WHEN the statue of Colston was toppled in Bristol, the debate shifted to what we mark on our streets and what those statues really represent.

Councils across the country vowed to review their policy on statues but Hackney in London have taken it a step further.

As the first council to pass a motion defending the Windrush generation, Hackney announced its Windrush Art Commission, a public programme of community engagement which also includes two sculptures.

That commission will celebrate and honour the Caribbean migrants who literally sailed into the capital back in 1948 with two differing designs.

The first will be installed on October 1. Veronica Ryan’s large marble and bronze sculptures representing Caribbean fruit and vegetables will be unveiled near St Augustine’s Tower in the borough.

Her work references migration and movement and draws on her memories of visiting east London markets as a child.

Ryan hopes the sculptures will provide people with “a sense of visibility, connectedness, belonging and an ownership of history that is not taught in school.”

The second work is by Thomas J Price and will be a large-scale bronze sculpture that will sit outside the town hall.

Price will create two figures commemorating the generation of pioneers and their contribution and it will be unveiled on Windrush Day, 2022.

A larger-than-life physical representation of people from the African and Caribbean community, this second piece will be a bold celebration of the legacy of the Windrush Generation, while addressing the distinct lack of statues of black people in Britain.

As Price says: “This is an amazing opportunity to show how people connected to Windrush are part of the very fabric of this country.”

And the statues are just the start. Hackney council, working with Create and agency Blanguage, has also announced details of a supporting public programme of educational workshops and exhibitions that will run over the next year.

These include a website, special events and projects with the community at the centre and putting Windrush on the map for all the right reasons. Find out more from hackneywindrush.com.