THE Tilbury on the Thames Trust has been awarded funding to host events and activities to mark the fourth national Windrush Day, Communities Minister Kemi Badenoch has confirmed.

The Trust will be celebrating Windrush Day by transporting people down the River Thames to the Port of Tilbury following the unveiling of the new Windrush monument at Waterloo Station. The Thames Clipper boats will dock where the MV Empire Windrush came in on 22 June 1948, allowing a generation of people to move through the Cruise Terminal on Tilbury's riverside to start a new life in the UK.

Guests on board the Thames Clipper will be treated to a lunch with onboard entertainment provided by Pegasus Opera, as guests are transported to The Port of Tilbury. On arrival a local steel pan band will welcome passengers as they step ashore, with Windrush-inspired poetry readings, displays, storytelling and Evewright's Walkway of Memories to view before getting back on the boat and relaxing for the boat trip back up the river to London.

This is one of the 35 projects across England that will will receive a share of £500,000 from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

This year's projects will focus on bringing communities together – across different ages and ethnic backgrounds – to commemorate, celebrate and educate their local area about the contribution of the Windrush Generation and their descendants across the country. To access the full list of projects being awarded funding visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/2022-windrush-day-grant-scheme-projects-to-be-funded

Mrs Badenoch said: "The legacy of the Windrush generation means so much to so many.

"As a first-generation immigrant myself, I understand personally how important it is to highlight how much we welcome and celebrate the contributions made by those who choose to make Britain home.

"Thanks to our funding, events like the event in Tilbury will take place on 22 June, helping us to remember the leading role the Windrush Generation and their descendants have played in making Britain stronger, culturally richer and more inclusive."

Chair of the Windrush Community Funds and Windrush Schemes group Paulette Simpson CBE said: "I am delighted that we have been able to fund 35 excellent projects from across the country for the fourth annual National Windrush Day on June 22nd to celebrate the outstanding contributions that the Windrush Generation and their descendants have made, and continue to make, to British Society.

"This year we are encouraging new, innovative proposals to share the Windrush story and reach out to people in diverse local communities. In doing so, we can ensure projects will impact history, education and celebration in a meaningful way."

Stuart Wallace, Chair of Tilbury on the Thames said: "We are extremely proud of the role that The Port of Tilbury played all those years ago when the Empire Windrush first arrived to our shores. Our historic London Cruise Terminal has played an important part of the community since it was built in 1930 and we are pleased to be able to host a celebratory event with Thames Clippers to mark this year's Windrush Day. Tilbury was the place where many people started a new life here in the UK."

The National Windrush monument being unveiled at Waterloo Station on 22 June (Windrush Day) will be a permanent tribute to the contribution of Caribbean pioneers in communities across the United Kingdom. It will create a permanent place of reflection and inspiration and be a visible statement of our shared history and heritage. The project is being overseen by DLUHC and led by the Windrush Commemoration Committee (WCC), chaired by Baroness Floella Benjamin DBE.

A livestream link will be posted on the Windrush Commemoration Committee website on the day. Alternatively, you can join at the Southbank Centre where a large screen will be streaming the ceremony directly, followed by Caribbean food, music, and entertainment until 7pm on Windrush Day.

Visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/windrush-commemoration-committee to find out more.