Prince William pays tribute to Windrush pioneer

The Prince of Wales met Mr Gardner as part of a Windrush anniversary celebration in 2023

The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to a Windrush pioneer and cricket trailblazer who has died at the age of 98, saying he "changed the lives of so many".

Alford Gardner was one of the last surviving passengers from the Empire Windrush, which brought hundreds of people from the Caribbean to the UK in 1948 for a new life.

Three months after arriving from Jamaica, Mr Gardner set up the country's first Caribbean cricket club in Leeds, which has since been credited with breaking down racial barriers in the city.

Prince William, who visited Mr Gardner at his home last year as part of a TV documentary, said he "leaves behind a legacy for us all to be proud of".

'Changed lives'

In a personal message posted on Kensington Palace's social media, the prince said he was "so sorry" to hear the news that Mr Gardner had died earlier this week.

On X, formerly Twitter, Prince William wrote: "I was delighted to spend some time with him last summer and hear his story.

"As a leading figure in the Caribbean community in West Yorkshire, he changed the lives of so many with his courage and positivity."

The prince added that Mr Gardner "will be remembered for his warmth, his courage, and of course his unwavering love of cricket".

Prince William met Mr Gardner in 2023 as part of ITV's Pride Of Britain: A Windrush Special to mark the 75th anniversary of the Windrush generation, as well as during the unveiling of the National Windrush Monument at London Waterloo Station in 2022.

Mr Gardner was one of the last surviving passengers from the Empire Windrush, which docked in Britain in 1948.

Jamaica-born Mr Gardner served in the RAF as a motoring mechanic while stationed at Filey in North Yorkshire during World War Two.

He returned to the UK in 1948 on the famous HMT Empire Windrush and settled in Leeds, where he became regarded as a pioneer for community relations in the city.

Mr Gardner branded the Windrush scandal, which erupted in 2018 after it emerged the UK Home Office had kept no records of those granted permission to stay and had not issued the paperwork they needed to confirm their status, a "disgrace".

He once recalled how he was told by a friend in 1987 that "people like me could be thrown out of the country", adding that he had responded by applying for British citizenship at a cost of £80.

'Joy and courage'

Last year, the King hailed new portraits of the Windrush generation, including Mr Gardner, as pictorial records of a "very special" group of people.

On Wednesday, the England and Wales Cricket Board paid tribute to Mr Gardner, saying he "did so much for the black cricketing community in this country".

Meanwhile, actress and campaigner Baroness Floella Benjamin has said Mr Gardner "encapsulated joy, dignity and courage".

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