IN MEMORIAM : Andrzej Tutkaj (17 August 1964 – 28 September 2022)

Andrzej was one of the five Founding Members of Polish Media Issues in 2005, and we therefore wish to pay our respects to him for his services to PMI, and to recognise his many contributions to British Polonia during his all-too-brief life, sadly dying from a stroke at age 58.
Andrzej and I had been Facebook Friends since June 2020, but I unfortunately never had the opportunity to meet him face to face. However, he was very well known within the Polish community in the UK, and was a tireless activist for Poles and Polish institutions in the UK and Poland. His home was in Cardiff, Wales, but he was a frequent traveller within the UK, and in Poland.
The institutions in which he was active included: Ognisko Polskie – The Polish Hearth in South Kensington, London ; POSK in Hammersmith ; The Federation of Poles in Great Britain ; TOPAZ (Society of Polish Graduates & Professionals), as well as being involved in other organisations and initiatives, here in the UK and in Poland. Andrzej was truly a great son of Poland, and he will be remember fondly by many Poles and others here in the UK, and in Poland.
Due to health issues Andrzej was less active in his later years, and cared for his mother until she passed away in 2015. He was a single man to the last, and is survived by some more distant relatives.
Andrzej’s funeral and cremation were held in Cardiff on 7 November, but the Memorial Mass was organised Saturday of 19 November 2022, at St Andrzej Bobola Church, 1 Leysfield Road, Hammersmith, London W12 9JF .
Thank You Andrzej Tutkaj for your services to PMI, and to so many other Polish initiatives – RIP.

Daniel M. Zamoyski
Head of Polish Media Issues