Windrush Day 2022 community fund launched

London:

The annual Windrush Day Grant Scheme, which supports community projects celebrating the Windrush generation, was launched last week by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Community groups can now bid for funds from the £500,000 grant scheme to celebrate the Windrush Generation and their contribution to British society, through events and activities to mark the fifth annual Windrush Day on June 22.

This year’s scheme encourages proposals that tell the Windrush story in unique and exciting ways. The projects may include art lessons, public celebrations, community activities, or developing the educational and entrepreneurial skills of young people from Britain’s Caribbean community and their peers.

This year, councils, charities and community groups are being encouraged to come up with proposals that engage with the Windrush story in powerful, enterprising and thoughtful ways.

The UK government has funded more than 130 Windrush Day projects since 2019 through the grant scheme.

Among last year’s celebrations were a commemorative service in Nottingham Town centre organised by the Vine Community Centre. There was the raising of the Windrush Generation flag by the sheriff of Nottingham, Councillor Merlita Bryan. The Unity Housing Association in Leeds organised an exhibition of photographs and videos which focused on the contributions made by the Windrush generation to business and social reform; and the Birmingham Museum Trust, which produced in-school learning resources supported by the digitisation of the Birmingham Black Oral History Project. There was also an online lecture as part of the museum’s ‘On Demand’ programme.

In announcing the 2022 Windrush Day grant scheme, Miinister for Levelling up Communities Kemi Badenoch said: “The legacy of the Windrush generation means so much to so many.

“As a first-generation immigrant myself, I understand personally how important it is to highlight how much we welcome and celebrate the contributions made by those who choose to make Britain home.

“In this spirit, the government is committed to recognising the achievements of the Windrush generation and the contributions and sacrifices made by Britain’s Caribbean communities.”

The chair of the Windrush Community Funds and Windrush Schemes group, Paulette Simpson, CBE, said: “I am delighted that for the fifth annual National Windrush Day on June 22, the outstanding contributions that the Windrush generation and their descendants have made, and continue to make, to British society will again be marked through funded projects that remember and celebrate their enduring legacies.

“This year we are encouraging new, innovative and enterprising proposals to share the Windrush story and reach out to people that make up our diverse local communities. In doing so, we can ensure projects will impact history, education and celebration in a meaningful way.”

The first national Windrush Day was celebrated in 2019 with activities and events taking place up and down the country. The government, through the department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, is committed to building on the success of previous Windrush Days and embedding June 22 in the national conscience to honour and recognise the outstanding resilience, innovation and creativity of the Windrush generation and their descendants.

The landmark Windrush monument will also be unveiled on June 22 in London Waterloo Station by Jamaican artist Basil Watson. The project is being overseen by Communities Ministry and led by the Windrush Commemoration Committee, chaired by Baroness Floella Benjamin.

The monument will be an ambitious public artwork that stands as a testament to the contribution of Caribbean pioneers in communities across the United Kingdom. It will be a visible statement of their shared history and heritage, while creating a permanent place of reflection and inspiration.

Meanwhile, the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will be hosting online workshops in February, which will give an overview of the grant scheme and an opportunity for bidders to ask questions. To apply for a grant, bidders must complete the application form available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/2022-windrush-day-grant-scheme.