On Wednesday I had the chance to visit the House of Lords. I was invited to take part in an event hosted by the British Polish Chamber of Commerce to promote Poland in the UK. There were many people there and it was amazing to be inside a building that you see on TV so much. There were business people there trying to understand what market opportunities may exist for them in Poland and how they can go about entering Poland.
There were also some Polish representatives including the Mayor of Katowice, Piotr Uszok, who I met earlier this year in Poland. He is very proud of his city and region and is very positive about promoting the benefits of opening up a business in Katowice. Unemployment is very high and many people are out of work and desperate to be able to play their part in the development of their city.
We hope to be able to become part of this team of partners working closely together to build new jobs, new businesses and a new confidence. Over the next few months we will be visiting Poland on many occasions and I would like to bring you the stories of the local people and their dreams for their future.
On a trip to Krakow in November I visited a number of homes who are supporting people with mental and physical disabilities. I was taken aback by the commitment of the staff and the beauty of the people being supported. It was a visit filled with hope and a real delight to meet carers with a real passion and vision for the way they want to change the service they offer to their customers.
The event was very well organised and supported. Martin Oxley CEO of BPCC has so much energy and ideas and passion for bringing British/Polish businesses and people together. I also met Celine Duckworth the General Secretary of the Council of Chambers of Commerce across Europe, I hope to be linking up with her in the future as we expand across Europe. The other great thing was the view from the Houses of Parliament of the London eye, wow it is fantastic. Next time I must ensure I get chance to go for a spin.
If you are involved in helping businesses growth or supporting unemployed people in Poland I would love to hear from you as we are looking to develop the strongest networks across the 16 regions of Poland.
Please get in touch.