Near Neighbours partnered with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUC) to administer this scheme.
Thirty-five projects across England received a share of £500,000 from the Windrush Day Grant Scheme (WDGS) to deliver informative, exciting, and innovative projects working with the local communities
Windrush Day celebrates the British Caribbean community’s sacrifice and contribution to our country. Projects funded under the scheme will be commemorating, celebrating, and educating their communities about the Windrush Generation and their descendants. Projects have been awarded across the country and each one will have a community focus, where local people are involved in the designing, planning, and delivery of the activities and events. They will engage ethnically and religiously diverse communities and bring different generations together to share learning.
Near Neighbours participates in the WDGS because it shares our aim to bring people from diverse faiths, ethnicities, and ages together to learn from each other, grow understanding, and build positive and lasting relationships between those who are different from each other. We believe that better relationships and understanding helps build better communities for everyone.
““This year we are encouraging new, innovative and enterprising proposals to share the Windrush story and reach out to people that make up our diverse local communities. In doing so, we can ensure projects will impact history, education and celebration in a meaningful way.””
Each project will be holding a celebration event or a small activity to mark the Windrush Day on 22nd June. Please click on this map to see if there are any public Windrush Day events in your area.
Near Neighbours successfully administered the WDGS on behalf of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Our role was to review the applications, support the panel discussions to shortlist the finalists, and distribute the funds to successful projects. We are delighted to be able to support this scheme which seeks to bring communities together to celebrate the contribution of the Windrush Generation.
What is Windrush Day and why do we feel it’s important to honour it?
Windrush Day marks the anniversary of the arrival of MV Empire Windrush at the Port of Tilbury, near London, on 21 June 1948. However, passengers disembarked a day later 22 June 1948 – hence why this has come to be known as Windrush Day.
The arrival of the Empire Windrush nearly 73 years ago marked a seminal moment in Britain’s history and has come to represent the rich diversity of this nation.
Those who arrived on the Empire Windrush, their descendants and those who followed them have made and continue to make an enormous contribution to Britain, not just in the vital work of rebuilding the country and public services following WWII but in enriching our shared social, economic, cultural, and religious life.
Overcoming great sacrifice and hardship, the Windrush Generation and their descendants have gone on to lead the field across public life, in business, the arts and sport. Britain would be much diminished without their contribution.
“The legacy of the Windrush generation means so much to so many. As a first-generation immigrant myself, I understand personally how important it is to highlight how much we welcome and celebrate the contributions made by those who choose to make Britain home. In this spirit, the government is committed to recognising the achievements of the Windrush Generation and the contributions and sacrifices made by Britain’s Caribbean communities.”
Minister for Levelling Up Communities, Kemi Badenoch (September 2021 to July 2022)
