Members of the Windrush Elder community were invited to Vale of Glamorgan Council Civic Offices for the unveiling of the Windrush 75 Towers, which pay tribute to the 16,000 Black Caribbean men and women that served in World War II.

The Towers, which were produced in partnership by the National Windrush Museum and the Royal British Legion, are information stands which will be travelling around the Vale for the next 12 weeks for members of the public to view and learn more about some of the men and women from the Caribbean who served in the armed forces during World War II.

The Towers will be in the Civic Offices for the next three weeks before they are moved to Penarth Pier Pavilion.

Cllr Bronwen Brooks, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Sustainable Places, said: "We were honoured when the Royal British Legion asked the Council to host the Windrush Towers here at the Civic Offices and venues across the Vale for 12 weeks.

 "On behalf of the Council, it is my privilege to welcome the Windrush Elders to the Vale of Glamorgan and to recognise and thank those who answered Britain's call. These towers stand as a testament to their bravery and commitment for which we are eternally grateful. Thank you."

Professor Uso Iwobi CBE, Chief Executive of Race Council Cymru, said: "It is so lovely for all of us and the Elders to be here today. We in the African and African-Caribbean communities believe that the Elders give you the light to hold, they give you the baton to carry and run - we wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the Elders upon whose shoulders that we stand.

"The Windrush story came to my attention a few years ago when I was newly appointed to the Commission for Racial Equality. I attended an event in Bute Street, Cardiff, as the Vice Chair of the Black History Association Wales.

"At that meeting I met Mrs Elizabeth (Betty) Campbell. As she got to know me over the years, she began to pass on her need to share stories from our communities with me.

"She said to me 'many of us carry the legacy of those who came before us.'

"When you think about the people who have served this country to secure our freedom, there were so many from the Windrush generation, people who weren't born in this country but sacrificed their lives for it. This is why we have worked with the Office of the Lord-Lieutenant to honour the legacy of our Elders."

One of the Windrush Elders in attendance was Mrs Roma Taylor, a former nurse for Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps and founder of Windrush Cymru Elders.

Professor Iwobi added: "Auntie Roma Taylor was a nurse for over twenty-five years and is one of the people we are here to honour. Her story is one of forty-eight collected by the Royal British Legion. It is so important that these stories are never forgotten."

You can read more about Roma Taylor's story on the Windrush Towers within the Civic Offices.

To conclude the event, Yvonne Howard-Bunt read aloud a poem she wrote for and performed at the Senedd's Windrush 75 Celebration in June earlier this year.

Titled 'The Council of the Elders', the poem pays tribute to the sacrifices the Windrush generation made, recognises the challenges and discrimination they faced when they arrived in the UK, and the legacy they have left behind.

The Council of The Elders

The Elders all do gather

In the here and now and then

The council of the Elders

Liberty, parchment, pen.

It was in the aftermath

Of World War Two,

A war-torn Britain,

Harsh, cold and blue.

Opened its doors

To the Windrush group

War veteran, Commonwealth Citizens

Among the troop.

Answering the call

From the promised land

Your homeland country needs you

Are you willing to take a stand.

Come, come, your mother country needs you

You'll find a welcome here

Your education system is akin to ours

You'll fit in well, no fear.

Help us to build this nation

From the decimation of war

Come, honour your beloved country

We need, we implore.

Departing on the Windrush

For King and country same

To a distant land known as home

They sailed to unknown gain.

The Windrush found no welcome

In the homeland they believed they knew

Faced discrimination and rejection

The promise proved untrue.

They lived in poor cluster neighbourhoods

In Cardiff and Tiger Bay

Among Somali and Yemini People

And other settlers who paved the way.

And as is oft repeated

Throughout time down the track

The Windrush Group are pioneers

Who put us on the map.

That they may teach others

From the wealth of experience, they have gained

In building blocks for others

Through their struggles, they've attained.

So dearest Windrush Elders

Sing your stories clear and loud

That your voices rise to uplift us all

Above the noisy crowd.

Add to the bank of knowledge,

Pray your truth. Do tell

On this 75th anniversary

Let's fill and swell the well.

Time is littered with oral histories

Backstories from worlds afar.

They are part of our national landscape

The chronicle of who and where we are.

Let's refine and build the new narrative

In this timeless arterial wall

For the pioneers who came before us

And the loved ones who stood tall.

Let's build a bridge for everyone

And positively embrace

A shared sense of vision,

for the human race.

The footprint of our neighbour

Is entwined within our life

And so many who've passed before us

In struggle and in strife.

We are all kindred spirits

In the quest for life's chance

Let's share a common future

Let's partake and dare to dance.