Event to celebrate peace and unity in Windrush Square one year on from unveiling of Cherry Groce memorial

A community event to celebrate harmony and unity will be held in Brixton’s Windrush Square on later this month to mark one year on from the unveiling of the Cherry Groce memorial by the Cherry Groce Foundation and Lambeth council.

The memorial, in Windrush Square, pays fitting tribute to the life of Cherry Groce, an innocent mother who was shot in her home in 1985 by the Metropolitan Police.

The shooting sparked the Brixton uprising in which a community rose up in protest to the institutional racism and systemic injustice faced by Britain’s black community.

Lee Lawrence, chairman of The Cherry Groce Foundation and Cherry’s son, said: “One year on from the memorial’s unveiling creates a moment to come together in common unity.

“Whilst reflecting and paying homage to our past, it also gives us an opportunity to renew our commitment to building a peaceful and more harmonious community in Lambeth.

“By celebrating this milestone, it will uplift our community’s spirit and promote unity, especially following the Covid-19 pandemic, during which many of us have suffered.”

The Foundation is using the event, on Sunday, April 24, as an opportunity to share its new aims and objectives with the community, and will invite people to give testimonials at the event to talk about what the memorial has meant to them over the past year.

Organised by the Cherry Groce Foundation, there will be music, entertainment, performers, fundraising and awareness-raising stalls at the event, which will run from noon until 4pm.

Pictured top: The launch of the memorial in Windrush Square last year (Picture: Lambeth council)