By Heather Norris Nicholson
Exciting plans for making The Windrush Anniversary Garden have been announced.
The Windrush Anniversary Garden will provide an oasis of greenery and flowers close to the heart of Huddersfield for all to admire and enjoy.
The land around the railway ventilation tower at Springwood, just beyond the ring road will be transformed by new planting to create a small garden with seats and new planting.
Work on site has not yet started due to the pandemic, so the garden will not be ready by Windrush Day (June 22nd 2020). However, behind the scenes plans are continuing for this important tribute to Huddersfield’s African Caribbean migration history.
The Windrush Anniversary Garden project has received £10,000 from the Windrush fund set up by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Kirklees Council is also helping generously with landscape design, garden furniture and the site’s redevelopment
Other supporters are contributing to the overall design too. They have already provided materials that link to the garden’s name and historical associations with the Caribbean.
The site lies at the heart of an area that that received newcomers to Huddersfield for many decades. People have also come from Ireland, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, South Asia and other countries over the years.
A garden to welcome all and to acknowledge the lives and memories of people who have come from overseas to live, work and contribute to Huddersfield has been a long-held dream for Natalie Pinnock Hamilton and Denzil Nurse, founding members of Building African Caribbean Communities (BACC), a group that supports inclusive community activities across Huddersfield.
The site holds memories for many people who lived, worked or went to school nearby or attended the Oasis Centre, the former home of Huddersfield’s Elim Pentecostal Church.
Its varied Victorian, railway and cultural heritage will now be enhanced by planters, flowers and information boards.
Local groups, schools, residents and others will be invited to become involved too so that the garden thrives at the heart of the community.
There are plans for local artists to become involved and for setting up a Friends of the Windrush Garden group.
Volunteers are warmly invited to get involved too. Please contact the Windrush Anniversary Garden team for further information:
Natalie Pinnock Hamilton 07786651831
Denzil Nurse 07894 94044
