A HISTORIC walkway to the River Thames is to become host to a unique artwork that will mark this year's Black History Month.

The passenger footbridge links the Tilbury ferry landing pontoon to the former rail station and was built in 1930. It is an 80 foot covered walkway that raises and falls with the tide.

Between September and October it will become a 'Walkway of Memories' - a unique site-specific art installation to be created by artist Everton Wright, who goes by the name EVEWRIGHT, a British artist of Jamaican parentage. You can read about his life and work here.

He will create a soundscape of new and existing audio stories that visitors can download on to their devices using QR codes. The Tilbury Bridge installation will be used as a back drop to a series of live performances from selected artists following the theme of 'Transition for renewal'.

The bridge will be a memory walk of images and documents installed on 552 panes of glass representing the lives of Windrush pioneers and descendants. The MV Empire Windrush, arrived at Tilbury Docks on 22 June 1948, bringing workers from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and other islands, as a response to post-war labour shortages in the UK. The ship carried 492 passengers - many of them children.

Caribbean elders were once the key workers that kept the National Health Service, public transport and the factories working, a role which many of their descendants now fill. The coronavirus pandemic has seen a significant loss of Caribbean elders and black key workers who have been disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 virus.

Families of the Windrush generation will be invited to submit an image of their parents / grandparents or elders taken between the 1950s-1970s of key moments such as passport, wedding or photographs in their work uniforms.

The hi-resolution image should be sent with 50 words including the person's name and career. They will form part of the artist's installation on the bridge so that their lives can be commemorated. The call out will be launched online on Windrush Day - 22 June. For advanced information on how you can submit your images send an email to [email protected].

The Evewright Arts Foundation has been awarded a Windrush Day Grant from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to contribute to the Tilbury Walkway of Memories installation. The arts Council has also contributed funding.

Paul Dale, Asset and Site Director at The Port of Tilbury said: "Forth Ports is privileged to be part of the Windrush history through its connection with the arrival of The SS Empire Windrush at The Port of Tilbury on 22 June 1948. The EVEWRIGHT exhibition will be displayed on the passenger footbridge down to the Tilbury Ferry, and will be of keen interest to those wishing to understand more about this part of our local history."

Anyone interested in working on the installation is being invited to submit an application. The role would be flexible hours, one day a week initially from home and would suit a student currently needing some experience to help with their projects/work experience, media students, creatives, people interested in black history with skills to help deliver the project.

To find out more email [email protected] for a copy of the Job description and return your CV with a short statement saying why you think you are suitable. Deadline for applications is 21 June.