HomeFundingProjectsMoments to Connect – The Spirit of Windrush
Moments to Connect

The Spirit of Windrush

Royal Museums Greenwich
Grantholder

Participatory community activities and an event to mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush.

Project information

£47,060

Grant amount

February 2023

Date awarded

March 2023 – March 2024

Project duration

London

Location

Project Detail

Project summary

The National Maritime Museum’s Spirit of Windrush was supported through Spirit of 2012’s Moments to Connect funding initiative, which was designed to explore how the major national events and moments of 2023 could increase social cohesion by connecting individuals and communities across social divides. Each of the projects funded was built around celebrating a national moment.

The Spirit of Windrush project commemorated the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HM Empire Windrush. A grant of £47,060 was awarded to National Maritime Museum, working in partnership with the CaribbeanSocial Forum, to deliver a programme of participatory activities, including games, workshops, interactive performances along with activities for schools. The programme culminated in a large-scale event over the anniversary in June 2023, badged as the Windrush 75 Festival.

The project’s aim was to explore how history has shaped British society today through the lived experiences of descendants of the Windrush generation. The activities provided a platform for compassion and understanding by sharing the challenges that the Windrush generation faced and the challenges facing young people of colour today. This engagement fostered a sense of belonging and unity among attendees. The schools’ activities also enhanced young people’s understanding of Windrush.

Windrush community members were empowered to actively participate in the curation and delivery of events, ensuring authentic representation. The project report presents learning on co-creating events and activity programmes, which can be adapted to other events.

Windrush 75 was such a great success that it returned for 2024, without Spirit funding, with more partners involved.

Impact & Learning

Key achievements

  • Connections were made among diverse communities. 82% of surveyed festival participants reported a better understanding of other people’s backgrounds, and 81% recognised shared interests with individuals from
    different backgrounds.
  • 58% of survey respondents stated that they had met someone new at the Windrush 75 Festival.
  • The festival attracted 8,540 visitors over two days, with 4,892 actively participating in 25 diverse activities.
  • 87% of school students said they benefitted from meeting someone from the Windrush Generation. School workshops engaged 198 participants, enhancing students’ confidence and knowledge about the Windrush legacy.
  • Twelve Caribbean Social Forum members contributed, resulting in six new audio recordings for educational resources.
  • The festival’s impact extended beyond the programme of events, with online and social media content reaching over 530,000 individuals. Additionally, print, online, and broadcast press coverage reached approximately 7.5 million people.

Key learnings

The Spirit of Windrush not only celebrated a pivotal moment in British history but also strengthened community bonds, promoted cultural understanding, and highlighted the importance of inclusive representation in commemorative events.

The co-creation behind the festival and the other project activities gave them a level of authenticity. This is vital for an event that explores the history and experiences of individuals and communities who have been marginalised or discriminated against. Learnings were also captured in the report around the challenges of co-creation at scale and around authentically representing community voices. This also recognised how sufficient resources and funding are essential for organisers to be able to effectively support extensive community engagement.

View National Maritime Museum Windrush 75 Evaluation Report

Visit Royal Museums Greenwich Website

82%

participants

Connections were made among diverse communities. 82% of surveyed festival participants reported a better understanding of other people’s backgrounds, and 81% recognised shared interests with individuals from different backgrounds.

58%

participants

58% of survey respondents stated that they had met someone new at the Windrush 75 Festival.

8,540

visitors

The festival attracted 8,540 visitors over two days, with 4,892 actively participating in 25 diverse activities.

87%

school students

said they benefitted from meeting someone from the Windrush Generation. School workshops engaged 198 participants, enhancing students’ confidence and knowledge about the Windrush legacy. Twelve Caribbean Social Forum members contributed, resulting in six new audio recordings for educational resources.

7.5 million people

reached

The festival’s impact extended beyond the programme of events, with online and social media content reaching over 530,000 individuals. Additionally, print, online, and broadcast press coverage reached approximately 7.5 million people.

I like to be here, you smell the food, the music. There’s a connection there, even if you don’t know each other.

Festival visitor

Related content

Arts & culture Civic pride Community events Events legacy Major events Social connection Young people

Moments To Connect

Nationwide