A reporter from the Melton times has travelled to Poland, prompted by the increasing Polish population in the Leicestershire town.

Chris Breese spent four days in Melton’s twin town of Sochaczew, soaking up the culture and writing a series of articles for the weekly paper.

During his visit he toured of the offices of two local newspapers, Echo Powiatu and Ziemia Sochaczewska, as well as seeing local radio station Fama in action.

Chris, (24), said: “It was a very eye-opening trip as I didn’t know what to expect.

“I learnt so much in the four days and could fill a book with the interviews I got.

“In some ways it was very different and some ways exactly the same as over here, it’s hard to describe.

“But people were overwhelmingly welcoming even though I spoke little Polish and got by on a phrasebook.”

Chris with the editor of Echo Powiatu

Chris was accompanied on the trip by Melton’s mayor and representatives of the twinning association, who introduced him to local dignitaries and took him to a number of civic functions.

The trip coincided with the Sochaczew Festival, where locals celebrated the town’s culture and enjoyed dancing and singing.

And Chris tracked down a couple who had moved from Melton to Sochaczew, who shared their experiences with him.

Chris meets the editor and deputy editor of
Ziemia Sochaczewska

Chris said: “Although Melton Borough Council has sent over a number of delegations in recent years, no-one from the paper has ever visited Sochaczew.

“What with Melton’s Polish population increasing every year my editor, Michael Cooke, decided a proper trip was needed to find out more about the town.”

He said he had found his visits to the weekly Echo Powiatu newspaper, and council-run publication Ziemia Sochaczewska interesting, although with circulations of around 3,000 each – in a town with a population of 38,000 – they were not as popular as newspapers in the UK.

Chris said: “In many ways the papers were similar to us, although they are still in the development stage.

“What was interesting about the council paper was that the back page was entirely satirical with the kind of things you see in Private Eye.

“And their listings are very dedicated as there are so many civic and cultural events going on.”