Peterborough Windrush 22, the latest exhibition at Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery, opened last weekend and saw a whole host of people visiting the new exhibition. Visitors were welcomed with music on the steel drums, played by Octavius Simei, giving people a fantastic Caribbean vibe on arrival.
Through photographs, film and audio recordings the Peterborough Windrush 22 exhibition showcases the stories and memories of the Peterborough Windrush generation, who arrived in Britain between 1948 and the early 70’s, and looks back at their contribution to the city right up to the present day.
Julia Davidson, Chair of the Peterborough Windrush Committee, commented:
‘Windrush is a word people still don’t really know about or can relate to. The Windrush Generation journey needs to be told, debated, and learned from. This is a story we want everyone to know about and understand the importance of their contributions’.
This exhibition has been funded by The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities with a special thanks to The Millennium Centre, the home to the Caribbean community in the city, who Peterborough Museum has worked closely with to bring this free and unique exhibition together.
The opening was joined by guest of honour, Sybil Greaves, a real mover and shaker in the Windrush Generation community. Sybil travelled from her birth place, Guyana, to the UK in 1954. After completing her nurse training (SRN) in Yorkshire and midwifery training in Edinburgh and Middlesbrough, Sybil was attracted to Peterborough after reading the nursing times and seeing an advert for midwives with accommodation availability. Sybil got the job and was the first black midwife in the city. But, her story doesn’t end there. Sybil went on to serve as a school governor at The John Mansfield School, was appointed as a justice of the peace (Magistrate) on the Peterborough bench and, was a founding member of the Peterborough Racial Equality Council (PREC).
Learn more about Sybil’s journey and many others who have been a leading light in the Windrush community, how they have contributed to the city and how they continue to do so today. The exhibition is free to visit and open until 16th Oct 2022.