Dagmara is a Polish student from Gdynia.  | | Dagmara in Polish Handsworth |
She left her country two years ago looking for better career opportunities and like her other Polish friends, she decided to make Birmingham her new home. Initially, Dagmara earned as little as £3 an hour packing fruit and vegetables for British supermarkets but she soon found a better paid job and was able to enrol at university. Her life may have changed a lot, but one thing has remained consistent – Handsworth where she lives with hundreds of other Poles. A popular destinationSo why is Handsworth such a popular destination for Polish immigrants? Dagmara explains:  | | Polish shopping in Handsworth |
"Many Polish people who first arrive to UK do not have much money with them so they look for the cheapest place to live. Then they discover the Polish face of Handsworth with all of the Polish shops. "The Polish language can be heard on every street. Polish people never want to move out again as they feel secure having their compatriots living next door." Polish shoppingSo what is it that makes the new Polish community feel so at home in Handsworth? Well, there are the delis for a start. Boyan, the owner of one of them, says: "The demand for Polish products is so big in Handsworth that all of the European delis are doing really well."  | | Jars of traditional Polish food |
Shop assistant Konrad says: "We do our best to meet the demands of Polish customers so there are always plenty of sausages, ham, sour kraut and ready made dumplings on the shelves." Dagmara admits she is very careful with money in British supermarkets. However she cannot resist Polish products and usually spends quite a lot in Polish delicatessens. Polish bakeryOne thing that is always on her shopping list is Polish bread - baked from the Polish bakery in Smethwick!  | | Konrad |
Owner of the bakery Pawel explains: "Lots of Poles are missing the flavour of Polish bread as it is quite different to English bread - more rich and seasoned!" Pawel thought that this was a good market niche. He took a risk and set up Midlands' first Polish bakery. He is now supplying bread to some 30 shops in Birmingham, Redditch, Wolverhampton and Evesham. But as Dagmara explains: "You can do almost everything Polish style in Handsworth now." Keeping togetherHer friends, for example, run a garage there.  | | Polish garage owners |
They claim that their services are well appreciated in the Midlands and they get customers travelling all the way from London to have their cars repaired. Dagmara doesn't drive, but she is thinking of taking up driving classes. Where? At a Polish driving school based in Handsworth of course! She says: "It is very convenient for many Polish people who do not speak fluent English to be able to use different services in their mother tongue and some Polish painters, gardeners and of course translators are making the most of it in Handsworth!" The future?It will soon be three years since hundreds of Poles found the West Midlands on the map and decided to try a better life here. With more and more Polish shops, garages and even bakeries opening in Birmingham it looks like new migrant workers are seriously thinking of settling down here for good. | 
