CodeCC Windrush Day Celebrations Sunday 22 June 2025
@ the Box, Plymouth
Join us for a special day of Caribbean-themed music, culture, workshops, fun and food.
Music & Dance from Real Steel, Kadus Smith & Louise Parker
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Storytelling and Music Making with Safiya Robinson
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Children's Carnival Headdress Making Workshop with Helen
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Reading by Barrington Augustus Sowden about his experience of growing up in Jamaica and the UK
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Film Screenings
'Mother Country I' by Daryl Codrington
'The Caribbean' by Gateway Educational Films Ltd
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Caribbean Specials Menu with dishes from Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica
FULL SCHEDULE BELOW
Events are free but booking is required at some sessions as numbers are limited. All welcome
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Sunday 22nd June is Windrush Day
All Events are FREE!
01
10.15-10.45am and 11-11.45am
Leading steel band 'Real Steel' bring the carnival atmosphere on Tavistock Place.
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12-1pm & 2.45-3.45pm
Watch the world premiere of a specially commissioned piece of dance by Kadus Smith on Tavistock Place that expresses his personal experiences with the Windrush legacy.
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12.30-3pm
Enjoy the smooth sounds of Plymouth-based jazz and soul vocalist Louise Parker and her guest quartet in The Box Kitchen & Bar.
Photo Credit: Sara Cottle
02
Reading and Music Making with Safiya Robinson
​Free event
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For under 8s: 10.15-11am
For over 8s: 11.15am-12pm
Free but please book in advance.
Join story listener and writer Saifya Robinson for a children's book reading and music making session.
Safiya is a story listener and writer, and the creator of the #WritingBlackJoy project which centres and celebrates the joyful stories of Black authors.
Please note: All under 18s needs to be accompanied by an adult during family activities on site.
Please ensure you book a ticket for every person attending, including the adults.
Photo Credit: Joseph Agboola
03
Carnival Headdress Making
with Helen Thomas
Free event
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Session 1: 12.30-13.15pm
Session 2: 1.30-2.15pm
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Join Cornwall-based creative Helen Thomas for a family-friendly carnival headdress making activity.
This session will be fun for children of all ages and will celebrate the sights and colours of the Caribbean.
Please note: All under 18s needs to be accompanied by an adult during family activities on site. Please ensure you book a ticket for every person attending, including the adults.
04
Film Screenings
Free events
'Mother Country I' by Daryl Codrington.
Screenings in the Media Lab throughout the day (running time 15 minutes). Watch a film that explores the lives of Windrush era migrants and their descendants through interviews that were undertaken during 2024. The information and themes that emerge including identity, connection, loss and hope are a testament to the resilience shown by the migrants and their descendants, who have faced numerous barriers and racism throughout their lives.
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'The Caribbean' by Gateway Educational Films Ltd.
In the Simmons Learning Room from 3.15-3.30pm (running time 15 minutes)
Watch this 1972 film from The Box's archival film collection which was written and edited by John Sarsfield with photography by Graham Smart.
05
Barrington Augustus Sowden
Reading and Book Signing
1.45-2.45pm
Barrington Augustus Sowden is a Black writer who lives in Plymouth. His life story and experiences of growing up in Jamaica and later in Manchester are chronicled in his autobiography, One Journey, Many Lives. Listen to him read from the book, ask questions and join in the conversation. You can also get your copy of his book signed by the author!
This is a free event but please book in advance.
With thanks to the Windrush Day Grant Scheme 2025 and the Box Plymouth for supporting this CoDeCC Project
More info at https://www.theboxplymouth.com/events/special-events/windrush-day-2025​Funded and supported by the Windrush Day Grant Scheme 2025 (The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Box Plymouth. The Windrush Day Grant Scheme 2025 aims to bring communities together – across different ages and ethnic backgrounds – to commemorate, celebrate and educate their local area about the contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants across the United Kingdom.
