ECA was back to school last week with year 5 students at St Andrew’s CE Primary School with Windrush Voices contributors, Sharon and Sheridan DeRiggs. The school’s motto is ‘Love, Courage & Friendship’ which is the key theme of how Sharon met Sheridan.

The couple grew up in different parts of the spice island of Grenada and provided a vivid picture to the St Andrew’s schoolchildren of their idyllic life growing up on the island. The couple first met in 1967, as 13-year teenagers during their 21-day sailing journey on board the MV Caribia.

Initially, Sharon did not particularly like Sheridan. But they warmed each other, as the ship stopped at various Caribbean islands, picking up more children and other passengers before it arrived in Southampton.
Sheridan brought some props to the session and Sharon spoke about her first impressions of the UK. “Initially, I did not like this country. I just wanted to go back to Grenada. I had left behind the sunshine and beautiful flowers to come to this dull and grey country. I just wanted to go back home immediately,” she said.

Sharon and Sheridan went their separate ways with their respective families, once the shipped arrived in Southampton. Sheridan went to live in east London and Sharon in west London. They accidentally met at several separate occasions over the next few years before they started dating and marriage 48 years ago.

The pupils at St Andrews have been studying about migration and fired a number of questions to the DeRiggs including:

• Which country they preferred UK or Grenada?
• Any regrets coming to England?
• Favourite part of the world?
• First thoughts about the UK?

According to ECA Trustee, Roy Edwards who attended the school visit, “I was really impressed with all the questions from the pupils. They were aware of the Windrush generation and had read some of the literature about the time. At the end of session, loads of hands shot up with many interesting questions.”