A Bristol artist has designed a new commemorative 50p coin to mark 75 years since HMT Empire Windrush arrived in the UK. The coin designed by Valda Jackson pays tribute to the many British Caribbean and Commonwealth citizens who came to the UK between 1948 and 1973.
Valda Jackson is a resident multidisciplinary artist at Spike Island. Born in St. Thomas, Jamaica, Valda moved to England in 1964 and her parents were among the Windrush generation, those invited to leave their home in the Caribbean to come and work in Britain. Valda later joined them at five years old.
The image on the 50-pence piece depicts two people of the Windrush generation smartly dressed and standing against a backdrop of the Union flag. The Royal Mint, the official maker of UK coins, also worked closely with Dr Juanita Cox, a Caribbean Studies specialist at the University of London, throughout the whole process of introducing the commemorative 50p coin.
