Photographs & Articles

Many West Indians emigrated to England in the late 50's early 60's, responding to adverts on the Islands to help re-construct the British Economy, due to a shortage in the labour force.  

This is my mum (Esther Pereira, nee Riley), in her early 20's at the start of her career as a psychiatric nurse at the Towers Hospital, Leicester.

Sherilyn Pereira
Leicester

The Methodists arrived in Antigua on Christmas day 1786, preaching that "all men including slaves were brothers in Christ" a viewpoint not shared by all Christian churches. Methodists were concerned with establishing 'respectablity 'amongst slaves, and cohabiting was not respectable. 

A law passed in 1822 ruled that cohabiting slaves were required to marry.

My dad attended his best friends 'very respectable' wedding at the Methodist church in Antigua in the 50's.

Sherilyn Pereira
Leicester

This is my great aunt and uncle  

Edith Emma Grocock - Cyril Hulme getting married on  21 July 1945 at St Barnabas Church, Leicester. 

Considering everything was rationed and hard to get you would never know it was a working class family. There were about 5 bridesmaids whose dresses were made of parachute silk plus a gorgeous bouquet of red roses and page boys.

Michelle Ogden

Leicester

This is me and my Mum and Dad at my cousins wedding in c. 1976 - if I remember correctly, we had just returned from a holiday in Skegness that very morning. Although I look the picture of happiness in my mega collared shirt, Rupert Bear trousers and dodgy shoes, I was actually a seething, grumpy, ball of anger as Leicester were playing Arsenal at home and, because of the wedding, I couldn’t go.

To this day, I have never forgiven my cousin for her poor planning and selfish attitude!

Shaun Knapp

Leicester

Abbey Park 1974.

An afternoon treat to Abbey Park with my Aunty, Cousin, Brother and Sister.

We always made an effort to go to the park wearing our smart clothes!

Minal Brahmbhatt

Leicester

This is my mum standing on Mount Etna, where she and a friend had gone on a trip with a group of nuns who organized social outings for international and local students studying in Rome. Taken around 1959-60, when my mum was on a scholarship from the government of India to study Art in Italy. My mum stayed in a hostel run by nuns (traditional nuns in habit), but there was another hostel and social club close by, run by nuns who were young and outgoing (not in habits), and who would organise social activities and trips for students and with them my mum got to see a lot of Italy.

Sher Syed

Leicester