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Top Slovene musicians at Prešeren Evening – 1st February 2020. Reserve the date!

By First page, News


We are looking forward to getting together again at our next Prešeren Evening. It will take place on Saturday 1st February 2020 at the Ambassadors Bloomsbury Hotel (the same place as this year). Put the date in your diary!

Alongside the usual dinner, we will be entertained by two multi-talented Slovene musicians, Boštjan Gombač and Saša Olenjuk.

Boštjan, a clarinettist, is a master of a range of instruments and has featured in 120 albums! He has been performing ethno and classical music for the last 15 years. With the group Terra Folk, he won many music prizes, also a BBC3 radio World Music Award.

He performs with bands Katalena, Bast, Bachology Quartet, Los Hermanos Muy Simpaticos. Amongst the musicians he has played with are Marc Ribot, Greg Cohen, Neil Innes, Tommy Emmanuel, The Cat Empire, John McSherry, Arvid Engegard, Susanne Lundeng, Knut Eric Sundquist, Theodossi Spassov. He also writes music for theatre and film.

Saša is a violinist, guitarist, composer, arranger and producer. He is a first violin in the Maribor opera house orchestra, and plays with a host of other bands and musicians.

Prepare for a top musical event. You won’t want to miss it!

Notice of Annual General Meeting 22 May 2019 – and talk on a Slovene admiral

By First page, News

For members of the British-Slovene Society only:

Notice is hereby given that The Annual General Meeting of the British-Slovene Society will be held at 5 pm on Wednesday 22 May in the offices of Howard Kennedy, 1 London Bridge, London SE1 9BG.

After the AGM Keith Miles will give a talk on an unusual and fascinating subject. You may have thought Slovenia never had any admirals, but you would be wrong. Keith will tell the story of ‘The Slovene Admiral in the Royal Navy and other famous Slovene Admirals’. Participating will be a descendant of Slovene Admiral Reigersfeld, who lives in Somerset.

Please confirm your attendance by email to: davidalloyd@btinternet.com.

In case you cannot attend the AGM and wish to vote, please use the Form of Proxy: BSS-2019-AGM-Form-of-proxy

Slovenians can vote in Britain for the EU Parliament – register by 7th May

By First page, News

Slovenians residing in the UK can vote in the European Union Parliamentary election due to be held on 23rd May. You can vote for candidates standing in the UK for election. Or you can vote in Slovenia, but not in both countries.

To vote in the UK, you should register at https://www.gov.uk/elections-in-the-uk/european-parliament by 7th May at the latest.

In the UK, parties expected to put up candidates include the Conservatives, Labour and Nigel Farage’s Brexit party. So too will parties supporting the UK remaining in the EU – the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and Change UK.

The outcome of this election could be important for the future of Europe. So please consider bringing your influence to bear by voting on 23rd May.

Dobrodošli doma 2019 – vabilo Urada za Slovence v zamejstvu in po svetu

By Events, First page, News

Tradicionalna prireditev Dobrodošli doma bo letos 6. julija 2019 v Radovljici.

Vabimo rojakinje in rojake, ki živite v zamejstvu in po svetu, da se nam na ta dan pridružite. Skupaj z vami bomo izoblikovali pester in bogat kulturni ter športni program.
Letošnji dogodek organiziramo društva: Združenje Slovenska izseljenska matica, Svetovni slovenski kongres, Slovenija v svetu in Rafaelova družba pod pokroviteljstvom Urada Vlade RS za Slovence v zamejstvu in po svetu.

Pripravili bomo nastope različnih glasbenih, folklornih in pevskih skupin, razstave, srečanje mladih raziskovalcev, predstavitve nagrajenih diplomskih in magistrskih nalog, nogometne tekme… Organizirali bomo tudi izlete v okolici Radovljice.

Prijave za sodelovanje na prireditvi ali samo za obisk in izlete zbiramo do 5. maja 2019. Prijavite se na spodaj napisane e-naslove kjer boste dobili tudi vse ostale informacije povezane s prireditvijo Dobrodošli doma.

sim@zdruzenje-sim.si; jasmina.ilic@zdruzenje-sim.si
Kontaktna oseba: Jasmina Ilič Draković, številka mobilnega telefona: 00386 40 150518

Veselimo se srečanja z vami!

World Prayer Day celebrated for Slovenia

By Events, First page, News

On World Prayer Day for Slovenia on Friday March 1st, 2019, the British-Slovene Society helped arrange a service at the lovely St. Margaret’s Church in London opposite Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament.

Those taking part in the service could see some typical Slovenian books and artefacts, including the Poems of France Prešeren and a model of a Slovenian ‘Kozolec’ (Hayrack).

Celia Scott, Canon Sinclair, Linda Ulrich, Deacon Saunders and other World Day of Prayer volunteers helped make this a very warm occasion.

British-Slovene Society Trustee Simona Bennett, former Trustee Breda Wilkinson and Karen Košak gave readings. Trustee Miha Košak helped coordinate, and Špela Vrbnjak of the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia provided further support.

Each year a World Day of Prayer is devoted to a different country.

For more information see
https://www.wwdp.org.uk/2019-theme-and-country-slovenia/ and https://www.westminster-abbey.org/st-margarets-church

The late Sister Terezija Žužek – a life well filled

By First page, News


Born into a devout Ljubljana Catholic family in 1928 as one of four girls with nine brothers, Sister Terezija (Rezka) Žužek led a remarkable life as a mission doctor around the world. She died in Marian House, Uxbridge, on 26 January 2019 at the age of 91.

The Žužek family fled Slovenia in 1945 after the Communists took over what was then Yugoslavia. After several years in an Italian refugee camp, Rezka and her sister Agnesa went to Spain, where she graduated with a medical degree from the University of Zaragoza.

Rezka and Agnesa both decided on careers as mission doctors in a Catholic religious congregation. They joined the Medical Mission Sisters in South Shields, England, and took their first vows there in 1958. Sister Rezka subsequently served for many years as a mission doctor in Pakistan, South Vietnam, Yemen and Peru.

On her return to the U.K. in 1994, she became a prison visitor to Holloway Women’s prison in London. It then contained many women from Eastern Europe and South America who had been bribed by drug dealers to carry drugs. Rezka’s language skills were invaluable, as was her gentle, kind approach. She helped the women to keep contact with their families, and gave them encouragement and support.

In 2011 Rezka came to live in the Marian House care home. Sister Gillian Horsfield, a fellow-member of the Medical Mission Sisters, writes: ͏͏“Rezka had had a difficult life… The trauma of the war and being a refugee had left her with an underlying sense of insecurity, but living in Marian House, with its rhythm of life and pastoral care, brought her peace… Every time one of the care staff came into her room she gave them a huge smile. And all of us when we visited were struck by Rezka’s peacefulness … It was in that peaceful state that Rezka went to God on 26th January. We remember her with gratitude and love.”

Her two surviving brothers, Stane from Argentina and Andrej from USA, attended her funeral. Rezka was a longstanding member of the British-Slovene Society.

Slovenian President Borut Pahor in the U.K.

By First page, News

Slovenian President Borut Pahor visited the U.K. this week. After a meeting with HM Queen Elizabeth II on 28 February, he addressed a reception for 200 guests hosted by the Slovenian Embassy in London. Pictured here with David Lloyd, Chairman of the British-Slovene Society (centre), and Ambassador Tadej Rupel and Valentina Rupel.

See link to a report by Slovenian national TV: https://4d.rtvslo.si/arhiv/dnevnik/174599068

Status dražavljanov EU po Brexitu – informativni dogodek 4. 3. 2019

By First page, News

Veleposlaništvo Republike Slovenije vabi slovenske državljane, ki prebivajo v Združenem kraljestvu, na informativni dogodek o bodočem statusu državljanov držav članic EU po izstopu Združenega kraljestva iz EU.

Na vprašanja bodo odgovarjali neodvisni strokovnjaki. V primeru, da imate konkretna vprašanja svetujejo, da jih vnaprej posredujete v angleškem jeziku na rsvp.vlo@gov.si.

Datum: 4. marec 2019 ob 18:30

Kraj: Europe House
32 Smith Square
SW1P 3EU London

Potrditev udeležbe: rsvp.vlo@gov.si

Dogodek bo sneman ter predvajan v živo na Facebook strani sedeža Evropske komisije:
www.facebook.com/ECinUK in bo na razpolago še nekaj dni po dogodku.

Prayer for Slovenia: St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster, 1st March

By News

The World Day of Prayer, which each year acclaims the work and people of a different country, will this year celebrate Slovenia. The event will be held in St Margaret’s Church, Westminster on Friday 1st March at 2.30 pm.

Members and friends of the British-Slovene Society are cordially invited to participate.

St. Margaret’s, known as ‘the church on Parliament Square’, is a 12th-century church next to Westminster Abbey. It is also sometimes called ‘the parish church of the House of Commons’.

Address:

St Margaret’s Church, St Margaret Street, London SW1P 3JX

Closest underground stations:

Westminster (Jubilee, District & Circle Lines)
St. James’s Park (District and Circle Lines)

 

 

Chairman’s Letter to Ambassador of Slovenia

By First page, News

David Lloyd, Chairman of the British Slovene Society, sent the message below to HE Tadej Rupel, Ambassador of Slovenia in the UK, on 24 February 2019:

Dear Tadej,

I feel that I must apologise, as a former British ambassador to Slovenia, for the ill-chosen words of our Foreign Secretary during his recent visit to Slovenia, referring to Slovenia as a vassal state of the Soviet Union. I am sure that Slovenians will brush this aberration aside with their customary goodwill, but I am deeply embarrassed.

I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday evening at President Pahor’s Reception.

Best wishes, David

See: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/23/soviet-vassal-state-jeremy-hunt-makes-gaffe-in-slovenia?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other