Telford's Windrush community celebrate a long and lasting legacy
Telford's Windrush generation marked 75 years of shaping the community of Shropshire with music, food and celebrations.
Thursday, June 22 marked 75 years since passengers on the Empire Windrush disembarked at Tilbury in Essex.
The ship, and many more that followed, brought people seeking work from the Caribbean to fill post-war labour shortages in the UK.
Those that arrived between 1948 and 1971 became known as the Windrush generation.
For many, their journeys brought them to Telford, and on Saturday some gathered at the Telford Elim Community Church in Hadley, to celebrate the anniversary.
Along with family and friends, they came together for afternoon tea with a Caribbean twist, complete with jerk chicken, plantain and steel drums.
But for the organisers, the Telford African & Afro-Caribbean Resource Centre (TAARC), the Windrush generation that came to feast and celebrate were the real stars of the show.
Board member Heather Reid explained: "Many people think of London, Manchester and Bristol, some of the cities when it comes to the Windrush generation - but even green leafy Shropshire has a strong Windrush influence.
"Most of the remaining members of the Windrush generations are now in their 60s and 70s, and many of Telford's Windrush community have now passed on, but it was once a large community.
"While it is a diminishing community, it's still a strong one in terms of its influence and many descendants have remained in the area. One of Telford's former mayors, Leon Murray, was part of the Windrush generation himself.
