GREAT weekend indeed!

The Diamond Jubilee long weekend here in Poland presented many different faces of the UK. First, we showed our tolerant, diverse face and our commitment to equality by participating in the Gay Pride parade. We were very visible indeed. Polish TV was very keen to understand why I was there. In addition to upholding the values of freedom and tolerance, I pointed to the great atmosphere and that everyone was planning to have fun.

Claire Dimyon from the UK had brought with her a magnificent multi-coloured Union Jack as a proud symbol of the British presence. I also travelled on a seriously tall moving platform from which I also spoke, as the only Ambassador present. Seeing Warsaw from on high gave me a whole new perspective on life, especially when we had to duck sharply to miss the tram cables! Getting off the platform was something of a challenge. Ladders are not my strongest suit unfortunately and I suffer both from vertigo and a minor disability. I was very relieved when my feet were back on the ground but it was all in a great cause.

The British School Diamond Jubilee ball was both a real celebration of the magnificent reign of Her Majesty the Queen and a chance for a British led community to give something back to those less fortunate by organising a charity raffle in aid of Vide Supra, a wonderful Polish foundation that helps gifted children from less fortunate backgrounds. We listened to a young Polish harpist, who has been supported by the foundation, play some delightful music and then disarmingly admit that in her biggest concert so far, she had managed to break several strings in her enthusiasm.

My low point was knocking over a cardboard cut out of Her Majesty, not something one of her Ambassadors is supposed to do I fear. Fortunately, I can also report that the cardboard cut out was still going strong on Monday at the British School Diamond Jubilee Fete, where my Deputy Jessica Glover handed out the prizes for a drawing competition on the themes of the Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics and Euro 2012.

Finally, I co-hosted an event at my house with the BBC, which included a live screening of the Jubilee concert. What a show piece for London and the UK. Top figures in the Polish media loved every minute of it. A magical combination of evocative music truly representing the best of British culture, the superb historical backdrop of Buckingham Palace and the Mall and cutting edge twenty first century Britain showcased in the fantastic lighting displays on the Palace facade and the grand finale of the firework display.

An extraordinary tribute to an extraordinary monarch and a demonstration why Britain truly is GREAT.