Worksop: Fundraising quest to help children who lost their mum back to family in Poland
Filip, aged five, Maja, aged eight and Nikole, aged ten, had been living in the town for two years with their mum, Edyta Bijak, before she passed away last Saturday.
Edyta was 37-years-old and worked at Solway Foods. She was visiting family in Poland at the time of her death, the cause of which is not yet known.
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Relatives are now keen to bring the children, who attend Holy Family primary school, back to Poland safely but say they do not have the means to do this.
They are currently being looked after by their auntie, Marlena, who was visiting Worksop at the time of Edyta’s s death and has reached out to the community for help.
Marlena, speaking via a translator as she does not speak English, said: “My sister was the most loving and generous person you could ever meet.
“She was the kind of person who, if you said you liked her necklace, would take it off and give it to you.
“She was happy with the simple things and loved sharing.
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“But most of all she loved her children, who are all devastated at losing their mum.
“They were all very happy here. Edyta had a good job and the children went to a lovely school. My sister’s death came as such a shock.”
Marlena said that she had contacted the Polish Embassy but had not been given any assistance.
She went on: “It is terrifying trying to deal with this situation in a place where I don’t speak the language.
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“This has all happened so fast and I don’t really know what do apart from try to get the kids back to Poland where they have relatives who can care for them.”
Worksop resident Micheal Dunford, who owns Royal Coffee Shop in the Priory Shopping Centre, has been helping to find support for Marlena after being moved by her story.
He said: “It’s such an awful time for her and the children.
“I know there are a lot of kind-hearted people in Worksop. I hope the community pull together to help.”
To donate to the appeal, please visit a Just Giving page that has been set up for the children at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/filipmajanikole