Windrush: St Fagans exhibition of stories welcomed

The stories of the Windrush generation need to be preserved so they can "be told for generations to come", a member for the community in Wales has said.

Vernesta Cyril was born in1943 in St Lucia and spent more than 30 years working in hospitals in Wales.

She was speaking ahead of an exhibition that tells the stories of more than 40 members of the community in Wales.

Windrush Cymru: Our Voices, Our Stories, Our History opens at St Fagans National Museum of History on Saturday.

It will then go on a tour to other national museums across Wales from November until March.

The Empire Windrush arrived in Essex in 1948 carrying more than 1,000 passengers from the Caribbean after Britain asked for post-war workers.

Over the next 40 years, thousands followed in their footsteps, with many making Wales their new home.

Windrush Cymru - Our Voices, Our Stories, Our History will be on display at St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff from Saturday.

Ms Cyril, who was awarded Midwife of the Year in 2006 and an OBE for her contributions to the NHS, said: "At last society has recognised the Windrush generation, so our stories can be told for generations to come".

Roma Taylor, founder and chair of the Windrush Cymru Elders, said: "The Windrush is a very painful and emotional subject but all of our stories have to go out.

"It's important to us, our children and our grandchildren and for schools."

Ms Taylor arrived in the UK in 1959 and said Cardiff's Tiger Bay was "the best place to live".

"Everybody was for everybody, everyone looked after everyone and you had no problems," she said.

The history of the Windrush generation in Wales was recently the focus of an oral history project delivered by Race Council Cymru and funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund - this exhibition features the stories of more than 40, told in their own words.

The stories tell how the Windrush generation and their descendants made their mark in Wales through the jobs they worked, careers they built, the children they raised, and the contributions they made to our communities and culture.

The exhibition is delivered by Race Council Cymru in partnership with National Museum Wales, Wales Millennium Centre, People's Collection Wales, Windrush Cymru Elders and Black History Wales 365.

It is supported by Arts Council of Wales, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and Gower College Swansea.

National Museum Wales' head of public history and archaeology Sioned Hughes said: "The oral histories recorded by the Windrush Cymru project will be archived at St Fagans as a permanent record of the lived experiences of the Windrush generation in Wales.

"We are immensely grateful to the Windrush elders for sharing their lived experiences with us for future generations."

Professor Uzo Iwobi, OBE, founder of Race Council Cymru said: "I am proud to have supported the elders for many years, hearing their appeals for their stories to be captured for prosperity and continue their legacy for their children and grandchildren.

"I'm delighted that this project and exhibition have come to fruition - it's incredibly important to see these stories being passed down to the next generation."