Merton Will Mark The Achievements Of The Windrush Generation
Events to highlight the contributions made by the Caribbean community
It’s one year on from the Windrush scandal which rocked the lives of many in London and across the UK.
Many nurses at Wilson Hospital in Mitcham in the sixties were of the Windrush generation.
And now Merton Council wants to celebrate them and others who moved to the UK to work in many vital roles.
An exhibition will take place at Morden Library in London Road which highlights the contribution that the Caribbean community made in post-war Britain.
Organisers in the council also want to speak to members of the Windrush Generation for a project to capture their stories and experiences on film for future generations.
The film will be available for schools and community groups later in the year. A resource pack to support to learning, particularly during Black History Month, is also being produced.
It will mark National Windrush Day, June 22, which marks the day in 1948 when the first 500 migrants from the West Indies arrived on MV Empire Windrush.
Cabinet Member for voluntary sector, partnerships and community safety, Councillor Edith Macauley said: “We are delighted to be hosting these events to honour the outstanding contribution the Windrush Generation and their descendants have made to our borough and the UK as a whole.”
“It is hugely important that we back the aims of Windrush Day to recognise the important legacy of the Windrush Generation in our cultural and economic life to ensure we continue to recognise and celebrate our diverse shared history.”
The council successfully bid for a £16,000 Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Church Urban Fund which was allocated for Windrush Day events across the country.
The council is also urging anyone who was affected by not having documentation to prove they are in the country legally, to claim compensation from the Government’s scheme.
It is open to those who came to the UK from the Caribbean or any other Commonwealth country between 1948 and 1973.
- What will be happening to mark Windrush Day?
Pandemonium, a steel band comprised of talented school children are to perform outside the Civic Centre as part of Schools Celebration on Friday June, 21 from 10am-noon.
School children will perform Farewell Calypso followed by Caribbean storytelling sessions and a display of winning entries from a poster competition.
There will Caribbean food tasting at Morden Library on Saturday, June 22 from 12.30-4.40pm. The afternoon will see performances from community steel band Panash outside the civic centre.
And an interactive workshop tracing British/Caribbean historical links will be the chance hear about people’s migration experiences.
To round off the celebrations a thanksgiving service will be held on Sunday, June 23 at St Barnabas Church in Gorringe Park Avenue, Mitcham. The service will run from 3-4pm and will be followed by refreshments.
Pictured above are nurses at Wilson Hospital in Mitcham in 1960.
June 15, 2019