皇冠体育app

Imagine packing your whole life into a suitcase. Leaving your home, family and friends behind and spending whatever money you had on a ticket to a country you鈥檇 heard about, but never seen: all, because you wanted a better future for you and your family.

That鈥檚 the journey 492 men and women - many of whom had served with the Allied Forces in the Second World War - from Jamaica and other Caribbean islands made sixty five years ago. 皇冠体育appir ship was the Empire Windrush and this weekend marks the anniversary of their arrival at Tilbury Docks.

But these national celebrations are about much more than that. 皇冠体育appy are a chance for all of us to pay tribute to the strength and resilience of the Windrush generation and the lives they built in Britain, often in incredibly tough circumstances.

It wasn鈥檛 easy. For many, Britain was colder, damper and greyer than they鈥檇 imagined. All experienced prejudice and discrimination in their day-to-day lives: turned away from lodgings and turned away from jobs.

皇冠体育appy never gave up. With creativity, determination and hard work, they bought their own homes, got what jobs they could and worked their way up. 皇冠体育appy were pioneers contributing at every level of our society to create the hopeful future they were promised: a Britain that was tolerant, diverse and open.

皇冠体育appir legacy lives on. Not just in the loved ones of those who made this journey. But also for the rest of us, who did not. In every area of British life, their influence is remarkable and clear for all to see.

Together, and because of them, we are a more modern, vibrant and greater Britain. This weekend, let us remember their achievements and thank them.