Stories record a community legacy

STORIES from the community . . . the Anglo West Indian Club Community Project.

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THE stories of Oldham's West Indian community have been told to leave a lasting legacy.

A history project was launched in March to share the untold stories of Oldham residents from African and Caribbean descent.

Residents gathered at the Anglo West Indian Sports & Social Club on Saturday (21) where a DVD was shown to highlight the experiences of those who travelled from the West Indies to Oldham in the 1950s and 1960s.

The club has been somewhere for West Indians to congregate since 1972.

Catherine McManus, the High Expectations project co-ordinator, was successful in winning a grant of £19,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to get the idea off the ground.

She said: "My friend Caryl Agard from the West Indian community in Oldham realised there was an interest in collecting the stories of people who came here."

Photographs and associated stories used in the DVD are set to go on display at the Oldham Local Studies and Archives who have been partners throughout the project.

Committee member Elaine Padmore said: "I am second generation but when my family came they really suffered. They walked the streets and knocked on doors trying to find accommodation. It was the Polish and the Irish who gave us somewhere to live and offered us help. The English were not as welcoming."

Dunstan Clarke said: "The Hungarians and Europeans would let them into the house whereas indigenous whites would not even talk to them. This project is to ensure our children and our children's children know our stories."

Iva Mottley (74) moved from Barbados after being promised training at Northampton Hospital. Age 26 she moved to train as a State Registered Nurse (SRN). But when she arrived she found she would be trained as a State Enrolled Nurse (SEN). This put her back by two years.

President of the club Samuel Harris (83) said: "We hope to tell the stories of the younger generations too. But we really need the support of local people." For information email highexpectationsoldham@gmail.com.

• Check out more West Indian community pictures on our picture sales page.