Baroness Doreen Lawrence

Diploma to honour Stephen Lawrence

Mum Baroness Doreen Lawrence says partnership with The Prince’s Foundation will open doors. By Sinai Fleary

THE STEPHEN Lawrence Day Foundation (SLDF) is launching a new initiative in partnership with The Prince of Wales to help make applied arts training more diverse.

Young people will be awarded full scholarships to study on The Prince’s Foundation’s one-year Diploma programme, at its Trinity Buoy Wharf training base in east London.

Stephen Lawrence’s mother, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, who founded the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation (SLDF) in memory of her son who was murdered by a racist gang, told The Voice: “I think it is fantastic and it allows young people the opportunity, which opens the gateway to their future.

“The diploma will help them when they apply to university or apply for an apprenticeship or whatever it is they want to apply for — this will help them to get there.”

ASPIRING

Stephen was an aspiring architect when he was stabbed to death in Eltham, south-east London, in 1993.

Following a meeting between His Royal Highness the The Prince of Wales and Baroness Lawrence at The Prince’s Foundation’s Dumfries House headquarters in East Ayrshire earlier this year, the two leading charities have joined forces to help boost the numbers of students from underrepresented backgrounds who want to study architecture, design, fashion, and fine and applied arts at university.

The two lucky students will not only be granted a full waiver on tuition fees, but will also receive a study support allowance to cover travel and materials.

They will also be offered individual guidance with university applications, mock interviews and portfolio preparation.

Baroness Lawrence said the collaboration between the two charities comes after The Prince

It opens the gateway to the future for young people

of Wales’ continued support of her over the years. “The Prince has always been very supportive of me personally and he did the very first memorial lecture we had in Stephen’s name back in 2000, so he’s been engaging for a long time,” she explained.

The diploma will include the opportunity to develop traditional skills, while embracing creativity and innovation. The unique programme also includes residencies at The Prince’s Foundation’s training bases at Dumfries House and Highgrove Gardens.

The SLDF launched in 2019 and takes place annually on April 22, the date of Stephen’s death.

Determined to establish a “legacy” for her son, Baroness Lawrence said her new charity is “the only place where you will find Stephen’s name linked to”.

She added: “I just wanted to make sure there is a lasting legacy in his name.”

The SLDF has a key focus on education and building the next generation of leaders in the classroom, in local communities and through careers.

Baroness Lawrence beams as she talks about the importance of education and describes it as “the key to life, if you are able to”.

Following the murder of George Floyd in the US and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, there has been a growing global call to stamp out racism and police brutality.

But for Baroness Lawrence, she believes more needs to be done to eradicate systemic racism and racial inequality in the UK and says change is “not happening fast enough”.

Like many in the black community, she remains sceptical about any substantial changes happening in policing and the criminal justice system and believes real change should be reflected in actions — and not just words.

When looking to the future, she references Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech, and wants more emphasis placed on people’s individual character, rather than solely looking at things in black and white.

“I think what would make a difference is where colour is not an issue and you look at the individuals,” she said.

She added: “I want to change all of those perceptions that we come with baggage, when we come with potential.”

DCI Driscoll worked to get David Norris and Gary Dobson convicted and jailed for Stephen’s murder in 2012.

Baroness Lawrence told The

NEVER FORGOTTEN: Baroness Doreen Lawrence is determined to establish a ‘lasting legacy’ for Stephen (Photo by Getty Images)

MUTUAL

RESPECT: The Prince of Wales has always been very supportive of Baroness Lawrence Voice it’s “very difficult” to say whether the other men accused of being involved will one day be prosecuted. She said: “Unless the justice system and the police service acknowledge, especially because they didn’t acknowledge for so long, it took one person who dedicated his time and effort to make sure that there was some justice, I don’t see it happening.

ANGRY

“It took nearly 20 years for those two individuals to be sent to prison and there is nothing happening about those other three, possibly other four — nothing is happening.”

In August 2020, the then Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick announced that the investigation into Stephen’s murder was moved to an “inactive” status as all “identified lines of inquiry have been completed” and the case would be reviewed periodically for any further “investigative opportunities”.

Baroness Lawrence is disappointed with this decision. “I’m angry about it because I think if we as a family weren’t fighting, we would have never got to a position where Stephen’s name is something that everyone talks about now,” she said.

Despite being praised for her tireless campaigning against injustice and racism, Baroness Lawrence admits it does take its toll and “comes with a price”.

Next year will mark 30 years since Stephen’s murder and Baroness Lawrence revealed “inhouse” discussions have already started and insists the anniversary will be acknowledged.

She added: “The Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation is the one which will be leading the way and we will be announcing what we will be doing so that other people can join and get on board with us.”

Applications open in September 2023. To learn more, and to register an interest in being considered, please visithttps:// princes-foundation.org/princesfoundation-diploma-year or contactdiplomayear@princesfoundation.org

Thanks for the memories!

Sports editor Rodney Hinds looks back at the Games

DAYS TO REMEMBER:

The Bull towers over Birmingham; below spectators soak up the sun; inset below left, Rodney Hinds at the Games.

IF IT was possible to give all those involved with Birmingham 2022 a gold medal, the Voice of Sport would do so!

Organising the ‘Friendly Games’ with the backdrop of a global pandemic was the eighth wonder of the world, surely.

The Second City can take great pride in what it has achieved. The sporting action,

transport and, of course, the weather, was superb throughout. The people of Birmingham welcomed those from the Commonwealth with open arms, to the point that many will return one day. No event of this type can be delivered without volunteers. More than 13,000 spirited, dedachieved. The sporting action, icated and dynamic volunteers, icated and dynamic volunteers, known known as the as the CommonCommonwealth wealth Collective, Collective, were the were the heartbeat heartbeat of the of the event, event, a coma community of munity of passionate people coming together to help deliver the biggest sporting and cultural event the West Midlands has ever seen.

Birmingham and the West Midlands is a community of communities, home to more than 180 nationalities. The Commonwealth Collective represented the vibrancy and diversity of the people at Birmingham 2022, a home Games for every nation.

They should all take a bow.

Special moments for me were the rapturous applause, love and support athletes received when they fi nished minutes after the medallists on the track. They were encouraged to achieve their dreams by an appreciative crowd. Africa’s athletes were to the fore. Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala won the men’s 100m while Nigerian sprinter Tobi Amusan backed up her recent success at the World Championships by taking 100m hurdles gold.

IMPRESSIVE

It would be remiss of me with my heritage not to mention Barbados, as two of the island’s fi nest took medals within a matter of minutes. Sada Williams won gold in impressive fashion, setting a Games record of 49.90 seconds in the 400m fi nal at the Alexander Stadium. Minutes earlier, Bajan Jonathan Jones (44.89) won 400m bronze.

The netball was probably even more exciting than what was served up by track and fi eld exponents. The pre-match entertainment was tainment was fi rst class and fi rst class and the action on the action on court delivered court delivered skill and draskill and drama in equal ma in equal measure.

This correspondent took in gymnastics and boxing, too. All those that participated in the Games, not just the sports fraternity, deserve heartfelt praise.

And of course, there were the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The event got under way with the 10m-tall star bull from the Birmingham 2022 Opening Ceremony, who now takes pride of place in Centenary Square.

The Closing Ceremony brought to an end 11 days of incredible sport, a high-octane production celebrating the diproduction celebrating the diverse musical heritage of the West Midlands, championing the genres and trends that run through the great Commonwealth city; from rave to reggae, street and grime to R&B, drum ‘n’ bass and rap. Beverley Knight, Musical Youth and UB40 were the local headline acts.

Now the action is over, the hope has to be that Birmingham and its people enjoy and embrace the legacy of the Commonwealth Games.

Time will tell…

Illuminating Sunshine Girls do Jamaica proud with netball silver

NETBALL WENT to another level during the Commonwealth Games. Australia took gold while Jamaica won silver — and a new legion of fans along the way.

While there will be initial disappointment, the team from the Caribbean were the team of the tournament and won themselves admirers despite 55 – 51 defeat at Birmingham’s NEC.

Jamaica’s netballers, known as ‘The Sunshine Girls’, entertained throughout, both on and off court. Their energetic post-match dances brought the arena to life. The silver, on the nation’s independence weekend, was some reward. This was Jamaica’s fi rst ever Games fi nal while Australia were contesting their seventh successive. In the end, experience told. Winning netball gold chalked up the Aussies’ 1000th gold medal.

Jamaica have world class players and have clearly seen the benefi ts of some of their number playing in Australia, seen as the quality hub of the sport. That number includes Jamaica captain, goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid and goal keeper Shamera Sterling. This dynamic duo were among the keys to the team’s success.

On the way to the fi nal, Jamaica beat the very best in the world in Birmingham, saw off Australia in their fi nal pool match and then put world champions New Zealand to the sword in the semis. The fi nal was a great advert for the sport. It ebbed and fl owed and got the heartbeat racing throughout. In the end, the Aussies just had too much for Jamaica. While they took home gold, all concerned with the squad got a massive boost with the news that Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum will support the team and Netball Jamaica, the governing body for netball in the country, with a three-year $14m sponsorship deal, reports the Jamaica Observer.

It comes amid calls for public and private sector support to match the successes of the ‘Sunshine Girls’. President of Netball Jamaica, Tricia Robinson, expressed gratitude to Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum for partnering with them, while Pavel Smith, Marketing Manager, J Wray & Nephew Limited, said his team is honoured to team up with the Girls and their federation. “The Sunshine Girls have consistently showcased to the world, what true Jamaican character and spirit looks like by Jaminating their competitors against all odds,” Smith said.

The support, over the course of three years, will go towards equipment, local transport, international travel, and other expenses. For the brand, each of the $14m in cash support represents the 14 parishes of Jamaica. IN ACTION: The Sunshine Girls

‘It was beyond brilliant’

By Rodney Hinds

DEBORAH CADMAN is Birmingham City Council’s chief executive. Raised and educated in Birmingham, Deborah spoke to The Voice about her reflections and hopes for legacy after the Commonwealth Games.

RH: How proud are you of what the city has achieved?

DC: If you go into Centenary Square, there are still crowds taking photographs.

Local people are now coming into the city post-Games because they want to see the Bull [which was the centrepiece of the Opening Ceremony] They’ve seen how brilliant the city centre looks on TV, so people are still feeling it.

RH: Did you manage to get to any of the events?

DC: Not as much as I wanted to! Whilst it was lovely having 11 days of sport, or even better 11 days of cultural activity, there’s still a job to be done and there were still some tricky things to have to deal with sadly, but I did get to see some of the netball.

RH: The netball was fantastic, wasn’t it?

DC: It was just fantastic. I was privileged to give some medals out for the boxing. I am a huge fan of Delicious Orie, and I was at the semi-final when he won, which was brilliant.

RH: I detected a great sense of pride in Birmingham. Did you detect that as well?

DC: Yeah, 100 per cent. A lot of that was around local residents talking to visitors and spectators and tourists.

One of the lovely stories I’ve got was about a black woman called Maisie. She came to Victoria Square every day and she lives on her own. Her family are all grown up and left the city and her husband sadly died. But she came to Victoria Square every day to sit down and watch the Games.

She also came to see all the entertainment that was on and I thought that was really, really lovely.

I said, ‘Why do you want to get on the bus and come in?’, and she said: ‘Because I love the connection of people and I live on my own and this is a way for me to see the Games, but also to see and talk to people’.

I love that story because it

wasn’t just a Games of sport, or a Games of culture, it was a Games of people feeling connected and rooted into their place, which was such a lovely thing.

RH: What tribute do you want to make to Games volunteers?

DC: The first thing I’d say is ‘thank you’. Every single volunteer that I spoke to and came across just loved doing what they could do in terms of helping people, all people, which was just great. You could sense for them just wearing the uniform and being part of this movement was a brilliant thing.

We want to ensure people can touch, taste and feel the legacy of hosting the Games

RH: What would you hope for now in regards to legacy for local people?

DC: This is really important. We’re putting just as much effort and energy into making the legacy, ensuring local people can touch, taste and feel the legacy and the benefits of hosting the Commonwealth Games in this city.

I want to see and build upon the community-based events that we invested in and put on.

For the first time, local people went to their local park and experienced something quite fantastic.

For the first time, people went out of their house down the road, and were able to sit in front of a large screen and have that sense of community watching this great event that was taking place.

Also, the legacy of local people and local community groups coming together and being financially supported and encouraged to just demonstrate what they could do, you know, from the Indian drums, reggae groups, Ukrainian music.

We gave them all a platform to kind of sell their stuff into the community.

I’ve never heard or seen Indian drumming and Bangla dancing before, I am going to give that a go! I really understand what it means now.

Just opening up cultures from and activities from different cultures was a brilliant thing. I want to make sure that we can continue to use that as a way of driving cohesiveness and providing that gel that brings different communities together.

For me, that’s most important, that we can look back on the Commonwealth Games and say it was worth every penny.

RH: Birmingham confirmed once again that it’s a really, really big player as a sporting city, didn’t it?

DC: It definitely demonstrated through the Opening and ClosREADY FOR ACTION: Deborah Cadman with Cllr Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council, at the first test event held at the Alexander Stadium ahead of the Commonwealth Games

ing ceremonies that actually we’re a really brilliant cultural city. I was really proud at the Opening Ceremony, but I was doubly proud at the Closing. It was beyond brilliant.

RH: What would you hope to see in terms of the city and the community, come next summer?

DC: This is really important and it’s important that we talk to local people, and we ask local people what they would want to see. So, the conversations we’re having at the moment with local community groups and those local cultural groups that are supported, is what would you like to see as an anniversary event?

Let’s celebrate a year on — and let’s allow you to do what you did this year, but build on it.

Also, we’re now talking about an annual International Cultural Festival, an arts festival for the city, the best of Birmingham that we allowed the world to see this year.

I want to build on that and play it out again next summer, and I want Maisie to come back again!

Fans can get lasting memento of Games as memorabilia site launched

THE OFFICIAL auction and memorabilia marketplace for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has officially launched, offering fans the opportunity to bring the Games home and own a piece of sporting history.

The rare, authentic and exclusive pieces of history and memories from the action, went on sale on the official website last month.

The collection will include exclusive items from medal ceremonies, Opening and Closing Ceremonies, the Queen’s Baton Relay, official kit worn by fan favourite sporting stars, equipment from sports and replica tickets over the coming weeks.

SIGNED

Some highly sought-after sporting items which featured throughout the Games, include signed rugby balls from quarter, semi-finals and medal matches, as well as beach volleyballs, basketballs, hockey balls and boxing gloves.

The collection also includes some of the most memorable props from the Opening and Closing Ceremony as they become available.

Each item comes with a certificate of authentication and an official hologram as part of the only approved memorabilia collection for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, so fans will not only receive a one-of-a-kind item, but also help to create a legacy, with proceeds going back to the Games to fund important community projects.

Alongside the official memorabilia, Games fans will have the chance to commemorate Birmingham 2022 with a ‘Fan Wall’ that will be constructed within the grounds of the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.

The Fan Wall will be a 6m x 2m photo mosaic capturing iconic moments from the Games to showcase what the city and community has achieved on a backdrop of the Stadium.

Visit: memories.birmingham2022.com/

THANK YOU, BIRMINGHAM!

An open letter to Birmingham from Ama Agbeze, B2022 Organising Committee Board Member, and gold medal-winning Team England netball captain, Gold Coast 2018

OVER THE 11 days of the Commonwealth Games, Birmingham you have been incredible!

Being Brummie, when the Games were awarded to us, I was excited; having been to three Games previously, I was eager for my home city to feel the vibe of what a Games brings.

But I must admit, I was apprehensive.

I can’t recall in my living memory such a large event being hosted by the city. We unassumingly go about our business, but never shout about it. From our industrial roots, we have emerged from the steam and smog to being a world leader in innovation and technology.

London is widely recognised and top of the list for tourists. When venturing to the capital, for years, those from the Midlands would silently deliver the news they were from somewhere north of London; the area that devolved into a geographic landmass of no specific identity.

But with the Games has come recognition; visitors, both domestic and international, investment, regeneration, exuberance, pride, and a tiny sense of confidence that escalated throughout the Games. At the end of it all, Birmingham City Council’s motto ‘Be Bold. Be Birmingham’ finally was being lived up to.

We have been amazing.

We have welcomed. We have smiled. We have laughed. We have cried, and oh have we moaned (because we love a good moan), but people from near, far and wide have come here and seen that we have so much to offer.

The city is young. The city is bright. The city is vibrant. We have shone.

To Dame Louise Martin, Commonwealth Games Federation President; Katie Sadleir, CGF CEO; and the CGF team, thank you for gifting us the Games.

At this key moment in time, as we recover from the pandemic, try to build following Brexit, and navigate the cost of living crisis and the impending recession, the Games gave us an excuse to come together, learn, grow, love and celebrate.

To John Crabtree OBE, Chair of the B2022 Organising Committee, my fellow Board Members and Committee Members, and Ian Reid, CEO of the Organising Committee — I know how hard you have worked to make this happen.

We have emerged from the steam and smog to become a world leader

UNBELIEVABLE

With Government support, to be awarded a Games with only three-quarters of the typical time to deliver it, then throw in a pandemic to reduce that time to half, then have to stand up a collaborative group including the City Council, West Midlands Combined Authority, several other stakeholders and sponsors and make such an impact is almost unbelievable.

Thank you.

Naturally, the journey was not smooth sailing; we have tried to be amenable to suggestions, support as many people as we could, including youth programmes, local communities and organisations.

We understand that people want to be seen, heard and appreciated, and we know this hasn’t always been the case, but only inadvertently.

Of course, the Commonwealth Games historically stem from a long period of destruction and devastation across many parts of the globe, the ramifications of which are still being felt and dealt with today. But by welcoming 72 nations and territories here, let us hope that conversations will stem to build reparation and healing.

We are united by our past and our wonderful city is a reflection of that, with such cultural diversity that each of those 72 are represented in our population.

At all major sporting events, it’s our athletes who are front and centre, and what the competition exists for.

The performances, the stories, the pain and sacrifice, the noise, the hype, the tears of relief and success and those of anguish for those whose dreams haven’t been realised. They put everything on the line with the flag of their nation on their chest; for the love, for the passion and for our entertainment; and wow, were we entertained.

PRIDE OF THE CITY: Netball star Ama Agbeze with England supporters. Inset, John Crabtree, who chaired the committee, with a Commonwealth Games relay torch-bearer

WELCOMED

But what makes the Games is the volunteers. To the 14,000-strong Commonwealth Collective, your distinctive blue and orange uniform has welcomed the world.

Thank you for the hours you committed, for the smiles, the cheers, the energy, the love, the high fives, the fist bumps, the late nights and extremely early mornings, the long shifts, the agility and ability to adapt, the conversations and the warmth.

From now on, whenever we see someone in that uniform designed to reflect Birmingham’s architecture from the Library of Birmingham, Grand Central and Bull Ring it will warm our hearts that when the city called, you answered and represented us so well.

However, it does not end here.

The athletes have gone, the branding is coming down, but the legacy of the Games begins here and is up to us all.

Let’s not sit back and ask what we are being given, or dwell on where we believe we have been neglected. Instead, let’s ask what we can do.

How can I make an impact in my community? What physical activity can I partake in? Where can I volunteer? What sport can I play, even? How can I continue to champion Birmingham and the region?

In a decade, when we look back on our incredible achievement of hosting the Games, how great it will be to see that it was a catalyst for social change, for business and employment opportunities, for sport and physical activity to be available for all.

No sporting event alone can deliver that, but my word, it can play its part.

From now on, whenever you’re asked, be bold and say ‘I’m from Birmingham, proud host city of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games’, and if they’re still not quite sure, tell them #ItsABrumTing.

In a decade, how great it will be to see that it was a catalyst for social change

We look back at a fantastic Commonwealth Games in England’s Second City

THE BIRMINGHAM 2022 Commonwealth Games brought out the very best of the West Midlands and attracted more than a million visitors, wowing locals and tourists alike at the biggest sports event to be held in the United Kingdom in a decade.

The city and the region truly embraced Birmingham 2022, whether it’s more than 500,000 West Midlands residents buying tickets — helping to make this the best-attended Commonwealth Games ever in the UK — or the 14,000 volunteers all doing their part to welcome visitors to Birmingham.

With the eyes of the world on Birmingham during the Games, some of the Second City’s homegrown athletes had their say on what it means for Birmingham.

Denise Lewis OBE, Olympic heptathlon gold medallist and President of Commonwealth Games England, (from West Bromwich) said: “It’s incredible when you know that a Games is coming to your patch — the place where you grew up.

“The pride was bursting out of me — I felt like I was going to combust. The Games represent a journey — not just my personal journey but the city’s journey.” Mark LewisFrancis, former England 4x100m sprint relay champion, (from Birmingh a m ) added: “The Birmingham 2 0 2 2 Com monwealth Games is going to deliver a lasting legacy for the region.

“I’m a proud Brummie, born and bred, and some of the changes that have been made already are going to create so many jobs, so much opportunity.

“I want the people of Birmingham to embrace it. We deserve this. It’s all about leaving a legacy for our future. Birmingham has got so much mad talent, and what these Games are going to do is open up a door for so many youngsters.”

The Games represent a journey – not just my personal journey, but the city’s

SPECIAL

Stacey Francis-Bayman, England netball player, (from Bromsgrove) said: “It is unreal to have a home Games once in a lifetime, and I’m so glad it’s happening in what is my final year (in netball). I feel incredibly lucky.

“To have the Games in the town where you are born is insane. I am such a proud Brummie and every time I step out on the court I’m making sure I take it all in.”

Lily Walker, England hockey midfielder, (from Cannock) said: “It’s [University of Birmingham hockey pitch] one of the prettiest pitches in the world. I’m a bit biased, but having [university clock tower] Old Joe in the background, the great hall and everything, it’s really special.”

Delicious Orie, England super heavyweight boxer (from Birmingham), said: “Fighting at home is extra special and I know how much it means to the locals.” PROUD LOCALS: Clockwise from top, Delicious Orie, Stacey Francis-Bayman, Mark Lewis-Francis

Team England thanks fans after they provide world-class support

WATCHING ON as the very first performers stepped out during the Opening Ceremony, and there until the final medal was awarded, Birmingham 2022’s fans were cheering on the world-class athletes throughout the Games.

Showing their support for teams across all Commonwealth nations and territories, Birmingham’s fans showed up in their great numbers to watch and cheer on the Games.

More than 1.5 million tickets were sold for the 11-day competition, making it the most attended Commonwealth Games ever to take place in the UK.

Recognising the home crowds for their support and encouragement across the competition, Team England shared a few words of thanks with the amazing fans of Birmingham 2022.

England finished with a record 176 medals — 57 of them gold — but fell narrowly short of the goal of outperforming Australia who topped the table.

Team England’s chef de mission, Mark England, praised the efforts of his team. He said: “This has been an absolutely exceptional Games for Team England and what’s been exceptional about it, I think, is the fact that it’s a very young team, an ambitious team.

“We’ve got 17-year-olds who are winning gold medals. It is by some margin the best home performance of any English team in a Commonwealth Games.”

The video can be found here: twitter.com/ birminghamcg22/sta-

tus/1556686917206671360 FAN ZONE: Thousands of home supporters cheered on England

VOLUNTEERS GET BRUM BUZZING

BIRMINGHAM HAS just wrapped up a highly successful Commonwealth Games, and while all the plaudits and praise will shine down on the worldclass athletes, it is important to remember the people flying under the radar, who made the event the success it was – the thousands of volunteers who were known as the Commonwealth Collective.

The Voice spoke to Sharon Brown, a Birmingham-born and raised volunteer who runs SoFunk Dance Fitness. She told Matthew Chadder about her experience and bringing fitness classes to the visitors.

MC: What was your overall impression of the Games? SB: Definitely a success, not a bad word to say about it. People I got to speak to about it, they were having a really good experience.

MC: What made you want to be a part of the Games? SB: I’m a Birmingham-born, Black Country resident, so I just saw it as an opportunity to be involved. I applied to be a volunteer which was subsequently accepted, but I also have my own dance fitness brand, which was picked up by the festival site organisers. I was able to be involved in that way as well.

I am very proud of being a Brummie and wanted to be involved, it would have been a missed opportunity, really, if I didn’t get involved.

MC: Have you already noticed anything that the Games have left behind? SB: The facilities that we’ve had for the Games, those are with us now. People probably underestimated Birmingham, but we’ve put on a fantastic Games, there were so many ways to be involved. We did it really well and we can do something similar again, so that’s the hope, the lasting legacy.

MC: How do you feel the people of Birmingham responded to the Games throughout? SB: The people I’ve managed to speak to were getting themselves involved.

I was on the walking route, so not only was I able to speak to people who were walking to the Aquatics Centre to attend, but I was speaking to local residents as well, and they really did embrace it.

All the people I spoke to I can honestly say not one person said, ‘why is this happening?’

MC: How did you find people responded to the classes? SB: There were some people who I knew were going to be there, but in the main it was people who were just visitors, walking through the city centre, enjoying what was going on.

Once they hear my music, it’s hard to resist! There was really good participation, people just joined in. BIG BRUMMIE WELCOME: Sharon Brown and, inset, the Commonwealth Collective volunteers

MC: Did you feel a buzz around the city that you don’t usually feel? SB: Definitely a buzz. I used that word so many times. I was working volunteering with a friend. When we had a bit of time, we went in our volunteer uniforms into the city centre and it was heaving, and there was such a lively atmosphere.

The buzz around Birmingham, it felt alive, it really did. Now the Games are over, obviously on a lesser scale but it’s still there, it still feels like a lively city centre. My expectations were high, but it exceeded those.

MC: How do you feel Birmingham welcomed visitors? SB: It really did feel welcoming. As a volunteer, I felt part of a welcoming committee, and people kind of did quite often took the time to say, ‘thank you for what you are doing!’

It definitely felt like Birmingham welcomed visitors and locals because there are some people who live in Birmingham, but are on the outskirts and probably wouldn’t normally come into the city or go to the venues and it was about them as well and making them feel included. So it was very inclusive.

MC: What was your favourite moment from the Games? SB: Definitely delivering those sessions, the site was huge, and it was on a really big stage and people joined in and it felt good just delivering. Also, those people who were just getting involved and were being part of something that we put on as Birmingham.

Legacy project to share expertise in organ donation and transplants

By Rodney Hinds

AS PART of the Commonwealth Games legacy, 43 Commonwealth countries and 19 national and international organisations have come together to share expertise in organ donation and transplantation and save more lives.

The Commonwealth Tribute to Life Project, led by NHS Blood and Transplant, is the culmination of three years’ work and provides a framework for the sharing of knowledge and expertise to increase ethical organ donation and transplantation. It seeks to further health equality for the benefit of all Commonwealth citizens. An official legacy project of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and part of the Games ‘United By Birmingham 2022’ community programme, Tribute to Life presents a unique opportunity to increase levels of organ and tissue donation and transplantation globally. To celebrate this occasion, organ donation representatives from many of the countries who have signed up to a shared Memorandum of Understanding, as well as transplant recipients and living donors from across the UK with Commonwealth Heritage have come together in a symbolic video which shows the team of volunteers passing a virtual heart around the world: from the UK, to Barbados, South Africa, Canada, Bangladesh and Australia to name just a few.

In the lead-up to the Games, several organ recipients and living donors were also selected to take part in the Commonwealth Games Baton Relay. One of those participants was Makena Straker-Sharpe, who features in the new film.

Makena, a 14-year-old from Oldbury, Birmingham had the honour of being one of the final participants to carry the baton as it approached its final destination in the host city.

Since receiving a life-saving heart transplant as a child, Makena has gone on make the most of every opportunity and has represented Team GB in the World Transplant Games, as well as regularly competing in the British Transplant Games. KEY ROLE: Makena Straker-Sharpe, centre, carried the baton

A message of unity

A VIBRANT WELCOME: The Prince of Wales visited the Commonwealth Games festival site as the event opened, and met volunteers, competitors, representatives, businesses and local people

THE PRINCE of Wales, accompanied by The Duchess of Cornwall, represented the Queen at the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

He also attended the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening Reception where he met with visiting heads of state and government.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex and Dame Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), also attended the Opening Ceremony.

During his speech at the Opening Ceremony, the Prince said: “On October 7 last year, this specially created baton left Buckingham Palace to travel across the Commonwealth. Over the past 294 days, it has carried not only my message to you, but also the shared hopes and dreams of each nation and territory through which it passed, as it made its way to Birmingham.

“Over the years, the coming together of so many for the ‘Friendly Games’ has created memorable shared experiences, established long-standing relationships, and even created some friendly rivalries! But above all, they remind us of our connection with one another, wherever we may be in the world, as part of the Commonwealth family of nations.

“Tonight, in the words of the

founder of the Games, we embark once again on a novel adventure here in Birmingham, a pioneering city which has drawn in and embraced so many throughout its history. It is a city symbolic of the rich diversity and unity of the Commonwealth, and one which now welcomes you all in friendship.

SUCCESS

“My warmest thanks go to all those who have worked so hard to ensure the success of this particularly special sporting event, and I wish each athlete and team every success. Your hard work and dedication, particularly in recent times, have this specially created baton left “Tonight, in the words of the been an inspiration to all of us. been an inspiration to all of us.

“It now gives me the greatest pleasure to declare the 22nd Commonwealth Games open.”

The Prince of Wales carried out a series of engagements in Birmingham to mark the beginning of the Games earlier in the day.

He visited the Athletes Village at the University of Birmingham, behind a lively spectacle of Commonwealth fl ags and live music. The Prince met Commonwealth Games representatives, volunteers and athletes.

Accompanied by the CGF President, The Prince walked through the Commonwealth Games Welcome sign, towards a path fl anked by Commonwealth fl ags.

Beginning a loop around the hillside, with Commonwealth fl ags adorning the sides, the Prince was presented to 122 athletes from 61 teams, by Dame Louise.

He visited the festival site at Victoria Square, home to live music, food, theatre and sporting events, and met spectators, food producers and volunteers from across Birmingham and the West Midlands.

The Prince of Wales walked through the crowds and past a stage of music and dance, performed by Birmingham-based Autin Dance Theatre. Stopping briefl y at the festival site, Prince Charles then walked down the steps, past Birmingham’s iconic fountain The River, meeting local people, businesses, and volunteers.

This included Anjuli McKenna, who transformed the fl oor of the festival site into a temporary mural, Rosie Ginday, founder and CEO at Miss Macaroon, one of Birmingham’s most renowned social enterprise companies and Nouman Farooqui, of Asha’s Indian Curry House; one of Birmingham’s most famous restaurants.

The Prince of Wales viewed the festival site’s spectacular activities, including street games, music and theatre. Before his departure, he met representatives from The Prince’s Trust, Birmingham.

Golden moments

With records set and personal bests reached, the athletes did themselves proud

NOT SURE about anybody else, but the men’s 400 metre fi nal is the race I’ve watched back over and over since the end of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Zambian, Muzala Samukonga, really got a burst of life from seemingly nowhere coming down the home straight. It was a sight to behold, truly memorable and his new national record of 44.66s will stand for a while.

It wasn’t the greatest of results for England’s Matthew Hudson-Smith, who many had tipped as the favourite for the gold medal in that race.

The Birmingham man came in second in his home town Games and although he’ll rue the day, in years to come he’ll chalk this one off as just one of those things that happens every now and again.

No one had the 19-year-old African down as a threat, but that’s sport.

At least Hudson-Smith can say he did his bit to contribute to the 34 track medals won by England. Those medals were shared equally by the men and women, 17 each, with seven of them gold, 15 silver and 12 bronze.

Home nations combined, 47 of the 173 medals handed out were taken by athletes from these shores, a decent tally.

A special mention goes out to all of the athletes that made it to the podium and to those that didn’t, for whatever reason, the Games provide the perfect springboard for future success.

The level of competition at the Commonwealth Games can be quite disparate, a fact highlighted as the country watched Scotland’s Eilish McColgan take gold in the 10,000m. The 31-year-old won in a Commonwealth Games record of 30 minutes 48.60 seconds for her fi rst major title as she beat Kenya’s Irine Cheptai following a race-long duel.

Finishing last in that race however was Neheng Khatala from Lesotho. The 30-year-old completed the race in a time of 33:27s. It was a personal best for the African and in the true spirit of the Friendly Games, despite having been lapped twice by McColgan et al, she was roared home by the fervent Alexander Stadium crowd.

Other overseas athletes who can be proud of their performance come in the shape of Jamaican Elaine ThompsonHerah. A true champion, it’s been a long season for Caribbean athletes, but Thompson-Herah was able to fi nd winning form to land her fi rst ever Commonwealth Games titles in the 100m and 200m. She later added to her personal medal tally by winning bronze with Team Jamaica in the 4x100m relay. Jamaica landed 13 medals in Birmingham, with the women raking in 10 of those. The only gold won by the men came in the 110 hurdles where Rasheed Broadbell took top spot on the podium.

Nigeria was another country where the women stole the show. Of the 10 medals they picked up, only a solitary bronze was won by a male athlete.

“In the spirit of the Friendly Games, she was roared home by the crowd”

WINNING WAYS: Tobi Amusan won the 100m hurdles in record time; inset, Lindon Victor defended his decathlon title

VINDICATED

Securing the 100m hurdles gold in a Commonwealth Games record time, Tobi Amusan cemented her status as a rising star. Having won the World Championship title, setting a new world record in the process, prior to competing in Birmingham, any hype around her growing stock was fully vindicated.

In the fi eld, a special mention has to go out to Katarina Johnson-Thompson, pictured left, who, despite still grieving the loss of her gran, produced the goods to win gold in the heptathlon.

In the decathlon, Grenadian athlete Lindon Victor will still be sporting a smile on his face following his win in the event. Beating his brother who fi nished fourth, Victor successfully defended his Commonwealth title from four years ago.

Bahamas’ LaQuan Nairn took the long jump title in Birmingham, but only just.

The 26-year-old won based on a better series of jumps when he found himself tied on 8.08m with India’s Murali Sreeshankar, who fi nished in second place. There was only a two centimetre difference between fi rst and third place.

If that didn’t bring the case for how small margins can defi ne big results, seeing the England 4x400m relay team disqualifi ed for a lane infringement defi nitely did.

The quartet of Victoria Ohuruogu, Jodie Williams, Ama Pipi and Jessie Knight ran so well, and for a while they celebrated an epic photo fi nish win to close the show — only for Ohuruogu’s minor infraction to be ratifi ed a while later.

The unique thing about the Commonwealth Games in that moment was being able to taste the bitterness on behalf of the English, but also savour the sweetness for Team Scotland who, up until that moment, had fi nished in the worst spot, fourth. Only to be promoted to third.

That’s sport, I guess.

Ten years after London hosted the Olympic Games, Birmingham can be very proud of the way they hosted this year’s Commonwealth Games — the love for sport was felt by all.

The city was alive, and full stadiums by 10.30am tells me the appetite for track and fi eld remains constant. Find them, facilitate them, and the fans will fl ock.

For the full-time track and fi eld supporter, many will be aware of the fact that athletes this year have had to navigate between peaking for the World Championships which took place in July, the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships in August.

It couldn’t have been easy. But it was appreciated.

Commonwealth Games in that stadiums by 10.30am tells me

NIGHT TO REMEMBER: Revellers enjoy the celebrations as the Jamaica Olympic Association hosted a gala dinner and auction in honour of Jamaica’s Commonwealth team at the University of Birmingham

CELEBRATING JAMAICA

JAMAICA WAS central to the activity before and during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Before the sporting action got under way, Jamaica National and the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) hosted a gala dinner and auction in honour of Jamaica’s Commonwealth team at the University of Birmingham.

Before the proceedings, the JOA and the University of Birmingham, UK, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to help further collaboration and celebrate the historic links between the two countries. The agreement highlights the potential to support academic collaborations, expanding educational programmes for athletes, coaches and administrators, and creating new scholarships and research opportunities.

Host for the evening was 110m hurdles king Colin Jackson. Luminaries included celebrity chef Levi Roots, Denise Lewis, Geoff Thompson and Judy Simpson, who mixed and mingled with the athletes plus other guests.

The JOA and Jamaica National were in tandem once again when they hosted the Commonwealth Manor in the first week in August, which saw Jamaican athletes, officials and guests relax and embrace the very best of Caribbean and West Midlands hospitality.

GOOD TIMES: Clockwise from above left, Paulette Simpson, Deputy CEO of JN Bank UK; Alando Terrelonge, Jamaica’s State Minister in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and Marie Stewart-Lewin, JN Group Executive, at the University of Birmingham; Colin Jackson, Judy Simpson, Geoff Thompson, Denise Lewis and Donna Fraser at the gala dinner; Jamaican sprint legend Don Quarrie at the dinner; Dr Joshua Johnson, former martial arts teacher and community leader, with Christopher Samuda, President of the Jamaica Commonwealth Association; guests at the Commonwealth Manor (photos: Tony Atille/Black Ink, Naphtali Junior)

EBONY BLAZING THE TRAIL

AMBITIOUS JUDOKA Ebony Drysdale-Daley created history when she won Jamaica’s fi rst ever medal in judo at the Commonwealth Games.

Birmingham-born Ebony picked up the silver in the 70kg weight category. She was defeated by Aoife Coughlan of Australia.

Her and her coach spoke to Rodney Hinds about success, future ambitions and how the sport can be used to help young people.

RH: How does it feel to be a Commonwealth Games silver medallist?

EDD: I feel really positive about it, actually! I think the thing that has made me most grateful for it is just all the support that everyone has given which has been really uplifting because obviously, I wanted to win. I didn’t, but on the back end of that, everyone has been really happy for me. Both me and my coach to be like, yeah, we’ve got something and people are paying attention to Jamaican judo.

RH: Describe that feeling of having family and friends watching you.

EDD: It made me feel really good. Afterwards when I got the medal, I saw them up in the crowd, because of course, I did see them when I was competing. They were really happy and that really uplifted me. My mum came, it is the fi rst major tournament that she has seen me do. She hasn’t been since I was a child. Some of my other family members have never been either, like my aunties and uncle.

“I’d like to start a judo club, get them to come because judo shaped my life”

Jamaican judo. ony and the hard work she’s

put in and you’ve put in together? FD:

to start all again, because we’ve got the same long road for the World Championships. She fought well, still there were a few mistakes, but the most I can give her is that she fought well. I thought that the Australian girl was going to wipe her across the board, but

RH: Fitzroy (Davies, coach), quick question for you. What tribute can you pay to Ebony and the hard work she’s put in and you’ve put in together?

FD: After today, we have to start all again, because we’ve got the same long road for the World Championships. She fought well, still there were a few mistakes, but the most I can give her is that she fought well. I thought that the Australian girl was going to wipe her across the board, but

SILVER GIRL:

Ebony DrysdaleDaley was on the podium at the Commonwealth Games in the 70kg weight category; below left, Ebony with coach Fitzroy Davies

then when I realised she was holding her own, I’m thinking, ‘well, so she can compete with these girls’.

Sometimes with Ebony, it is in her head, and I think it needed her to come out and fi ght some of the top players to realise that you can compete with them.

So that’s the most that I can give her that she competed at least. Now she has to move on for the next two years to qualify for Paris at the Olympics.

RH: What does this medal do for the future for you?

EDD: It’s making training a lot more fruitful. I feel more positive about it, a lot more positive, there’s more excitement.

I feel like if I can just take these wins forward, I can be in the mix and medal in the future, because I know that I’m capable.

RH: It must be pretty pleasing putting Jamaica on the judo map?

EDD: Yes, that’s been a big thing. It was a happy moment, seeing the fl ag go up. No one expected us to be on the podium. No one cared. If you actually listen to the commentary, it was very biased. So, it’s something to do to leave a lasting legacy and also, you know, not be the one and only. We want a long succession of people.

RH: Do you recognise that there will be young women and men looking at you and saying ‘we can do that, too’. How does that make you feel?

EDD: I wanted to create interest. I wanted people to feel like they can do it, they can pick up on their culture and their heritage. Also, for me, in particular, I’m born in the UK, and I got my citizenship for Jamaica through my dad. Both of my grandparents were born in Jamaica, but the thing is, it’s still part of me, my mannerisms, upbringing, my dual-heritage and my citizenship is important to me, and I did feel it when I saw the pride and the fl ags and then seeing my family, it was cute.

I come from Newtown, which is rough in Birmingham. If you look at the statistics, people don’t expect me to present well. I needed to do this once-in-a-lifetime thing, but I do want attention to fall back into the community, because the place is really run-down. I can’t take my nephew to the park because it is disgusting.

They don’t have proper programmes for the youth. I would like to have a judo club, get them to come because for me, judo shaped my life, I started when I was fi ve.

In my area, it is always on the news with people talking about crime. The community centre hasn’t been open for ages, they are knocking it down. You’d be surprised how much my sport could shape a child. It shapes so many people’s lives. Judo is a good sport.

You can follow Ebony on: Instagram: mynameisebonyy Twitter: @judo_ebony Facebook: Ebony Drysdale-Daley

Anguilla fi elds largest-ever Commonwealth Games squad

By Karen Palmer

THE TINY British Overseas Territory of Anguilla in the eastern Caribbean, home to just 14,000 residents, fi elded its largest-ever Commonwealth squad at Birmingham 2022.

The island is likely to be better known to Brits as a dream holiday destination given its location in a quiet corner of the eastern Caribbean and its 33 dazzling white-sand beaches.

The Anguilla delegation at the Games included former Commonwealth decathlete (and Miss Great Britain 2018) Dee-Ann Kentish Rogers who now sits in the Anguilla government as Honorable Minister for Social Development, Youth & Culture, Education and Sports and the Governor of Anguilla, Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam.

Kentish Rogers said: “As a former Commonwealth Games athlete, I’m extremely proud that our athletes’ have performed their personal bests and set national records at the 2022 Games.

“This demonstrates that the budding potential we have witnessed will be ripe at just the right time for the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Australia. I am certain that with the buzz created from these Games, Anguilla will be able to create a legacy at home that creates a cohort of strong athletes for the future.”

Some 11 athletes competed in 12 events. 2022 also marked the fi rst Games where Anguilla competed in four sports: track events, boxing, cycling and swimming. With numerous personal bests achieved, and a very special visit from 4x100m gold and 200m silver medallist Zharnel Hughes (Anguillian by birth), the track team had an especially successful and enjoyable Games. All four track competitors achieved ‘bests’ at the Games. New personal bests were recorded for Tri-tania Lowe (women’s 100m), Saymon Rijo (men’s 200m) and Terrone Webster (men’s 100m) with a Season Best for Davin Fleming (men’s 100m).

Cyclists Hasani Hennis and Delroy Carty both competed in the road race and time trials, with Danny Laud and Zambezi Richardson also taking part in the Road Race. In another fi rst for the island, Hennis has become the fi rst Anguillian cyclist to ever complete a Commonwealth Games road race.

The squad was accompanied by offi cials and support staff, including the Anguilla Tourist Board’s own Tourism Assistant/Marketing Offi cer (Ag), Sharon Lowe. Mrs Lowe is also President of the Anguilla Cycling Association and was in Birmingham to support the four cyclists

READY FOR

ACTION: Team Anguilla at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony

representing the nation. Alex Lake was the fi rst swimmer to ever represent Anguilla at the Games. He competed in fi ve events, including the 50m freestyle.

The vivid orange and turquoise colours of Anguilla were also present in the boxing ring, worn by boxers Curlun Richardson (light-heavyweight) and Japheth Olton (heavyweight).

representing the nation. Alex Lake was Chef de Mission Cardigan Connor, a Chef de Mission Cardigan Connor, a former professional cricketer who took over 1,000 wickets for Hampshire during a 15-year playing career, said: “We really appreciate just being able to compete at the Games. “Our pool of talent may be small but it’s mighty and we’re delighted to have been able to show just how talented they all are.”

Festivals come alive

DURING THE Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, alongside the sport taking place in the 15 competition venues, nine different free festival sites were set up in the host city, to bring sport, culture and entertainment together.

Two of these sites were located in the city centre, but seven neighbourhood festival sites were also established.

As well as a programme of music and entertainment to showcase local groups and artists, some of the sites dedicated parts of their programming to special events and occasions.

One such occasion was the 60th anniversary of Jamaican Independence, which was marked and celebrated at the city centre site in Victoria Square, with an official flag-raising ceremony and an afternoon of entertainment, and at the neighbourhood festival site in Handsworth Park, where the entertainment included a performance from Luciano Messenjah.

Birmingham 2022 also provided support for the annual Jamaica 0121 festival which was held in Aston Park, with the community engagement team also attending the event, providing people of all ages with a chance to take part in sporting activities like boxing and basketball.

And the festival fun will continue, despite the Games coming to an end.

Some of the sites dedicated parts of their programming to special events and occasions

FAMILY FUN:

The festival in Handsworth Park was an event that drew people of all ages

DRAWING CROWDS:

Luciano Messenjah at the event in Handsworth Park; above, revellers at the festival

TRANSFORMED

The festival sites may now be closed, but the Birmingham 2022 Festival, the six-month cultural programme which has accompanied the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, has been continuing during August and events will run until the start of October.

During August, parks across the Midlands have come alive with the sounds of ska, calypso and rock ‘n’ roll.

To The Streets is a brand new outdoor musical theatre concert by the award-winning playwright Roy Williams and composer and lyricist, Tim Sutton.

Telling the lesser-known story of the UK’s own civil rights moment, which focused on the Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963, and performances have taken place in Handsworth Park Windmill Hill, at Warwick Arts Centre and in West Park in Wolverhampton. From September 2–18, Victoria Square will be transformed by PoliNations, an epic city centre super garden celebrating colour, beauty and natural diversity. Emerging and internationally renowned artists from the UK such as Soweto Kinch, Kofi Stone, Horse Meat Disco, Rikki BeadleBlair, Jaivant Patel, Symoné and Daniel Lismore will present free live music, spoken word, dance and drag performances and there will be daily activity to inspire the mind, body, and soul.

On the grand finale weekend, giant architectural trees will burst with a cloud of colour and confetti combining the joyful spirit of Carnival, Holi and Mardi Gras.

ANTICIPATED

Many free-to-visit exhibitions also continue including Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery’s We Are Birmingham; Everything to Everybody: Your Shakespeare, Your Culture at the Library of Birmingham; Jambo Cinema at The Mailbox; Home from Home at the National Trust Back to Backs and Vanley Burke’s Blood and Fire at Soho House.

The festival ends with the much-anticipated world premiere of Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby – a new dance theatre show by Rambert at Birmingham Hippodrome from September 27 to October 2.

For the full festival programme, go to birmingham2022.com/ festival

‘Confrontation of history’

Notting Hill Carnival ambassador Fiona Compton discusses the roots of the event and why it’s ‘more important than ever’ after the pandemic. ByJoel Campbell

FOR FIONA COMPTON, ensuring we held Notting Hill Carnival last month, following two years of the event being postponed, was more ‘important than ever’.

The photographer, historian and carnival ambassador told The Voice that given the historical ties, the two-day ‘reclamation of the space’ in west London was of the utmost significance.

Google ‘Compton’ and it becomes clear the history of African, and in particular Caribbean people, is her calling.

Prior to any steelpan being beaten in synchronised harmony at this year’s carnival, Compton, alongside other distinguished guests, met with The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall during a tour of the Tabernacle, also known as Carnival Village, in west London.

Compton praised the heir to the throne for taking the time to learn about some of the key elements that underpin the cultural values of carnival, which to this day remain largely unknown.

Explaining why she felt it was important for the origins of some of the practices that take place at carnival to be recognised at the highest levels, she enthused: “All of these things that have happened in the Caribbean that sparks the birth of carnival is very much British history. It’s not black history or Caribbean history, it’s British history.”

She added: “When The Prince came down to the Tabernacle for a carnival exhibition, I was able to show him part of the exhibition on the steelpan.

“We spoke about how the steelpan was developed, because the African drum was banned 50-plus years after the end of slavery, well into the 1930s.

“So, Afro-Trinidadians responded by creating steelpan as a response to the ban against African drum. He was completely shocked by this piece of information.

“Most people don’t know that. People think that okay, the drum would have been banned during slavery, but no, it was well into the 1930s and in many other countries beyond that.

“That is British history because it’s the British government that enforces these laws. Trinidad and the rest of the English-speaking Caribbean have been very much part of the British Empire. So it kind of reinforces that all of these things that have happened in the Caribbean are British history, because it’s British people enforcing these laws.

“So it is important for us to have these conversations and it is wonderful to see these conversations being had because, within history, there is a lot of resentment with the British monarchy, but how do we start making changes?

“Do we continue to ostracise each other? Or do we start having conversations?

“If there is space for people who want to make real change, I welcome that.

“One sector of people living in one place and the rest living in another, with no one having any conversations, has done us no good. It’s about having an education.

STREET PARTY:

Fiona Compton says the Notting Hill Carnival should be a mainstay of British culture

HORRIFIED

“How did he respond to me giving him that piece of information? He was horrified by it.

“I think that’s something that really resonated with him. It’s showing the human side of our history. Yes, today it is very racially motivated, but that shows the human side of our history. I think it is hugely important for these conversations to be had.”

The Prince of Wales has thrown his weight behind carnival over the years, notably writing public messages of support and contributing to the Official Carnival magazine in 1988.

For Compton, embracing the love and being embraced by the monarchy is a necessary component in the process of healing from the scars of yesteryear.

She said emphatically: “I mean, how could it not be? How could it not be beneficial?

“The histories are very difficult, trust me. When I’m reading my history books, I have to take breaks because it is extremely traumatic.”

She continued: “I was speaking to a historian, and she was saying it has been scientifically proven that you inherit emotional trauma, it is in our DNA.

“So whether we know the finer details of the history or not, we have inherited a lot of trauma, it is still very present, we are triggered by a lot of things. So therefore there’s a lot of pain and resentment in our community, which is very much valid.

“So, it is about making change and going all the way to the top. You know, If there is an open space for discussions, and to make real changes, why aren’t we doing that?

“So, I very much welcome the conversations and his involvement in carnival, so that they know.”

This year’s carnival produced the usual mix of reviews but be they good, bad or indifferent, Compton believes the celebration should be a mainstay of British culture, one everyone can learn from.

“I think it’s more important than ever. Because of the pandemic, we were not able to take to the streets. And you know, in light of George Floyd, it has really kind of put a magnifying glass on the issues that were kind of simmering, underneath niceties, and, you know, political correctness. In our community, we’ve always been imposed upon with the concept of ‘move on’, when there are so many things that still resonate in our community today.

“It’s something that we always knew. But we were told that we are overreacting, or we’re just being angry.

“Our experiences and feelings have been invalidated, for the comfort of others.

“Carnival is a confrontation of that. The history of carnival is a confrontation of that.

“It is also a reclamation of space. When you look at Notting Hill in the 1950s, Notting Hill was the hood, a ghetto, nobody wanted to live there.

“Now, no one can afford to live there. Especially people from black and brown communities cannot afford to live there. You don’t feel welcome in that space. That reclamation of that space, that history, and why Notting Hill kind of started, it’s important.

“Even though it’s a part of it, I don’t like when people just reduce it to being ‘just a street party’. It’s not.

SUPPORT: The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall recently visited the Tabernacle; inset left, The Prince has written public message of support for the carnival

BRUTALITY

“The reason it started is because of the very same race riots that we have been experiencing in the past two years, or the things that we’ve been seeing taking over America or the same riots that happened in London in 2011.

“That is why Notting Hill Carnival started, because people from the Caribbean were dealing with being murdered, being beaten. Police brutality was the same, if not worse. This is how we responded.

“We responded by creating carnival, because this is how we protested. So it is more important than ever for us to reclaim that space.”

She added: “If we want to reduce it to just getting drunk, and catching a whine and daggering, that’s our fault for doing that. But it’s us that has to take the responsibility of using this time when our voices are amplified the most for it to be something meaningful and purposeful, and joyous as well.”

Green growth and youth key for Africa

Daughter of late Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai is keeping mum’s legacy alive. By Vic Motune

TO MANY people in Africa, the late Kenyan Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai is regarded as a heroine.

Her tenacity and fearlessness in fighting to protect Kenya’s environment and put a stop to deforestation saw her stand up to the country’s government, incurring the wrath of former president Daniel arap Moi.

When she passed away in 2011, noted South African academic Professor Shadrack Gutto said Maathai was someone who “belongs in the league of Nelson Mandela”.

He added that she was “someone who fought for others and never thought of herself, working tirelessly to advance the freedom and dignity of others without expecting anything in return”.

Maathai came to world prominence after she founded Kenya’s Green Belt Movement in 1977, a network composed of more than 4,000 community groups which aimed to plant trees and empower women in rural areas and their families to create sustainable livelihoods for themselves.

At the time of its launch, increased deforestation meant they were travelling longer distances to collect firewood used in cooking and heating the home. This in turn meant less time tending to crops and looking after their children.

Since its launch, the Green Belt Movement has had a tremendous impact in the east African country.

Over 50 million trees have been planted on farms, schools, along rivers, and in the countryside, and hundreds of thousands of women have become involved with the organisation.

His Royal Highness The Prince Charles of Wales, who is known for his lifelong advocacy on climate change and the environment, said he “admired and loved” Maathai at an event celebrating her life in 2013 at Kew Gardens, London.

A decade after her death, Maathai’s legacy is being continued by her daughter Wanjira, a noted environmental campaigner in her own right with over 20 years’ experience advocating for social and environmental change.

As well as being the Chair of the Wangari Maathai Foundation and former Chair of the Green Belt Movement, Wanjira has exerted major influence through her work as Managing Director for Africa and Global Partnerships at the World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research non-profit organisation.

In this role, Mathai convinced Kenya’s former Environment Minister Judi Wakhungu to restore 12.6 million acres of deforested land in Kenya by 2030.

“My mother always used to say that the environment is our life support system, we destroy it at our own peril,” Wanjira told The Voice.

“And so at the heart of the Green Belt Movement’s work is this understanding that we need to heal the Earth, we need to dress Earth in her green dress, as she used to say. The planet is the source of everything we need to survive. If we don’t do that, we essentially compromise our own ability to live on a very fundamental level.

“That’s what she was talking about over 40 years ago, and what she had already seen. That this message has grown even more relevant today. Now, without any doubt, climate change is the one issue we all are facing, and the threat is existential.”

While her mother had to face some tough opposition to her ideas from Kenya’s politicians, her campaigning has ensured the issue of protecting the environment is now firmly on Kenya’s political agenda.

However, while there is more support for protecting the environment, other challenges have emerged since her mother’s death.

“Africa’s cities are growing faster than cities in other parts of the world, and the infrastructure is now being developed for the next 50 years,” she says.

“The big question now is how do we create a green city? Most of us in the developing south are still trapped into thinking that somehow more roads means more commerce.

“My argument has always been that you can have economic growth, and develop in a climate resilient way. The two are not mutually exclusive. This is the green agenda for our cities and it’s the work that is still ahead for us.”

Given the future growth of cities on the continent, another important focus of Wanjira’s work is investment in renewable energy technology such as wind and solar power.

Recent studies have shown that although the continent’s energy generation resources are significant, they are not evenly distributed.

“There’s a big discussion at the moment around what Africa’s energy agenda should be,” she says. “I believe it has to be especially focused on the fact that we have to transform the lives of African people who are the poorest in the world today.

“Africa is only responsible for four per cent of global emissions so mitigating against climate change is not an African agenda. The agenda for Africa is building the sort of resilient infrastructure and economy that will help us face the worst of climate change.”

The campaigner says she is especially proud of the work that young people are doing in shaping this agenda through the work of the Wangari Maathai Foundation launched in March 2015.

“When my mum passed away, we were thinking about ways her legacy could continue,” she recalls. “The Wangari Maathai Foundation was created with the aim of bringing youth into that legacy. The future of Africa really lies on young people when the continent has an average of 19.

“I’m really proud of the fact that when the foundation was launched seven years ago, our goal was to create a vibrant forum for youth in Kenya and we’ve done that.

“My hope is that we can now use this forum to continue to support youth leadership, and eventually help get a young person elected into office. That would be a great accomplishment.”

TRAILBLAZER:

Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai is congratulated by her daughter Wanjira after she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 (photo: Getty Images)

Roots, culture and innovation

Playwright and artistic director Kwame Kwei-Armah reflects on his journey and the influences that inspired him. By Richard Sudan

“ACTUALLY, I’M really joyous when I look back and see how filled with love and politics and energy my home was. Because it countered the very cold physical environment of Great Britain at that time… and the institutional racism which we didn’t even have a name for back then”.

Kwame Kwei-Armah recalls his childhood and humble beginnings. Now artistic director at the Young Vic, he is also known as an actor, playwright and singer.

He became a household name after finding fame in his breakthrough role as paramedic Finlay Newton on the BBC’s smash-hit hospital dramas Casualty and Holby City.

Before that, when he was a budding filmmaker, Kwei-Armah got a grant from The Prince’s Trust, which he describes as a “pivotal moment” in his career.

But his path to success was not an easy one. Like so many Caribbean families who moved to Britain to rebuild “the mother country”, his parents provided him with a foundation from which to thrive and build, enamoring him with self-belief and a determination to succeed.

He might not have known it then, but his parents had enriched him with priceless gifts which would prove key to opening doors, traditionally locked for many from our communities.

Speaking fondly of his early days growing up in Southall, west London, the main source of Kwei-Armah’s inspiration is clear. Travelling the world and being well-read from a young age no doubt contributed and added to his character.

But it seems his biggest influence was a lot closer to home. If he is considered something of a renaissance man today, it’s because of the example of his mother.

“I grew up seeing my mum child-minding, nursing, being a hairdresser on Saturday mornings at the house, and crocheting. I saw her doing many different things.

“So to me doing music and acting and singing, directing and writing – I’m fortunate that these are artistic and brilliant things – I’m just following the tradition of my mother that we turn our hand to whatever blessings we’ve been given.”

His blessings indeed reaped dividends, writing multiple successful plays and notching up prestigious awards includ-

ing the added triumph of being the first person of African-Caribbean descent to have a play aired in the West End.

But before all that, young Kwei-Armah would have to navigate the rampant racism of the 1970s and 80s. “It was hell,” he says. “ I lived in a period of naked aggressive racism. The kind of racism where nearly all of my cousins and my friends certainly were chased, stabbed, and cut. We all lived through that on a daily basis. Going to school in the morn- ings, which was a seven-mile trip, was like a war zone.”

“But each time I faced something I did not know how to beat, my sense of worth was fortified by my home environment,” he adds.

If Casualty was Kwei-Armah’s big breakthrough on TV, it was the backdrop to his life growing up which paved the way for his breakthrough to the stage. Some of those early formative early experiences, seeing skinheads on the streets of Britain, alongside police racially harassing black and Asian people, became themes in some of his first plays, like

A Bitter Herb. Among KweiArmah’s early works as a playwright is Elmina’s Kitchen, depicting life on the gritty streets of East London, centred on a family surrounded by gang culture and crime while trying to keep on the straight and narrow. The play won KweiArmah a string of awards including The Evening Standard’s Most Promising Playwright of 2003. And it would also put him on the map as a formidable writer.

“I had written two plays before that,” he says, in a nod to both Blues Brother Soul Sister and A Bitter Herb. “Elmina’s Kitchen, though, was my leap at the National Theatre. And it was important as my big breakout because it was the first time I could say to everyone: ‘hey, I do multiple things’. I know longer had to hide.”

There have been many firsts for Kwame Kwei-Armah. When he first began delving into the arts to eventually become a jobbing actor, black faces in prominent roles were few and far between.

“When I became an actor, it became clear that black actors had jobs while white actors had careers. Now we have a generation of black actors who have conquered Hollywood.”

One of the black actors conquering Hollywood is Star Wars legend John Boyega, who stars in a new movie called Breaking, written by Kwei-Armah.

“This was not even conceivable when I was a young actor. Not even perceivable that the director of the Young Vic would be black. We were perceived as black actors that couldn’t do the classics.”

No doubt, while there are still strides to be made in black representation in the arts, he may have blazed a trail for others to follow and from which to draw inspiration.

He knows, though, and remarks on all of the black actors before him who had their talent and careers sidelined by a white-dominated industry. Black and Asian actors back then raised their voices not enough to see themselves enjoy success, but enough that subsequent generations like KweiArmah could make it.

“We forget how cold this country was to black people. We ignore how many generations were assassinated by institutional racism. How many people should have had careers but the culture was not ready for them. I stand on the shoulders of giants.”

The artistic landscape has changed and, while there is more work to do, Kwei-Armah clearly sees himself as part of the tradition of those opening the door for others – and holding it open.

“I found it in my mother’s house the other day,” he says. “A thing called the Afro-Asian register of 1984. Black actors had been battling. The industry kept saying we don’t know who you are. So those actors created this directory of talent and it clearly said ‘here we are, now you can see us’. The faces in that book, the elders, nearly all of them were wiped out by the system.”

Kwei-Armah became part of the change which he knew was needed in the arts, and then some. And his best work might yet be to come. But before that, Ian Roberts, as he was known up until his late teens, had to become Kwame Kwei-Armah. “I didn’t want to carry the name of someone who had enslaved my family.”

Alex Haley’s Roots had a profound effect on young Roberts. It’s a book which I’d guess has impacted millions of lives, while speaking to millions of lives, too.

For young Kwei-Armah, it was the televised series and a very famous scene which became part of the straw which broke the camel’s back, propelling to a path which led him to change his name, from Ian to Kwame, aged 19.

The part of Roots in question is when Kunta Kinte is being whipped by the overseer. Kunta refuses to accept his slave name, Toby. He relents, eventually, at the point the whipping nearly kills him, like it did for so many other captive Africans. But he never loses a sense of his

I lived in a period of naked aggressive racism, where nearly all of my cousins and my friends were chased and stabbed

MEMORABLE MOMENTS:

Clockwise from left, Kwame Kwei-Armah became a household name after fi nding fame in Casualty and Holby City;presenting the Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in 2017; shaking hands with Prince Charles as he hosts a reception for supporters of The Powerlist at Clarence House earlier this year (photo: Getty Images)

heritage, naming his daughter, Kizzy, meaning ‘one who stays put’.

Roots led him to research his own family tree using archives in London, eventually connecting with the land of his foremothers and fathers in West Africa.

“The horrors of slavery had created an anger and a pain. I knew I had to do it. My parents had travelled 3,000 miles to give me a fi rst-world education that was their gift to me. And what was the gift I wanted to give to my children? I didn’t want them to look back like I did, and be able to move forward”.

Kwei-Armah means ‘born to fi nd the way’. Kwame means ‘born on a Saturday’, and also ‘One most ancient’.

There was a little pushback from his family, he says, in accepting his new name, but his mum called him Kwame from the moment he told her.

For someone whose politics is so clearly grounded in radical black tradition, scholarship, a sense of history and commitment to breaking what were once traditional barriers, help as a young artist came from a surprising source.

“When I was younger, I applied to The Prince’s Trust with my brother and cousin for a grant when we were trying to fi nd our way to become fi lmmakers and we got a budget. We were able to employ someone to help us get started.

“It came at a pivotal moment. I felt like I was losing at that time. Getting the grant gave us a real lift in trying to become fi lmmakers. It didn’t happen, but it gave us the boost we needed.”

What advice might he have for a younger version of himself or for young people in general, who also dream of success within the arts? “I tend to refer to my 19-year-old self and my 26-year-old self, very often,” he says. “I say be true to the vision of yourself and most importantly of all, believe.”

Breaking into the industry is tough, Kwei-Armah tells me, and not for the faint-hearted. Only do it, he says, if your soul whispers to you and says that pursuing art is the only thing you have to do, and must do, in this life.

His soul has never stopped whispering to him and the power and importance of art

Be true to the vision of yourself and, most of all, believe

and the role it plays in contemporary Britain, is as important and necessary as ever. He’s a man in love with his craft, and wants others to be part of it, too.

“Art has the role of holding up a mirror to society and asking; ‘do you like what you see?’ If not, do something about it.”

He mentions the pioneering work of the late Octavia Butler, the black American writer, and working generations helping to push black actors into science fi ction. A whole movement was born from her work called ‘Afro Futurism’. Black people realised that they had a place in the future as well as the past, instilling a sense of belonging and entitlement.

As you would expect, he has a number of projects in the works, including a planned musical celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela. It might be the fi rst of its kind and certainly one to look out for.

“We have three guiding lights at the Young Vic,” he adds. “Innovation, access and community.”

Community seems a great word to end the interview on. Kwei-Armah continues to honour the community from which he came, both London and Africa, while his contribution to the global artistic community is colossal, and far from over.

44

| THE VOICE SEPTEMBER 2022 Music ‘I’ve opened the doors I created’

BREAKING

GROUND: Shirley Thompson’s work is now being recognised (photo: Gary Thomas)

COMPOSER, CONDUCTOR and violinist Dr Shirley Thompson knows a thing or two about the music genre of opera that may help to shape the minds of the future.

Thompson has been immersed in music her whole life. Hailing from east London’s Forest Gate, she tells The Voice that, having written over 300 pieces throughout her career, it’s only now they are being recognised.

Undeterred by the lack of widespread adulation, Thompson has identifi ed the dynamic as a pattern that keeps repeating itself, especially where black people in the classical music space are concerned.

“My violin teacher, Edmund Reade, was a Jamaican virtuoso. He came over to England and at 16 years old, he went to the Royal Academy, where normally you are 21,” she said.

“He came here with a scholarship and went on to lead all of the main orchestras in the country. He also led the English National Opera orchestra for 20 years. But nobody saw him on television. I’m thinking, why isn’t he being shown?

“I glimpsed him once at the London Palladium when the leader of the orchestra was introduced to the Queen.

“It was a glimpse and that was it, but it was a Jamaican man leading the English National Opera for many, many years.”

Thompson has never been put off by the notion of not being able to see people like herself

Dr Shirley Thompson has achieved many ‘fi rsts’ in the world of classical music. She told Joel Campbell what drives her

within the classical music world. Her parents instilled a level of self-belief in her which has seen the artist cross every frontier that has presented itself.

“My parents’ motto was ‘whatever you have the mind to do, which means the vision, you can do it’,” she said.

VISIONARY

Learning about some of those who have infl uenced Thompson’s career leaves you in no doubt about why the “visionary artist and cultural activist” is the fi rst woman in Europe to have composed and conducted a symphony within the past 40 years. New Nation Rising, A 21st Century Symphony performed and recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, is an epic musical story celebrating London’s thousand-year history, and one in which the RPO is accompanied by two choirs, solo singers, a rapper and dhol drummers, a total of nearly 200 performers. Thompson has always had a vision, one that comes from an inherent ability to see a pathway which connects to her musical utopia, even if that pathway didn’t literally already exist. She said: “As an artist, you have to have a vision, and in ways I have acted on the visions I’ve had for a very long time. I created the doors and opened them.

“I’ve had to create my whole path in the industry of classical music. I’ve always been pan-Africanist, from university.”

As a teenager, Thompson set up a supplementary school for children of African descent. Being a part of a pan-Africanist group at that time, she believed that education was “the best way forward for everybody”.

Her self-set challenge then and now was to fi nd a way to ‘marry the radical with what she was doing in classical music’ in order to make it sound “approachable and attractive”. She explained: “I would, for example, on the violin, I would play African folk songs, Caribbean folk songs, and the audience loved it, it brought the house down.

“I’d found a way of attracting audiences of African descent into what I was doing as a classical composer. There was nobody doing that at the time. At the same time, I was also introducing my new classical works and people loved what I was doing.”

Galvanising an unconventional following brought Thompson into confl ict with “the mainstream” of contemporary classical music. Playing a mixture of reggae and soul but with classical music as well, Thompson set up her own orchestra in the 1990s, fi lling venues such as the Royal Festival Hall with her unencumbered sound which was turning heads.

Having started to write opera, Thompson began to further impose her will on the classical music scene, producing music that would stand the test of time.

have a vision, and in ways I songs, Caribbean folk songs, and

ENDORSED

“This was unprecedented because at that time, opera was Greek myth and tragedy. There was nobody looking at what was happening in London, present day London, Queen Nanny of the Maroons, the women of the Windrush,” she said.

“I wrote about the Windrush, an operatic piece about the Windrush in 1991. That’s how early I was looking at the Windrush when nobody else was.”

Though she still harbours ambitions of landing a Grammy or playing at some of the world’s greatest venues, Thompson’s craft has been endorsed at the highest levels. Currently Reader in Composition and Performance at the University of Westminster, her works are seeing growing interest from around the world.

“In 1981, I wrote a piece about SUS, stop and search,” she said. “It’s like I was making documentaries in music. I was trying to fi nd a representation for myself within this platform where I wasn’t at all represented. I didn’t see myself anywhere.”

She added: “I’ve been the only woman of African descent to do any of those things. But as far as I was concerned, I’m born and brought up in England and I am on the same platform as any of my contemporaries. So I don’t measure myself in that way.”

Inspiring Errollyn speaks to hearts and minds

SEEING ERROLLYN Wallen enveloped as the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama’s Artist in Residence last year, served as a true beacon of light for black people aspiring in the classical music space.

The composer and musician’s residency ‘is the start of a long journey together’, said director of music Tim Rhys-Evans at the time.

He added: “Errollyn is an artist that embodies our values as a college. She’s changed the perception of what music means to society and we’re looking forward to her inspiring future work from our composers, and that our work will inspire her.”

As Shirley Thompson says, the importance of including the narratives of all of society within the fabric of the arts is key to ensuring the story and the art itself, is relatable to the many. Wallen’s appointment at the college, of which The Prince of Wales is President, brings about a confi dence that Thompson’s journey need never be repeated. The lessons have been learned and recruiting the best in their fi elds should always be the agenda.

“Communication is central to Errollyn’s work — engaging the audience, speaking directly to hearts and minds, and creating work that responds to the community and enhances it,” said head of music performance Kevin Price.

“Our job is to train professional listeners and Errollyn is the ultimate example of someone who has deep empathy and care, and that’s the infl uence and inspiration we want to bring to our students as they train to be the musicians of the next generation.”

From Town Hall to the Palace — and beyond

Eva Omaghomi’s remarkable journey, and what it’s like accompanying The Prince of Wales on overseas visits

SHE IS the Nigerianborn Christian minister who is advisor to the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

Eva Omaghomi is responsible for helping the Household reach across cultural and faith boundaries, both here and abroad.

But despite having worked with the royal couple for more than a decade, Eva started at the town hall, not the palace.

Her career began as part of Ken Livingstone’s team when he was the mayor of London.

Part of the team that won the London Olympic bid, Eva was also in the office the next day when the tragic London bombings happened on July 7, 2005.

Her move to the palace, nearly 15 years ago, made her the second senior black communications professional to advise The Prince of Wales.

DIVERSITY

She followed in the footsteps of Colleen Harris (see page 52), the former communications secretary, who has served prime ministers as well as princes, and now runs her own firm.

For many years, the Household of The Prince of Wales has believed strongly that his team should have the diversity of all the countries that The Prince serves.

Eva was part of the awardwinning Clarence House team which managed all media plans for the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, in 2011.

She was the one tasked with finding the gospel choir for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. Kingdom Choir’s rendition of Stand by Me was one of the most moving moments of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s day.

Eva has travelled to more than 50 countries on behalf of The Prince and The Duchess and also The Duke of Sus-

She is a person who delivers, who is determined to use her drive and enthusiasm to help others

sex. Most memorably, she accompanied The Prince’s to Nelson Mandela’s funeral in his hometown of Qunu in the Eastern Cape.

Eva describes the trip: “As an African, I know how we celebrate a long life well-lived but I have never seen anything like the arrival of Madiba’s coffin into Qunu.”

“People were singing, dancing and it became sheer euphoria,” she added.

“Seeing that and being in his hometown was one of the greatest privileges and most moving moments of my life.

“Even in his death, his presence had that much agency.”

She has helped plan for the royals at Commonwealth Games in Delhi, heads of government meetings in Sri Lanka, and UN Assembly meetings in New York.

It is not surprising, then, that nearly five years ago, when Prince’s Trust International (PTI) was looking to start programming in Africa, group chief executive Dame Martina Milburn looked to Eva for help.

Dame Martina said: “Eva came to the Trust to help support on several levels — to use her impressive network to help expand our global reach, and to see if the charity could support young people in Ghana and Nigeria.

“It is a testament to Eva’s skills that PTI started its Ghana programme a few months ago and is hoping to be working in Nigeria by the end of the year. HELPFUL PERSPECTIVE: Eva Omaghomi has advised the Prince of Wales on ways to reach across cultural and faith boundaries

“Added to that, Eva also helped the charity in Rwanda and Kenya and was pivotal in supporting its expansion across the Caribbean. She is a person who delivers and who is determined to use her drive and enthusiasm to help others.”

ACHIEVEMENTS

For Eva, The Prince’s Trust was a natural fit. The Prince’s Trust has helped more than a million young people through education, employment and enterprise.

The charity now extends to the Commonwealth, the US and beyond. She said: “I wanted to have a role that made genuine, impactful social change.

“I need to believe in what I do. The Prince’s Trust is one of His Royal Highness’s greatest achievements so it was a real honour to be asked to help.”

And the impact of Eva’s work was evident at The Prince’s Trust USA Global Gala in New York this April. Hosted by Lionel Richie and Vogue editor Edward Enninful, the event raised more than $1 million (£850m) to increase opportunities for some of the most

I wanted to have a role that made genuine, impactful social change. I need to believe in what I do. It was a real honour to be asked to help

disadvantaged young people. Under the guidance of the Africa Advisory Board, The Prince’s Trust now works in six African countries and 14 others worldwide.

Eva’s new mission is to support The Prince and The Duchess in the newly created role of Director of Community Engagement. The role is a direct response to the COVID pandemic’s effect on minority communities and the Black Lives Matter protests.

One of her first tasks was to support The Prince at the

ceremony in Bridgetown as Barbados became a Republic, forgoing a future King Charles. At the ceremony, The Prince acknowledged the “appalling atrocity of slavery”, and also made clear just how comfortable he is with the self-determination of those nations that still have the Queen as their monarch. It is a process that if it happens, The Prince believes will do so “calmly and without rancour”.

Since taking up her position as Director of Community Engagement at Clarence House, the Royal Household is publishing its diversity figures as part of the continued commitment “to reflect the communities they serve”. In the first year since the publication, the figures have increased from eight per cent from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background to 12 per cent.

Eva is keenly aware of the convening power of The Prince of Wales. So it is no surprise that some of her first interventions include working with Baroness Doreen Lawrence (see page 21) to bring together social media and faith groups to try to tackle hate crime.

The Prince’s passion to reach across cultural divides now has a new champion. It will be interesting to see where Eva focuses next.

Saluting our black

Marcia Dixon MBE speaks to the Bishops of Dover, Rose Hudson-Wilkin, and Croydon, Rosemarie Mallet

WHEN THE Bishop of Dover, the Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, was growing up in Montego Bay, Jamaica, she never dreamed she’d be ordained as a Bishop of the Church of England.

She recalled: “It was never amongst my wildest dreams. I felt a call at a very early age to be a priest, but expected to serve in Jamaica. It’s only because I came to the UK to study at 18 and met my husband that I stayed here.”

Bishop Rose did her studies at the Church Army at a time when the CoE did not ordain women as priests let alone Bishops. However, she trusted God to bring to pass his calling on her life.

God has more than worked things out for Bishop Rose and she’s grateful. She said: “I have an overwhelming sense of the love of God alive in my life. I know if it had not been for God my life would be on a different trajectory.”

Bishop Rose is currently one of the most infl uential and most well-known black female church leaders in the UK. As the Bishop of Dover and Bishop in Canterbury, she presides over 300 churches in the Canterbury Diocese which stretches from Maidstone and includes Ashford, Dover, Thanet, and the Isle of Sheppey.

Bishop Rose is not fazed at all by the responsibility that comes with her role.

“It’s a challenge — but it’s a welcome challenge. In the book of Jeremiah where he said I’m only a child, God’s response was don’t say you’re a child, I’ll give you the words. I’ll equip you.

“For me, the important thing is to not remain daunted but to recognise that God gives whatever you need in order to lead in the places God calls you to be.”

During lockdown, the Bishop’s work became particularly challenging because churches closed down and moved services online. She believes the lockdown provided the church and individuals an opportunity to reset their lives.

She shared: “An elderly gentleman, in his 80s, told me, ‘I have been involved in churches all my life, but for the fi rst time in 60 years I’ve had to learn how to pray beyond being in the building.’ But for that one person, I am delighted that we were able to do that.”

PROTEST

Bishop Rose’s climb up the ranks has been a slow but sure one. She was appointed a deacon in 1991, ordained as a priest in 1994 and served at St Matthew’s Church, in the Diocese of Lichfi eld.

She then presided over two churches in the London Borough of Hackney, (Holy Trinity with St Philip, Dalston and All Saints, Haggerston) for 16 years.

In 2007, Bishop Rose was appointed as Chaplain to the Queen and in 2010, she became the fi rst woman to take on the role as Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons. She was appointed Bishop of Dover in 2019. Whilst serving in Hackney, Bishop Rose often had to comfort families who had lost children from gun and knife crime and was often frustrated by the fact that the black community acted more angrily to the killings of black people by the police as opposed to their response to black on black killings.

However, she too became angered by the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. She attended a Black Lives Matter protest in Canterbury and addressed the crowd.

She recalled: “I remember something changed in me. By the time BLM things were going on in relation to George Floyd here and across the world, I was in no doubt that I was going to go out and march as well, in spite of the fact that we were in lockdown. I was willing to be prosecuted. That was something worth going out for. We saw it with our eyes.”

She has seen a very slow shift by the CoE to deal with issues of racism. The Bishop believes the killing of Floyd upped the ante.

Despite being Bishop in a predominantly white area, Bishop Rose still takes a keen interest in black issues.

She played a major role in the commissioning and unveiling of the Windrush Monument at Waterloo Station — attended by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge — and currently serves as a patron of The World Reimagined, a national art education project to transform how people understand the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its impact on the world. She’s keen to see black people take stock of where they’ve been, where they are going and thrive. Amidst all that she does, Bishop Rose is keen to serve God and others from a pure heart.

“My commitment always

Black Lives Matter changed something in me. Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop of Dover

is to ask God to give me wisdom that I may be a faithful shepherd of the sheep, a faithful pastor, a faithful bearer of the good news worthy of the calling that has been laid “For me, the important thing was appointed Bishop of Do- by The Duke and Duchess of on me.”

INFLUENTIAL VOICE: Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin at her consecration service

COMPASSION:

Bishop of Dover, Rose HudsonWilkin at the unveiling of the National Windrush Monument at Waterloo Station, to mark Windrush Day; far right, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby

queens and bishops

PROUD MOMENT: Bishop Rosemarie Mallett fl anked by fellow Bishops at her ordination service at Southwark Cathedral; above, Bishop Rosemarie presides over an area which includes Crystal Palace Football Club

ROSEMARIE MALLET’S appointment as the Bishop of Croydon — the fi rst black woman to be appointed as Bishop in the Diocese of Southwark — caused great joy and not just because it marked a historic moment in the Church of England. The appointment also caused great jubilation in Barbados — Rosemarie’s island of birth.

Mia Amor Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, sent Bishop Rosemarie a letter of congratulations.

She wrote: “Whenever a Barbadian excels anywhere in this world it brings joy to us all, and the fact that Bishop Mallett, the fi rst woman to hold this high offi ce, is following in the footsteps of another Barbadian, the Right Reverend Wilfred Wood, who distinguished himself as the fi rst black Bishop of Croydon, makes this latest achievement even more commendable.”

The appointment of Bishop of Croydon sees Bishop Rosemarie, 63, presiding over an area that spans the boroughs of Croydon, Sutton, the district of Tandridge, the vast majority of Reigate and Banstead district, and parts of the borough of Bromley and Mole Valley District. Bishop Rosemarie is well aware of the pressures that come with mak-

I hope to be a role model for women of colour

Rosemarie Mallett, Bishop of Croydon

ing history. She said: “Being the fi rst woman bishop in the diocese, and a woman of colour means that young girls, and young girls of colour from poor working-class backgrounds like mine, can see that nothing is impossible with God.

“I have my brother in Christ, the Bishop of Woolwich, the Rt Revd Dr Karowei Dorgu, who has been a signifi cant role model for black clergy in the diocese, and I hope to play that role for women of colour also.”

The ordination service took place at Southwark Cathedral in June. Those present included The Archbishop of Canterbury the Rt Rev Justin Welby who offi ciated the service, the Bishop of Dover, the Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, well-wishers, family, friends and black clergy from other Christian traditions.

Bishop Rosemarie shed tears during the service. It was a truly spiritual moment for her.

She recalled: “On the day of the consecration, as the Archbishop poured the anointing oil over my head, I felt my life cup fl owing over, with God’s abundant love for me.

“Since I felt the call to ordination, everything I have done in, for, with and through the church has been in service to God’s people and to his world. To be appointed to the responsibility of a senior shepherd of the fl ock is truly humbling, but I also recognise the responsibilities that come with the role. To whom much is given is much

GUIDING

HAND: Bishop Rosemarie, who is known for her work with young people, with pupils from St Matthews CoE Primary School in Redhill expected, and I know that the church and the community will be both watching and praying for me.”

A woman of many talents, Bishop Rosemarie’s broad range of experience is well suited to her role. Though born in Barbados, the Bishop was raised in the UK. She studied at Sussex University and Warwick University and worked as a research sociologist and academic, specialising in international development and ethno-cultural mental health.

She trained for ministry at the South East Institute of Theological Education (SEITE) and was ordained Priest in 2005, serving as Priest-in-Charge at St John the Evangelist, Angell Town, from 2007 and was appointed Vicar in 2013. She was appointed as Archdeacon of Croydon in 2020 and served on General Synod from 2011-2021.

Bishop Rosemarie is particularly known for her work with young people. Over the years Croydon has regularly been in the news due to youth killings in the area. However, in recent month there has been a reduction in serious youth crime. The Bishop sees this as a good thing.

She said: “We have a saying about not putting your mouth on something in case it goes wrong. So, each day is a prayer for the safety of our young people, and for more and better working together by all those who have been collaborating in helping to lower the levels of serious youth violence for the past two and more years, which we pray is making the difference.”

The Bishop also named others who have played a role in reducing youth crime.

This included young people themselves resisting temptation, families that made an effort to listen to young people and who sought help to cope with challenging behaviour as well as schools, councils and community organisations that provided much-needed support.

She added the police for their commitment to good community relationships and churches who advocate, mentor and pray for young people.

It’s Bishop Rosemarie’s hope that Britain’s black community would reconnect with their faith to become a spiritual force to be reckoned with.

She said: “Come together more, pray together more, sing together more, worship together more, work together more for the building of the kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Be as one, as Jesus and the Father is one.”