A LITERARY festival is to be held in Greenock this weekend as local descendants of Caribbean immigrants mark the 75th anniversary of Windrush.
Members of the public are invited to attend the event at the Gin House Hotel on Sunday July 9, with storytelling, talks and arts for young people on offer.
The Windrush generation refers to those who migrated to the UK from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1971.
Many made the move to help cope with labour shortages as the country attempted to recover from World War II.
Dr Addy Adelaine – the daughter of a Jamaican man who set off for London in 1957 – is one of the festival’s organisers and she now lives in Inverclyde.
Her father Linford ‘Louie’ Williams was a painter and decorator, but later opened a businesses which specialised in roller shutter doors.
Despite being based near London, Louie often worked at locations in Scotland – including HM Naval Base Clyde at Faslane.
Dr Adelaine moved to Gourock two years ago and she runs not-for-profit group Ladders4Action.
She hopes the festival will help those in the area gain a better understanding of the Windrush, as well as the ongoing ‘Windrush scandal’ – which concerns members of the generation who were wrongly detained and deported.
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Dr Adelaine said: “I decided to hold the literary festival as I wanted to highlight the strong connections between this area of Scotland and the Caribbean.
“Whilst I wish to honour my father's journey, I also wanted local people in Greenock to understand better the current Windrush scandal and the ongoing challenges faced by our community.
“Storytelling is an important part of our culture so a literary festival seemed like a good way to do this.”
The festival is a nod to a similar event held annually in Jamaica’s Calabash Bay – the home of Dr Adelaine’s grandmother.
Residents of this area are nickname are nicknamed Scottish Jamaicans, with reddish hair and freckles being a common physical feature.
It is thought these traits are the result of Scots landing in Calabash Bay following the Highland Clearances, with local legend also claiming that three Scotsmen survived a shipwreck by swimming ashore.
Dr Adelaine’s event will allow locals to learn more about Inverclyde’s links to the Windrush generation, as well as the chance to try some Caribbean food.
It is free to attend thanks to funding from the National Lottery, and runs from 12-5pm.
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