paweł Dębski, Poland 2011, 15'
Tajemnica spowiedzi/Secret of Confession, dir. Agata Jagodzińska, Poland 2012, 9'
List/Letter, dir. Jakub Janz, Poland 2011, 13'
Bałagan, czyli mnogość punktów widzenia jako przyczyna zaburzeń komunikacji interpersonalnej/A mess, meaning a multitude of perspectives as a cause of interpersonal communication disorders(musical), dir. Bartosz Kościelniak, 37'
Tickets: £6 (one ticket for two events).

Monika Lidke’s concert
When: Sunday 28th Oct 2012, 4pm
Where: Krakow Restaurant, 2-6 Shakespeare Street, NE1 6AQ
An unmissable concert in Newcastle! The incredibly talented jazz musician, Monika Lidke performing in Polish, French and English. An evening you won't forget!
Tickets: £6 (one ticket for two events)

Play Poland Film Festival in Sunderland
When: Friday 9th Nov 2012
Where: Studio Infinite, 17 Nile Street, Sunderland, SR1 1EY
An exhibition of Polish film posters and screening of Polish shorts
Mobile New Horizon Festival
Mask/Maska, dir. Quay Brothers, Poland 2010, 24' (Se-Ma-For)
The Work of Machines/Praca maszyn, dir. Gilles Lepore, Michał Mądracki, Maciej Mądracki, Poland 2010, 38' (MML Produkcja)
The Lost Town of Switez/Świteź, dir. Kamil Polak, Poland 2010, 20’ (New Europe Film Sales)
Esterhazy, dir. Izabela Plucinska, Poland 2009, 25' (New Europe Film Sales)
There will be a tasting of Polish delicacies.
Organiser: Daniel Krzyszczak and ICOS

In cooperation with: Play Poland Festival, ICOS, NEPCO CIC, Culture Connect, Pegaz, Fundacja Młodej Polonii, Multicultural Organisation Challenger, Sunderland Black & Minority Ethnic Network, Vistula in Cumbria, NECS CIC
Media Partners : The Northern Echo, Polska audycja NE1fm, Polnews, 2B Magazine, Polish Radio Bigos, Emito, Magazine 'Emigrant', Portal 'Londynek', Polish Radio in Londyn ORLA.fm, Portal Kobieta w UK, Portal POLEMI, Portal Informacje24, Polska Chata, Portal Cumbria.pl, The Independent
Main Sponsor: Camps Solicitors
Sponsors: 'Polskie Smakołyki' in Sunderland, Polish shops Małgosia’s and European Foods, Kraków Restaurant, Nasze Targowisko, PLGB Accountancy and Taxation Services
Coordination of the Festival: Daniel Krzyszczak i Danka Kudłacik
madeinpolandfestival@gmail.com

Book: Countries - Poland

2012-08-10T22:56:00.000+01:00

Wayland Books Popcorn series is a set of books which aims to introduce younger readers to the countries of the world. The Popcorn series is written in conjunction with a literacy consultant and so contain simple sentence construction which helps to build readers' confidence. This also makes the series ideal for those who have English as their second language.

Poland (2010), a recent title in this series, is written by Ruth Thomson. Themes covered in the book include, Where is Poland? , The Weather, Shopping and Sport. Readers are also provided with a few essential Polish phrases and instructions on how to make a ‘Polish papercut’ (which are said to be traditionally used by Polish women to decorate their homes). I know these little decorations as ‘paper snowflakes’.

The book offers a short fact about Poland on each page which I really enjoyed, so for example, people in the Polish countryside sometimes keep bees in straw beehives, the white of the Polish flag means peace and the red symbolises bravery and strength, and there are more than a 1,000 lakes in Poland.

If you’re interested in buying this book it costs £10.99 in hardback edition (ISBN: 978 0 7502 6304 7)

Alternatively Newcastle Libraries and Information Services carry copies of this book on long term loan.

Also, if you visit the series website: www.waylandbooks.co.uk/popcorn you’ll find lots of downloadable educational resources for children including worksheets which correspond with this book series.

Book: Moving to Britain from Poland

2012-07-14T23:38:00.000+01:00

Book recommendation: Deborah Chancellor, Moving to Britain from Poland, Franklin Watts: London, 2008 (photographs by Chris Fairclough). ISBN: 978 0 7496 7857

The Franklin Watts ‘Moving to Britain’ series includes the title ‘Moving to Britain from Poland’. This is a useful book for Polish families as it is designed to help children understand their new lives and remember the traditions of their country. In ‘Moving to Britain from Poland’ 11 year old Karolina was born in Bytom and has spent the past three years living in the south of England. She is photographed in her new hometown, with her family, at school and going about activities she enjoys. The book includes a few key phrases in Polish and a glossary and index of words to help simplify the book for younger readers. There is also a short fact file on Poland and some suggestions for further reading about Polish culture on the Internet. Karolina is shown enjoying preparing pierogi for the Christmas Eve meal and looking at cards on her name day with cousin, Igor. This book would make an excellent brief guide for any young child from Poland who is currently getting to grips with life in the UK.

More about the Franklin Watts Moving to Britain series can be found here:
http://www.franklinwatts.co.uk/CITIZENSHIP-AND-PSHE_Books_MOVING-TO-BRITAIN_Series_26387_57540.htm

Northumbria University Polish Language Research

2012-06-27T22:21:00.000+01:00

Below is an advertisement by colleagues at Northumbria University looking for participants to take part in a language study. Please do feel free to contact them for more details or to take part. Best Wishes, Rachel

"The Department of Humanities at Northumbria University is conducting a study comparing the linguistic performance of native and non-native speakers of English. We are interested in recruiting Polish volunteers to participate in the study. The study consists of six short multiple-choice tasks and takes about an hour and a half. Volunteers will receive a £15 love2shop voucher (redeemable at thousands of retail outlets) as compensation for their time. If you would like to participate, please call 07733085095 or e-mail cogling@unn.ac.uk.

The purpose of this study is to explore individual differences in native and non-native speakers’ knowledge of English, and whether these differences are related to their language experience and abilities. The results will be analysed to find out which areas of language are most difficult for different speakers. As we are interested in looking at a varied sample of the population, we are recruiting people from all walks of life. You will be given three language tasks: “sentences and pictures” (where you will be asked to choose the picture that goes with a particular sentence), “familiar phrases” (where you will be given sets of phrases and asked to choose the one that is most familiar to you), and a multiple choice vocabulary test. You will also be asked to complete a spatial reasoning task, an author questionnaire (where you will be asked to identify familiar authors), a language learning task (where you have to try to work out how to say simple phrases in a foreign language), and a short questionnaire about yourself. Your participation in the study is entirely voluntary and you can withdraw at any time if you don’t want to continue. Your taking part in this research will be kept confidential, as you will be allocated a participant code that will be used to identify any data that you provide. You will also be making a valuable contribution to scientific research on how people learn language.

Wydział Nauk Humanistycznych Uniwersytetu Northumbria serdecznie zaprasza Polaków do wzięcia udziału w badaniach mających na celu porównanie zdolności językowych między obcokrajowcami i native speakerami. Ochotnicy bedą mieli za zadanie uzupełnienie sześciu testów wielokrotnego wyboru. Łączny czas trwania badania to około półtorej godziny. Chętni do wzięcia udziału w tym przedsięwzięciu zostaną nagrodzeni bonami na zakupy love2shop o wartości 15£ do wykorzystania w tysiącach sklepów na terenie Anglii.

Wszystkich zainteresowanych prosimy o kontakt pod numerem telefonu 07733085095 lub adresem email: cogling@unn.ac.uk.

Projekt będzie miał na celu zbadanie indywidualnych różnic w poziomie znajomości języka angielskiego pomiędzy obcokrajowcami i rodowitymi obywatelami Wielkiej Brytanii. Dzięki tym badaniom będziemy chcieli udowodnić, czy te różnice wynikają z nabytych osobistych doświadczeń w używaniu języka i własnych zdolności.

Rezultaty badań zostaną poddane analizie, aby ustalić,które aspekty języka wydają się najtrudniejsze do przyswojenia dla danej grupy językowej. Jesteśmy dlatego zainteresowani pozyskaniem osób z różnych środowisk i o różnym stopniu znajomości języka angielskiego. W trakcie testu kandydatom zostaną przedstawione trzy różne „problemowe'' kategorie językowe do rozwiązania. Będą to: „zdania i obrazki'', w którym uczestnicy będą mieli za zadanie dopasować zdania do kontekstu znaczeniowego obrazków. W części „znajome zdania i powiedzenia'' ochotnicy zostaną poroszeni o wskazanie najbardziej„swojskiej'' i najlepiej kojarzonej przez nich formy językowej. Kolejne części zadania to ocena znajomości słownictwa na podstawie testu wielokrotnego wyboru oraz uzupełnianie luk w tekście najbardziej odpowiednim słownictwem. Na sam koniec poprosimy Was o rozwiązanie zadania „kwestionariusz autorski'', gdzie poprosimy Was o skojarzenie znanych nazwisk oraz zadanie dotyczące przyswajania języka, w którym uczestnicy zastanowią się nad poprawnością wymowy prostych fraz językowych. Po skończonym teście zachęcimy Was do wypełnienia krótkiego kwestionariusza osobowego.

Wasze uczestnictwo w badaniu jest całkowicie dobrowolne –w każdej chwili będziecie mogli zrezygnować z wypełniania testu, jeśli uznacie,że sprawi Wam trudności.

Uczestnictwo w w/w projekcie pozostanie anonimowe -każdemu z uczestników zostanie przydzielony indywidualny kod służący identyfikacji dostarczonych przez niego danych. Mam nadzieję, że nasi ochotnicy będą mieli swój pozytywny wkład do badań naukowych nad metodami uczenia sięjęzyka.

Tłumaczenie: Arek Alberciak"

The National Trust

2012-05-31T22:40:00.000+01:00

In Poland outdoor pursuits are held in high esteem; camping, hiking and nature watching in particular. The best way to enjoy these pursuits if you have a young family and live in the North East, I am finding, is to join the National Trust.

The National Trust is a UK conservation charity which was founded in 1895. It aims to protect the nation's heritage and open spaces. It protects historic buildings, gardens, parts of the coastline, farmland, woodland, archaeological remains, nature reserves and villages of historical significance and much more. The charity’s main concerns are about the environment, food, farming, transport and heritage.

Family membership to the National Trust gives you unlimited free access to 300 historic houses and gardens, and countryside and coastline spaces. National Trust owned estates in the North East include Gibside, Wallington, Seaton Delaval Hall and Cragside. All have fantastic play facilities for children, with large playgrounds and lots of open space for running! Gibside has the famous ‘Strawberry Castle’ children’s space: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/home/view-page/item405111/248903/ - which is surrounded by fields and trees, and Wallington has a large playground in the woods: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wallington/things-to-see-and-do/for-families/ - which includes dens built from branches. Fantastic!

Also, membership to the National Trust allows you to park in any National Trust car park for free, and if you like visiting the Lake District this comes in very handy- lots of National Trust car parks there.

Family membership currently starts at £70 a year so to make it value for money go to a National Trust property (or playground! ) at least once a week. Most of the properties are well connected by public transport but check timetables especially for Sunday services which often see buses run infrequently.

This weekend Gibside and Wallington are hosting various Jubilee related events, with lots of free activities for all the family.

For more information about the National Trust go to: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Polish Chocolate in the Newcastle

2012-04-27T23:40:00.000+01:00

I love all chocolate, especially Polish chocolate and especially the famous Nestle Princessa bar (which is much like the Nestle Kit Kat).I usually find one of these in the bottom of my stocking at Christmas as they’re truly my favourite. I recently heard for a friend that you can buy Polish chocolate in the Grainger Market (though have never seen it sold there myself). Meantime, if you are looking to source a good Polish chocolate bar in the North East try our local Polish shops, Małgosia’s and Groszek for example; they seem to have a good supply of Princessa: Polish Shops in the North East Link

And for those interested in learning how to appreciate a little Polish chocolate, I recommend this very enthusiast little You Tube exert: You Tube Polish Chocolate Sketch

Websites to inspire creativity

2012-03-31T00:00:00.003+01:00

If you fancy doing some creative activities with the kids this Easter, here are two excellent websites which will help you get some ideas:

The Imagination Tree: Creative play and learning in the early years http://www.theimaginationtree.com/

Kids Activities Blog: Quirky mums kids activities blog
http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/

And check out the latest edition of 2B magazine:
http://issuu.com/magazyn2b/docs/2b56

Or follow 2B magazine on Twitter: @2BNorthEast

Family Friendly Swimming in the North East

2012-03-20T22:58:00.006+00:00

Swimming makes a fantastic family activity and here in the North East of England there are many incentives to help families swim for free, if not, for a very low cost.

If you live on the Newcastle side of the river, make sure you get a Fusion Card: http://www.activenewcastle.co.uk/fusion-scheme/ to take advantage of discounted swims.

If you’re living in or around Gateshead, get the Active Card: http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/Leisure%20and%20Culture/sports1/prices/activecard.aspx
for cheap family swims.

For those serious about their swimming, Swim North East is a listing site about all swim related fixtures in the North East of England, including information about awards and coaching children:
http://www.swimnortheast.org.uk/

Here are some swimming pools I would recommend for family friendly swimming in this region:

Gateshead Swimming Pool, Bensham
http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/Leisure%20and%20Culture/sports1/facilities/GLC/home.aspx
The facilities include three pools, including the 25m main pool, a sauna and a steam room. Children seem very welcome at the pool and staff kindly open the small pool for little swimmers, even when it’s very quiet.

Gosforth Swimming Pool, Gosforth
http://www.activenewcastle.co.uk/venue-results/view/gosforth-pool/
Two large pools, including warm children’s pool with inflatable session on Saturdays. Despite a recent overhaul the changing facilities are still a bit basic.

The Lakeside Leisure Centre, Killingworth
http://www.northtyneside.gov.uk/browse.shtml?p_subjectCategory=1224
Which includes a good 25 metre pool with 6 lanes. The water is chlorine-free and ozone sanitized. There is also a 13m x 7m, 30ºC learner pool.

Research Findings: Identity in Newcastle

2012-02-25T11:05:00.004+00:00

Here's an Imap view of my image based research findings.
The project sought to locate expressions of identity in Newcastle city centre.
I hope you find it interesting,
Rachel

British children’s books, Polish illustrator: Pieńkowski

2012-02-01T22:51:00.005+00:00

The bestselling Meg and Mog stories, first published in the 1970s and still a mainstay of British children’s literature today, were illustrated by Polish born Jan Pieńkowski. Pieńkowski came to live the UK in 1946 settling in Herefordshire. Design appears to have been in Pieńkowski’s blood as he comes from a family of artists and architects, and he showed a talent for poster and stage design when reading Classics and English at Cambridge. This inspirational Polish migrant helped pioneer the modern children’s pop-up book and will be remembered for his cult illustrations in the fantastically titled classic Meg’s Eggs (witches and dinosaurs, what more can a child want?!). I enjoyed Pieńkowski’s fabulous stories as a child and my son now reads them again, and again and again today. To find out more about Pieńkowski’s work visit the Jan Pieńkowski website: http://www.janpienkowski.com/home.htm where you can download a selection of his books and play some Meg and Mog themed games.

Classes for babies and young children

2012-01-19T23:54:00.005+00:00

In the UK you can expect to find classes or groups for parents and carers of babies and young children taking place on most days of the week in your local area. Such groups are usually hosted in church halls or at community centres. Here’s some ideas of classes you might try and that are popular in the UK; please note that these are just the big franchise companies of the baby and children’s activities world, you’ll find details about groups more specific to your area in your nearest supermarket (on the community notice boards), from your local SureStart centre (they’ll give you a leaflet about what’s on near you) or at the Netmums North East website: http://www.netmums.com/home/global-homepage-map-page-1/netmums-in-the-north-east

Baby Massage Classes:
International Association for infant Massage:
http://www.iaimbabymassage.co.uk/baby-massage-classes.html

Music groups and classes:
Jo Jingles: http://www.jojingles.com/
Music Bugs: http://www.musicbugs.co.uk/
Piccolo Music: http://www.piccolomusic.co.uk/

Dance, Gym and Movement classes:
Tumble Tots: http://www.tumbletots.co.uk/
Jittabugs: http://www.jittabugs.com/

Sensory Groups and Classes:
Baby Sensory: http://www.babysensory.com/
Messy Monkeys (this is specific to the North East):
http://messy-monkeys.com/

Sports Classes:
Little Kickers (football): http://www.littlekickers.co.uk/

Baby and Toddler signing classes:
Tiny Talk: http://www.tinytalk.co.uk/
Sing and Sign: http://www.singandsign.com/

Swimming classes:
Water Babies: http://www.waterbabies.co.uk/
Puddle Ducks: http://www.puddleducks.com/

Let me know what sort of groups and classes you might expect to find in Poland by posting a comment or emailing me at the usual address, Thanks! Rachel

https://twitter.com/PolishNewcastle

It’s bitter at the Baltic

2012-01-13T22:32:00.006+00:00

I was down on the Quayside last week, taking a trip to see the Turner prize hosted at the Baltic Art Gallery and it was freezing by the river! We had both children wrapped up in hats and gloves and winter coats despite their protests. This made me remember one of my interviews with a Polish mum; she had been astounded at how local children are dressed in the cold weather here. I think the cold weather does take us by surprise in the UK, and we’re not as prepared as Poles for subzero temperatures, as was the case last year.

As a mum I’ve actually found it really hard to find good winter clothing in Newcastle for my boys. After a lot of looking I managed to find pram suits (for babies) (kombinezon zimowy) in Mothercare and John Lewis this year, but they weren’t really up to much against the Geordie chill. For older children thick duffle coats (budrysówka) could be found in Marks and Spencer and Next, and there were some bright raincoats (płaszcz przeciwdeszczowy) in Primark and H & M.

In the end I gave up looking on the highstreet and found this website: (Little Trekkers) http://www.littletrekkers.co.uk/ who sell expensive but high quality winter outdoor wear for children (na przykład kombinezon narciarski, odzież nieprzemakalna i odzież termoaktywna). I’ve found their delivery to be excellent, and the brands Columbia and Spotty Otter (pram suits and all-in-one snowsuits for toddlers) to be especially good. Like I say, they are quite expensive so try looking on Ebay for second hand versions of these brands first.

https://twitter.com/PolishNewcastle

Letters to Santa

2011-12-08T23:35:00.004+00:00

For free personalised letters from Santa (listy do Świętego Mikołaja) I can thoroughly recommend using the Royal Mail’s ‘letters to Santa’ service. My little boy received his response from Santa today and was thrilled that it mentioned him by name.
Just get your child to write a letter (which should include your home address and the child’s name) and put it in an envelope with a second or first class stamp attached to it. The envelope should be addressed:

Święty Mikołaj
(aka Father Christmas)

Santa’s Grotto,

Reindeerland,

SAN TA1

For more details go to: http://www.royalmail.com/letters-to-santa

My second recommendation is for the website Portable North Pole TV (go to: http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/home) where you can get a free personalised video message from Santa sent to your inbox. Just follow the simple guidelines selecting who the message is intended for and suggesting a few photos and ideas Santa might like to use in his message.

Wesolych Swiat i Szczesliwego Nowego

Rachel X

Popular Polish / English Baby Names

2011-07-20T11:00:00.006+01:00

While trying to decide on baby names for my forthcoming arrival and I came across this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_popular_given_names

According to the list these were the most popular boy names given in the UK and Poland in 2010:

Most popular boys names in the UK 2010

Oliver
Jack
Harry
Charlie
Alfie
Thomas
Joshua
William
Daniel
James

Most popular boys names in Poland 2010
Jakub
Szymon
Kacper
Filip
Michał
Mateusz
Bartosz
Wojciech
Adam
Wiktor

Most popular girls names in the UK 2010
Olivia
Sophie
Lily
Emily
Ruby
Jessica
Chloe
Ava
Grace
Amelia

Most popular girls names in Poland 2010
Julia
Maja
Zuzanna
Lena
Wiktoria
Amelia
Oliwia
Aleksandra
Natalia
Zofia

Names I especially like which work well in both Polish and English (names which retain the same spelling and where pronunciation differs only slightly) include:

Boys: Albert, Bernard, Edward, Edmund, Gabriel and Sebastian
Girls: Barbara, Isabella, Joanna, Julia, Pauline and Sabina

At the moment frontrunners for me are Otto (if my baby is a boy) and Klementyna (Clementine) (if the baby is a girl).

Baby and Children's Brands in the UK and Poland

2011-06-28T15:57:00.007+01:00

In some of the interviews and conversations I have had with Polish parents, informants have compared popular baby brands in Poland to Britain.

Here’s a useful list of babycare manufacturers, brands and websites popular in Poland:

For buggies and car safety
Implast: www.implast.com.pl/
Deltim: www.deltim.com.pl/
Aro Karon: http://www.aro.pl/
Wampol http://www.wampol.com.pl/

For babycare products
Canpol: http://canpolbabies.com/pl/

For children’s toys
Smyk: http://smyk.com/

For children’s clothes
Reserved: http://www.reserved.com/pl/kids
5.10.15: http://www.51015kids.eu/pl
Wójcik: http://www.wojcik.com.pl/
Takko: http://www.takko-fashion.com/pl/kids/index.php
Coccodrillo: http://www.coccodrillo.pl/

Children’s shoes
Bartek: http://www.bartek.com.pl/

And popular in the UK...

For buggies and car safety
Silver Cross: http://www.silvercross.co.uk/
Phil and Teds: http://philandteds.com/
Bugaboo: http://www.bugaboo.com/home
Quinny: http://www.quinny.com/gb-en
* useful buggy and pram price comparision site: http://www.kelkoo.co.uk/*

For babycare products
Mothercare: http://www.mothercare.com/
Boots: http://www.boots.com/en/Mother-Baby
Mamas and Papas: http://www.mamasandpapas.com/

For children’s toys
Early Learning Centre: http://www.elc.co.uk/

For children’s clothes
H&M: http://www.hm.com/gb/department/KIDS
John Lewis: http://www.johnlewis.com/Baby+and+Child
Marks and Spencer: http://www.marksandspencer.com/Kids/
Next: http://www.next.co.uk/

TKMaxx: http://www.tkmaxx.com/kids-baby

Children’s shoes
Clarks: http://www.clarks.co.uk/kids

Try these supermarkets for a good range of cheaper children and baby clothes:
Asda: http://direct.asda.com/asda-babyshop
Tesco: http://direct.tesco.com/homepage/babytoddler
Sainsburys: http://www.sainsburys-tu-clothing.co.uk/

Buying and Selling Children's Wear and Toys

2011-06-21T15:53:00.005+01:00

Here are some useful websites to help you buy and sell children’s wear and toys in and around Newcastle.

http://www.gumtree.com/newcastle - (especially good for finding cheap accommodation to rent (in my experience) and for sourcing cheap furniture)

http://www.netmums.com/boards/nearlynew/newcastle - (especially good for finding cheap baby equipment in your immediate location, particularly prams and buggies)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/ - (I’m not such a fan of ebay as I’ve been out-bidded too many times! Prices can get quite high so be careful, and always check the pick-up location or delivery charges for items you’re interested in)

http://groups.freecycle.org/toon/posts/all - (good for passing on furniture and electrical equipment, but you have to sign up for an account and be 'accepted' as a user)

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/2000icbargains/freeads - (if you’re selling an expensive or specialist item you may wish to consider paying for an advert in the local newspaper. Follow the link here if so.)

Also, there’s a shop in Whitley Bay, ‘Cherished Toys’, who will sell your good quality children’s clothes and toys on your behalf. I’ve heard that the shop is very popular with mums-to-be looking to buy second hand baby and nursery equipment: http://www.cherishedtoys.co.uk/default.html

Lastly, I thoroughly recommend the British parenting institution of the ‘nearly new sale’. Here, huge amounts of clothes and toys are donated or sold to the sale organisers who hold a morning or afternoon event selling off all the goods, usually in a sports hall, village hall or church hall. These events are usually well attended and a good way to find very cheap clothes and toys. Baby cardigans can sell for as little as 10p for example.

The National Childbirth Trust organise the best quality events. Here’s how to find an NCT nearly new sale event near you: www.nct.org.uk/branches/events/nearly-new-sales

*Finally, help raise funds for the North East’s neonatal baby care service by supporting the Tiny Lives Fund Nearly New Sale from 10am-1pm on Saturday 9th July 2011, to be held at Trinity Church, Gosforth High Street, Newcastle. Go to the website for more details: www.tinylivesnearlynewsales.org.uk *

Support the Migration Museum Project

2011-05-24T15:55:00.005+01:00

(The logo being used to promote the Migration Museum Project (UK), from The Free Movement Blog - http://freemovement.wordpress.com/)

A distinguished team of migration experts including former government minister and MP, Barbara Roche, the director of the Royal Commonwealth Society, Danny Sriskandarajah, and the deputy director of the Museum of Liverpool, Zelda Baveystock, to name but a few, are backing a project aiming to establish Britain’s first major migration museum. The museum will seek to address the question of ‘who we are, where we come from, and where we are going to’ and in so, aiming to be ‘the museum of all our stories.’ To read more about this fantastic project and to back the bid, please visit: http://www.migrationmuseum.org/

You can also support the project by entering the ‘100 images of migration competition’ launched by the Guardian newspaper. Upload your photos celebrating and exploring the richness British migration here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/may/04/migration-museum-photography-competition

The migration museum project website already includes various archived images on the theme of Polish migration in the UK, including the touching image of a woman holding a Polish bible taken by the imminent photojournalist Tim Smith. (Tim Smith and Michelle Winslow produced an excellent photojournal called ‘Keeping the Faith- the Polish community in Britain’ in 2000: learn more about the publication here - http://www.timsmithphotos.com/books/index.html or purchase a copy from Amazon at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Keeping-Faith-Polish-Community-Britain/dp/090773457X).

You’ll also be able to view the certificate of nationality issued to Juda Herse Phiszer, a Polish born umbrella maker in 1920; an image that has been kindly contributed by the Museum of London.

Lastly, here's a link to the Melbourne Immigration Museum website: http://museumvictoria.com.au/immigrationmuseum. I visited the museum a few times during my stay in Australia and like to think of the museum as having fuelled my own academic interest the migration experience.

Childcare Options

2011-05-20T13:21:00.005+01:00

Here’s some useful websites to help you know your child care options when resident in the UK:

http://www.childcare.co.uk/
http://www.netmums.com/childcare
http://www.daynurseries.co.uk/
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Childcare/index.htm

If you are looking for quality Polish specific childcare in this region please contact Agnieszka Czekajło who runs ‘Aga's Little Stars’ in Newcastle:

More about the options that Aga’s Little Stars offers can be found here:
http://www.polnews.co.uk/index.php/polskie-uslugi/1310-agas-little-stars-opiekunka-newcastle.html

Made In Poland Festival 2011

2011-05-04T10:36:00.011+01:00

It's time for the North East's fifth annual 'Made In Poland Festival'. A great line up of Polish cultural events will land on your doorstep from 14th May - 25th June, so here's a sneak preview of what to expect.

Saturday 14th May, 7pm
The Polish Comedy Show by Limo: The Space, Newcastle College, Rye Hill Campus, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE4 7SA

The festival kicks off with The Polish Comedy Show featuring “Limo”. Join us for a night of laughter with this hugely popular comedy group. Limo have been the mainstay of festival line-ups for the past 12 years, they've appeared on TV shows and have three PAKA Comedy Festival awards. No taboos! A night of laughter gauranteed.

(please note: This performance is in Polish).

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Saturday 28th May, 12-3.30pm
International Children's Day Celebration: Newcastle Exhibition Park, Claremont Road, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

A popular annual event for all the family.The Polish Saturday School ( part of NEPCO CIC) and Wonderland Children’s Place in co-operation with Challenger Multicultural Organisation, invite you all to a family picnic and barbecue in Exhibition Park. There will be games and competitions for all age ranges. All refreshments will be supplied by the North East's leading Polish food retailers, Malgosia’s, European Foods and Groszek.

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Wednesday 8th June, 6pm
Polish Shorts and Docs: Tyneside Cinema, 10 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6QG

A night of short films and documentary from young filmmaking talent in Poland.

This is your opportunity to see screenings of ‘Twist and Blood’ and ‘Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Room’ by short film director Kuba Czekaj, and ‘Warsaw Available’ by documentary makers Karolina Bielawska and Julia Ruszkiewicz.
The screenings are followed by a qusetion & answer session with director Kuba Czekaj.

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Sunday 19th June, 6-9pm
Polish Art Exhibition and Poetry Recital: The Cloister Café, St. Mary's Cathedral, Clayton Street West, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5HH

Enjoy an evening of Polish art by some of the North East's leading Polish artists including Malgorzata Chalupka, Jadwiga Jasinek, Marcin Reweda, Artur Burchardt and Tymoteusz Sulek. This event is accompanied by a poetry reading and a concert from PoEzja Londyn (Poetry London).

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Saturday 25th June, 8pm
Warsaw Village Band - A concert: The Sage Gateshead St Mary's Square, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 2JR

Influenced by the musical genres of ‘hardcore folk’, ‘bio-techno’ and ‘Polish folk rock’, Warsaw Village Band offer a diverse and contempoary sound. They mix their traditional Polish grassroots with hints of reggae, rock, hip-hop, the blues, Indian raga and Swedish polka played out on traditional accoustic instruments including hammered dulcimers and violins, while singing in the Polish ‘white voice’ style.
Tickets: £16.50 - £7.50, available online from http://www.thesagegateshead.org/

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Rusza Festiwal ‘Made In Poland’ 2011!
14 maja – 25 czerwca

Z ogromną przyjemnością chcielibyśmy zaprosić Cię na tegoroczną edycję festiwalu promującego Polskę i inspirowanego polską kulturą Made in Poland. W tym roku będziemy starali odciągnąć Cię od szarości dnia codziennego i przeniesiemy w inne rzeczywistości. Daj się nam porwać!

Festiwal zaczynamy od występu polskiego kabaretu Limo – zabawny komentarz do rzeczywistości. Gwarantujemy zrywanie boków i przecieranie oczu z niedowierzania. Mnóstwo dobrej zabawy!
Występ Kabaretu już za 2 tygodnie w sobotę 14 maja o 19.00 , The Space (Newcastle College).

Razem z nami będziecie mogli świetować Dzień Dziecka w Newcastle Exhibition Park. Będą gry i zabawy dla wszystkich grup wiekowych oraz przekąski, napoje i słodycze ufundowane przez sklepy: Malgosia’s, European Food i Groszek. Planujemy rozłożenie namiotu – zapraszamy więc bez względu na pogodę! Start już 28 maja o 12.00.

W ramach festiwalu zaprezentujemy młode talenty polskiego kina. Krótkie filmy: ‘Twist and Blood’ i ‘Ciemnego pokoju nie trzeba się bać’ reż. Kuba Czekaj oraz dokument: ‘Warszawa do wzięcia” reż. Karolina Bielawska i Julia Ruszkiewicz
Uwaga! Zaprosiliśmy reżysera krótkich filmów Kubę Czekaja na spotkanie z widzami. Nieczęsta okazja na rozmowę z twórcą młodego kina. Tego nie można przegapić! Pokazy - 8 czerwca o 18.00 w kinie Tyneside.

W tym roku nie zabraknie wieczoru poświęconego sztuce. 19 czerwca zapraszamy na wystawę prac lokalnych polskich artystów: Małgorzaty Chałupki, Jadwigi Jasinek, Marcina Rewedy, Artura Burchardta and Tymoteusza Sułka.
Pozwól przenieść się do krainy słowa. W ten sam wieczór odbędzie się czytanie poezji przez członków grupy PoEzja Londyn. Impreza odbędzie się w the Cloister Cafe, w niedzielę 19 maja od 18.00.

Jednym z najbardziej emocjonujących wydarzeń tegoroczej edycji festiwalu będzie koncert Kapeli ze Wsi Warszawa w The Sage Gateshead 25 czerwca. Folkowa grupa, której muzyka jest określana jako „harcorowa muzyka folkowa”, „bio-techno” czy „polski rock folkowy”. Grupa powstała, żeby zachować tradycyjne polskie piosenki folkowe, ale muzycy nie stronią od reggae, indyjskiego raga, szwedzkiej polki, rocka, hip-hopu czy bluesa. Uczta dla ucha!
Po więcej szczegółów zapraszamy na stronę www.madeinpolandfestival.co.uk i na strony naszych partnerów. Prosimy przekazać to zaproszenie Waszym przyjaciołom i każdemu, kto może być zainteresowany.

Do zobaczenia na imprezach!

Organizatorzy Made in Poland Festival
http://www.madeinpolandfestival.co.uk/

Wesołych Świąt Wielkanocnych!

2011-04-23T23:40:00.003+01:00

Here's a photo of the eggs that my little boy and his friend Nicholas painted on Friday. Nicholas's mum showed me how to scratch the shell of the egg and dye the eggs with the papery outside of an onion, as is the Easter egg decorating tradition in Poland.

Wesołych Świąt Wielkanocnych!

Websites for pregnant women and expectant fathers

2011-04-13T23:02:00.007+01:00

Here is a list of excellent websites for pregnant women and expectant fathers. I’m looking forward to the arrival of my second child later this summer!

Tutaj jest lista doskonałych stron internetowych (w języku angielskim) dla kobiet w ciąży. Cieszę się powiedzieć że, jestem w ciąży (znowu), a moje następnie dziecko urodzi się w tym latem.

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/

http://pregnancy.about.com/

http://www.emmasdiary.co.uk/pregnancy/article/pregnancy

http://www.bounty.com/pregnancy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/tools/pregnancy_calendar/

http://www.babyworld.co.uk/pregnancy/pregnancy.asp

The websites above give good advice on your entitlements as a parent-to-be, and what you can expect in pregnancy and the first few weeks of parenthood.

This is a great website for all fathers and fathers-to-be: http://www.dad.info/

And here are details of an online community group for Polish mums resident in the UK: http://community.babycentre.co.uk/groups/a966885/polish_mums_in_the_uk

Most importantly, find other Polish parents resident in the North East of England by contributing to this brilliant thread on the highly acclaimed Polnews Forum - (rodzice w północno-wschodniej Anglii - poznajmy się):

http://www.polnews.co.uk/forum/dzien-dobry-rodzice-poznajmy-sie-vt2224.htm

Useful Information for parents in Newcastle, UK

2011-03-30T17:02:00.023+01:00

Here’s a list of some useful websites for families living Newcastle upon Tyne. Some of these websites may also be useful to parents living more broadly in and around the North East of England.

Netmums (Newcastle) - parenting advice and local listings:

http://www.netmums.com/local//newcastle

The Little Pages - free magazine for parents in the North East and Yorkshire listings events and activities for families:

http://the-little-pages.co.uk/

Sure Start Centres (Newcastle):

http://www.surestartnewcastlecc.org.uk/site

Baby Dines Out (North East) - child and baby friendly restaurant reviews and advice:

http://www.babydinesout.com/location/the-north-east

Newcastle Children’s Information Service:

http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/core.nsf/a/childrensinformationservice

Families Recommend - reviews of family friendly days out in the North East (including some useful reviews for families with special or additional needs):

http://www.familiesrecommend.co.uk/things-to-do-north-east

Newcastle Toy and Leisure Library - supporting children with disabilities:

http://ntll.co.uk/

Family learning courses in Newcastle - including courses on crafts, sports, literacy, numeracy, budgeting and ESOL:

http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/core.nsf/a/familylearning

What’s On North East - up-to-date events and activities listings:

http://www.whatsonnortheast.com/listings

Kids Days Out (Tyne and Wear) - events and activities listings for the family:

http://www.kidsdaysout.co.uk/tyne_and_wear.htm

**More useful websites for parents in the UK, and specifically in the North East, can be found here:

http://polishfamiliesnewcastle.blogspot.com/p/about-my-family.html

'Łódź Ghetto Album by Henryk Ross’

2011-03-22T22:45:00.001+00:00

Last week I stumbled upon an exhibition at the Side Gallery in Newcastle entitled ‘Łódź Ghetto Album by Henryk Ross’. It is a touring exhibition from the Archive of Modern Conflict. Sadly this is the last week that the exhibition runs in Newcastle, so if you’re interested in Polish and / or Jewish history, in photojournalism or wartime photography do visit now. Exhibition details are as follows:

‘Łódź Ghetto Album by Henryk Ross’ Thursday 27th January – Saturday 26th March 2011 Gallery opening times: Tuesday to Saturday, 11am to 5pm, Exhibition Free. 5-9 Side, Newcastle upon Tyne. NE1 3JE

To find out more please visit: http://www.amber-online.com/exhibitions/lodz-ghetto-album-by-henryk-ross

Book- Scotland and Poland: Historical Encounters

2011-03-08T16:10:00.000+00:00

Announcing the publication of...

Scotland and Poland
Historical Encounters, 1500-2010

Edited by: Professor T.M. Devine and David Hesse
ISBN: 978190656627
Publication Date: 2011
Publisher: Birlinn
Format: Paperback
Price: £20.00

Scotland and Poland: Historical Encounters, 1500-2010
Ed. Devine, T.M and Hesse, D, Birlinn: Edinburgh, is a collection of essays exploring more than five centuries of Scottish - Polish interactions.

Chapter 11: Press Reception of Polish Migrants in Scotland, 1940-2010 by Rachel Clements.

Read the Polish Culture.org review: http://www.polishculture.org.uk/literature/news/article/scotland-and-poland-historical-encounters-1500-2010-collection-of-essays-revealing-the.html

Buy from Waterstones: http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/tom+devine/david+maria+hesse/scotland+and+poland/8382279

Buy direct from Birlinn:
http://www.birlinn.co.uk/book/details/Scotland-and-Poland-978190656627

Polish Migration Projects in the UK

2011-03-02T12:49:00.000+00:00

I try to keep the 'interesting projects' page of this blog up-to-date with projects of interest to my research. Here's a selection of the more Polish migration specific projects detailed on the page, which have recently been completed in the UK.

The Essential Guide for Polish Parents

A nine month research project addressing issues presented by Polish Pupils in London Schools was conducted by Rosemary Sales, Louise Ryan, Magda Lopez Rodriguez and Alessio D’Angelo in 2008. Their research, funded by the Economic Social Research Council and Multiverse, has been used to form an essential guide for Polish parents living in Britain. For further information about the project please follow this link to the Economic Social Research Council website: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/my-esrc/grants/RES-189-25-0005/outputs/Guide/read/ddb8c1ae-3839-4903-b754-b2ba7892ac29. To download ‘The essential guide for Polish parents’ or to read the full report and report summary please follow this link to the University of Middlesex website: www.mdx.ac.uk/hssc/research/centres/sprc.

Poland's Migration Challenges

Polish emigration experts Krystyna Iglicka (the Center for International Relations Warsaw), and Magdalena Ziolek-Skrzypczak (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich) have produced an excellent online article about the outcome of EU enlargement on Poland. The article includes information about: historical background, immigration to Poland, refugees and asylum seekers, emigration from Poland, Polish citizens abroad, remittances, return migration, Polish immigration policy and Polish integration policy.
http://www.migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?ID=800

Podcasts on Historical Scottish Migration to Poland

As part of the University of St Andrews Scotland and the Wider World, Researchers' Night 2010, Dr Peter Bajer and Professor Waldemar Kowalski have uploaded there papers on to podcasts, downloadable on the Researchers' Night webpage. I think this is a really innovative and exciting way to present research, being free, accessible and public, and both papers present Scottish migrants in a very empathetic manner. The podcasts are downloadable in both Polish and English.
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/researchersnight/podcasts

Sport & Physical Activity - Polish Community

The charity Sporting Equals, which aims to promote ethnic diversity across sport and physical activity in the UK, produced this interesting information leaflet in 2010 which highlights issues of Polish health and lifestyle and also gives a brief summary about participation in sport as a migrant group in the UK.
http://static.ecb.co.uk/files/polish-factsheet-10924.pdf

To read more about interesting projects in my research field please visit my blog page: http://polishfamiliesnewcastle.blogspot.com/p/list-of-further-reading-listening-links.html