Chelsea Foundation celebrates Windrush generation
From the official Chelsea FC website:
Chelsea Foundation is recognising the 75th anniversary of the Windrush generation by educating schoolchildren about the sacrifices and contributions made to British society.
On the 22 June 1948, HMT Empire Windrush arrived in the UK, carrying over 1,000 passengers from the West Indies. The Windrush generation refers to people who arrived in the UK between then and 1971, when British immigration laws changed.
To help mark the anniversary, Chelsea Foundation has been delivering an education workshop in schools across Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Wandsworth and Kingston Upon Thames.
As part of the education delivery, schoolchildren have been encouraged to produce their own poem celebrating the Windrush generation.
Students from Sir John Lillie School will be joining Chelsea Foundation to read their poems at a Windrush 75th anniversary event held by Hammersmith & Fulham Council today.
Sam Gaskin-Kemp, head of education & innovation at Chelsea Foundation, said: ‘Celebrating our history and educating the younger generation with our industry-leading equality, diversity and inclusion programmes is crucial to our work within the Chelsea Foundation.
‘The power of football is unique in its ability to positively affect society and break down barriers. By working alongside our No To Hate campaign, we are committed to celebrating diversity and delighted to be playing our part in recognising this significant anniversary.’
A year 5 pupil from St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School, said: ‘My grandparents were a part of the Windrush generation. Learning from Chelsea Foundation about the barriers they may have faced has inspired me to celebrate their contribution and successes.’
A key part of the club and Foundation’s No To Hate campaign is to celebrate Chelsea’s rich history and diversity, so to raise further awareness of Windrush and celebrate our fans of Caribbean heritage, Chelsea FC and Foundation will release a fan photography series, Chelsea’s Caribbean Voices, across social media over the coming days. This series will feature various fans of Caribbean heritage who hail from different parts of the Chelsea family.
Each group of fans were photographed in locations that felt authentic to their Caribbean heritage or their love of Chelsea. We are looking forward to publishing the series and hearing their stories.
‘Chelsea Supporters Group’ can also be found on Twitter and Facebook