Windrush Day Grant Scheme 2026: Projects to be funded
A short summary of the 33 projects to be funded under the 2026 Windrush Day Grant Scheme.
Applies to England
A list of the 33 projects to be funded under the 2026 Windrush Day Grant Scheme. The projects are broken down into:
- grantee
- awarded amount
- government region
- project summary
List of successful projects
| | Grantee | Awarded amount | Government region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sudden Productions | £22,500 | West Midlands | |
| Pantonic Steel Orchestra | £15,000 | London | |
| Place At My Table | £18,000 | London | |
| Changing Our Lives | £18,620 | West Midlands | |
| Tapestry of Black Britons CIC | £15,000 | South West | |
| Leicester City Council Libraries | £12,465 | East Midlands | |
| South London Gallery | £6,700 | London | |
| WE (Windrush Enfield) Unite | £23,10 | London | |
| Whispered Tales | £13,000 | North West | |
| Actively SeeK.I.N.G & Makeda Creative House | £20,850 | London | |
| Oxford City Council | £14,000 | South East | |
| Solid Purpose Community Change CIC | £9,000 | North West | |
| Cricket Arena CIC | £14,400 | Yorkshire and the Humber | |
| St John the Divine, Kennington | £12,000 | London | |
| The Warwickshire Cricket Foundation | £6,120 | West Midlands | |
| Black British Classical Foundation | £21,510 | London | |
| Huddersfield Seventh-day Adventist Church | £20,000 | Yorkshire and the Humber | |
| Stanley Arts | £13,635 | London | |
| Northern School of Contemporary Dance | £21,64 | Yorkshire and the Humber | |
| Age Exchange | £16,500 | London | |
| Bounce Legacy | £20,700 | London, South West, Midlands, North West | |
| Birchfield Community Association | £5,453 | West Midlands | |
| Coventry City Council | £22,500 | West Midlands | |
| Cornwall Devon Creative Collective CIC | £18,000 | South West | |
| The African Heritage Culture Forum | £8,400 | Yorkshire and the Humber | |
| Continental Stars Table Tennis Club | £5,462 | West Midlands | |
| Full Gospel Revival Centre | £14,494 | East Midlands | |
| Windrush Advocacy and Community Alliance | £10,000 | North West | |
| Jamaica Society Leeds | £14,000 | Yorkshire and the Humber | |
| The Big Green Social Action Hub CIC | £18,450 | London | |
| Arts Bridge Charity (ABC) | £18,000 | London, East of England | |
| Black Heritage Walks Network CIC | £23,000 | West Midlands | |
| The Black-E | £7,500 | North West |
Project summaries
Sudden Productions
Letters, Promises and Belonging: The Children of Windrush is a powerful and intimate stage production blending dance and spoken word to bring untold stories to life. Through the voices of a generation shaped by migration, it explores the letters sent across oceans - messages of hope, longing, and separation. It reflects on promises made and broken by families, institutions, and society, and asks what it truly means to belong.
At its heart, the production is a tribute to resilience, identity, and human connection. It highlights the emotional complexity of displacement and the enduring strength of those who navigated life between cultures, countries, and expectations.
The work is rooted in a series of creative workshops involving 40 participants whose lives are directly connected to the Windrush experience - those who arrived with their parents, those born in Britain, and those who were left behind. Guided by Caribbean artists, participants share and shape their lived experiences through movement and voice. Dance and spoken word become powerful tools for transforming memory into authentic, embodied storytelling.
These narratives will be brought to audiences through a tour of six schools and community centres, creating spaces for reflection and dialogue. The project will culminate in a special Windrush Day performance alongside the launch of a short film, ensuring these stories continue to resonate with wider audiences.
Pantonic Steel Orchestra
Steel Roots, Future Voices - Windrush 2026 is an intergenerational cultural programme delivered by Pantonic Steel Orchestra, celebrating the legacy and ongoing impact of the Windrush generation. The project brings together Windrush elders and young people through a series of steel pan workshops, storytelling sessions and leadership development activities, creating a space for shared learning, cultural exchange and community connection. Through these sessions, young participants will develop musical skills, confidence and leadership experience, while elders will share lived experiences and personal histories that contribute to preserving and amplifying Windrush heritage.
The programme will culminate in a public performance on National Windrush Day, showcasing the collective work of participants and providing an opportunity for the wider community to engage with and celebrate this important cultural legacy.
The project also includes follow-up mentoring, documentation and evaluation to ensure lasting impact, supporting continued engagement and progression for young people involved. By combining music, storytelling and education, Steel Roots, Future Voices aims to strengthen intergenerational relationships, promote wellbeing and foster a deeper understanding of Windrush contributions within the community.
Place At My Table
Intergenerational project fostering national pride and recognition by engaging 300 participants from Windrush communities, wider communities and young people through oral history workshops, textile workshops, fashion comparison labs, and a National Windrush Day elders led fashion show to honour and celebrate how Caribbean fashion has influenced and shaped British society.
Changing Our Lives
Windrush Through Our Senses is a project that celebrates Windrush history in a way that is easy to understand and meaningful for young people with a learning disability.
Working with young people in Birmingham and the Black Country, we will facilitate a series of workshops and a Windrush day event on 22nd June 2026 where they will learn about Windrush history in creative and accessible ways. They will have an opportunity to meet Windrush elders, listen to their stories, and take part in activities that bring these experiences to life.
An important part of the project is creating things together. Young people will help to make sensory story suitcases about Windrush that people can borrow and use in different community settings. These suitcases will be designed for people who communicate without words and are inspired by how Windrush families shared items between the UK and the Caribbean. We will also produce a series of Easy Read descriptions of Windrush history, using easy words and pictures.
Through this project, we want more people to understand the importance of Windrush history and its impact on the UK. We also want to bring different generations together, build confidence in young people, and create resources that can be used by others long after the project ends.
Tapestry of Black Britons CIC
Tapestry of Black Britons will create a new British Carnivals tapestry, to be unveiled at Bath Abbey on Windrush Day. The project brings together community creativity, textile craftsmanship and the rich heritage of carnival traditions to honour the Windrush generation and celebrate their enduring contribution to British life.
In the lead-up to the unveiling, the tapestry design will be reproduced on canvas and shared with community groups and schools across Bath. Participants will be invited to embellish the design using mixed media techniques such as beadwork, fabric layering and decorative stitching. These contributions will form a collaborative community panel, which will be exhibited alongside the completed tapestry. The display will be accompanied by food and hospitality, creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for participants and visitors alike.
A private viewing of the finished tapestry will take place in Bristol prior to its installation in Bath, recognising the work of the artists, makers and partners involved in its creation. Windrush Day at Bath Abbey will feature a programme of events, including an opening ceremony with speeches to mark the unveiling of both the main tapestry and the community panel.
On 23 June, a special Windrush Evensong, led by a local choir, will provide a reflective and inclusive moment of celebration. To ensure wider access, the tapestry will be professionally digitised and made available online. The programme will conclude with a formal evaluation to capture learning, community impact and recommendations for future cultural and educational initiatives.
Leicester City Council Libraries
Handing Down the Legacy is Leicester Libraries’ Windrush Day 2026 project, designed to raise awareness of the Windrush generation and its legacy through a combination of high-profile public engagement and deeper intergenerational learning. Based in Leicester and delivered through the city’s public libraries, the project will work with Windrush elders, their communities, and 180 school children to create meaningful, lasting educational resources rooted in lived experience.
The project begins with a major public-facing awareness activity at Leicester’s Riverside Festival, using an interactive installation to introduce large and diverse audiences to the Windrush story. On 22nd June 2026, National Windrush Day, elders and children will come together at the University of Leicester for launch workshops. This will be followed by three intergenerational sessions combining conversation, themed craft activity and a “human library” approach, allowing young people to listen, ask questions and explore personal histories in a relaxed and respectful setting.
These workshops will produce the project’s central legacy: three to five “memory-cases” made from authentic period-style suitcases filled with memorabilia such as photographs, letters, travel documents and everyday objects linked to migration journeys. Alongside these, the project will create recorded audio and video clips, narrative records and co-produced interview questions. The completed memory-cases will be installed in three libraries during July and then tour Leicester’s library network, extending the project’s reach and impact well beyond Windrush Day itself.
The project will increase public knowledge and curiosity, strengthen intergenerational understanding, preserve local histories in accessible formats, and support young people to develop skills in listening, interviewing and interpretation. Through trusted venues, strong partnerships and reusable resources, Handing Down the Legacy is designed to create both immediate public awareness and a lasting educational legacy for Leicester.
South London Gallery
This June, the South London Gallery will host a artists’ film screening and Family Day in celebration of Windrush Day 2026.
Join us on Monday 22nd June for a special Windrush Day film screening curated by producer and film curator, Lauren Gee. Showcasing emerging and established artist filmmakers, the free event will present films centring Windrush history, its legacies and the shifting identity of the UK’s Caribbean community. The screening will be followed by a Q&A and panel discussion with the filmmakers.
On Saturday 27th June, we will be hosting a special Windrush Family Day in partnership with Friends of Brunswick Park Tenants and Residents Association. Join us for fun-filled day of cooking workshops, storytelling with children’s authors, and hands-on artist-led activities celebrating Caribbean culture. The event will take place in the gallery’s Clore Studio and Orozco Garden and is free for all to attend.
WE (Windrush Enfield) Unite
Pymmes Park in Enfield comes alive with Caribbean food, music, and storytelling as Windrush history is celebrated through unveiling new benches whose QR coded plaques provide interactive audio stories of the Windrush experiences. The unveiling will be a vibrant community event featuring Enfield’s young and old. There will be performances from local schools - primary, secondary and special and a Caribbean caterer ensuring everyone has refreshments to enjoy the day. Commemorative tree planting, and a pop a Caribbean Front Room exhibition with a linked children’s book add to the event on June 22nd 2026. Digital archives honour elders, inspire young people, and create a unique lasting Windrush legacy for Enfield’s community.
This bold and varied programme has been co-designed with Windrush residents and their descendants from inception. A consortium has been set up to run the programme, with these organisations having had extensive experience in carrying out local Windrush Community Events and initiatives. This partnership includes; Enfield Black Heritage Hub, 2SweetOccasions Ltd, Rudolph Walker Foundation, Enfield Borough Council, and Enfield schools.
The consortium is delighted that Rudolph Walker CBE will be a key contributor to the audio recordings featured on the talking bench.
Whispered Tales
Liverpool’s Caribbean roots will create a 20 minute performance celebrating the contribution of the Windrush generation, whilst raising awareness of the SS Ormonde ship when 241 people arrived in Liverpool from the Caribbean. The performance will premiere at The Black-E on Windrush day and then tour to 8 primary schools in Liverpool reaching over 3,000 people.
Actively SeeK.I.N.G & Makeda Creative House
Windrush Tek Over is an immersive cultural celebration taking over the foyer of Sadler’s Wells East on Windrush Day (22nd June), honouring the legacy and ongoing contributions of the Windrush generation through performance, storytelling and shared cultural experience.
At the heart of the event is a to-scale ship-front installation, symbolising journeys of migration, arrival and belonging. Projection sails will bring archival material and contemporary stories to life, creating a powerful visual tribute to the generations who helped shape modern Britain.
The programme combines creativity, heritage and community participation through intergenerational ‘Dear Daisy’ workshops, where participants explore identity, memory and belonging through letter-writing, spoken word and movement. Live performances, original soundscapes, Caribbean music and culturally rooted food will transform the space into a welcoming public gathering where audiences can move freely, connect with the work and experience Windrush history in a multi-sensory way.
The day will culminate in a live showcase featuring community participants alongside professional dancers and actors, celebrating lived experience and creative expression across generations.
Actively SeeK.I.N.G. and Makeda Creative House are equal partners in the delivery of the project, bringing together expertise in community engagement, cultural production and creative storytelling. Together, they are placing Windrush stories at the centre of one of London’s major cultural venues, ensuring they are visible, valued and shared with diverse audiences.
The project will also be documented through film and photography, with digital content released in the weeks following Windrush Day through to 31st July, extending reach and impact beyond the live event. Through creativity, celebration and education, Windrush Tek Over will create a lasting legacy of pride, connection and cultural recognition.
Oxford City Council
Oxford City Council is working in partnership with the Oxford Windrush Working Group to celebrate the contribution Windrush generations have made to Oxford’s cultural heritage. Partners including the Afrikan & Caribbean Cultural Heritage Initiative (ACHKI), Oxfordshire African Caribbean Multi-Cultural Association (OACMCA), the Unlock the Chains Collective, Windrush Commonwealth Service and Arts Centre (Oxford), the University of Oxford Gardens, Libraries and Museums, Brookes University will work together to support a series of events to share Oxford’s Windrush stories with the City.
Events will include a Windrush Day at the Westgate Shopping Centre, an artist collaboration of exhibitions and events at Fusion Arts, exhibition tours and a Memorial Lecture at the Ashmolean Museum, a service and celebration at John Bunyan Church, and intergenerational artistic and story collecting projects.
By working with Oxfords’ Black communities to share lived experiences with Oxford’s wider community at key locations and events in the City, we will raise the positive profile of the Windrush contribution to the City and increase a sense of community pride in the stories being shared.
Solid Purpose Community Change CIC
Our project is a sound system revival that honours the pioneers who popularised sound systems culture across the 1960s, 70s, 80s and beyond.
The first part is a documentary podcast featuring sound systems members from those eras who reminisce about their experiences, influences, and their most memorable moments that shaped the scene, while also reflecting on how and why things changed from then to now. They’ll share behind the scenes stories of crews, venues, and daring creativity that define the early moments, offering personal perspective on persistence, innovation and community through music.
The second part builds on the history with a day of live sound system party, bringing together veterans selectors, MCs, crews to recreate the energy, texture and dynamics of classic events.
A central thread through the program is inter-generational dialogue-how culture, and values of those decades inform contemporary practice while inviting fresh voices to contribute to living legacy.
To deepen the connection with public memory and national significance, there will also be a screening of the documentary podcast on Windrush day, positioning the project within a broader story of migration, cultural exchange, and the enduring power of sound to unite communities.
This multi format celebration aims to educate, inspire and reinforce the continuity between past and present sound systems communities.
Cricket Arena CIC
Sheffield Windrush Cricket & Culture 2026 is a consortium project led by Cricket Arena CIC in partnership with Sheffield Caribbean Sports Club, bringing together two communities with deep roots in the city - one with strong South Asian heritage, the other an anchor of Black African and Caribbean life in Sheffield since 1965 - to celebrate the Windrush generation through sport, culture and intergenerational storytelling.
The project runs through June and July 2026, with a flagship community event marking Windrush Day at Sheffield Caribbean Sports Club, where young people from local schools, families and community elders will hear first-hand stories from CSC founding members, explore heritage displays, share Caribbean food, and take part in try-cricket stations and a Dominoes and Caribbean Games Corner.
Around the lead day, the project delivers a series of coached sessions through the summer, with cricket at the heart of the programme - softball, hardball and a Junior Hundred-style competition culminating in a finals day, awards and cultural celebration - alongside other sports, games and activities, recognising sport as a shared language with the power to bring communities together.
The project is community-led, building on previous Windrush celebrations co-delivered by the partners and giving the next generation a meaningful connection to this shared history.
St John the Divine, Kennington
Windrush: Hear us Sing is a newly-commissioned collection of songs celebrating the experiences and contributions of the Windrush generation and their descendants, built from individual testimonies drawn from the Windrush generation and their descendants within the community, to be premiered by our children’s choir in the church on 22nd June.
The Warwickshire Cricket Foundation
This project will include a celebration event with the local community and an exhibit that commemorates that contribution the Windrush generation made to cricket within the West Midlands. This includes honouring both the former players who represented our county and the West Indies supporters who became cultural icons in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
Black British Classical Foundation
This project presents an operatic journey that speaks and sings with a distinctly modern soul, inviting audiences to walk boldly in the footsteps of poets, prophets and dreamers. It is conceived as an emotional tapestry, woven from threads of longing, resistance, memory, joy and love. The music soars, sighs and resonates with conviction, exploring the roots of identity, heritage and freedom.
Under A Gracious Sun will run for just under an hour and offers a powerful, narrative-driven exploration of voice and cultural identity through a contemporary operatic form. On Windrush Day June 22nd, we will introduce a vibrant tone, presenting a collection of newly arranged Caribbean folk songs for our classical choir, accompanied by piano and steel pan. This fusion of classical and Caribbean traditions creates a rich and dynamic sound world. The evening will conclude with a selection of Caribbean church songs, known as ‘choruses’ arranged for classical choir, bringing the performance to a joyful and communal close.
On Windrush Day (22 June), the British Black Classical Foundation will present a special relaxed performance followed by a Caribbean Afternoon Tea. This event is designed for invited audiences, including individuals living with Dementia, Alzheimer’s, Autism, sensory sensitivities and learning disabilities.
The relaxed performance will provide a more accessible and supportive environment, with adjustments to the traditional concert experience to ensure comfort and inclusion. This approach reflects BBCF’s commitment to widening access to high-quality artistic experiences and ensuring that music can be enjoyed by all.
Huddersfield Seventh-day Adventist Church
Our project will create a touring educational tapestry that celebrates the contributions of the Windrush generation across Kirklees, fostering greater awareness, pride, and intergenerational connection within the community. At the heart of the project is a collaboratively designed 4ft x 20ft textile artwork, co-created with local artists and community members. The tapestry will visually represent the impact of Windrush pioneers across key sectors including the NHS, transport, education, community activism, textiles, politics, heritage, culture, sport and faith.
To deepen engagement and bring these stories to life, the tapestry will incorporate QR codes linking to a curated digital archive of over 30 recorded oral histories, accessible via SoundCloud. These stories will preserve lived experiences while making them widely available to diverse audiences.
The completed tapestry will tour at least 10 locations across Kirklees over a 12-month period, including schools, colleges, libraries, museums, town centres, and community spaces. Each display will be accompanied by a launch event featuring guest speakers from the Windrush generation, creating opportunities for dialogue, reflection and learning.
Key outputs include one large-scale tapestry, a year-long touring programme with 10+ exhibitions, and a permanent digital archive. The project aims to reach over 5,000 people, measured through engagement data and pre- and post-event feedback. Outcomes will include increased recognition of Windrush contributions, strengthened intergenerational connections, and a lasting sense of shared pride and cultural understanding.
Stanley Arts
Windrush Creative Legacy is a new Stanley Arts project celebrating the creativity, heritage and enduring influence of the Windrush generation. We will be hosting a Windrush Supper Social, a free community celebration for up to 100 people on 22nd June, featuring Caribbean food prepared by local community partners and supported by volunteers.
The evening will showcase performances from exceptional local artists from the African and African and Caribbean Women’s Group (AWG), selected with the aid of our Windrush Day steering group. Hosted by poet, writer and creative mentor Shaniqua Benjamin, the event will spotlight the stories, artistry and cultural richness that continue to shape South Norwood and wider South London.
A professional photographer will document the event, and these images will form a dedicated Windrush Creative Legacy exhibition in the Stanley Arts Gallery, extending the celebration and inviting wider audiences to engage with the project.
As part of Stanley Arts’ commitment to nurturing local talent, two artists with Windrush heritage will be invited to join Stanley Arts New Beginnings program. They will receive tailored development support and a fee to create new Windrush-inspired work, ensuring the project leaves a lasting artistic legacy.
Through Windrush Creative Legacy, Stanley Arts is proud to honour the past, celebrate the present and invest in the future of Windrush-inspired creativity in our community.
Northern School of Contemporary Dance
The Front Room is a new dance theatre work celebrating the lived experiences and cultural legacy of the Windrush generation. Created by Sharon Watson MBE DL and Dr Khadijah Ibrahiim, both descendants of Windrush families, the project places community voices at its heart, drawing on the memories, stories and traditions of elders to shape its artistic development.
Set within an intimate, recognisable “front room” environment, the 20-minute performance blends dance, music and spoken word to evoke shared histories and everyday rituals. The work is designed to be portable and adaptable, enabling it to tour to non-traditional venues such as community centres, libraries, schools and church halls, increasing access and engagement.
A key feature of the project is its participatory approach. Windrush elders are invited to contribute through storytelling, presence and cultural practices such as music, prayer and social activities. This ensures authenticity while fostering intergenerational exchange, pride and recognition of Windrush heritage.
Alongside performances, the project will capture and preserve stories for future archival use, supporting long-term cultural visibility. It will also involve local volunteers and create opportunities for engagement with schools, helping to build awareness and understanding among younger generations.
The Front Room is rooted in community collaboration and artistic excellence, aiming to honour the contribution of the Windrush generation while creating meaningful cultural experiences that resonate across diverse audiences.
Age Exchange
Journey and Arrival is a community led reminiscence arts and dance project celebrating the lives, memories and cultural legacy of the Windrush Generation. Delivered by Age Exchange, the project works with Windrush generation elders living with dementia, alongside their carers, in Brixton and Lewisham, using creative practice to foster pride, connection and wellbeing.
Drawing on Age Exchange’s evidence based RADIQL reminiscence arts approach, participants take part in weekly sessions that blend storytelling, music, movement and memory objects. These sessions create supportive and joyful spaces where people can reconnect with core memories and express identity, heritage and belonging, often in ways that go beyond words. Participants actively shape the creative direction of the project, co creating themes inspired by personal experiences of journey, settlement, resilience and home.
The project culminates on Windrush Day with the filming of an original dance performance led by participants, alongside recorded reflections that honour lived experience. The resulting film, together with a series of local exhibitions, will be shared across Lambeth and Lewisham, inviting wider communities to engage with Windrush stories in an accessible and uplifting way.
Journey and Arrival places the voices and creativity of Windrush elders at its heart. It strengthens wellbeing and confidence for participants and carers, reduces isolation, and encourages deeper understanding across generations. By celebrating personal histories and cultural contribution through the arts, the project creates a lasting digital and exhibition legacy that continues to promote pride in Windrush heritage well beyond the funding period.
Bounce Legacy
A film education and screening programme celebrating Black British Caribbean filmmakers and inspiring the next generation of storytellers. Launching with a flagship Windrush Day event, the project tours to key cities across the UK including Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and London. Showcasing films, live conversations and hosting Q&As with filmmakers for the wider community. Alongside the screenings, young people will be able to benefit from a special training programme providing access to industry standard film education, career insights and mentoring.
Birchfield Community Association
Birchfield Community Association, a resident-led community organisation, is celebrating the contributions of the Windrush generation and their ongoing influence in the local community through an exhibition featuring short videos, photographic portraits, and drawings, accompanied by brief biographies. The project will also showcase the gifts, skills, and talents of the descendants of the Windrush generation, including young people from ATHAC Creative Artists who identify as disabled and/or neurodivergent, who will help create and curate the exhibition.
The exhibition will be launched at a garden party on Windrush Day, featuring live music performances by local talent, arts and crafts workshops, food, and refreshments. The event and exhibition will be widely promoted within the local community and beyond, aiming to engage people of all ages and backgrounds. The completed exhibition will be displayed at the Wilton Road United Reformed Church and at the Market Village Community Hub, located in the One Stop Shopping Centre in Perry Barr, Birmingham.
We hope the materials collected for the exhibition will serve as a foundation for gathering additional personal stories and photographs, contributing to a valuable archive. This project will also highlight the important role that volunteers play, both enriching and showcasing their diverse talents and skills.
Coventry City Council
The Coventry Windrush Festival is an inaugural four-day, co-produced event developed in partnership with the Windrush community. It celebrates histories of courage, creativity, and contribution through music, art, storytelling, and the creation of a lasting digital archive. The festival is designed to raise awareness, foster pride, and inspire young people, while establishing a meaningful and enduring civic legacy .
A central feature of the festival is the commissioned Windrush Cultural Archive, which will be permanently housed at the University of Warwick within the Caribbean Studies facility, with online access available to the wider community. This archive will preserve stories that have too often been marginalised. At a time when trust and community reputation have been challenged, the archive will serve as a restorative space - affirming lived experiences, recognising contributions, and nurturing renewed pride across generations.
The festival’s creative programme spans art, music, film, dance, faith, and public dialogue. It will provide valuable opportunities for intergenerational connection and learning, with young people actively involved as creators, performers, and decision-makers.
As an inaugural event, the festival will also pave the way for annual inclusion in Coventry City Council’s events calendar, embedding recognition of Windrush heritage into the city’s cultural life. This commitment ensures impact beyond the initial funding period, opening pathways for future partnerships, investment, and creative opportunities that strengthen community cohesion.
Planned activities include art exhibitions, film screenings, public lectures, a flag-raising ceremony, live performances, an awards ceremony, and a church service at Coventry Cathedral.
Cornwall Devon Creative Collective CIC
Three days of events including Windrush Day Caribbean themed concert and speaker(s), carnival procession, Windrush style dressmaking and Exhibition and Reggae aquafit.
The concert is designed to engage the community with Caribbean arts. The exhibition to create a legacy. The ‘Reggae Fit’ is another cultural outreach involving the community and celebrating Caribbean music.
The programme of events will also focus attention on the part that Plymouth Docks (Millbay) played in the Windrush story. More than 20 ships landed in Plymouth with Caribbean migrants.
The African Heritage Culture Forum
The African Heritage Culture Forum is leading a comprehensive program of celebratory local activities in support of “Sheffield Windrush 2026 - Stronger Together”.
Successful delivery of these activities would not be possible without the collective efforts of the Forum’s members, supporters, and partners (Learn Sheffield, HEPPSY, New Testament Church of God, SADACCA and many others); with a special mention also to key sponsors including Arts Council England, Hallam University, Windrush Day Grant Scheme and Sheffield City Council.
The diverse activities taking place during June 2026 include:
- the creation of a free Windrush Learning Resources pack for local schools distributed via Learn Sheffield
- in-person assembly presentations at six schools to help raise awareness of the Windrush Generation’s contribution to the nation
- a Windrush Celebration Gospel Church Service at Sheffield’s New Testament Church of God
- an official public photocall to celebrate the raising of the Windrush Flag at Sheffield Town Hall
- a Civic Reception for Windrush elders hosted by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield
- the production of a ‘Windrush Voices’ film short featuring personal stories from local elders and their descendants
These activities not only celebrate and honour the legacy of the Windrush Generation; they will also generate invaluable assets and memories - a lasting legacy to inspire future generations; and help to foster a collective sense of pride and community unity in the here and now that will resonate throughout the city of Sheffield and beyond.
Continental Stars Table Tennis Club
The Windrush Islands Table Tennis Championship aims to nurture a wider sense of local and national pride and recognition of the Windrush generation and their descendants’ contributions to the UK. Running from 8 to 27 June 2026, the project will be delivered by a sessional Project Coordinator, five coaches, and ten volunteers to encourage Birmingham’s diverse communities in mutual benefits and promote community cohesion.
Planned activities outputs:
- Team Recruitment: Formation of island-specific teams (70+ and 55-70 categories) featuring three Windrush descendant members and two non-Windrush Birmingham members. Outreach will be supported by travel expenses for staff and volunteers to ensure wide community engagement.
- Coaching: Shared History: Delivery of five coaching sessions for 10 teams. Each session includes refreshments, providing a dedicated time for attendees to talk and share island-specific Windrush experiences and achievements.
- Promotion: A robust outreach campaign involving radio and social media, alongside the printing of leaflets, posters, and Caribbean Island/British flags for venue decoration.
- The Championship: A one-day tournament on 27th June at a venue equipped with professional tables, bats, and microphones. The event features a Caribbean Buffet for up to 140 attendees to facilitate diverse community dialogue, alongside Windrush presentations and a trophy ceremony.
Project outcomes: The project will foster Windrush pride by enabling the generation and their descendants to share their experiences with the wider Birmingham community. It provides a platform for the public to gain an educated understanding of the Windrush celebration and its historical impact. As a direct result, participants will make long lost links and be cohesively brought together through the championship and ongoing table tennis attendance, cultivating greater Windrush pride.
Full Gospel Revival Centre
Windrush Voices: In Their Own Words is an oral history and documentary project led by Full Gospel Revival Centre - a church in The Meadows, Nottingham, founded by members of the Windrush generation and rooted in this community for decades.
The project will film ten in-depth interviews with Windrush generation elders from the Nottingham Caribbean community: first-hand accounts of leaving the Caribbean, arriving in Britain, building lives and raising families, and the faith that carried them through. The Windrush generation is ageing, and this is a moment - perhaps the last - to capture these stories with the care and quality they deserve.
From this material, a series of short documentary films will be produced and made freely available online. All footage and films will be permanently deposited with Nottinghamshire Archives - a lasting legacy, ensuring that these voices remain accessible to researchers, educators, families, and future generations long after the project ends.
On 22 June 2026 - National Windrush Day - Full Gospel Revival Centre will host a premiere screening and community celebration, bringing elders, their families, and the wider Nottingham public together to mark this history. The event will be a moment of recognition for a generation that built so much of modern Britain, and whose legacy deserves to be celebrated in full.
Windrush Advocacy and Community Alliance
The Front Room: Windrush Legacy is a one-week immersive heritage installation created to mark Windrush Day 2026. Drawing on the symbolic meaning of the African Caribbean ‘front room’, the installation will transform a space into a cultural walk-through heritage experience that tells the story of the Windrush Generation not as a single event in 1948, but as a continuous movement of people, courage and contribution across decades. It honours the pioneers who arrived on the MV Empire Windrush, as well as the thousands who followed by sea and air, answering Britain’s call for labour in the aftermath of war.
Using storytelling, visual displays, audio recordings, artefacts and archival materials, the installation will take visitors on a journey through migration, settlement, struggle, contribution and legacy. The exhibition will humanise history, placing lived experience at the centre rather than abstract facts. It will show the emotional reality of leaving home, the challenges of arrival, the building of community and the creation of identity in a new land.
The installation will be designed not only as a historical exhibition, but as a healing space, a place for reflection, recognition, pride and intergenerational connection. Young people will learn their history in a way that feels alive and relevant, elders will see their experiences validated and honoured and families will experience heritage as something living, not distant.
Alongside the static exhibition, there will be a rolling programme of talks, workshops, performances and storytelling sessions, to ensure the space is dynamic, engaging and participatory.
The installation is about legacy. It ensures that the stories of the Windrush Generation are not lost to time, but are preserved, shared and embedded into the cultural memory of Britain.
Jamaica Society Leeds
What We Carried, What We Carry is an intergenerational Windrush project from Jamaica Society Leeds that will use education, entrepreneurship and cultural celebration to deepen understanding of Windrush histories while inspiring the next generation. Delivered across Leeds in June and July 2026, the project will connect school pupils, elders, young entrepreneurs and the wider public through three linked strands: interactive workshops in 6-8 primary schools, a high-profile Young Entrepreneurs Expo on Windrush Day, and a free public Windrush Cultural Celebration at Jamaica House.
At its heart, the project is about making heritage feel relevant, visible and alive. Pupils will explore Windrush stories through creative, object-based learning and reflection prompts, helping them understand resilience, contribution and enterprise. The Expo will place 8-10 young British Caribbean entrepreneurs alongside Windrush displays and a Reflection Wall, giving young people powerful role models and showing how legacy connects to aspiration today. The cultural celebration will bring together hundreds of people for performances, exhibition materials and shared reflection, strengthening pride, belonging and community cohesion.
The project builds on Jamaica Society Leeds’ strong track record of delivering impactful heritage, educational and community programmes. It is designed to reach 300-400 pupils, 150 Expo attendees and 250+ cultural event attendees, while leaving a lasting legacy through learning resources, reflection outputs and stronger relationships between generations and communities.
The Big Green Social Action Hub CIC
The Big Green Hub in Wembley - built on the legacy of a ten-year community initiative connecting communities across the area - has been awarded funding to host ‘Windrush Weekend: Roots, Rhythms & Resilience’, a four-day intergenerational festival celebrating the profound cultural, social, and economic contributions of the Windrush generation. Set within the newly revitalised Bowls Green, King Edward VII Park, the project will run from the 19th to the 22nd of June 2026, bringing together residents of all ages and backgrounds to honour the Caribbean diaspora in Brent.
The weekend’s vibrant programme of events is designed to act as a cultural bridge, fostering community cohesion and shared pride. Activities will kick off with a Caribbean comedy night exploring the role of humour in community resilience, followed by a ‘Windrush XI vs Community XI’ cricket match, complete with a dominoes tournament and traditional jerk BBQ. On Sunday, a family-focused community picnic will feature live steel pan music, carnival mask-making for children, and botanical heritage tours.
The commemorative weekend will culminate on National Windrush Day with a formal Afternoon Tea dedicated to local elders. This event will feature a Quadrille dance performance and the unveiling of a permanent commemorative plaque in the Hub’s new community garden. Furthermore, the project will leave a lasting educational legacy through the launch of ‘Suitcase Stories’ - a digital archive of oral histories recorded by local youth volunteers. This initiative will ensure that the lived experiences and invaluable contributions of Wembley’s Windrush pioneers are preserved, shared, and celebrated for generations to come.
Arts Bridge Charity (ABC)
Windrush Stories: Portraits & Voices is a performance-led intergenerational arts project created by Arts Bridge Charity, bringing together 1,050 primary school pupils and 30 Windrush Generation elders across London and Luton. Running from June to July 2026, the project trains 150 Year 5 pupils in verbatim theatre - teaching them to listen deeply, ask bold questions, and transform what they hear into original creative work. Children interview elders about their journeys to Britain, their hopes, their struggles, and what they built here. Photographer Steve Bright (Portrait of Britain 2024) creates portraits of 10-15 elders, which become creative stimulus alongside the oral histories. Children respond through poetry, movement and song, bringing those stories viscerally to life.
The project culminates in touring exhibition-performances at Jacksons Lane in London (22 June-5 July) and Hat Factory in Luton (6-26 July), reaching an expected 6,000+ visitors. On Windrush Day (22 June), Jacksons Lane hosts a live celebration. In Luton, 630 pupils experience a whole-school performance assembly. Portraits are paired with QR-linked oral histories, and the entire creative process is captured in a documentary by TeamSASS Productions.
Arts Bridge Charity is Black-led, founded by Amanda Bright - daughter of a Windrush elder - whose lived experience shapes every aspect of this work. This is ABC’s fourth Windrush project, building on a track record of community-rooted, artistically rigorous intergenerational practice. By positioning children as artists and elders as subjects rather than objects, Windrush Stories: Portraits & Voices preserves disappearing voices, builds empathy across generations, and ensures the Windrush legacy is carried forward.
Black Heritage Walks Network CIC
Wolverhampton Windrush Pride is a community-led heritage programme celebrating the enduring legacy and contribution of the Windrush generation in Wolverhampton. The project will culminate on 22 June 2026 with the unveiling of what is believed to be the world’s largest physical Windrush Monument, creating a powerful focal point for reflection, recognition and civic pride.
Led by Black History & Heritage Wolverhampton, in partnership with Black Heritage Walks Network, City of Wolverhampton Council and the local community, the programme will engage diverse audiences across the city through a series of inclusive and educational activities.
Key outputs include 12 free guided heritage trail sessions for schools and community groups, a citywide poetry competition for young people, and dedicated genealogy workshops delivered in partnership with Wolverhampton City Archives. These sessions will support participants to explore their family histories, connect with Windrush narratives, and better understand their heritage and identity. Intergenerational storytelling will further capture and preserve lived experiences of the Windrush community. The programme is expected to reach over 800 participants, including at least six schools and more than 240 pupils.
The project will produce lasting legacy materials, including a published poetry book, recorded oral histories, and digital resources archived for future access. By combining education, genealogy, heritage and community engagement, Wolverhampton Windrush Pride will deepen understanding of local history, strengthen intergenerational connections, and foster a shared sense of pride and belonging across communities.
The Black-E
Roots, Routes & Futures is a 10-week youth-led Windrush heritage project at The Black-E. Young people from L8 will learn from elders, record stories and create films, presentations. Program ends with a Windrush Day community learning conference sharing heritage, developing leadership skills and bringing communities together through education and dialogue. Sessions will combine learning about Windrush history, identity and migration with skills in interviewing, storytelling and creative expression. Participants will meet members of the Windrush generation, record oral histories and explore shared values through discussion.