Welcome to our website!
Introduction
Polish Leodensians is a community-driven project created with the preservation of Polish culture and community traditions in Leeds in mind. Its main purpose to act as a testament of the work of our community to fellow Leodensians, as well as to motivate future young generations of Poles to continue the work of their ancestors.
The Polish community in Leeds has a deep and rich history, starting with the first wave of immigration after the Second World War. Going into the 2000s, with Poland's entry into the European Union, new generation of Poles arrived to search for a new and better life, while seeking to preserve their heritage.
Their stories have been captured through a series of digital stories, where we investigate activities in different areas, as well as the diverse experiences and feelings of its participants. By appreciating these stories, we want to show how despite the differences in talents and responsibility, we have one common trait - pride of being Polish.
With present challenges, such as the return of some Poles after UK's exit from the EU in 2020, and the breakdown of social and cultural values worldwide, it has never been more important than now to conserve what has been built in the past.
"Let the foreign nations always know, that Poles are not geese, for they have their own tongue." - Mikołaj Rej, 1562
