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Dec 21

Barka’s Gift to the British-Slovene Society

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Skupnost Barka, the Slovenian community of people with disturbed mental development, gave this picture to the British-Slovene Society in the UK in recognition of the support the Society has provided to the charity over the years.

Slo bozicnica foto Janez Strah 07

David Lloyd, president of the BSS, brought the picture to the  Society’s annual Christmas Service at the Church of St Andrew-in-the-Wardrobe in London on 13th December. He presented it to Reverend Guy Treweek to hang in the Church.

At this year’s Service, the congregation donated a record £287 pounds (and 5 euro), which will be sent to Barka with our best wishes.

Dec 16

British-Slovene Society celebrates Christmas

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Slo bozicnica foto Janez Strah 02

Lessons, carols, a superb choir and fresh potica flown in from Kranjska Gora featured in the annual British-Slovene Society Christmas Service at St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe Church in the City of London on 13th December.

Participants read the traditional lessons from the Bible telling the Christmas story in Slovene and English. A packed congregation – there was hardly a seat to spare – heartily sang favourite carols in both languages.

The Gallus choir again led way, their soaring tones inspiring the faithful to sing forth at full throat.

For the first time, children from British-Slovene families in the UK performed some of the readings.

Slo bozicnica foto Janez Strah 05

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Afterwards, all stayed to toast each other with Slovene wine kindly offered by the Slovenian Embassy. Keith and Slava Miles, who organised the service, flew back 15 loaves of potica in their luggage from Slovenia. All were gone by the time people wended their way out into the London night.

Conducting the service was the Reverend Guy Treweek, who once more kindly made the Wren Church of St Andrew’s-by-the-Wardrobe available for one of the highlights of the British-Slovene season.

Photos by Janez Strah and Evelina Ferrar

Dec 10

St. Nicholas visited Barka again

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Janez Strah is a photographer who learned about Skupnost Barka through the British-Slovene Society, which has been supporting the charity over a number of years. Every year he visits the group at the beginning of December and brings along St. Nicholas, an angel and presents for everybody. Barka is a community of people with special needs in Slovenia.

Barka Miklavz foto Janez Strah 02

Barka Miklavz foto Janez Strah 06

Here is a letter we received from Barka describing the evening with singing and distributing of gifts:

Na predvečer praznika svetega Miklavža smo v skupnosti Barka gostili samega Miklavža. Pripeljal se je v spremstvu angela pomočnika, mladih kitaristk in pevcev. Nestrpno smo v večernem mraku člani skupnosti v jedilnici čakali na starega moža. Prišel je počasi, se naslanjal na svojo palico in nas vse pozdravil. V rokah je nosil Zlato knjigo. Koliko lepih stvari je bilo zapisanih v njej. Da ima naša Irena zelo rada svojega nečaka Gregorja, da Kristina z veseljem pomaga pri kuhanju, da Tanja natančno in lepo šiva,.. Nekaj nas je od Miklavža dobilo tudi prijazen opomin ali spodbudo: Rok lahko malo več telovadi, Lucija naj pove, kaj ji je zares všeč,…

Miklavž nas je vse razveselil z darilci. Spomnil se je tudi naših kuharjev, prostovoljcev v obeh hišah in otrok. Med obdarovanjem smo večkrat zapeli in – ne boste verjeli – kitaro je v roke vzel in nanjo zabrenkal celo sveti Miklavž!

Rok je dobremu možu narisal sliko in se z njim fotografiral, vsi pa smo se pogostili s piškoti, sokom in mandarinami.

Upamo, da nas bo drugo leto sveti Miklavž spet obiskal, ker smo skupaj preživeli en lep večer.

Mateja Tomšič de Zarate

skupnost Barka

Dec 01

BSS member Lisa Hirsch celebrates 94 years

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2013 Lisa Hirsch 94 years old

Lisa Hirsch spent her pre-war teenage years in Maribor, now Slovenia and then part of Yugoslavia. However that’s not where the family originated from. Born in 1919, she spent her first years in Fürth in Bavaria. When Hitler came to power in 1933, the family had to leave, for they were Jews.

As the war drew near, Maribor wasn’t safe either. Sponsored by her uncle, a founder member of Marks & Spencer, she was able to come to England at the age of 19 in 1938. Soon her family could join her in London. Lisa was supposed to study English, but applied for a job at the BBC.

After a brief interview to test whether she could speak clearly in Slovene, she landed a job with the Yugoslav section of the BBC, and was soon broadcasting back to where she had just come from. At the BBC, she met Anton, father of Diana Poberaj, who recounts this story of Lisa’s wartime years:

“One afternoon on a fire-training exercise, she was instructed to carry heavy pails of water. The Polish contingent at the BBC, by nature most gallant, rushed to her aid each time, as dignity would not allow them to leave a lady in such dire need. Finally a supercilious English voice barked out: ‘Gentlemen! For the purpose of this exercise, Miss Hirsch is NOT a lady!’”

Lisa converted to the Orthodox Church. In the 1950s she married Philip Houlton. She continued working for the BBC for many years and to this day remains in spirit the consummate journalist.

Lisa now lives in the seaside town of Porthcawl in Wales, near her son David and his wife Anne.

– Contributed by Diana Poberaj

Oct 25

Ljubljana International Orchestra in London

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The Ljubljana International Orchestra will perform on Monday 25 November at St John’s Smith Square, London SW1P 3HA at 7.30 p.m.

Programme:

Verdi: Overture Forza del Destino
Berlioz: Harold in Italy
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet
Živa Ploj Peršuh  conductor
Gilad Karni viola

The Ljubljana International Orchestra is part of the Branimir Slokar Academy. It comprises 82 young musicians from 20 countries. Playing in this orchestra enables outstanding young musicians to gain the invaluable experience of playing in a symphony orchestra and working with distinguished professors, conductors and soloists.

The London concert of The Ljubljana International Orchestra will be part of the celebration of Emona 2000 marking 2 millennia of the existence of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. The concert will be attended by Zoran Janković, the mayor of Ljubljana.

For more information see: https://www.sjss.org.uk/events/ljubljana-international-orchestra

 

 

 

 

 

Oct 20

Slovene author Marika Mihelčič tells her popular chirdren’s stories

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Bring your children on Saturday 9 November at 10:15am to Coram Fields Children Centre, 93 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1DN to listen to Marika Mihelčič tell her children’s stories inspired by growing up among Slovenia’s mountains and forests.

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Marika tells her stories to children all over Slovenia, and now she is coming to England to do the same for boys and girls from 1 to 4 years of age who understand some Slovene.

She writes and tells her tales in Slovene, and they are currently being translated into English. Eventually, families will be able to enjoy the same story in two languages.

Marika spent her childhood in a large wooden house nestling on the green slopes of the Pohorje mountain, amid fields, streams and the smells of forests. She ran around with her brothers and friends, played games … and invented stories.

Until her retirement, she worked with deaf children, who were deprived of the pleasure of bedtime stories. Now she sits again in a cosy log cabin and conjures up new tales to enchant the little ones. She seeks to entertain and caress children, turn their eyes towards nature, arouse their feelings, question ambiguities and develop their creative curiosity.

Bring your own children to join her on 9 November in an enchanted world.

Once upon a time …

Oct 20

Nagradni natečaj za diplomska, magistrska in doktorska dela na temo Slovenci v zamejstvu oz. izseljenstvu

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Urad Vlade RS za Slovence v zamejstvu in po svetu je objavil nagradni natečaj za diplomska, magistrska in doktorska dela na temi:

A: Slovenci v zamejstvu

B: Slovenci v izseljenstvu

Na natečaj se lahko prijavijo kandidatke in kandidati iz Republike Slovenije in tujine. Predmet nagradnega natečaja so uspešno zagovarjana diplomska, magistrska in doktorska dela na kateri koli univerzi v Sloveniji ali zunaj nje, ki obravnavajo tematike slovenskih skupnosti zunaj meja Republike Slovenije.

Na natečaj Urada lahko kandidirajo tudi posamezniki z deli, ki so že bila prijavljena na drugih podobnih natečajih. Upoštevana bodo dela, zagovarjana v obdobju od 01. 11. 2012 do 31. 10. 2013.

Nagrajena bodo tri dela s področja zamejstva in tri dela s področja izseljenstva, in sicer  prvi nagradi za vsako od področji v višini 800 evrov, drugi nagradi v višini 600 evrov in tretji nagradi v višini 400 evrov.

Kandidati naj  dokumente pošljejo do vključno 10. 12. 2013 na naslov Urad Vlade RS za Slovence v zamejstvu in po svetu, Erjavčeva 15, 1000 Ljubljana.

Kandidati naj do vključno 10. 12. 2013 pošljejo na naslov Urad Vlade RS za Slovence v zamejstvu in po svetu, Erjavčeva 15, 1000 Ljubljana s pripisom “ZA NAGRADNI NATEČAJ” en vezan izvod svojega dela v trdih platnicah, potrdilo o uspešno opravljenem zagovoru diplomskega, magistrskega ali doktorskega dela z razvidnim datumom zagovora in kratek življenjepis z osnovnimi osebnimi podatki in kontaktnim naslovom.

Dodatne informacije dobite na tel. št. +386 1 230 80 11 (dr. Zvone Žigon) ali preko elektronske pošte: zvone.zigon@gov.si.

 

Oct 16

Slovenian Parliamentary Delegation Visits House of Commons

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A Slovenian Parliamentary delegation led by Janko Veber, President of the National Assembly, attended a debate in the House of Commons during a visit to London on 14th October 2013, and met British Members of Parliament belonging to the British-Slovene Parliamentary Group.

The Slovenian visitors remarked on the custom that Members of Parliament could interject comments during speeches in the debating chamber, which contrasted with practice in Slovenia.

Before the discussion ended, the visitors had another taste of British democracy in action: the Division Bell rang, and the British MPs had to hurry away to take part in a vote.

David Lloyd, Chairman of the BSS, told how the Society had evolved in the 20 years of its existence, moving from helping the young Slovenian state establish itself to networking, spreading knowledge of Slovenia, and facilitating contacts between Britons and Slovenes.

Janko Veber, President of the Slovenian National Assembly (centre-right), shakes hands with David Lloyd, Chairman of the British-Slovene Society. Between them is Neil Parish, MP, Chairman of the British-Slovene All-Party Parliamentary Group.

Janko Veber, President of the Slovenian National Assembly (centre-right), shakes hands with David Lloyd, Chairman of the British-Slovene Society. Between them is Neil Parish, MP, Chairman of the British-Slovene All-Party Parliamentary Group.

 

Oct 08

Christmas Carol Service

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The Anglo-Slovene Carol Service will be held on 13th December at 6.30 for 7 p.m. at  St. Andrew by the Wardrobe, Queen Victoria Street and St. Andrew’s Hill, City of London, EC4V 5DE. Please note that nearest underground station is Blackfriars. St Paul’s and Mansion House stations are not far away.

The Service will have readings and carols in English and Slovene.

Please feel free to bring any guests.

Christmas drink and potica will be served after the service.

How to get there