Information Update - November 2024
The Windrush 75 in Warwickshire Event which took place on Tuesday 29th October 2024 at the Rugby Library was very successful.
Positive feedback was received from attendees. They were pleased to learn that the Windrush Story would continue, be recorded for posterity in the Warwickshire archives and shared with the wider community and younger generations.
EQuIP's YouTube page has now been updated with two new PowerPoint films:
- The Windrush Generation - Their origins and journey - https://youtu.be/k5b-_lfVGRs
- Rugby West Indian Association - A Historical Snapshot - https://youtu.be/xr9FLBq1XL
A meeting will take place in order to work out the schematics in promoting the display for a specific time at Rugby Library, before creating a timetable to publicise it in other libraries around Warwickshire.
Once a timetable has been confirmed, this information will be shared with the Caribean communities in Warwickshire and the generation public. The timetable will also be added to our website and promoted through social media.
Information Update - October 2024
75 pieces of information were collected for the Windrush 75 in Warwickshire Project through the hard work, commitment and dedication of:
- Sherril Donaldson
- Steve Vassell
- Tamara Greaves
- Vendon Wright
- Sharon Forman
- Angela Dunne
- Gill Colbourne
This project has been a partnership between the following organisations:
- The Equality and Inclusion Partnership (EQuIP)
- Warwickshire County Record Office
- Warwickshire Libraries
EQuIP would also like to thank the National Lottery Community Fund for their support in making this project possible.
Confirmed Event
A free event will take place on Tuesday 29th October 2024 at Rugby Library.
If you are interested in attending, please sign up by Thursday 24th October 2024 on Eventbrite using the QR code on the poster below, or use the link below: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/windrush-75-in-warwickshire-event-tickets-1042853491867?aff=oddtdtcreator.
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Following the event, a programme will be agreed with the Warwickshire Libraries to show the display for a number of weeks in various libraries around Warwickshire, starting with Rugby Library. Once the timetable is known it will be added to this page and publicised.
Information Update - October 2023
The Windrush Project film has now been broken down into 8 mini films for easier viewing. To access the segments please click on the links below:
1. Leaving family behind - https://youtu.be/53ffGXagjEA
2. Getting to England - https://youtu.be/LDWQQYz1u_4
3. First Impressions - https://youtu.be/Nd5os6t6hSE
4. Schooldays - https://youtu.be/xnu98Y_iOfs
5. Working Lives - https://youtu.be/M8AYGSKEm1w
6. Bringing communities together - https://youtu.be/MIFNKzgEry4
7. Music & Food - https://youtu.be/sX8ghI3G2b8
8. Racism - https://youtu.be/05iESAUGNeI
Please share this information with all interested parties.
Background
The 75th anniversary of the arrival in the UK of HMS Empire Windrush was celebrated this year on Thursday 22 June 2024.
EQuIP is delighted to have been awarded a grant from the Big Lottery to celebrate Windrush in Warwickshire this anniversary with a particular focus on collecting and sharing 75 items, stories, photos and memories to mark the year.
The items will form a wider programme of raising awareness of the experiences of diverse and Black Caribbean communities coming to Warwickshire, their memories and stories underpinning a special exhibition that will tour libraries in the future, and a celebration event later in the year. The materials collected (75 items) will also be part of the development of a training curriculum to be available in schools.
Junaid Hussain, Chief Executive of EQuIP, commented:
“We are delighted to have been supported by the Big Lottery to support our Windrush in Warwickshire 75 celebrations.
“Residents from the Windrush generation and their descendants are invited to share their words, experiences and items relating to their culture. 75 items is our aim, and they can be anything that is significant, important and relevant to each person involved whether a story, photo or object.
“In 2021 we commissioned a video which is still available on our YouTube page called ‘Stories of the Windrush Generation’ based on Warwickshire resident’s experiences and this new project will build on that.
“Alongside working with established community groups, I am very pleased to be working so closely with Warwickshire’s County Records Office and the Warwickshire Libraries on developing and showing this exhibition.
“If anyone would like to get involved, then please do get in touch.
Windrush Day on 22nd June 2023, marked the when approximately 500 migrants from the Caribbean arrived at Tilbury Docks, Essex in 1948 on the HMT Empire Windrush. Over 500,000 Caribbeans living in the UK, who arrived between 1948 – 1971, are referred to as the Windrush Generation’.
Link to video here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Qho_NZ5qI) - 2022
