Cambridge Caribbean group hopes tea party pays homage to Windrush generation
It's also hosting an evening of Caribbean-themed entertainment
A Cambridge group is hoping it can play its part in paying homage to Windrush Day today.
It's 76 years since people from the Caribbean, known as the Windrush generation, arrived in the UK to help the country rebuild after World War Two.
The African Caribbean Research Group (ACRG) is holding a Caribbean tea party at the Cambridge Guildhall this afternoon, before hosting an evening of entertainment such as Ska and rock steady music.
The ACRG, set up in 2022, aims to tackle isolation and poverty while connecting communities together.
Carol Brown Leonardi is founder and chair of the ACRG:
"Without these people, we wouldn't be enjoying the technologies we have today, education, the NHS, they built so many things like the transport system and I think it's only right for us to recognise that generation," she said.
"He was in the air force and was extremely emotional we were going to invite him and to celebrate his generation and thank him for what he did.
"It made we well up to see somebody whose around 90-years-old almost in tears because of that recognition."
What is Windrush Day?
Commemorative events are held on June 22 to mark the arrival of Caribbean migrants and their families on HMT Empire Windrush in 1948.
The Windrush Scandal relates to the mistreatment of people who travelled from the Caribbean to live and work in the UK and were wrongly targeted under UK immigration law.
Some of the consequences included people losing access to welfare benefits and other government services.
"The cultural connections between us as a British society is extremely important and I think the Windrush celebrations also emphasise this," Carol added.
"It's a group that loves everybody; it doesn't matter what you look like, ability, disability, religion, it's just about the love of the human race."