Quilts created to reflect Windrush elders

Ivy Scott said the project had helped participants reflect on their heritage

The organiser of a group which has been making quilts to commemorate the Windrush movement said it had given people a "reason to explore their history".

The Suffolk Windrush group has been meeting since February to share family memories and encapsulate what the Windrush movement means to them, through needlework.

The quilts will be on display at The Hold in Ipswich from 1 to 30 July.

Organiser Ivy Scott said: "We tell our stories and I think very often people die without telling their story, without knowing they should share that story on."

Some quilts have included photographs of the first Windrush migrants into the UK and their families

Each member of the group has made a quilt either using materials from their elders or created a nostalgic piece inspired by them.

Some of the quilts have incorporated fabric from wedding dresses or told a story about their heritage through design.

Ms Scott said: "The quilt has given them some sort of therapy, a reason to explore their history and save that history for their children.

"We talk, we laugh together, we tell our stories and I think very often people die without telling their story, without knowing they should share that story on."

The Windrush generation largely relates to people who arrived in the UK from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1971.

Symbols denoting suitcases, cricket and music have been sewn on to some quilts

Denise Walton, 64, created a quilt inspired by music.

"Its been quite emotional because it takes people back to when they were children, back to family members that are no longer here. It can evoke smells, sounds as you're talking through your stories," she said.

She believed visibility around the Windrush generation "should be a norm".

"It shouldn't be just Black History Month one month of the year… it shouldn't just be the year of the 75th Windrush, we'll make a big thing of it… it should be more visible so we can carry on the thread."