Dominoes tournament brings communities together for Windrush Day

A dominoes tournament is being held to mark Windrush Day, commemorating the arrival of migrants from the Caribbean.

Migrants were invited by the UK government to help rebuild the "motherland" after the war, and arrived at Tilbury Docks, Essex in 1948.

The challenge, in Ipswich, Suffolk, is being held between the Colchester Caribbean Elders Community Group and the Ipswich Windrush Society.

Co-organiser Max Thomas said: "Dominoes helped keep communities together."

"Dominoes is an ingrained cultural activity within the Caribbean," he added.

He said it was as skilful as chess, with everyone bringing their own style to the game.

Lawrence Walker, who is chairman of the Colchester Black History Month, is bringing the Essex team to the tournament at the Murrayside Community Centre in Nacton, Ipswich.

He said important stories and connections are made when people gather to play the game.

"People talking about their lives, what's going on, their relatives who are still in the Caribbean, the last time they went home, and things of that nature," he said.

"When we come together with the dominoes activity, it creates a greater opportunity for those stories to happen."

The ship HMT Empire Windrush arrived in Tilbury on 22 June 1948, bringing workers from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and other islands, to help fill post-war UK labour shortages.

The ship carried 492 passengers - many of them children.

It was not until 1954 that significant numbers of immigrants from the Caribbean settled in Ipswich.

From 1951 to 1961, the number of people from the Caribbean in Suffolk, predominantly Ipswich, rose from 52 to 943.

Mr Walker, whose team won the Black History Month (BHM) tournament in October, said he fully expected his team to win the tournament against their Ipswich hosts.

"We played against Southend and came away with the trophy then," he said.

"But that was a BHM trophy. This is a Windrush trophy so we need to win this as well!"

Mr Walker said he hoped the tournament would spread dominoes interest throughout East Anglia, having already generated teams within Caribbean societies and groups in Harlow, Basildon, Chelmsford and Cambridge.

"This Windrush event has really given us an opportunity to highlight what we do," he said.

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