Our Gal, Alison Morris

Written by Lindsey Atkinson, 3rd Generation Windrush.

On the 22nd July 2024, Blackpool Victoria Hospital held a small ceremony to open their brand new Wellbeing room, named in honour of Alison Morris – a nurse at the hospital for many years. Alison’s granddaughter Lindsey is a much loved member of ARC and we were honoured enough to be there on the day.

Here Lindsey tells us about how much this honour means to her and her family:

This month, our family celebrated a lovely occasion.

Everyone who attended was either a part of my grandma’s life, or is someone who has supported or celebrated our gal.

Our gal, who at aged 19 – travelled to England from Barbados by herself – worked day, night, and as much as she could to support her family both in Barbados, and her new family here. Throughout her whole career she never stopped studying and caring was in her bones.

She was someone who was capable of anything, a highly intelligent, popular person full of confidence, a flirtatious spirit, and a mischievous wit.

She is our rock and always held everything together. And I say still is, because she’ll always be the reason we push ourselves, and make the most of our lives for all she did and sacrificed for us.

So how did today come about?

In 2020, the BBC contacted me after seeing me on TV, talking about my grandma while promoting a project called Black Memories Matter for the museum I work at.
The BBC ended up making a short film about my grandma, which aired on Ceebeebies and is now a free online teaching resource for primary schools.

The fact that I hadn’t even heard of the term ‘Windrush generation’ until 2017, proves we still have a lot of educating to do, and there are some extra special people here today who are doing that vital work
… and, surprise surprise, most of them are Windrush members and descendants themselves!

This special tribute has been made possible because the hospital reached out to Anti-racist Cumbria after seeing their article about my grandma they published for Windrush 75- and we were able to be connected together.
The Preston Windrush generation and descendants UK group invited us to show grandma’s film at this year’s Manchester Windrush festival, and people from both organisations are here to celebrate this occasion today!

Our gal

My grandma dedicated over half of her life to her career that started here in this hospital, so it means the world to us that a more permanent tribute has been created.

Grandma worked and learned here, she lived here for a time when there was onsite accommodation, met her husband here, and navigated a whole new life, country, culture, and career as the only Black nurse for a very long time.

Me and my sister met my grandma for the first time in this hospital. But then she spent a lot of time here during the pandemic, and after, which was such a scary time.

We thank the hospital for deciding to offer us the chance to make a more lasting tribute to my grandma, and the fact her name will be spoken and remembered at this hospital means a lot to us.

As of today – we get to put the sad and scary times behind us.

She gets to be remembered as the inspirational woman she is instead of a vulnerable patient – She regains her respect, dignity and pride.

We love that her tribute is in the old hospital where she would have worked over 40 years ago.

We hope she makes other healthcare workers feel proud of themselves, in the same way she did.