Lord Dubs
Alfred Dubs was six years old in June 1939 when he arrived in London on a kindertransport arranged by Sir Nicholas Winton.
Over the years he has lobbied tirelessly on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers. In 2016 he made headlines for what is known as the ‘Dubs Amendment’ to an immigration bill that offered unaccompanied refugee children safe passage to Britain.
Lord Dubs’ speech at the BCSA/CBCC dinner in 2022 is available on the BCSA YouTube channel Keynote speech by Lord Alfred Dubs – YouTube
For his full profile see Czech Slovak British Connections – British Czech and Slovak Association (bcsa.co.uk)
Róbert Ondrejcsák
Slovak Ambassador to the UK
The BCSA is a valuable platform that aims to nourish Slovakia’s and the Czech Republic’s relations with the UK, and taking up the role of patron, as the Slovak Ambassador to the UK is a great pleasure for me.
When I arrived in London as the Ambassador in 2020, my aim was to raise awareness of our valuable ties with the UK; not only are Slovakia and the Czech Republic close allies with the UK in security and defence fields, but we also share common values, interests and our people continue to connect more than ever before.
With tens of thousands of Slovaks and Czechs living in the UK and a growing number of Brits contributing with their ideas to Slovak and Czech societies, I find the BCSA’s efforts to link our communities especially valuable.
In 2023, the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic commemorate the 30th anniversary of their independence and 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between UK and our countries. During these 30 years, the independent Republics achieved many successes. Despite the division, Slovaks and Czechs can cooperate in all areas of life, especially abroad.
Our countries have already achieved a huge amount together, and I hope that our multi-level relationship will continue to develop and grow.
I am convinced that BCSA can also play a significant role in this.
Nigel Baker
British Ambassador to Slovakia
It is a real pleasure for me to take on the role of patron of the BCSA as I begin my posting as British Ambassador in Bratislava. I remember from my first diplomatic posting, as a young diplomat in our embassy in Prague from 1992-3, and later as Deputy Head of Mission of the new British embassy to Slovakia from 1993-6, how much both embassies appreciated the energy and enthusiasm of the then newly-created BCSA as it took up its vocation to nurture the many relationships existing and newly created between Britons, Czechs and Slovaks. The Association continues to play an invaluable role in building and developing such contacts, and in particular ensuring mutual understanding and awareness of our historical, cultural, economic and human ties, an ever more important task in this time of short memories and information overload. The large Czech and Slovak diasporas in the United Kingdom, and the growing number of British citizens who choose to live and work in both Czech and Slovak Republics, attest to the depth and breadth of our evolving relationship, and underline the importance of the Association’s activities. I look forward to working closely with the BCSA, and doing all I can to help support your significant mission.