Posted on: Tuesday 29 October 2024
Torfaen primary school pupils have helped to bring the Windrush story alive through art and poetry as part of an event to mark Black History Month.
Their work was put on display at the Parkway Hotel, in Cwmbran, on Friday, as part of celebrations to recognise the ongoing contribution of the Windrush generation. The event culminated in a special evening for guests from the Windrush community, members of other diverse communities and local representatives.
Maurice Spring received the Chris Campbell award for his contribution to charity and to raising the visibility of the Windrush Generation with his work on TV and Film.
The event was organised by Cwmbran Community Council, thanks to a £3,000 Community Cohesion Grant. Cwmbran community councillor Sean Wharton, whose parents came to Britain, from St Kitts in the early 1960s, came up with the idea of a Torfaen Windrush Day.
Sean said: ‘The ‘Windrush through the arts’ event gave children the opportunity to research a generation who whilst experiencing extreme difficulty, including racism, contributed to repairing the UK after the War and continue to positively contribute to our community today. The evening continued the celebration of the Windrush generation by bringing different members of the community together, presenting the Chris Campbell award, a Steel band, Gospel Choir, a historical presentation on Rum, music and poetry from the Children’s Laureate. The event was a huge success and we are already discussing how we make it an annual event.’
The Leader of Torfaen Council, Cllr Anthony Hunt, said: ‘This event was a great opportunity for our communities to come together, to challenge discrimination and to celebrate where we live, recognising our shared and individual histories. It was an honour to spend time together, and focus on the contribution the Windrush generation have made, to the fabric of our nation, to our public services, to our communities and to our economy.’
Pupils from Blaenavon, Garnteg, Cwmffrwdoer and Woodlands Community primary schools took part in the event. Naomi, from Blaenavon World Heritage Primary School, said: ‘We made up our own poems about the ship's journey and put them on a computer.’
Tomos added: ‘I was interested in learning about how the people came over here and how they were treated when they arrived.’
Ava, from Woodlands Community primary, said: ‘We've been learning about the Windrush and using different materials to make a huge collage.’
Keaton said: ‘I learnt how the Windrush generation helped during World War II which we've been learning about in school.’
A poem performed by Alexander Wharton, the Children’s Poetry Laureate for Wales, will now be shared with primary schools.
A video of members of the Windrush community talking about their experiences is available on the council's YouTube page.