Bedford’s Caribbean Connections.
During November and December 2020 some members from Fusion Youth choir which is part of Faith in Queen’s Park took part in a history project on zoom that explored the history of Bedford and the Caribbean people that have settled there. We had a variety of wonderful guests each ready to educate the group in their own way. From local folk singers to Caribbean nurses, to Keeper’s of history, to stories of the Windrush generation, and Caribbean folk songs and stories. It was an engaging way to learn about the history of our town and hear tales from the Caribbean first hand.
We celebrated the end of the project with a presentation night which is available to watch on Youtube. There are some wonderful moments in the video where the young people present their findings in their own unique way. Such as a beautiful dance by Meagan Chase in response to Jack Sharps’ session where he played us his musical interpretation of a Bedfordshire folk song called ‘Lacemaker’ and what fun we had at the end as we all learnt the fabulous Calypso song composed by the young group incorporating some of the facts they had learnt over the 6 weeks.