Celebrating 75 years of the NHS and the Windrush contribution. A call-out for African Caribbean NHS workers (past and present), their families and communities to tell our stories.

Community Champion Jackie Bailey would like to hear from members of the African Caribbean community who have practical experience of working in the NHS. We are keen to represent the voices and experiences of the wide range of workers (and their families and communities) that make up the NHS. This includes chefs, doctors, drivers, nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists, security, support workers and all other roles. Award-winning writers and experts in their fields will deliver workshops in a number of creative forms across the whole world of literature, allowing participants to shape how they tell their untold stories as members of Caribbean communities in Manchester who have worked in, or have family members that have contributed to the National Health Service.

The collated Windrush NHS Stories will be shared in June 2023 as part of the Manchester Festival of Libraries. Later in 2023, they will be featured as part of an exhibition at Manchester Poetry Library: Untold Stories of the NHS. Untold Stories will celebrate the contribution of workers in a range of roles and from diverse backgrounds to the delivery of care and to the NHS Story.

WORKSHOPS:

Location of all workshops: Room BR3.77 at Brooks Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, 53 Bonsall Street, Hulme, Manchester, M15 6GX
Time of all workshops: 10:30am – 12:45pm.
Light refreshments will be available at all workshops.

· Narrative and Biographical Poetry with Shirley May (Saturday 21st January 2023)

· Memory and Reflective Journaling with Jackie Bailey (Saturday 28th January 2023)

· Memoir Writing with Tarnya Coley (Saturday 4th February 2023)

· Scriptwriting with Keisha Thompson (Saturday 11th February 2023)

· Music and Lyrics with Sefton Simpson and Reece Williams (Saturday 18th February 2023)

· Fantasy and Belonging with Micah Yongo (Saturday 25th February 2023)

If you require further information, please email:
Jackie.Bailey@mmu.ac.uk.

For general inquiries about the wider Untold Stories of the NHS project, contact:
Jess Edwards, Head of the Department of English, Manchester Metropolitan University at j.edwards@mmu.ac.uk or 07799658708

To express concerns or to make a complaint about this project, contact:
Susan Baines, Faculty Head of Research Ethics and Governance, Manchester Metropolitan University, at s.baines@mmu.ac.uk or 0161 247 2511.