Skip to content

Birmingham events mark 75th anniversary of Windrush arrival

Getty Images The Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks, Essex, on 22 June 1948Getty Images
The Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks, Essex, on 22 June 1948

Events to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the arrival of Empire Windrush are set to take place across Birmingham.

The programme pays homage to more than 500,000 people who moved from the Caribbean to help rebuild Britain after it was ravaged during World War Two.

Earlier in the year, 35 community groups in Birmingham were awarded council grants for various projects.

Windrush Day is nationally marked on 22 June each year.

The ship Empire Windrush brought the first arrivals when it docked in Essex on that date in 1948.

The legacy of the Windrush Generation - those who migrated between 1948 and 1971 - will be highlighted from Saturday through a number of activities, exhibitions and events in the city where many people settled and made a new life.

Birmingham City Council invited community groups to apply for a share of a £62,465 to fund the projects in Aston, Digbeth, Handsworth, Ladywood, Nechells, Northfield, Perry Barr and West Heath.

Among the successful recipients are:

  • Arts All Over The Place, which will host a Windrush Stories inter-generational storytelling and poetry project
  • Birmingham Education Partnership, which will produce resources for schools across the city
  • Shades of Black, which will host a Meeting Windrush project to capture the generation's experiences

The successful bids were showcased this week at Soho Museum during an event hosted by Recognize Black Heritage and Culture CIC, which has also been awarded a grant towards its Silver Screen Cinema Club.

PA Jamaican men being welcomed by RAF officials after the Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury on 22 June 1948PA
The Windrush Generation take their name from the ship that brought the first West Indies immigrants to Britain in 1948

Garry Stewart, from Recognize, said: "It's important that we understand the Windrush generations stories that make up the social fabric of British history.

"The 75th anniversary is a key moment to ensure that the stories of those pioneers become the bridges to future generations and cements their legacies."

Nicky Brennan, cabinet member for Social Injustice, Community Safety and Equalities at Birmingham City Council, said: "It is also an opportunity to have deeper public conversations about the past, present and future of modern Britain - and the role of the Windrush generation within that."

On Windrush Day, there will be a flag raising ceremony in Centenary Square, Birmingham, which will be attended by the lord mayor and representatives of the community.

The full programme of events can be found on the Birmingham City Council website.

Presentational grey line

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]