Symone Williams hopes to honour the legacy of the 70 pioneers who helped create Notting Hill Carnival
A community trust is in a race against time to install the world’s largest Blue Plaque before Notting Hill Carnival on its 60th anniversary.
Nubian Jak Community Trust has created what they believe is the world’s largest Carnival Blue Plaque, honouring 70 pioneers who helped shape Europe’s largest street event. They hope to have it installed by Friday, August 28, before Notting Hill Carnival begins on the Bank Holiday weekend.
However, they need to raise £12,500 to have the plaque professionally installed in a prominent location along the Carnival’s route. Symone Williams, whose father actually took part in the first-ever Carnival 60 years ago, hopes to raise enough money to have the plaque installed to ‘honour her father’s legacy’ as well as the ‘people who were at the beginning’.
She told MyLondon: “The plaque was created around ten years ago, but has been in a community centre this entire time. I approached Jack (founder of Nubian Jak Community Trust) and said, ‘Why don’t we try to get this installed for the 60th anniversary?’
“I thought it would be a befitting tribute. We submitted for funding to the Heritage Lottery Fund and a couple of other places, but we were unsuccessful. A million people turn up to carnival every year – if they all just put £1, we’d surpass our goal.”
Symone hopes to have the plaque installed by Friday, August 28 at a ‘notable point’ so that Carnival attendees can walk past and acknowledge those who were pivotal in making it what it is.
She also hopes to have the Guinness Book of World Records come down and officially record it as the world’s biggest Blue plaque, but it can’t be officially certified unless it is on a wall and fixed in place.
She continued: “My dad was one of the musicians at the first Carnival and he got to play the drums alongside the likes of Russel Henderson. The legacy of my father at the Carnival stretches back, and this is a notable way to honour the people who created Europe’s biggest Carnival on its 60th anniversary.
“We know the community is stretched with so much going on right now but we need everyone to dip into their pockets and help us out if they can. It’s definitely urgent.”
Dr Jack Beula founded the Nubian Jak Community to honour and tell the stories of Black history in Britain. He has helped unveil plaques throughout London, from Claudia Jones to Laurie Cunnigham, the Windrush memorial in Brixton and an NHS Windrush Nurses and Midwives statue.
Notting Hill Carnival takes place from August to Monday, August 31, with more than two million partygoers expected to descend on West London.
If you would like to donate to the fundraise, you can do so here.
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