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CELEBRATION: Archive image of Stoke Newington Common Festival (Image: Alan Denny)

OVER 200 older people are being invited to the Hackney Caribbean Tea Party on Wednesday, October 3, to celebrate the London borough’s Windrush Generation.

The event, which is taking place at Hackney Town Hall, Mare Street, will see attendees served traditional food such as saltfish patties, sweet breads and Jamaican Toto cake.

As well as afternoon tea, the guests will be entertained by steel pans, and a poetry reading from The Bell’s Project, a local sheltered housing scheme for the Caribbean community.

East London Dance’s Leap of Faith, a professional dance company for older people will perform a specially commissioned dance exploring the beginnings of Britain’s first Caribbean communities, capturing moments from their individual stories and celebrating their contribution to life in London.

Art and history will also be on the programme as photography organisation Autograph, Hackney Museum, Hackney Libraries, Hackney Archives and Reel Rebel Radio bring historical objects, art and images for people to look at, reminisce, and exchange stories about their own history and culture.

CARIBBEAN COMMUNITIES: Outside Muzik City, Ridley Road, Dalston, c1970s (Image courtesy of Hackney Archives)

The BBC will also be hosting an event in Hackney Town Hall Square throughout the day from 10am to 4pm. The BBC Bus will be parked outside of Hackney Museum and invites the public to share their stories and bring in their photos and mementos connected to Windrush.

Local older people's organisation, Hackney Connect, will be launching a special Windrush at 70 edition of their quarterly magazine, which contains life stories and information on the enormous contribution migrants and their descendants have made to life in Hackney and the borough’s identity.

Deputy mayor, Anntoinette Bramble said: “It’s really important that as a borough with a large Caribbean community, we celebrate the 70th anniversary of Windrush arriving in the UK.

“I come from Caribbean heritage myself, and I understand personally how important it is for us to honour and respect people affected by this history in the present, and realise the hardships that communities like the Windrush Generation still face today, and how as a society we can reflect on history to overcome this.

“Hackney has a long cherished history of migration which has made it the special place it is today. Those who migrated to this country, and their children, have and continue to, contribute a huge amount to Hackney, and are at the heart of the borough’s rich diversity and vibrant culture.”

For more information on the Hackney Caribbean Tea Party and other events the Council is hosting for Black History Month visit www.hackney.gov.uk/black-history.

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