Windrush Day 2023: New 50p coin released to mark 75th anniversary

The coin marks the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush ship to the UK

A new 50p coin has been released to mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival to the UK of the Empire Windrush ship.

In that first trip it brought about 500 migrants from the Caribbean who arrived at Tilbury Docks in Essex in 1948 looking for work to help Britain rebuild itself after the Second World War.

Britain had started to get back on its feet following the Second World War which came to an end in 1945, and some people from the Caribbean responded to an advert to come to Britain where there were many different jobs available.

Others who'd heard lots about Britain wanted to see what it was like.

Artist Valda Jackson is the designer of the special coin

Artist Valda Jackson, who is the special coin's designer, was born in St Thomas, Jamaica, and moved to England in 1964.

Her parents were among the generation of people invited to leave their homes in the Caribbean to work in Britain, and she later joined them when she was five years old.

The coin shows two smartly-dressed people from the Windrush Generation and it also features the Union Jack.

The design honours the many British Caribbean and Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK between 1948 and 1973, the Royal Mint - the UK's official coin maker, said.

The coin shows two smartly-dressed people from the Windrush Generation

"The image on the coin is one of unity representing the bond between the UK and Commonwealth citizens who have helped rebuild the country in its time of need," the designer told the BBC.

"It honours our parents and their legacy, and celebrates our presence, achievements, and contributions that continue to enrich our society."

Ms Jackson says she is proud of the contributions her parents made to rebuilding the UK after World War Two.

What is the Windrush Generation?

HMT Empire Windrush is believed to have brought around 500 people from the Caribbean to the UK

The Windrush Generation refers to people who arrived in the UK from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1971.

Some 500,000 people in total are believe to have moved in those 23 years and they became known as the Windrush Generation, named after the ship that brought the first arrivals to the UK - the HMT (Her Majesty's Transport) Empire Windrush.

Although not all Windrush Generation migrants arrived on HMT Empire Windrush itself, the ship became an important symbol of the wider mass-migration movement.

Many of those who came to the UK had served in the British armed forces during World War Two.

"The Royal Mint is committed to representing and celebrating diversity on UK coinage, and, as we approach the 75th anniversary of HMT Empire Windrush's arrival in the United Kingdom, we are honoured to be marking this important anniversary in British history on an official UK 50p coin," said Rebecca Morgan, a director at The Royal Mint.