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Sand, sea and …. Reading |
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Community strengths
Lyle Brome came to work specifically with the bus services in London, but he had an unfortunate experience when putting down a deposit for a house: “I came across in 1961, when I was 28, from Barbados to work as a bus conductor, I had been sent by my future wife to secure employment, as she had been hearing 
Carnival is what it's all about
© Pat Cutting |
I from friends that it was a good country to come to for jobs.
”I quickly became a bus conductor, and worked every hour of overtime could to save up for a deposit for a house. I deposited the hard earned sum of £200 with an estate agent, only to find I was one of six people who were swindled out of their house deposits.” Undeterred, he saved up again and brought his wife over from Barbados, to a house he had bought from a fellow Barbadian. He continued his hard working life through to his eventual retirement from his role as a Probation Officer in Basingstoke in 2003.
Dorothy Springer is a Barbadian who found the community spirit important when she came to these shores after a long boat trip from the island. She recalled: “I was 20 when I came to England in 1956 and one of my first memories was thinking all the houses were factories because they all seemed to have chimneys! When people came in the 1960’s they could talk to us – we’d been here for a while, and were able to introduce them to friends – 
The cultural link between Reading and Speightstown is celebrated
© Pat Cutting |
the community spirit was strong.”
Barbadians like Lyle and Dorothy came to England to improve their financial situation - to work, train, better themselves and perhaps return to Barbados. But it didn’t always turn out like that – many laid down roots in the area, through marriage and friendship, and so England remained their “home”. These individuals may have benefited personally from their emigration, but so too has the town of Reading. The 4,000 strong Barbadian community in Reading has contributed significantly to the local economy, working in factories like Huntley and Palmers, and Burberry, and setting up businesses in the town.
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