Downes launches debut book

The struggles and achievements of 24 Barbadians who migrated to the United Kingdom from as early as the 1950s, have been compiled into a single collection entitled Going Home To “Mother”. British-born Barbadian author, Sandra Downes, launched her first book on October 28, at the Rollo & Doddington Community Association building in Battersea, London, to a hall filled with mostly Barbadians. 

Among those featured in the non-fiction work are former cricket umpire John Holder, former West Indies cricketer John Shepherd, Trudy Aarons, the first black female train driver in England, Hallam and Ursalene Ifill, the first black couple to be married in the city of Bath, and Charles Crichlow, former head of the National Black Police Association. Soldiers, steel pannists, nurses, community leaders, priests, engineers, bus conductors, a doctor, funeral director and a school principal, are also included in the former journalist’s first book. 

The audience was treated to a slideshow of the contributors and a synopsis of each chapter. The book was later brought to life through the reading of excerpts by Verona Sandiford-Murray, Peter Walker, Gilmore Smith and the author. 

Betty Lewis, Barbados’ Attaché for Diaspora Affairs, was also in attendance, along with Chairperson of the Barbados Labour Party UK branch, Ken Smith, and newly elected Chairperson of the Democratic Labour Party UK Branch, Marcia Patterson. (PR)