Windrush Celebration 2026: Our Legacy. Our Health. Our Future.
Staff, researchers and community members came together on Monday 22 June 2026 for the Windrush Generation Celebration Day, hosted by the St Bartholomew's Hospital BME Network in partnership with the Black Health Legacy Study.
The day, themed ‘Our Legacy. Our Health. Our Future.’, marked 78 years since the Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury on 22 June 1948 and celebrated the lasting contribution of the Windrush generation to the NHS. As one speaker put it, the NHS and the Windrush generation were "born the same summer". The health service opened its doors just two weeks after the ship arrived.
Guests gathered at St Bartholomew's Hospital to hear from seven guest speakers across healthcare, research and industry. The morning opened with a keynote from Dr Jermaine Wright, who wove Windrush history together with a clear message - Black communities remain under-represented in health research, and that has a real effect on the accuracy of care.
That theme ran through the day. Dr Dimitra Stathi explained why Black African and Caribbean communities are around three times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than white communities in the UK, and why earlier screening and simple lifestyle changes make a big difference. Professor Sarah Finer and Dr Drews Nketiah then introduced the Black Health Legacy Study. They shared a striking finding that one in seven Black men carry a genetic change called G6PD deficiency. This can make the standard NHS diabetes blood test inaccurate, delaying diagnosis by around four years.
Rudi Page spoke about the Faith Research Network's work linking faith and community infrastructure with clinical research across north and west London, Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire. Guests then watched a recorded conversation between Rudi and Dr Nola Ishmael OBE, reflecting on decades of Windrush contribution to NHS leadership. Nana Agyemang closed the formal session with a corporate perspective on EDI employee networks, drawing on his work with the Barclays Black Professionals Resource Group.
On the day’s celebrations, Joy Olasoji, site lead for the St Bartholomew's Hospital BME Network, said:
I am incredibly proud of the success of this year's Windrush Celebration, which is believed to have been the first event of its kind at St Bartholomew's Hospital in over 25 years! It was inspiring to see colleagues come together to celebrate the remarkable legacy of the Windrush Generation, reflect on the contributions of those who paved the way before us, and explore how we can shape a more inclusive future for healthcare.
One of the highlights of the day was supporting the Black Health Legacy study, where we were delighted to recruit over 40 participants. Every participant brings us one step closer to improving our understanding of Black health and ensuring future research better represents the communities we serve.
The overwhelmingly positive feedback has shown a real appetite for more events that celebrate diversity, promote meaningful conversations, and strengthen connections across our Trust. This is only the beginning, and we look forward to building on this momentum with many more opportunities to engage, learn, and make a lasting difference together.
My sincere thanks go to all of our inspiring guest speakers, volunteers (EP Cardiac Research Team), and to Veronica Lee, Inclusion & Wellbeing Lead, for expertly hosting the conference and helping make the day such a memorable success.
Black Health Legacy
To coincide with celebrations, the Black Health Legacy Study team ran a stand in the courtyard at St Bartholomew's Hospital for the day, giving people the chance to meet the research team, ask questions about consent and data, and sign up on the spot.
Anyone aged 16 and over who self-identifies as Black, Black African or Black Caribbean (including mixed Black ethnic background) can take part. Joining the main study takes about 10 minutes requiring a short questionnaire and a saliva sample, with a £15 thank you voucher. The team also invited people without diabetes to book onto a related HbA1c study, involving two short visits to Charterhouse Square and a £75 thank you voucher.
The Black Health Legacy Study is co-led by Dr Veline L'Esperance and Professor Sarah Finer, working with a community advisory board chaired by Ruth Ajayi. Across its wider work, the study has now engaged more than 1,000 participants and partnered with over 70 Black-led community organisations, part of a long-term effort to make future medicine and diagnosis fairer for Black communities.
To learn more about the Black Health Legacy Study visit blackhealthlegacy.org.
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Speaker |
Topic |
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Dr Jermaine Wright, specialist registrar in cardiology and associate PI, Black Health Legacy |
Opening keynote: Our Legacy. Our Health. Our Future. |
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Dr Dimitra Stathi, consultant endocrinologist and diabetes specialist |
Diabetes in our communities: understanding risk, prevention and better health |
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Professor Sarah Finer, professor of clinical diabetes and chief investigator, Black Health Legacy Study |
Black Health Legacy: our opportunity to shape future research |
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Dr Drews Nketiah, clinical research fellow, Black Health Legacy Study |
Black Health Legacy: our opportunity to shape future research |
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Rudi Page, senior health systems advisor and community engagement strategist |
Community voices, community change: EDI and research advocacy |
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Dr Nola Ishmael OBE, former NHS director, nurse leader and leadership advocate |
Leadership and legacy keynote: Windrush contribution to NHS leadership and future legacy (video) |
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Nana Agyemang, proposition delivery manager, Barclays |
Creating opportunity through inclusion: the importance of EDI employee networks |