Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Faisa Mohamed

The five-year plans that turned into lifetimes: Windrush elders’ stories ‘open door’ for young people

Two women holding black-and-white photos of themselves.
Yvonne Straughn (left) and Lucy Bubb, participants in the Hackney archives project. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian

There are faces young and old around a table in Hackney library as people share a meal of curry goat, rice and peas and sorrel cake. There are photos of the smiling faces of Windrush elders scattered around. They will soon become permanent fixtures of the Hackney Archives.

There is a feeling among the group that somebody is missing. Lessept Saunders, the founder of the Hackney Caribbean Elderly Organisation, died in April aged 107. He had been the second-oldest known living man in London and the oldest contributor to Stories of Windrush. Saunders was part of the Windrush generation, having arrived in London from Jamaica in 1944 after hearing stories about higher wages and hope from returning friends who had served in the second world war.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.