Sunday, 23rd October 2022, at Polish Social and Cultural Association POSK in London, we celebrated 80 years of t (APTA) activity. Teacher-soldiers established the organisation on 6th March 1941 in Perth, Scotland, and it has been supporting teachers in the UK until this day. The event was attended by over 170 guests from all over Europe.

The APTA was represented by Irena Grocholewska (chair), Janina Bytniewska (vice-chair) and Jadwiga Dee (board member), Monika Hoch-Zielonka (new chair) and Eliza Pętlicka (active APTA member).

Polish Communication Centre in London was invited to attend the event.

Monika Ozgovercin represented us and Maksi Kozińska, who gave a talk on Polish heritage speakers in England, proceeded with the lecture on Polish supplementary education in the UK and the US presented by professor KUL Jacek Gołębiowski.

We are also extremely pleased to inform you that the chair of the PLCCiL, Maksi Kozińska, was awarded the Medal of the Commission of National Education (KEN Medal in short). A Polish departmental distinction awarded for outstanding services to education and upbringing by the Minister of Education and Science of Poland.

Four other teachers received the KEN medal: Monika Hoch-Zielonka, Danuta Jaremko, Katarzyna McGrath, Katarzyna Maciocha Syska.

The celebration started with the opening speeches by the representatives of the Polish government and local activists, who congratulated APTA members on their ongoing dedication.

The chair of the APTA, Irena Grocholewska, was awarded The 100th Anniversary of Regaining Independence Medal by the Prime Minister of Poland.

The new chair of APTA introduced new awards given to volunteers who support teachers and educational organisations. Irena Grocholewska, Justyna Fronc from the St Queen Jadwiga Forest Gate-Ilford, Dominika Pacholec, Wiktor Wesołowski, Jeremi Pętlicki and Marcel Zielonka were awarded the Honorary Volunteer Badges.

The whole team of the PLCCiL would like to congratulate this great ceremony, and to those awarded, we wish further success!

If you want to know more about the APTA, you can familiarise yourself with the book summing 75 years of the association, which is available here (free of charge): https://tnkul.pl/files/userfiles/files/Golebiowski_AssociationOfPolishTeachersAbroad.pdf