The first item on the afternoon programme at the Central Library in St Peter's Square in Manchester was an award ceremony for winners of the children's art competition Our Pilots in the RAF, organised by the Consulate General in cooperation with the Czech School & Community Manchester for children aged 6 to 16. A total of five prizes, special drawings signed and dedicated by a Czech cartoonist and illustrator Karel Osoha, were awarded to three winners of individual competition categories as well as to the authors of two exceptionally successful works, one recognized by the jury for creativity and the other for technical execution. The winning works will be on display at the traditional July commemorative meeting in the park of Cholmondeley Castle, which is inextricably linked to the formation of Czechoslovak units on British territory during the Second World War.

Several dozen spectators then had the opportunity to watch Jan and Zdeněk Svěrák's film Dark Blue World, which was followed by a discussion with the daughter of General František Fajtl, Mrs. Jitka Režná. The participants had the opportunity to enjoy not only an excellent film experience, but also to learn something about the fate and real life of one of the war heroes who had inspired the creators of the film. In an informal atmosphere, Mrs. Režná shared her personal memories of one of the most famous heroes of the Battle of Britain over photographs from her family album and other period artefacts. Above all, the recollections of the turbulent moments in the lives of the Fajtls, harassed by the communist regime, especially in the 1950s, vividly brought the participants of the discussion closer to the misery faced by unjustly persecuted war heroes during the period of oppression in communist Czechoslovakia. Mrs. Režná also shared her memories of a deeply personal level of General Fajtl's life story, his deep-rooted patriotism, modesty and sense of humor and responsibility towards his family.