On the 22 June 1948, the Port of Tilbury welcomed 500 people from the Caribbean, who travelled for 30 days from Jamaica aboard the SS Empire Windrush, to begin a new life in Great Britain. 75 years later, on 22 June 2023, the Port will mark this anniversary by hosting a day of celebrations at the London Cruise Terminal where they first arrived.

The FREE events on Thursday 22 June, will appeal to everyone and will be a fitting celebration for Windrush75, including

• Performances by Woodside Academy steel band – ‘Woodside Steel’;
• A Windrush exhibition by Evewright;
• Workshops and talks from the National Archives;
• Ageless teenagers Caribbean Tea Dance;
• Local school visits;
• And street food available all day.

To mark the 75^th anniversary of the formation of the NHS which also falls in 2023, the Thames Clipper will run a special boat trip from Waterloo to the Port of Tilbury with guests on board representing the NHS, charities and people with Windrush connections.

Charles Hammond OBE, Chief Executive of Forth Ports said: “Everyone at the Port of Tilbury is proud of the part that the port played in the lives of the people aboard the SS Empire Windrush when they arrived 75 years ago and we are looking forward to celebrating this anniversary in the place that they first landed in the UK. We have a day of celebrations planned and everyone is welcome to come along on the 22 June.”

The Windrush75 celebrations are being funded by the Port of Tilbury and supported by Tilbury on the Thames Trust. The Thames Clipper are providing one of their boats for the event.

Everyone is welcome to come along to the cruise terminal between 9.30am until 6.30am.

 31 May 2023                                            -ends-