Two Mancunian organisations will receive a share of £500,000 in celebration of Windrush Day in June this year.
Youth Elements – a mentoring and training organisation – and Jet Black Creative Arts and Sports Academy are among 30 community-driven projects from across the country which will receive financial support as part of the Windrush Day Grant Scheme 2025.
Windrush Day celebrates a generation of Caribbean people and their descendants who have contributed to the UK’s society, economy and culture. The Windrush Generation relocated to Britain between 1948 and 1973 to help rebuild the country. Many took up roles in the NHS, filling thousands of nursing vacancies, as well as other post-war labour demands.
The term ‘Windrush’ comes from the HMT Empire Windrush ship, whose passengers were some of the first to arrive.
Minister of Faith Lord Khan said: “We’re on a mission to break down barriers to opportunity through our Plan for Change and this funding is crucial in helping organisations continue with their incredible work and in supporting the education of our young people on such a vital part of our country’s history.”
Projects are being funded in various regions, including London, South West England, the Midlands and Yorkshire.
Sudden Productions – a Birmingham-based arts company – is orchestrating a collaboration between Afro-Caribbean artists and older members of the Windrush generation. They are creating a one-man-show called My Songs of Windrush, a musical project that brings old memories to life.
And a London production company, Inspiring Audio, will collaborate with radio station Fun Kids. They are teaming up to create a new station, Fun Kids Windrush, to teach children about British-Caribbean history through songs.
The director of Inspiring Audio said: “Fun Kids Windrush will give children a unique opportunity to learn about the arrival and contribution of the Windrush generation and its descendants, and celebrate the sound of the Caribbean – from calypso and soca to steel pan and reggae.”
The Windrush Day Grant Scheme received a record number of applications this year. Preston Caribbean Carnival also received a share of the funding.
Windrush Day will take place on 22 June.
Feature image: A mural outside Hulme Library depicting the HMT Empire Windrush Ceropegius CC BY-SA 3.0
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