THE North East's growing Polish community is gearing up for a Wesloych Swiat - that's Merry Christmas to non-Polish speakers.

About 300 Poles live in Darlington, and another 5,000 have set up home in South Durham.

In Poland, the highlight of the Christmas calendar is December 24, and one Darlington family with Eastern European routes is set to uphold that tradition.

"Christmas Eve, or Wigilia, is without doubt the most important celebration of the year in Poland," said business consultant Adam Gosiewski.

"I know Polish people who live over here who have had to quit their jobs because they couldn't get time off on Christmas Eve - that's how much it means to us."

Mr Gosiewski was born in the UK to a British mother and Polish father. In his 20s, he travelled to his father's homeland. After two decades in Gdansk, he returned to England two years ago with his wife, Ania, and their four children.

The Gosiewski home at Harewood Grove will be turned into a patch of little Poland tonight.

The Wigilia family feast features 12 fish courses, traditional Christmas wishes, and the occasional glass of vodka.

Mr Gosiewski said: "We wait for the first star to shine, which usually happens at about 3.30pm, then everybody gets a slice of wafer bread, and we all break a piece off and say what our wishes are for our family members.

"We don't give presents, we give wishes.

"Wesolych Swiat is the traditional Christmas greeting, which is of course followed by 'na zdrowie', which means good health, and usually comes with a good glass of vodka."

* Check The Northern Echo early in the new year for our new regular Polish column.