Our CEO was among the guests at No 10 celebrating the 70th anniversary of Windrush last Friday. Here's he tells us all about it.

What was the  significance of the event and who was invited?

The event related to the 70th anniversary of Windrush which is linked to the 1948 story of the MV Empire Windrush which was a ship which arrived at Tilbury Docks from Kingston, Jamaica, carrying 492 passengers of Caribbean heritage. The significance of this is that the passengers, many of whom had served Britain in the Second World War, were not allowed to depart the boat for a long period of time due to the volatility and racist opinions which sat across some parts of the UK media and political spectrum at that time. The passengers were eventually allowed to land and live permanently in the UK and subsequently contributed to the economic jobs capacity shortfall that followed the Second World War.

The people invited to the event were those who the current Government deemed as representative of the positive aspects that subsequently came from immigration over the years in general albeit this event had a particular Caribbean flavour to it.

What was it like inside No 10? 

The two words I would use would be “historical” in terms of décor and Caribbean in choice of food, drink and music.

How did you feel going through the famous doorway?

Fortunately, it’s not the first time I’ve been but it felt good to be representing both my ancestral heritage and the Trust at the same. As an aside, it was suggested to me by the official photographer that I remove my lanyard for a photo but I politely refused as it was important for me stay grounded and represent what got me the invite in the first place i.e., my parents, CFHT and the NHS.

Anyone famous there?

Yes the Prime Minister and Diane Abbott from the political world together with some colleagues from the world of business and other areas such as sport.