'We have come a long way': Windrush generation on 75th anniversary

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Anniversary celebrations are in full swing in south London now - with a procession making its way from Herne Hill to Brixton.

Lambeth council said the procession was inspired by the work of local artist Hew Locke, whose large scale installation, The Procession, was commissioned by Tate Britain last year.

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Local schools and young people form a large part of the crowd, which will convene in Windrush Square, where a programme of performances are set to take place.

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People from the Ageless Teenagers - a community group for elders from the Windrush generation - have been arriving for the tea dance.

And they’re definitely dressed to impress!

Jennifer, below, asked if we could take her photo next to the Jamaican flag.

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Paulette, meanwhile, is showing her Jamaican pride through her outfit.

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Port Tilbury in Essex - where the HMT Empire Windrush docked in 1948 - holds a special place in British history.

And no-one here understands that better than Peter Dielhenn.

At 16 years old, Peter was the youngest crew member on the ship.

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Now 92, he says coming back to the port is a powerful experience.

“It’s amazing to be here,” he told me, adding that he was on the ship for two months.

Now, Mr Dielhenn is active in Windrush groups and says today’s events are very important to him.

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A special service has been happening at Southwark Cathedral since 14:00.

The service has just finished, with the clergy members filing out before the rest of the guests left. The Kudos Gospel Choir sang as people departed.

For the last hour and a half, the audience enjoyed poetry, music, testimony and hymns all reflecting on what it means to be part of the Windrush generation.

They were welcomed by the Archbishop of the Province of the West Indies, Howard Gregory, and the Bishop of Southwark, Christopher Chessun.

The poet laureate of Croydon, Shaniqua Benjamin, had the audience laughing with a both moving and colloquial poem.

Music ranged from melancholy to upbeat, capturing the mixture of feelings surrounding the occasion.

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Ray Campbell, Northampton's Windrush advisor, spoke to the BBC earlier after watching the Windrush flag being raised.

He said it's important that people come together "to honour the memories and the achievements of the Windrush generation".

He added that their contributions helped to build Northampton.

"It's part of Northamptonshire's history. It's not just about the black history," Campbell said.

"The Windrush generation's history is about Northamptonshire. It's an opportunity to say thank you."

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I’m in Tilbury, which is where the Empire Windrush docked 75 years ago and changed the course of British history.

As you can imagine, the atmosphere is electric today.

There’s been music, speeches and food - but later things will really liven up, with a traditional Caribbean tea dance with elders from the Windrush generation.

Ultimately, it is them - and everything they’ve done for this country - that this day is honouring.

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A north London man who became homeless when he could not prove his right to work has described his experience with the Windrush compensation scheme as "worse than hell".

Fitzroy Maynard, 57, said he had been unable to get work for about a decade after losing his job as a residential caretaker in 2007.

The Hackney resident said anyone using the scheme needed help from a lawyer. The Home Office said it continued to listen and respond to feedback.

Maynard moved from Antigua to the UK in 1980 when he was a child, but found himself sofa-surfing later in life after being unable to prove to prospective employers that he had the right to work in the UK because he lacked the relevant documentation.

"Just imagine you have no money, you have no food, you have nowhere to sleep, you're freezing, you're in the same clothes for weeks, you don't know what's going to happen," he said.

He said he had been offered some compensation by the Home Office but none to cover his loss of access to employment "because they can't see a reason why it was their fault".

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Today marks 75 years since the HMT Empire Windrush docked at the Port of Tilbury in Essex.

Events have been taking place across the UK to mark the occasion - here are some of the highlights so far:

• Hundreds of Windrush flags have been raised across Britain, including at the Houses of Parliament and NHS buildings
• King Charles III met 300 young people, descendants of Windrush pioneers, at a special service at Windsor Castle
• A 'Walk of Witness' began at midday from the Windrush memorial statue in Waterloo Station and people broke into song as they walked from there to Southwark Cathedral
• A Service of Thanksgiving began in the cathedral at 14:00
• There is a full day of events in the Port of Tilbury, including workshops, music, performances and readings
• This afternoon, a procession will take place in Brixton, an area many of the Windrush generation settled in. It will end in Windrush Square where there will be events and readings

The Words of Welcome have been spoken to the congregation at Southwark Cathedral.

"We salute you," The Right Reverend Christopher Chessun, Bishop of Southwark, says.

"You made Britain what it is today. But you haven't always received the recognition you deserve."

He went on to thank those who played their part in challenging the "past failures" of the Home Office. "We recognise the catalogue of injustices," he said.

Archbishop of the West Indies, Howard Gregory, has also been speaking.

"It is appropriate that we acknowledge the pain of the past, with its discrimination and injustices, while affirming the resilience of the generation," he says.

"We in the Caribbean celebrate with you," he adds.

Members of the Windrush generation have gathered at Fountains Church in Bradford for a lunch and a commemorative speech.

Lorna James is one of the guests - she arrived in Bradford in 1963 aged 14.

She says she faced many challenges in the UK – with racism being one of the main issues, but she was determined to achieve her goal of becoming a qualified nurse.

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Lorna says “this anniversary means everything to me – it is hugely important we keep this Windrush story alive as we have come a long way, but there is still a long way to go”.

She feels today is not a case of celebrating Windrush – but it is about commemorating the efforts the Windrush generation made for this country.

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"Coming from the different islands, we have done a lot in this country - I say we have put the 'Great' in Britain," said Joan Harry, who came to the UK in 1960, aged 19.

For some, today is a chance to remind people of what the Windrush Generation has done for Britain, something Joan believes in.

She says the anniversary is about preserving the legacy of Windrush and serves as an important reminder.

"We have worked hard to put this legacy forward - that is a mark that our children can look back and say, 'our forebears did that',” Joan adds.

The Service of Thanksgiving for the Windrush generation is starting now at Southwark Cathedral in London.

The congregation is made of church representatives and members of Christian organisations across the UK.

An order of service can be viewed here.

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Johnny Samuels came to the UK in 1964 aged eight and lives in Coventry.

After an inquiry left him out of work in 2008, he was told he couldn’t claim benefits.

He was also threatened with deportation and detained three times on his way home from being abroad.

Johnny has mixed emotions over the day’s celebrations. "To tell you the truth, I had a breakdown," he says.

"The pain is still there - even though I've received my passport, after more than 55 years.

"I have very much mixed feelings, because for one, it took so many years for some recognition of some sort - it's not there yet - of what the Windrush generation did, and are still doing to date,” he says.

I’m in the hot sunshine, we’ve broken into song on the Walk of Witness - Bob Marley hits sung in harmony, interspersed with laughter.

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More now from Windsor Castle, where King Charles III is meeting members of the choir from St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls, following a service marking the Windrush 75th anniversary at St George's Chapel.

Earlier today, King Charles hailed the Windrush generation's "profound and permanent contribution to British life".

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UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that the government are "absolutely committed" to the Windrush compensation scheme.

“There is no cap to that scheme and we will continue to find and support the people who suffered,” Cleverly told viewers.

Speaking to LBC, he also said the day is a moment of “great celebration”.

He said the UK is "an immeasurably better place, a more vibrant and more diverse and more exciting place" because of the Windrush generation.

Cleverly adds he's “very proud" of the UK being a "multi-racial, multi-cultural country".

More now from Tilbury in Essex, where 75 years ago, passengers from the Caribbean disembarked from the HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury docks to begin new lives in the UK.

Artist Evewright is the creator of the Walkway of Memories at the port - an art and sound installation set in one of the original walkways used by the original Windrush passengers.

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"I call it the family album from the Windrush generation," he says. "I asked my community to send me images of their parents, grandparents, tickets, passports, just everything and anything they could."

More than 130 families responded.

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The Walk of Witness has set off from Waterloo Station and being carried at the head is a floral Windrush anchor.

The procession through London’s streets will take us to Southwark Cathedral, where there is a special service this afternoon.

Jamaican Minister of State Alando Terrelonge addressed the crowd, calling for recognition of the struggles of the Windrush generation, for racial equality, and commending those pioneers for making this country as richly diverse as it is today.

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Now to Essex, where a plaque has been unveiled commemorating the first Windrush arrivals.

Hundreds are gathered at Tilbury docks today - the site where passengers from the Caribbean disembarked from the HMT Empire Windrush 75 years ago.

A tightly-packed crowed are heard counting down to the unveiling: "Three, two, one - Windrush!" they shout, in unison.

Cheers erupt as a cover is whipped away, revealing the circular blue plaque.

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