Events to be held to mark Windrush Day

Windrush Day is to be celebrated in Wolverhampton later this month.

The annual event celebrates the contributions that Caribbean migrants and their descendants have made to the UK.

Wolverhampton City Council will host a flag-raising ceremony outside the Civic Centre at 10:30 GMT on 22 June.

A bust of Mel Chevannes, the city's first African-Caribbean councillor, will then be unveiled at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

Chevannes was elected to the Graiseley Ward in 1981 and served as a councillor for 11 years, later becoming the first African-Caribbean chairperson of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.

"I am humbled to be honoured by a bronze bust in the city of Wolverhampton, which has been my home for the last 50 years," she said.

"It is truly amazing that this is the first such public recognition in England of a black woman who is very much alive."

HMT Empire Windrush docked in Tilbury, Essex, on 22 June 1948, bringing hundreds of passengers from the Caribbean to the UK, who were invited to rebuild post-war Britain.

Wolverhampton mayor Councillor Craig Collingswood said the council was delighted to highlight and celebrate the impact of the Windrush generation.

"Everyone is welcome to join us for the flag-raising and the unveiling, and I hope that as many residents as possible are able to come along and help us celebrate Windrush Day 2025," he added.

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