A CIVIC reception took place at City Hall today to mark Windrush Day.

The event was a celebration to mark 70 years since the arrival of migrants from Jamaica, Bermuda and Trinidad on the Empire Windrush, which docked at Tilbury, Essex, on June 22, 1948.

The reception was attended by dozens of people.

Egbert Wright, 93, who arrived in Britain in 1956, said: “Many of us have been here for many years. This anniversary will help us celebrate.”

Pamela Reid Harriotte, 65, said: “ I hope that younger people can grow up learning about this part of our history.”

Poet Martha Bell celebrated the day with a reading.

She said: “It’s really important to acknowledge what Windrush was about.

“They made the path here for us as descendants. They left their homes and land in the West Indies to come here and have to start afresh.”

The reception also included a performance from Appleton Academy pupils.