Windrush: Portraits of a Generation: Leeds sitter to be featured in new BBC documentary led by King Charles III as part of 75th Anniversary of Windrush

BBC Arts has announced its new project called Windrush: Portraits of a Generation, a 75-minute documentary to honour National Windrush Day on June 22, 2023.

On this day we remember those who arrived in Britain during the Windrush era 75 years ago. His Majesty has commissioned 10 artists, from Britain and abroad, to create portraits of 10 pioneering members of the Windrush Generation.

The finished portraits will become part of the Royal Collection and will symbolise a lasting memorial to all the men, women and children who came to Britain from the Caribbean and helped to rebuild a nation devastated by war.

The sitters were chosen by the Windrush Portraits Committee, appointed by King Charles III and chaired by Baroness Floella Benjamin, OM DBE, along with Paulette Simpson, CBE, Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin, MBE and Rudolph Walker CBE.

When introducing the documentary, King Charles III says: “It is, I believe, crucially important that we should truly see and hear these pioneers who stepped off the Empire Windrush at Tilbury in June 1948 - only a few months before I was born - and those who followed over the decades, to recognise and celebrate the immeasurable difference that they, their children and their grandchildren have made to this country.”

Viewers will listen to first person accounts from the Windrush sitters, many of whom are in their 90s, as they speak openly about their experiences of arriving in Britain, making lives for themselves and the overwhelming contribution they have made to their communities, and the nation as a whole.

The film also follows the making of the portraits from behind the scenes, as artist and sitter come together, with the artists sharing their own experience of partaking in the project, as well as offering insights into their own unique creative approach.

Windrush: Portraits of a Generation is made by BBC Studios Productions for BBC Two and BBC iPlayer and the 10 portraits will go on display at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, from June 22 to October 16, 2023, and The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from November 10, 2023 to April 14, 2024 in an exhibition titled Windrush: Portraits of a Pioneering Generation.

The sitters and artists are:

- Delisser Bernard painted by Honor Titus

- Alford Gardner painted by Chloe Cox

- Linda Haye painted by Shannon Bono

- Edna Henry painted by Amy Sherald

- Carmen Munroe painted by Sonia Boyce

- Gilda Oliver painted by Clifton Powell

- Sir Geoff Palmer painted by Derek Fordjour

- Laceta Reid painted by Serge Attukwei Clottey

- ‘Big’ John Richards painted by Deanio X

- Jessie Stephens painted by Sahara Longe

Who is Alford Gardner and his painter Chloe Cox?

Alford was born in St James, Jamaica in January 1930 and is the fourth of 11 children.

At the age of 17, he volunteered to serve in the Royal Air Force and intended to migrate to the States. Instead, he and the other volunteers were sent to Liverpool, England on June 3, 1944.

During the Second World War, he served as an engineer and motor mechanic and after the war in winter 1948, he travelled back to Jamaica.

He found it hard to settle back in Jamaica, so in the summer of 1948 on the Empire Windrush, Alford made his way back to England and settled in Leeds.

While living in Leeds, Alford went on to help set up the Caribbean Cricket Club, which was established in 1948, and went on to become a hub for West Indians in the community. The club continues to operate today.

When Alford is not at home, he is playing bingo at his local hall and attends strictly every week.

During the documentary, Alford is painted by Chloe Cox; she is an artist based in Manchester.

Her maternal grandmother is from Aruba and her maternal grandfather is from St Kitts - both part of the Windrush era.

Chloe is inspired to capture everyday people as she believes everyone deserves to be represented and appreciated through art. Her specialty is oil painting with a photo-real style.

In 2020, Chloe won the young artist of the year award when she was 23 years old and the best young portrait award in the Supporting All Artists (SAA) Artists of the Year competition.