As part of Windrush Day 2025 celebrations, Kirklees Local TV is launching the Windrush Wise Words project, creating 16 videos that capture the detailed stories of first and second-generation Caribbean’ experiences of life in Britain. Clips of three of the captured videos will be shown at the Windrush Wise Words Celebration on June 20th in Huddersfield at Brian Jackson House, followed by a panel discussion with the participants.
The first three films will then be launched online on Kirklees Local TV on Windrush Day, the 22nd of June.
The videos will examine the historical memories of those Caribbean people who came to West Yorkshire in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. They will reveal the lives they led in terms of migration, cultural resilience and all the trials and tribulations they endured and overcame.
The three Caribbean descendants shown will be, Lyndell Morelli “aka Johnny” Flowers, owner of Ashbrow Garage, who came to England for the love of his life who he still remains with today; Henderson “aka Gilly” Gill, a former professional rugby league player and Dr Helen Wells, a trauma counsellor, who has achieved academic success with a degree, masters and a PhD after leaving school unable to read or write.
“To be a part of this project and have my words and experience captured forever is a real privilege, I am very proud to be involved,” said Dr Helen Wells. “I think it’s really important for all generations to come to know what we went through and to never forget how we overcame our hardships to contribute to British society in a positive way.
“That this is going to be used for educational purposes is really important too, as it will help future generations understand what a diverse country the UK is and has been for some time, and how we helped to make a difference and contribute to society.”
The Windrush Wise Words celebrations will be attended by many dignitaries including Cllr Amanda Pinnock, Councillor Ashbrow Ward, Alison Lowe – West Yorkshire Deputy Mayor, Harpreet Uppal – MP, Cllr Liz Smaje – Mayor of Kirklees, Louise Lewis – Executive Member National Education Union (NEU) and Dr Milton Brown – founder of Kirklees Local TV.
“Thanks to The Wise Words Project and Kirklees Local TV, Huddersfield is leading the way when it comes to remembering and honouring the Windrush generation that contributed to Yorkshire life and beyond,” said Cllr Amanda Pinnock. “It is very important that we never forget them, and this project ensures that their memories will live on for years to come.”
The Wise Words project celebrates the rich legacy of Huddersfield’s Windrush generation. It honours their invaluable contributions to British society and provides an educational resource to be used nationally throughout all educational establishments, ensuring that the Windrush historical account is integral to the British national curriculum.
“We are so proud to be able to contribute to keeping stories of the Windrush Generation and their descendants alive,” said Edwin Baker, African Descendants Forum, Project Lead. “It’s very important for young people to learn about the history of why the Caribbean community came to the UK, the challenges they endured and how they overcame them to make a massive contribution to this country.
“By capturing these stories and continuing to educate the next generations, we will help to keep the Black British History story alive and help build unity across different cultures and generations in the future.”
All 16 video participants will receive their own DVD of their full-length version of their interviews to keep and hand down from generation to generation. All the videos will be available to view by the public on Kirklees Local TV’s video archive & library, along with over 5000 other videos.
For more information about this project, click here and to find out more about KLTV’s commitment to community storytelling, please visit http://www.kirkleeslocaltv.com/theadf.