Members of the Conservative Group were privileged to join many representatives of Croydon’s Windrush community for a special ceremony outside Croydon Town Hall today, celebrating the Windrush Generation's rich contribution to Croydon past and present.
Windrush Day (22 June) is the day when, in 1948, a group of passengers from the Caribbean arrived on the MV Empire Windrush from the Caribbean to help rebuild Great Britain following the Second World War. It is the day when the Windrush generation’s contribution to British life is celebrated nationally.
At today’s event, Croydon celebrated this rich history as Addiscombe resident, Lynette Richards-Murray, 82, shared her experience of working as nurse in England in the 1950s after arriving from the Caribbean.
Ms Richards-Murray, co-founder of the Association of Guyanese Nurses and Allied Professionals (AGNAP), said: “I came to England from Guyana in the 1950s to practise nursing, to ‘do my best’ as my father would ask of me. I started out in Taunton, Somerset, where I was stereotyped and kept on sluice and bedpan duties to start. It was only after complaining that I was able to make progress. By 1968 I had moved to Croydon and became an NHS manager. Now at the age of 82 I am still contributing to the success of British nursing through the work of my charity AGNAP.”
Another local resident, Anika Wilson, brought the ceremony to life with her re-enactment of ‘Saleah Alvira Henry’ arriving in England, Hearing both of these personal stories really helped us to understand how life was for those first arrivals.
