Councillor King was the first person to commemorate the ship in 1968 when he put an advert in the local newspaper inviting those that came across on the ship to contact him. A few short years later King had a successful broadcast career before becoming the first black Mayor of Southwark. King set up the Windrush Foundation, with Arthur Torrington in 1996 to preserve the memories of those who arrived on that voyage and to campaign on behalf of West Indian immigrants.
In the second part of the episode, Tim speaks with former Dragons’ Den contestant Levi Roots at Clapham Junction station. Levi talks about leaving his home in Clarendon in Jamacia to playing reggae music in The Providence Club in Clapham in his late teens, and after several years as a musician, he speaks about his journey into the food industry and his success with Reggae Reggae Sauce and his Dragons’ Den triumph.
To help prepare customers ahead of the launch of the London Overground Windrush line later this year, The Windrush Foundation is hosting a special exhibition at Dalston Junction until the 10 October to highlight the contribution that the Windrush generation has made to UK public services, the arts and commerce.
Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance, said: “The Windrush line, one of the six new London Overground line names chosen to highlight London’s diverse history, honours the Windrush generation and their descendants who have contributed so much to our great city.
“I’m delighted that everyone can now learn more about this movement through TfL’s Mind the Gap podcast, and I also encourage Londoners to check out the Windrush Foundation’s special exhibition at Dalston Junction station which explores the history of Windrush.”
Emma Strain, Customer Director at TfL, said:”The London Overground Windrush line honours the Windrush generation who continue to shape and enrich London’s cultural and social identity today.
“We hope that our new podcast episode with Arthur Torrington and Levi Roots will inspire our customers to find out more about the fascinating history of the Windrush Generation. The Windrush Generation will always have close links to Transport for London and the exhibition at Dalston Junction is a wonderful way to highlight their contributions to public transport over several decades.”
Levi Roots, speaking on the Mind the Gap podcast, said: “When I ride on the Windrush line for the first time, I will be shedding a tear. It will be fantastic for people to be able to ride on the London Overground and be able to say that they are travelling with the wonderful, iconic story of Windrush that needs to be told in this country.”
Arthur Torrington, speaking on the Mind the Gap podcast, said: “The whole idea about the Windrush line is a brilliant idea, it’s a game-changer. It helps not only the community along which the line runs, but it helps people who use the London Overground to understand and learn more about the history of Windrush. Knowing that history is a benefit to society – it helps community understanding, social cohesion, cultural exchange, and the best way of living.”
TfL is also marking Black History Month with a photography series of black staff members at Victoria station which is running over the autumn.
Transport for London is marking Black History Month with the release of the Windrush episode of the successful Mind the Gap podcast series about the inspiration behind the new names for the London Overground lines.
In this episode, presenter Tim Dunn delves into the fascinating history of the Windrush generation and its links to the London Overground line that runs from Highbury & Islington to Clapham Junction, New Cross, Crystal Palace and West Croydon, with special guests Levi Roots and Arthur Torrington. The line will become the Windrush line later this year.
The Windrush line will be represented on the Tube map with two parallel red lines, as part of the new names and colours for each of the six London Overground lines, making it easier for customers to navigate London’s transport network while also celebrating the city’s diverse culture and history.
In episode five of the Mind the Gap podcast, presenter Tim Dunn visits Peckham Rye in south-east London, where he speaks with Arthur Torrington. Arthur is advocate and co-founder of the Windrush Foundation. During the interview he talks about the impact of former Councillor Sam Beaver King MBE who served in the RAF for King and country before being sent back to Jamacia and later returning to England on the Empire Windrush.
On the first Thursday of each month the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill is open to visitors until 21:00. October’s Late includes Forging Ahead – A Celebration of the African and Caribbean Diaspora Legacy, two artistic documentary films celebrating the legacies of the African and Caribbean diaspora communities in Britain. This will be followed by a Q&A panel with the storytellers and creatives involved in the films.
The final episodes of the Mind the Gap London Overground series will delve into the stories of Weaver line later this autumn.
The ‘Mind the Gap’ podcast series was produced by 18Sixty and is released today on all major podcast platforms.
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