Floella Benjamin has confirmed the location of the new Windrush monument

The Baroness Floella Benjamin-chaired Windrush Commemoration Committee has confirmed that the permanent Windrush monument will be heading to London’s Waterloo Station.

The Lib Dem peer guest-edited The Big Issue’s special Windrush edition earlier this month, aiming to “give hope to future generations” and mark the first-ever Windrush Day on Saturday.

Baroness Floella Benjamin tells LBC why Waterloo Station was specifically chosen for a new Monument dedicated to the Windrush Generation.#WindrushDay pic.twitter.com/LCTaRRqZNj

— LBC (@LBC) June 22, 2019

And Baroness Benjamin OBE and the rest of the committee have also joined Prime Minister Theresa May in confirming the location of the monument, which will head to Waterloo after being picked out of a list of potential sites.

Now the committee will begin the search for a designer to create a “lasting, fitting” £1 million tribute to the Windrush generation and their descendants 71 years on from when the HMT Empire Windrush arrived on British shores.

“Having a Windrush monument located at Waterloo Station where thousands of Windrush pioneers – including children like myself – first arrived in London, will be a symbolic link to our past as we celebrate our future,” said Baroness Benjamin.

“The committee is determined to build a monument of great beauty and emotional impact which will lift the hearts of those who visit when it’s unveiled. I hope it will inspire pride and a sense of belonging to all those associated with the Windrush story.”

Every time I see the delicious cover and read the superb #WindrushDay articles in the @BigIssue I get a tingle, so thank you @ChristieLinford @LennyHenry @AinsleyFoods @NadinBenjamin @shirleyjtmusic @LawrencePatrice @brendaemmanus @StGilesTrust https://t.co/0kmaWJmyuh

— Floella Benjamin (@FloellaBenjamin) June 18, 2019

The Prime Minister added: “This monument will be seen by millions of people from all around the world who pass through this station each year, and will be a lasting legacy to the tremendous contribution the Windrush generation and their children have made to our great country.”

If you missed out on Baroness Benjamin’s guest-edited Windrush edition of the magazine, it is available now from The Big Issue Shop here.