Polish woman shares surge testing message

A Community Ambassador is supporting Blackburn with Darwen’s surge testing with videos in her native Polish.

Agnieszka Kwiecien, or Aggie, has recorded two videos in Polish, including one that explains why surge testing is important and how it works, and another encouraging our local Polish population to have the Covid vaccine.

Surge testing is currently underway across Blackburn with Darwen, which is home to around 1,300 Polish people.

This increased testing, which involves Council engagement teams visiting homes to hand out PCR testing kits, is helping to track the spread of the Delta variant of Coronavirus, now the dominant variant across the UK.

Finding Covid cases in people with no symptoms, and supporting them to self-isolate, is helping to break the chains of transmission and prevent more people becoming infected.

WATCH Aggie’s video explaining surge testing:

WATCH Aggie’s vaccination experience video

Aggie, who works as a freelance translator, has lived in Blackburn with Darwen for almost 11 years. Before the pandemic hit, Aggie was taking part in the Our Community, Our Future Community Ambassador programme to develop her leadership skills and knowledge to become more involved in community projects.

36 year old Aggie said:

I feel very strongly connected with my local neighbourhood and even the wider borough, as I have friends and colleagues living all across Blackburn and Darwen. As a translator and expert in communication, I am passionate about finding a common language and things that bind us together. I wanted to learn more about the history and cultural countenance of Blackburn and also teach people about my own culture and heritage.

The Community Ambassador programme is one of many projects being delivered on behalf of Blackburn with Darwen Council and funded through the Our Community, Our Future social integration programme.

It’s delivered by Spring North working in partnership with Blackburn Rovers Community Trust and Care Network Hub.

Recruitment is currently underway for a new Community Ambassador group, which starts on Tuesday 22 June. This 12 week accredited course helps individuals develop their project management skills and community networks, as well as learning about opportunities for social integration in Blackburn with Darwen.

Find out more and get involved – call 01254 508257 or email caproject@brfctrust.co.uk.