A POLISH heritage day in Worcester has been cancelled due to coronavirus but the organiser created the event using toys and music to raise spirits during the pandemic.

The day was due to take place in the city’s Cathedral Plaza on May 9 to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in which Polish pilots played a pivotal role. Last year's inaugural event drew in large crowds, commemorating the sacrifices made by Polish people during the Second World War. Visitors enjoyed music, street food and dancing, peeked inside the cockpit of a Spitfire and learned about the courage of Polish pilots. Among those to attend was 96-year-old Edward Szymczak, a Polish lieutenant who served with II Corps. However, due to Government measures to slow the spread of Covid-19 the event was cancelled. On Monday evening the Prime Minister announced new restrictions, including that people should only go out for food, health reasons or essential to work.

The Worcestershire Polish Association had spent time organising the event with the Polish Embassy in London, Worcester City Council, sponsors and other partners and patrons. However, organiser Tomasz Wisniewski, President of the Polish Association, said the event will return in 2021. With his seven-year-old daughter he created a symbolic YouTube video of the cancelled event using models and music from Queen.

He added: “When this virus appeared, it was quickly apparent that there would be a prospect of cancelling all mass events in the UK. Despite the disappointment of postponement, we wanted to bring you some spark of hope during this hard time, even just for a short while. We decided that Polish Heritage Day in Worcester could be created in a symbolic and fun way to make you smile.

“We promised you that there would be a Polish Spitfire on display and there is a Spitfire, we promised you that Queen would perform and they will perform for you now, we promised a flypast over the city and there will be a flypast.”You can see the video on https://youtu.be/Pi347mNqw2I