On Tuesday, we continued our social celebrations from last year for the Windrush generation by hosting a social lunch in partnership with the Bob Willis Fund and with special guest Gladstone Small.

The Warwickshire Cricket Foundation, the charitable arm of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, and The Bob Willis Fund, established in memory of the late cricketing legend Bob Willis, have supported this initiative.

The event saw 120 people from West Indian and Jamaican heritage gather to hear about Gladstone’s cricketing experiences as well as hear important messaging around Prostate Cancer in black men.

The Windrush generation, named after the HMT Empire Windrush, the ship that brought the first wave of Caribbean migrants to the United Kingdom in 1948, played a pivotal role in shaping the cultural fabric of Britain.

We were also lucky enough to be joined by 96 year old, Cynthia, from the first Windrush Generation who was the first black female bus driver in the West Midlands who captivated the audience with her inspirational memories and experiences of living in Birmingham. 

Warwickshire legend, Brian Lara, also made a special surprise appearance to talk about the importance of the Windrush generation and his memories of playing at Edgbaston.