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Festival of Red Ball Cricket: Windrush Legacy
It is 77 years since the HMT Empire Windrush docked in Tilbury, Essex, carrying passengers from the Caribbean to the UK.
HMT Empire Windrush became a symbol of a wider mass-migration movement. Commemoration events have been held on 22 June every year since 2018 across the country. Somerset and the South West have a rich history and connection with people from the Caribbean.
Somerset County Cricket Club alongside with the Somerset Cricket Foundation in partnership with the Somerset African Caribbean Network (SACN) will be remembering and reawaken the legacy this weekend.
Following on from our very successful Windrush Legacy event last year, SACN will be joining us again on Sunday (June 29th) as part of the first ever Festival of Red Ball Cricket.
On Sunday, the following activities are planned:
A VIP welcome to Lynette Richards-Lordes
During the lunch interval Lynette will be hosting a talk in the Somerset Cricket Museum and discussing her journey from Guyana 65 years ago to train as a nurse at Musgrove Park Hospital – a legacy that connects Somerset to those invited from the Caribbean in the 1950s to help rebuild the NHS. We will also be joined by Jayne Cooper- Director of Nursing at Musgrove and her staff plus Prof Habib Naqvi (NHS) Board of Trustees SCF and SCCC Board member.
Somerset African Caribbean Network
led by Susann Savidge and Jean Harper SACN will have a stall celebrating culture, carnival and music as well as showcasing the importance of their work in the community.
The Somerset African Caribbean Network aim to:
- Connect people from all generations of the African Caribbean community living in Somerset
- Share their experiences of living, studying and working in the area
- Offer support and information to anyone of African Caribbean heritage new to the area
- Celebrate, share and promote history, culture and heritage via community events and activities
- Campaign on issues such as criminal justice, education, economic, housing, health and social care reform to ensure the best outcomes for the local community
- Increase understanding and eliminate all forms of prejudice, racism and discrimination
Dub Poetry
Judith Desbonne will perform Dub Poetry on the Somerset Leisure Stage in the fan village during the tea interval. Dub poetry is a popular form of performance poetry that’s accompanied by pre-determined Reggae music and is delivered in front of an audience. These poems are incredibly effective due to the way in which poets carefully select their accompaniment.
Itinerary
Here is a breakdown of everything that is happening at the Red Ball Festival of Cricket which will take place during our Rothesay County Championship fixture against Nottinghamshire.
Tickets are still available.
