IT would appear that many of the women we have interviewed as part of Harlow is 75 are impressive ambassadors for the town.

They appear to be carved from the John F Kennedy quotation: “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.”

And one of the role models is Marlena Mandat.

Marlena is from Pabianice in Poland. Since coming to Harlow, she has achieved a great deal.

Amongst her many roles at the moment is as the chair of governors at Jerounds Primary Academy and on the board at Rainbow Services.

But we wanted Marlena to take us back to her earlier days in Poland.

To mark the town’s 75^th anniversary, Harlow Council and Your Harlow have launched a project which records the diverse history, heritage, and culture of the people and groups which are part of modern-day Harlow.

The Harlow at 75 project is made up of audio-visual recordings of conversations with both individuals and groups that explores their lives abroad before resettling in Harlow. The project reflects that we are a local but global new town and explores themes such as the definition of “Home”.