JUNE 2025 • ISSUE NO. 1967
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The Windrush Witness
Clovis Salmon, the bike mechanic who filmed Black Britain from the inside ›› p20
SHAPED BY
WINDRUSH A tribute to the hands, hearts and hopes that helped transform a nation •
From Tiger Bay to the world: Welsh Windrush generation trailblazers who feature in a BAFTA-nominated documentary (Photo: Courtesy of Windrush Cymru Elders Wales)
THE WINDRUSH story continues. It’s not history, it’s living legacy. As Britain reckons with its past we honour the generation that helped change its future — and amplify the voices carrying their spirit forward.
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HOW WALES’ CARIBBEAN ELDERS KEEP WINDRUSH FLAME BURNING Honouring the Windrush Cymru Elders who have helped shape the country. By Professor Uzo Iwobi CBE
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S JUNE 22 approaches each year, communities across the United Kingdom prepare to commemorate National Windrush Day, a moment where people from diverse ethnic backgrounds gather to celebrate and reflect on the enduring legacy of the Windrush Generation. In Wales, that legacy takes on a deeply personal and resonant tone through the work of the Windrush Cymru Elders, a group of Caribbean and Commonwealth elders aged 50 and above, who have not only shaped Wales with their invaluable contributions, but who continue to serve as keepers of memory, culture, and community resilience. This year’s celebration is as important as the years before, as the Windrush Cymru @ 75 documentary, produced by Race Council Cymru and directed by C-Bloc, continues to gain national attention. The film documents the lived experiences of Wales-based Windrush pioneers. It was nominated for a BAFTA Cymru and recently
earned critical acclaim, winning the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival award for Best Documentary in 2024 and in 2025 at a distinguished event at Indigo@O2 in London. The feature length documentary also won a Smiley Charity Film Award, a testament to its emotional depth and historical significance, solidifying its place as a landmark feature length documentary in the UK documentary landscape. But beyond the accolades lie the heart of a community of people from the Caribbean and other Commonwealth nations that continue to advocate, educate, and inspire.
individuals belong to the Windrush generation, the name given to the thousands of Commonwealth citizens who arrived in Britain from 1948 onwards to help rebuild the country after the Second World War. Before the establishment of the group, myself and Mrs Vernesta Cyril OBE (also a Windrush Cymru Elder) campaigned for the recognition of the contributions of the Windrush generation to the Welsh Government and the promotion and embedding of Black history in the school curriculum. This continued the work of elders such as Gaynor Legall CBE, Betty Campbell MBE RIP, Patti Flynn RIP, Mr Lenn
Who are the Windrush Cymru Elders? Established in 2017, the Windrush Cymru Elders group was founded by Ms Roma Taylor BEM, who partnered with Race Council Cymru (RCC) to address the pressing and often overlooked needs of Caribbean and other Commonwealth elders living in RESILIENCE: Wales. Errol Alexis Many features in the film of these
Lawrence, Mr Isaacs RIP, Mrs Angela Barnes RIP, Mr Neville Howard RIP, Mr Alexander Brodie RIP, Mr and Mrs Radway RIP, Mr Roy Grant BEM and so many esteemed elders who serve and served this nation from Tiger Bay, now called Butetown and Newport. Over the decades, these elders contributed selflessly to Wales’ hospitals, schools, factories, and transport systems. Despite enduring systemic racism, isolation, and more recently, the injustices of the Windrush scandal, they remained steadfast in their commitment to Wales. The group serves as a community anchor, offering peer support, intergenerational storytelling, public education, and advocacy for social and mental health services. Through their collective work, they combat loneliness, preserve cultural identity, and ensure that the legacy of their generation is not forgotten but woven perman ently into Welsh tapestry
VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS: Roy Grant BEM served the nation from Tiger Bay; right, Pastor Hadassah Radway and history. While the Windrush narrative is often centred around London and England’s urban cities, Wales has its own unique and vibrant Caribbean story. The arrival of the Caribbean Windrush families to Wales began in earnest after 1948, when the British government invited citizens from Jamaica to help rebuild postwar Britain. Responding to this call, men and women from islands such
as Jamaica, St Lucia, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Antigua and many other islands and Commonwealth nations made the journey to the UK and then to Wales – many of them settling in cities like Cardiff, Newport, Port Talbot, Swansea and North Wales. In particular, Tiger Bay as it was called, became a melting pot of cultures, where Welsh, Somali, Yemeni, Irish, and Caribbean communities lived and worked
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Windrush77 PROUD: The Windrush Cymru Elders on their Freedom March at the Senedd Building in Cardiff on June 22, 2023 at the 75th Anniversary of the Windrush generation’s arrival in Wales
VOICES OF LEGACY: SHINING A LIGHT ON INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS AS WE celebrate Windrush Month this June, it is only fitting that we celebrate some of the incredible individuals within the Windrush Cymru Elders group whose personal stories exemplify service, sacrifice, and strength.
Vernesta Cyril OBE: The midwife who delivered a generation Born in St Lucia and migrating to the UK in 1962, Vernesta Cyril devoted over 30 years of her life to midwifery. Over her career, she delivered more than 300 babies and was honoured with the title of UK’s Midwife of the Year. Her excellence was formally recognised in 1999, when she was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her outstanding service to healthcare and the community. Vernesta’s story reflects not just personal achievement but a broader truth:
together. Caribbean migrants filled essential roles in industries such as steel production, mining, transport, Transport for Wales and most crucially, in the newly formed National Health Service (NHS). Despite encountering crushing racism, housing discrimination, and institutional barriers to upward mobility, these pioneers established deep roots in Welsh society. Their commitment to hard work, community life, and mutual support created the bedrock for future generations of Black Welsh citizens. The Windrush Cymru Elders has been
central in capturing, preserving, and celebrating this connection, ensuring that Caribbean stories are not just part of Welsh history, but central to it. Windrush Cymru @ 75: A film that speaks truth In 2023, to mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks, Race Council Cymru produced and released a powerful legacy film titled Windrush Cymru @ 75. The film was directed by C-Bloc director Will Langley, produced by myself and funded by the Welsh
Government. The documentary captures the first-hand testimonies of Caribbean and Commonwealth elders in Wales — their journeys, challenges, triumphs, and the complex emotions surrounding their identities as Black Welsh. At the heart of the film are the voices of those who lived through the early days of migration, many of whom are now in their 70s, 80s, and 90s. With raw honesty, they recount what it was like to leave their homelands, navigate the harsh realities of racism and exclusion, and still find the strength to build new lives and support the Welsh economy and public services. “This is our story, and we must be the ones to tell it,” says one elder in the film – a sentiment echoed throughout the production. The documentary premiered at Cineworld Cardiff and has since been shown at universities, schools, churches, further and higher educational institutions, museums, community halls, and cultural festivals across Wales.
Race Council Cymru had begun chronicling the lives of the Windrush Cymru Elders through an ambitious touring exhibition. Displayed in schools, museums, libraries, and civic buildings throughout Wales, the exhibition showcased personal stories, photographs, and artifacts that brought to life the Windrush generation’s vibrant and sometimes painful journey. We have archived 82 stories of the Windrush elders at the National Museum of Wales and Peoples Collection Wales. These exhibitions weren’t just about remembrance; they were about education and connection; they are their legacy being documented in their own words. Elders are invited into classrooms and lecture halls to speak with young people, offering insights into Britain’s colonial past, the realities of migration, and the perseverance it took to survive and thrive in a frequently hostile environment. Their storytelling challenged stereotypes, dispelled myths, and created space for meaningful dialogue between generations. Their voices brought history to life in ways no textbook could.
The Windrush scandal: A wound still healing No reflection on the Windrush legacy is complete without acknowledging the Windrush scandal – a dark chapter in British immigration history that came to Beyond the film: Stories light in 2018. Many Windrush elders, carried across Wales Long before the film was made, despite their legal right to reside in
the Windrush generation helped build the NHS from the ground up.
Roma Taylor: A military trailblazer and community leader Hailing from Antigua, Roma Taylor moved to Wales at just 15 years old and later joined the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps, where she served for 25 years. Beyond her military service, Roma is the founder of the Windrush Cymru Elders, a group she has led with unwavering dedication. Her leadership earned her recognition at the Welsh Veterans Awards, and under her guidance, the group received the First Minister’s Special Award. Roma’s story is one of fierce commitment – to country, community, and culture. These are just two of many extraordinary elders whose lives reflect the heart of the Windrush legacy in Wales.
the UK, were wrongfully detained, denied healthcare, lost employment, or even faced deportation due to a failure by the Home Office to document their legal status. The emotional, psychological, and financial toll on the community was devastating. In Wales, Race Council Cymru and the Windrush Cymru Elders became a support network, advocating for justice and providing emotional care and legal guidance to those affected. The documentary and exhibitions were not just about celebration – they were also acts of healing, remembrance, and resistance. By telling their own stories, the elders reclaimed their dignity and demanded recognition.
schools, in policy discussions, and in the cultural canon of our nation.
Looking ahead: The legacy continues As Wales prepares to host the National Windrush Day event at the Senedd on June 26th, the Windrush Cymru Elders are once again stepping forward – not just as guests of honour but as storytellers, teachers, and cultural ambassadors. Their presence will remind us of a shared history and a shared future – one in which inclusion, recognition, and justice are not optional, but essential. Through continued partnerships with schools, universities, and cultural institutions, the work of Race Council Cymru and the A time to celebrate, reflect, Windrush Cymru Elders will carry and move forward on – weaving new stories into the Windrush Month serves as both a fabric of Welsh identity, grounded celebration and a call to action. It in truth, dignity, and pride. urges us to remember, to honour, and to embed these stories into In closing the national consciousness. For The Windrush generation came too long, the contributions of to Britain with hope, resilience, Caribbean and Commonwealth and a belief in building a better citizens have been footnotes in future. In Wales, that future has British history. Groups like the been profoundly shaped by their Windrush Cymru Elders ensure hands and their hearts. As we they are instead front and centre. celebrate Windrush Month, let us The stories of the Windrush honour the elders among us, uplift generation are the stories of their stories, and ensure that the Wales. The contribution of the legacy of Windrush is never again Windrush generation to our NHS, overlooked — but permanently our railways, our steelworks, and in cherished. many other walks of life cannot be underestimated or forgotten. l Watch Windrush Cymru @ 75 My words are a clarion call – here: https://vimeo.com/873396141/ not only to remember but to act, ada08962ca. Download link: to ensure these voices are heard in https://we.tl/t-QvzotD95Us
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TOGETHER: Paddy Rodgers, CEO, Royal Museums Greenwich; Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (The UWI); and Dr Les Johnson, Founder and Chairman, National Windrush Museum
THE WINDRUSH SCANDAL: TIME TO RENAME IT AND TELL THE TRUTH AT LAST
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HE SCANDAL was never about Windrush. It was about what was done to the Windrush generations. It’s time we name that clearly.” For years, we’ve referred to the “Windrush Scandal” to describe the injustice suffered by Caribbean people who were wrongly detained, denied healthcare, threatened with deportation – or deported – by the very government they helped build. But let’s be honest: this wasn’t a scandal caused by the Windrush generation. It was caused by government policy. That’s why it’s time to rename it. From this point forward,
Dr Les Johnson, founder and chairman of the National Windrush Museum, says the Windrush generation didn’t fail Britain. Britain failed them we must call it what it truly is: the Home Office Windrush Scandal. Words matter – especially when justice is at stake Language isn’t just about communication – it’s about power. When we say “Windrush Scan-
dal,” we unintentionally place the focus on the victims. But if we say “Home Office Windrush Scandal,” we shift the focus where it belongs: on the system that failed. This isn’t just about pointing fingers – it’s about being accurate. If we want truth, accountability, and healing, we must
start with honest naming. The Windrush generation didn’t fail Britain. Britain failed them.
The government is listening – now it must lead Last year, Minister Seema Malhotra spoke at the Windrush National Organisation Conference. She was honest about what went wrong. She pledged to appoint a Windrush Commissioner and promised more support for advocacy and community work. That’s a good start. But if the government is serious about justice, it must do more than make promises. It must lead in changing the pub-
lic story. That means formally adopting the term “Home Office Windrush Scandal” in policy and practice, including reports, statements, educational materials, and programmes. Let’s tell the truth — not just privately, but publicly From one generation to many The term Windrush generation has long been used to honour those who came to Britain from the Caribbean in the post-war years, starting with the Empire Windrush in 1948. But the truth is, Caribbean people have been shaping this country for generations. My own
parents came in the 1950s. Many others came in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and beyond. Their children and grandchildren are here today – nurses, doctors, politicians, businesspeople, teachers, artists, engineers, soldiers, and activists. It’s time we reflect that truth in the language we use. Let’s start saying Windrush generations — plural — to recognise the lasting and evolving contributions of Caribbean-British communities. Compensation is not enough — we need accountability Yes, financial compensacontinued on page 34
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