A free community celebration to showcase the creative work of local artists set against the backdrop of Windrush is being held in Wolverhampton this week.
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) Charity supports the Arts and Heritage Group which secured a grant from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities (DLUHC) to stage “Came to Care: Windrush and the NHS.”
The project explores the entwined stories of Windrush and the NHS, in the year where they both celebrate their 75th anniversaries and the artists’ interpretations will be revealed in a special event at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre on Windrush Day, Thursday 22 June, between 4pm and 7pm.
Elinor Cole, Arts and Heritage Co-ordinator at RWT, said: “Our wonderful artists set to work earlier this month and we can’t wait to see what they have produced.
“It has been an honour to work with young people from our BAME community and to learn more from them about such a significant period in history, the repercussions of which continue to this day.”
Windrush refers to people who arrived in the UK from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1971, when British immigration laws changed. While not all arrived on HMT Empire Windrush itself, the ship became a symbol of the wider mass-migration movement.
Many of those who came to the UK became Nurses in the newly established NHS.
Elinor said: “This week’s event will feature Caribbean cuisine and musical performances and people can drop in any time between 4pm and 7pm. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the creativity in our communities as well as develop a greater understanding and appreciation of those who were part of Windrush.”
Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager at RWT, added: “This is an event suitable for all age groups and it will give us an opportunity to reflect on the experience of the Windrush generation and the contribution so many have made to our NHS. The Charity is proud to be part of such an important event.”
She said RWT Charity was grateful to the funders and for the support of Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and Wolverhampton Arts and Culture on this project.
