Team Inspiration KYV

The community is our Inspiration - the people our intention - the cause our redemption

Windrush Silent Heros 2023

Our annual Windrush Silent Heroes Fundraising Dinner, Show and Dance is now in its 10th year. At this event our elders and their descendants come together to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements and contribution they continue to make to our rich culture and history.

OUR WINDRUSH SILENT HEROES AWARDS

2013-2023

2023 – Mr Euel Johnson
2022- Mr Anthony Bryan & Mr Micheal Braithwaite
2019 – Mr Aston Chambers, Mr Richard Lawerence & Mr Dudley Gordon
2018- Mrs Angella Rose-Howell, Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin & Miss Maxine Evans
2017- Paul Harrison & Mrs Gloria Beckford
2016- Dr Delroy Dunkley & Mrs Beryl Brown
2015-Rev Hewie Andrews & Lee Lawrence
2014 - Sybil Pheonix MBE
2013- Mr. Beckford

About Us

Here at Team Inspiration 23, we are driven to do our part in making the world a better place. Since 2000, we have taken part in a wide range of activities that empower individuals and communities. We strive to build productive relationships and make a positive impact with all of our pursuits.

Since 2013 Team Inspiration is proud to have been, and still continues to raise funds, support and collaborate with chosen charities. With your generosity, attending our fundraising events, purchasing raffle tickets, and the kind donations from our sponsors enables us to help 'a little at a time!"

The pandemic has changed our way of life (maybe forever) and we have had to adapt to new ways of doing things. in many cases, we have had to stop and reset. This has not been very easy for many of our community which has indeed caused more life issues than there were previously i.e. mental health, isolation and indeed loneliness.

Here at Team Inspiration all of our work is centred around caring for our community and it is with great pride we continue to work for and with our Elders to enrich the lives of those we care about the most to give them a sense of worth and to keep alive our rich traditions and cultural history.

Contact

The Health & Wellbeing community day was excellent! There was something for all ages to enjoy. The kids were well taken care of and had plenty of treats to eat and games to play. The young people seemed to enjoy themselves as well and it was nice to see so many of them there. The health sessions on Cancer, Diabetes and Hypertension were very informative and well presented by people who had themselves learned how to manage their conditions. I would love to attend such an event again as the community presence was evident and we all benefitted from being together. Well done Team Inspiration Let's have another one next year, please.

Our Programs

Making a Difference

C.A.C.E. (CALABASH AFRICAN CARIBBEAN ELDERS)

KORA

A creative entertainment and educational company which has had great success in delighting both children and adults of all ages with innovative and engaging storytelling, performances and workshops.

Kora has had extensive experience working with a number of schools, libraries, museums, NHS and community organisations locally and nationally.

C.A.C.E is based at the Calabash Centre in Rushey Green.

The Centre was opened in the 1980s, built by Lewisham Council

after a group of African-Caribbeans went into action to get a centre

where they could meet and socialise.

The current 'active' African-Caribbean group was reactivated

in October 2014 following the centre's refurbishment.

The group meets twice per week and it is a pleasure to listen to

them talking about their experiences when they first arrived in the UK.

Even with a lack of funding, the group continue to meet to keep

each other's spirits alive and to support each other's well-being!

Windrush 75 Years Celebration at the Calabash Centre

As a volunteer who does some craft work with the Calabash African Caribbean Elders Club, I was invited to attend the celebratory event for the 75th anniversary of the docking in England of the Empire Windrush on the 22nd of June this year. The event sponsored by the National Lottery was put on by Team Inspiration KYV CIC, for the Calabash African Caribbean Elders and other Elders in the community.

The event was very well attended by members of the club as well as another group who attend the Calabash and members of Kora another Elders club as well as Elders from the community.

From the very start, the event was lively, colourful, and enjoyable with steel pans. Endurance Steel Band, playing in the courtyard, and people dancing along while being provided with tasty drinks, bear in mind that this was a daytime event so fruit juice was featured here. There were several displays around the center showing memorabilia from the era as well as work made by the club members. The work was much admired to the pleasure of those who had contributed to the making of it.

After a while of mingling, we were all invited to the larger area for introductions and a prayer to start the day.

Our hostess Saleah was excellent, her storytelling and repartee were both amusing and informative. She involved other members of the audience as well as other performers.

Despite not being from the Caribbean myself I spent my career teaching in Catford with many children from the area as my pupils, and so the patois was largely familiar to me, and I was highly entertained by the informal and inclusive style of Saleah. She spent the day in character telling us stories and anecdotes about when she first came to England with her husband Hubert.

The stories involved the use of props which were artifacts from the era, and she often engaged with the audience to encourage them to remember, using, or having, such things as the paraffin heater that you could put your kettle or pot on.

As well as the banter there was singing of familiar songs, which everybody really enjoyed including me, and later a professional singer, Audrey Scott, sang for everyone and people again including me joined in by dancing.

After the first round of entertainment, we moved to the other room for lunch. This was provided by Refil who gave us a wide choice of popular Caribbean foods such as jerk chicken, rice and peas, macaroni cheese, curried goat, and rice, and so on. The food was well prepared, displayed, and most importantly tasty and the staff were outstanding, understanding, and catering to the needs of the elders. I had my favourite jerk chicken with rice and peas and enjoyed it very much. Along with the food, there were of course drinks available for all, no alcohol.

I had intended to go home at this point but was enjoying the day so much that I stayed on for part of the afternoon.

After lunch, there were a number of presentations to celebrate significant people such as Ms. Veta Louise Hinds who is 105. Her bouquet was presented to her granddaughter Susanne. Additionally, all elders in attendance received goodie bags filled with gifts, sponsored by Grace Food and Team Inspiration KYV CIC.

We went on to have a singsong which went down especially well. We were invited to guess the songs and we did very well. Personally, I enjoyed it very much since the songs were all familiar and I decided then that I was going to be fine when the time came for me to go into an old person’s home as I really liked the experience of singing along with friends.

I left after this and went excitedly home to tell my husband what a good day I had experienced. A day full of stories, music, and dance. A huge thank you needs to be given to all the organisers, entertainers, and catering staff for giving us all a great celebratory day, they did the Windrush Generation proud.

Eilidh Stewart