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Windrush Day 2020

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Windrush Day 2020 – Thank you for taking part

Over 35,000 Lambeth residents and Lambeth schools took part in Lambeth Windrush Day commemorations on Monday 22 June 2020.  They downloaded the art pack and adorned their windows and streets with the specially commissioned Windrush Motif to acknowledge the Windrush Generations and the NHS. They took to the pavement to sing for Windrush, while ITV and BBC broadcast the moment to the wider nation. Over 600,000 people were reached with our Windrush Social media campaign.

A huge thank you to The Brixton Project who partnered with us to develop and deliver this year’s programme and to all our community partners who contributed, championed and took part.

If you are interested in taking part next year or want to find out more about Government funding for Windrush projects, then contact us at windrushday@lambeth.gov.uk


Song for Windrush

“You Can Get It If You Really Want”, our song for Windrush, was recorded over Zoom with tutors from Lambeth Music Service who provided the vocal guide tracks. It was produced in Brixton by a local producer and technician and featured a selection of Lambeth voices from across our community.

On the day of the event, Colourful Radio played the song live and across the borough at 10:27am. Hundreds of you took to your doorstep, gardens and school playgrounds and joined in.

Windows for Windrush

Windrush Day 2020 was an extraordinary collective event for the community despite the restrictions of lockdown and social distancing. The Art and Activities Pack we created for Windrush Day 2020 can still be downloaded. It doesn’t have to be Windrush Day for you to show your gratitude and respect to the people of Windrush. Decorate your windows and learn more about Windrush.

Windrush Day Lambeth 2020 Art & Activities Pack (.pdf)

Additional teacher and family learning resources are hosted on our Elevate learning website – discover this new Lambeth resource.

Windrush Reading List Challenge

Our colleagues in the Lambeth Libraries have put together a Windrush reading list challenge.  Here is an opportunity to read and learn more about all aspects of the Windrush Generation’s experience and, for some, the ongoing struggle.

Visit the List Challenges website.

Lambeth Libraries and Lambeth Archives have a diverse programme of events in their libraries and online all year round. Find out more here.

Further Learning Resources

There are further learning and research resources online.  Below are a few recommendations:

Black Cultural Archives

Search their online collection, listen to their newly digitized Windrush Generation Oral Histories and view their online exhibition ‘From War to Windrush’.  Their Windrush Journeys learning sessions for key stage 1-2 and 3-5 are not available online. However, contact them and they can talk through how post COVID-19 you can book in these sessions for classes.   learning@bcaheritage.org.uk

National Archives

The National Archives has papers and documents in their collection which relate directly to Empire Windrush. They also have online teaching resources entitled ‘Bound for Britain’, exploring the experiences of immigration to the UK between 1948 and 1970.

British Library 

The British Library online resource, based around their Windrush Collection, can be found on their website. The online resource is curated around the theme of explorations of race, migration & culture. They also have additional teaching resources available. 

Further Reference Resources

The following list of websites are further resources to explore topics around Windrush, the Windrush Generation, Windrush Celebrations and the Windrush Scandal.

This is not a definitive list and should be used as suggestions and an aid to help being searching and finding all the resources, opinion and archives collections.

The Windrush Day 2020 programme was devised and delivered in partnership between Lambeth Council and The Brixton Project. Additional support was given by Lambeth Music Service, Black Cultural Archives and Colourful Radio.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

Share your celebration with the rest of the community by using the hashtags #ThankYouWindrush #Windrush2020 #WindrushDayLambeth.

If you have any questions or you simply need some more information, please email windrushday@lambeth.gov.uk