Professor Erinma Bell, MBE DL, Peace Activist and the first Black woman to have a statue of herself in Manchester, is part of the Home Office’s dynamic Windrush Community Ambassador network.
The British-Nigerian says “I was inspired to become a Windrush Community Ambassador because I wanted to help raise awareness of the Windrush Scheme and Windrush Compensation Scheme to the non-Caribbean communities of Manchester who have been adversely affected by the Windrush scandal – yet aren’t aware there are provisions in place to support them.
“I also wanted to be able to build trust between (affected) communities in Manchester and the Home Office, as I’m aware this government department still evokes fear and mistrust amongst many individuals, especially those whose right to work and remain in the UK were curtailed as a direct result of the Windrush scandal.
Before joining the network, I wrongly assumed the Windrush schemes were only available to assist those from the Caribbean that came to the UK on the Empire Windrush. I suspect this belief pattern is held by many members of my community, which is possibly why so few of them aren’t stepping forward to seek assistance.
I now know that it’s open to many more communities such as those from Nigeria, Ghana, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and plan to use my experience of working with people from a variety of different cultural backgrounds to spread information about the two schemes.
Through the front-line community charity that I co-founded, called Carisma (Community Alliance for Renewal Inner South Manchester Area) I have a proven track record of connecting grassroots organisations and individuals with key members of the community such as the Police, local and central government and other public bodies.
If you are from Nigeria, Ghana or any other community that has been affected by the Windrush issue, I urge you to step forward and gain as much information as possible to understand how you can be supported.
The scheme is not set up to catch people out and your details won’t be cascaded down to other teams such as Immigration Enforcement. They have genuinely been put in place to help you. Even if you’ve misplaced or lost your documentation to prove your immigration status, just contact the Windrush Help Team. You have nothing to lose, but everything to gain.
To learn if you can receive help from the Windrush Scheme and the Windrush Compensation Scheme, even if you are unsure of the documents you need, visit https://windrush.campaign.gov.uk/ or call the FREE helpline 0800 678 1925 for assistance.
Anything you tell the Windrush Help Team will be treated with sensitivity and won’t be passed on to Immigration Enforcement.
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