Windrush Day

Throughout the month of June, National Prison Radio will be marking Windrush Day by broadcasting special shows to celebrate Caribbean culture. These shows will include creative writing, poetry and lyrics from people in prisons around England and Wales. 

What is Windrush Day? 

Windrush Day celebrates the contributions of Caribbean migrants and their families to the UK. 

HMT Empire Windrush was a passenger liner that carried hundreds of passengers from the Caribbean hoping for a new life in Britain. It is regarded as the symbolic starting point of a wave of Caribbean migration known as the ‘Windrush generation’. 

What is NPR doing to mark Windrush Day? 

To help NPR celebrate Windrush Day, we have collaborated with Near Neighbours and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to deliver workshops that have taken place around the country. Each workshop was facilitated by James Batchelor, who worked with National Prison Radio during his own prison sentence in HMP Brixton in 2012. 

James says, “it has been an honour to be part of NPR’s Windrush Workshops. The Windrush story has importance to me as it is my story too, I’m part of the third generation of Windrush descendants. 

“I first had the idea to explore my Caribbean heritage when I was in prison. To have it come full circle to form an educational workshop that I run in prisons is close to a dream come true.” 

What happened in NPR’s Windrush workshops? 

Everyone who took part in the workshops was given the opportunity to learn about the story of Windrush and to create their own poetry, writing or lyrics. 

James says every participant was encouraged to “bring their own stories of migration and resettlement to the table.” 

He says “it’s been a privilege to meet all the workshop participants, in HMP Brixton, HMP/YOI Isis, HMP/YOI Styal, HMYOI Feltham, HMP/YOI Peterborough and HMP/YOI Stoke Heath. 

“If we are able to track the path that has already been trodden, it will help us remember the ideology that our ancestors came here with – to remember their dreams to pursue a better life.  

“We can all benefit from remembering that and reminding ourselves that we can and we should do better.” 

You can hear special shows to mark Windrush Day on National Prison Radio throughout the week of Monday 16th June 2025 to Sunday 22nd June 2025. 

Porridge is on every weekday at 7am and 11am, NPR Talk is on every weekday at 12 midday and 6pm and a very special Bob and Beyond will be on Sunday 22nd June 2025 at 9pm.

National Prison Radio is the world’s first national radio station for people in prison. It is available on in-cell TVs and Launchpad laptops in prisons across England and Wales. 

If you would like to get involved by asking a question, sharing a story or requesting 

a track, you can call us on 0808 123 1234. If NPR is not available in your prison, please let us know by calling 

0808 123 1234 and leaving a message to let us know.