On Monday, symbolically marking the anniversary of the official opening of the Bosnian House on the Statehood Day of our beloved homeland Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia UK Network organized a reception at which the history of the development of the Network was presented. We recall that the Minister for Religions in the government of Prime Minister Theresa May, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth , officially opened this Bosnian House.
The opening speech was given by the manager Anes Cerić , who took the opportunity to warmly welcome all those present and give a presentation on the establishment and development of the BH UK Network as an organization with its activists. The reception was attended by a significant number of guests, representatives of various British organizations, as well as guests of honor and representatives of Great Britain, including Lynnette Kelly, a councilor from Coventry. Those present learned about the thorny path of survival and development of the Bosnia UK Network, up to the present day when a house in Birmingham is called the Bosnian House, a house where everyone is welcome and greeted with the Bosnian spirit.
On this occasion, awards were also presented to activists and representatives of local organizations as a sign of gratitude for all their contributions to the work of the Bosnia UK Network. The following awards were presented:
- BRAP organization that has been working in collaboration with Bosnia UK Network for several years to organize gatherings with speakers and participants from different cultural and ethnic communities in Birmingham; the award was received on behalf of the organization by Rahela Hussain
- Healing Hands Network ; Bosnia UK Network works closely with the “Healing Hands Network”. Their therapists come twice a month and provide support to our community members through various therapies: massage, reiki, Bowen therapy etc.
-
Award for Celebrating Sanctuary - Celebrating Sanctuary ; The award was presented to Rachel Cox, program manager, who made it possible for the KUD “Mladost Bosne” to perform at the Cannon Hill Park center in Birmingham, where our youngest, under the watchful eye of their instructor Fahira Hasedžić, had the honor of representing the Bosnian-Herzegovinian community in Birmingham with their folklore performance. Of course, we should not ignore their selfless help and the effort of the artists in organizing the commemoration of the anniversary of the genocide in Birmingham.
- Jessica Foster – For selfless assistance to Bosnian citizens over the past 25 years and a major contribution to the organization of multi-year commemorations of the anniversary of the genocide in Birmingham.
-
Award for Mirsad Solaković Mirsad Solaković ; a long-time volunteer of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian community in the UK who has been supporting the work of the Bosnia UK Network and the preservation of the cultural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the UK for more than two decades.
A traditional lunch with Bosnian specialties was organized for all guests of the reception after the program, when those present also took the opportunity to get to know each other better.
