KEEN runner and Swindon councillor Stan Pajak is hoping his participation in a half marathon in Poland may encourage an international entry to this autumn’s Swindon Half Marathon.

Mr Pajak, who is the Liberal Democrat leader on the borough council, was joined by Peter Robinson, the director of the Swindon Half Marathon for the race in Swindon’s twin city of Torun.

“Together with Marek Sarnowski, a leading figure in the Polish community, who had been with me when we originally formed the partnership with Torun in 2003 – and who, crucially, had the ability to speak Polish – we made a good team for the visit,” said Mr Pajak.

Peter Robinson finished 26th with a time of 1hr 37mins, his best time for six years.

Mr Pajak clocked 1:46, his fastest half marathon for two years since breaking a leg.

Mr Pajak said: “Throughout our time there was a learning experience of how runs are organised.

“There was a clear difference at the finish because in Torun, after receiving their medals, runners were treated to soup and a can of strong beer.”

At post-race speeches, the Swindon officials invited runners to come to Wiltshire on October 11 for the Swindon Half Marathon.

The previous day, the town hosted a Torun of Children’s Day featuring a children’s festival in a town park.

“Children’s Day is not unique to Poland but is celebrated in many countries across Europe,” said Mr Pajak.

“It was a wonderful event with children’s performances on stage of singing, dancing and competitions, matched by various stalls across the park with food and activities.

“Parents also usually give small gifts to their children and the event can be seen as marking the beginning of summer. We entered into the spirit of the day by giving small speeches on the stage and donating presents for a competition – Swindon Half Marathon T-shirts and a toy British bulldog.

“The concept behind a children’s day is an idea that could be adopted in Swindon, perhaps matching our Play Day event.

“We could lead the country in such a children-positive celebration.”

Mr Pajak said that Swindon and Torun, along with Salzgitter, in Germany, and the Finnish town of Imatra are involved in a joint application for European Union funding for both schools and the arts.

A photographic exhibition based on images from Torun is also planned for the Central Library in Swindon.

“With these things actively happening, we met the chief of the city council in Torun and the leader of the regional government,” said Mr Pajak.

“On hearing about our exhibition, which coincides with an increase in the Polish book content, we were offered books and presented with a beautiful book of the area which we will give to the library.

“We also met Olga Marcinkiewicz who is leading Torun’s bid to be the 2016 European City of Culture.

“With Torun’s connections with Copernicus and this year being the Year of Astronomy, we discussed many potential things we could do together.

“We also managed to visit Torun’s impressive new speedway stadium which seats 15,000 and was completed in a record time of only eight months.

“The love of speedway opens up a possibility of a link with the Swindon Robins.

“Our role is to make the potential benefits to both Swindon and Torun real.”