Ipswich Windrush Society founder hopes £20,000 Government funding will make 2025’s celebration event bigger and better than ever
The founder of an organisation shining a light on the Windrush Generation in Ipswich hopes to make 2025 its biggest and best celebration yet.
Ipswich Windrush Society, founded by Max Thomas in 2021, has been given £20,000 by the Government.
Run entirely through donations and grants, it was one of 30 organisations to receive a share of £500,000 of funding.
Max hopes to use this cash to celebrate Windrush Day on June 22 with a ‘massive’ event at Sailmakers Shopping Centre.
He said: “It’s really exciting to get the chance to work alongside authorities and Sailmakers to show what Ipswich and the Windrush Generations have to offer.
“I hope to get the whole society involved – young, old and in between, with a range of activities.”
The Windrush Society and its museum – known as the Reflection Room – are based out of Sailmakers, although it is still looking for a permanent home, having had to move four times previous.
It offers a time capsule into the lives of the first Caribbean immigrants to arrive between 1948 and the 1970s.
“The Windrush Society has been on a journey, but on reflection, the journey is what brought us here,” Max said.
“Our Reflection Room is a testament to the resilience of the first generation and we have a duty and sense of care to honour them for what they’ve done and what they’ve been through for the generations to come.”
For the past two years, Max has helped organise events to mark the 75th and 76th anniversaries of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush in Tilbury, Essex.
He promised that the funding would allow this year’s event to be the biggest and best yet.
He and co-director Leah Tovol applied for the funding last year.
To achieve his goal, he hopes to work with companies who hired the first wave of Afro-Caribbean immigrants to contribute.
He has also invited anyone with memorabilia, or who wishes to share their story, to come forward before they are lost forever.
Max has been involved in Windrush celebrations since 1998 while a manager at Sainsbury’s for the 50th anniversary.
He goes into schools and helps educate the next generation on the hard work of people like his parents.
However, he said many of their lives were not easy, with some facing discrimination.
“We don’t like to bring religion into the society,” Max said. “But their faith was resolute, it gave them hope. There was no therapy back then.”
While he does focus on the Windrush Generation, Max is keen that the reflection room and events could be enjoyed by all.
Looking to the future, Max hopes to move the Windrush Society to a larger home.
Another goal is to load up a London bus and take some of the memorabilia he has collected on the road across East Anglia.
Max added: “We started with humble beginnings to now having aspirations of gaining museum status. We’re a small organisation punching above our weight.
“My thanks go out to Sainsbury’s, Sailmakers, and everyone else who has supported us through the years.”
Jack Abbott, MP for Ipswich, visited the Windrush Society’s reflection room last summer.
He welcomed the news of its funding.
Mr Abbott said: “The Windrush Generation has left a deep and lasting impact on our town, which we should all be proud to inherit.
“Last summer, I saw first-hand the important work that Ipswich Windrush Society is doing - from their education and empowerment programmes to their nostalgic celebration of ‘everyday’ items in their Reflection Room.
“I know from my conversations with them just how transformational our Government’s generous grant will be in allowing the Ipswich Windrush Society to go even further still in commemorating and celebrating that famous generation.
“I look forward to again celebrating Windrush Day this summer, and keeping their great legacy in our town alive.”
