THE people of Worcester gathered in memory of a Polish mayor, following his death.

Pawel Adamowicz, the mayor of Gdansk – a port city in Poland – was at the finale of a nationwide charity drive when he was stabbed before a crowd of thousands on January 13, before dying from his injuries on Tuesday.

Magdalena Lech, who lives in Tolladine, previously volunteered for the charity, Wielka Orkiestra Swiatecznej Pomocy, before she moved from Poland to England 13 years ago.

Dozens of people attended the vigil for Mr Adamowicz at St George’s Catholic Church, in Sansome Place, Worcester, on Sunday.

Ms Lech, aged 27, said she was “absolutely broken” when she heard about the stabbing.

Speaking before the event, she said: “After I found out about the stabbing I was absolutely broken that something so evil took place. Myself and a few friends decided that we want to stand in memory of Adamowicz and also to show solidarity with the charity.

“The charity works to bring medicine and equipment to those who need it most in Poland.

“We are gathering in memory of Pawel as well as to show we are in favour of the charity and its organiser. We want to convince him to stay as chairman and show we are in favour of him receiving the Noble Prize for all his achievements.”

Speaking after the event, she thanked those who attended the vigil.

She added: “I was absolutely amazed to see that so many have gathered together to vigil.

“Regardless of the tragic reason for gathering hot tea and kind words kept everyone’s hearts warm and strong.

“We hope to continue the great effort and organise future public events encouraging different communities to take part, hopefully starting this summer.”