Slovaks Are Having A Ball In A Bid For Integration

Jan. 28, 2008 - PRLog -- – Jan 18, 2008 – Slovaks in the UK often get bad press and a reputation for ‘cheap labour – but solid, reliable and they don’t keep having tea-breaks’?

One man trying to remove the perception and cement relations between UK citizens and the Slovaks is 27-year-old Martin Hakel.

A pinnacle of Martin’s work will take place at the Café Royale on 22 February: a lavish Slovak-British Ball. Ambassadors from the UK and Slovak embassies are on the guest list plus the deputy prime minister of the Slovak Republic.

Martin emigrated from Slovakia to Aylesbury in 2000 with hopes of finding his fortune – but ended up as handyman for an elderly woman, taking on 12 more jobs in the evenings and at weekends to earn a living wage.

Widespread evidence of exploitation prompted Martin to found the Slovak Centre in 2004 – a one-stop information shop for Slovaks planning to move to the UK and those probably wondering why they ever came.

Martin said: “Slovaks don’t have enough information before they come to the UK. They arrive here with rose-tinted glasses – and many end up on the streets.”That’s if we haven’t employed them in positions the UK unemployed seem to shun because of the low pay.

Martin hears heartbreaking stories of trusting Slovaks who have handed over their passports on the promise of jobs that never come. Identity fraud is rife.

Martin has financed the Centre, a website and now a bi-monthly magazine himself. But now he's come to the end of that line and needs help with investment. He is resting his hopes on the Slovak-British Ball not only to polish Slovak-UK relations but also to be the springboard to a return on his investment.

To book tickets, call Martin Hakel at the Slovak Centre on 07968 795603. Visit www.slovakcentre.co.uk for more details.

Website: www.bowlerhat.info