Series of Windrush 75 activities confirmed in Hemel Hempstead celebrating 'resilient' generation

Dacorum Borough Council has announced a series of events to celebrate the Windrush generation in Hemel Hempstead.

As part of national celebrations to commemorate the 75th anniversary of moving to the UK, the council has laid on a series of public events.

Next Thursday (22 June) will mark 75 years since the HMT Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks.

Since the first ship arrived the Windrush generation has evolved to encompass anyone who moved from the Caribbean to the UK between 1948 and 1971.

Between 22 and 24 June the council has organised a series of free related events.

A flag raising ceremony will take place next Thursday at 11am at the Walled Garden in Gadebridge Park. Special readings will also be completed during the ceremony.

A hall of fame exhibition which is being facilitated by No Ordinary Bookshop Mobile Museum follows at Unit 12 of Marlowes Shopping Centre, which runs until 3pm.

People who visit the mobile museum will see a display dedicated to those who arrived on the HMT Empire Windrush in 1948 and subsequent years.

On Friday a storytelling session has been organised at Hemel Hempstead Library between 11:15am and 11:45am, which will showcase books by black authors. These books will be on display at the library from Thursday 22 until Sunday 25 June.

That evening a special screening of The Story of Sam King has been organised at the Old Town Hall on Hemel Hempstead High Street.

Sam arrived in the UK via HMT Windrush and went on to become a high profile human rights campaigner. He was one of the founders of the Windrush Foundation, which highlights African and Caribbean peoples’ integral contributions to British society and culture. It also tackles discrimination and tackles inequality in the UK.

Sam’s son, the Reverend Michael King, will be at the screening which starts at 7pm, as a guest speaker.

Ticketing information can be found on the Old Town Hall website here.

At Gadebridge Park the following day, the Windrush generation will be celebrating via the medium of music from 11am to 3pm, presentations, exhibition learning boards and a range of games of African, Jamaican and Caribbean origin will be taking place.

Yvonne Davis MBE, founder of the ICane Foundation, which is partnering with the council to deliver the event, said: "It has been 75 years since the arrival of the troop ship the HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks on the 22nd of June 1948. It is a time to reflect the then and the now. The perseverance, resilience, and determination of the Windrush generation (Caribbean men and women 1948-1971) battling against so many daily challenges of racism. In spite of the challenges, they demonstrated their love for their mother country and their willingness to help rebuild Great Britain. They have enriched British society with their spirit of excellence in all sectors of society. Let us commemorate and celebrate their achievement."

More details can be found on the council’s website here.