On 7 October 2024 at the British Parliament dr Karol Nawrocki, the President of the Institute of National Remembrance, presented awards „Ambassador of Polish History” to 2 organisations. We are delighted to announce that the British Poles were one of the deserving recipients of this esteemed award. „British Poles have demonstrated that they truly are ambassadors of Poland and Poles on British soil, who not only cultivate Polish memory, history and culture, but also constitute a bridge between Poland and the UK,”  Dr Karol Nawrocki stated.

The medals were presented during the opening of the exhibition „Trails of Hope: Odyssey of Freedom” commemorating the legacy of the Polish soldiers during WWII and their vital contribution to the Allied victory.  You can read more about the exhibition in our article UK Parliament hosted an exhibition about Poland in the Second World War.

Below we publish the full text of the speech justifying the award of the medal.

Award on British soil is the bilingual „British Poles”media group, which is the world’s largest social media site for Poles abroad, exceeding 185,000 fans on Facebook, X, Instagram and Tik-Tok. The website reaches millions of people with its message every week. Its pages are mainly filled with the topics of the Polish diaspora in the United Kingdom and British-Polish relations, covering cultural, political, historical and social issues. The „British Poles” website makes a great contribution to building good relations between Poland and the United Kingdom, as well as between Poles and the British, building a positive image of the Polish diaspora in the United Kingdom.

The group organises, supports and promotes a number of projects, such as: the donation of General Anders bronze bust to the National Army Museum, #Polishblood, in which thousands of Poles donate blood to the NHS, organises a joint annual British Remembrance Day and the Polish Independence Day.

As I previously mentioned, also this organisation is made up of individuals. In this context it is impossible not to mention the founder of the „British Poles”, Mr. George Byczynski. He belongs to the generation of Poles for whom living in the United Kingdom is a choice, not a necessity. At the same time, he is one of the Poles who, while living outside Poland, being a British resident, developing his professional career here, have not lost their Polish identity. Mr Byczynski, we greatly admire and appreciate this and your work aimed at familiarising wide audiences with Polish history.

After the speech, Dr Karol Nawrocki presented Mr. George Byczynski the award on behalf of the British Poles media group, with the medal.

We are deeply honoured to receive the „Ambassador of Polish History” award and extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr Karol Nawrocki and the Institute of National Remembrance. This recognition strengthens our commitment to preserving Polish heritage and fostering connections between Poland and the UK.

Daria Więcek

Photos: IPN, British Poles