New project aims to inspire Windrush descendants

Nakita Rutherford came up with the idea for the project for young people across Telford

A new project has been launched in a bid to keep the legacy of the Windrush generation alive and inspire their descendants.

The initiative is being run by the Telford African and Afro-Caribbean Resource Centre (Taarc) to connect young people with positive role models.

A number of workshops will take place at an event in Telford in July, where attendees will learn the history of Windrush and the achievements of those from the third and fourth generations.

It was aimed at teenagers and young adults aged 15 and upwards, organisers said.

The ship Empire Windrush brought the first arrivals when it docked in Essex in 1948

The Windrush Generation refers to the 500,000 people who left their homes in the Caribbean between 1948 and 1971 to help rebuild Britain after it was ravaged by World War Two.

The ship the first migrants came on, HMT Empire Windrush, became a symbol of a wider mass-migration movement.

“For my children and the next generations of Windrush, I don’t want anyone to feel alienated, I want people to know about their history,” said Nakita Rutherford, the mastermind behind the project.

A number of local professionals - from podcasters to athletes and educators - will be on hand at the event to share stories from their career journeys.

Ms Rutherford told BBC Radio Shropshire: “I’m really trying to put it out there that there are people from single-parent families that are successful and there are people that have been to prison who have reformed their character.”

Natalie Headley wanted young people to feel proud of themselves and of their career choices

Natalie Headley, chair of trustees for Taarc, added: “I believe it will give the older folks the chance to see what is happening now and the challenges that young people are facing because sometimes the conversation is not had in the household.

“[At the event] we bring in role models so children can feel like 'actually I’m a part of this and I can feel proud of who I am and what I want to do'.”

The project culminates in the event on 6 July, next to All Saints Church in Wellington.