Windrush diary discovery makes granddaughters proud

Natalie and Victoria May said the diary had made them realise how the world has changed

A pair of granddaughters say they have been left filled with pride and admiration for their grandmother after they unearthed her Windrush-era diary.

Delores May arrived in the UK when she was 25 and settled in Newark, Nottinghamshire.

Her granddaughters Natalie and Victoria May then found the diary while clearing out Delores' home after her death.

They said it had truly opened their eyes to the prejudices she faced and how much the world had changed.

Delores's husband came to the UK first, moving to Manchester, and she followed from Jamaica in 1960 with just a suitcase as her only possession.

They then moved to Newark where they found work at the British Sugar factory.

Victoria said in the diary, her "nan" described people in Newark in the 1960s as "very friendly… though there were some encounters when she would be walking along the street and people would cross over as they didn't want to cross paths".

Delores May came to the UK with just a suitcase in 1960

Natalie added: "At work, people didn't want to sit near her and they would say that she smelt.

"They made fun of her… but she always stuck things out and would laugh things off to get through situations."

Delores eventually split from her husband, which led to money struggles, and she would often go without meals herself to feed her two sons.

In addition, Delores struggled with depression and anorexia but pulled through because of her sons.

Victoria said reading the diary made her feel emotional yet proud.

"Nan was such a proud woman, if we hadn't found that diary we would have had no idea of what her life was like," she said.

"She came with nothing, just a suitcase and that was it… it makes me very grateful for the life you have."

Natalie added: ''It makes you put into perspective how lucky you are in this day and age to be here now, rather than back then, because times were completely different."

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