The dignitaries were among hundreds of delegates from universities across the UK at the Eighth Congress of Polish Societies, which was held at the Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts (LICA) on Friday, February 20.

Mateusz Szczurek, Minister of Finance in the Polish Government who had studied at UK universities, praised the UK higher education system.

“This event is a way to show current students where their futures might lie, he said. “It is a reminder of the value the UK education system brings to the World, and Poland in particular.”

Mr Szczurek, who was named European Finance Minister of the Year in January 2015 by The Banker magazine, added: “There are a number of reasons why events like this are important. They allow the Polish community to get together to see how many of them there are in UK universities. It gives opportunities for Polish communities to meet other people from Poland and also to see examples of potential career opportunities.”

The congress also included a sports competition held at Lancaster University’s Sports Centre.