Polish community have their views heard over EU vote

The town has seen an increase in its growing Polish population in recent years, with many families settling in the county town.

But ahead of the referendum, many are fearful of what it could result in.

Kate Basinska, who runs the Polish Saturday School in Trowbridge, has lived in the town since 2007.

The 45-year-old said: “If I could vote, I would vote to stay. Most of us are not in favour of Brexit and we are in the process of getting our citizenship.

“I haven’t been searching for any information and I think nothing has been clearly said about what is going to happen to us.

“Whatever happens, I do not think we can be told to go back to our countries.

“We have houses, cars and pay taxes and there must be a solution for this.

“I am really happy being here and there is one thing that wouldn’t have happened normally back home. I have been able to meet people similar to me, and despite us being from another country, we come from different worlds.”

Whereas others in the Polish community are still pondering of how they would vote if they were entitled to.

Justyna Suszek, 37, who has lived in Trowbridge for over 10 years along with her husband and three children, said over the past few weeks, a number of signs have been appearing for both Brexit and Bremain.

“My son is 14 and what I said to him is that if the UK leave the EU, we might have to go back home to Poland and he said he doesn’t want to because he wants to join the army here when he is old enough,” the 37-year-old said.

“I do not know if we will have a legal right to work here if the UK votes to leave. I have been trying to find out information about it but the Government have not said much about it.

“I am well settled here in the UK. But if I was British and entitled to vote, I would vote ‘Leave’ because the UK has given and given and the other countries have taken and not necessarily given back as much.”