Dear Supporters

I felt it important to share with you a real life story if how the treatment of the Windrush generation by the UK government has had devastating impacts on not only  those they targeted but generations of their families too.

I am very grateful to Mr Rodolph Spencer and his two daughters Sarah and Laura Spencer for giving me permission to share their story with you. 

This family has had to endure trauma and pain combined with economic, social and health detriments of the treatment of Mr Spencer which has impacted on three generations of their family. Mr Spencer was exiled in Jamaica for seventeen years. He and his daughters had to spend nearly two decades trying to get him home to the UK, starting when they were just teenagers themselves with no funds. They had to put their own lives and aspirations  on hold in order to focus on caring for and fighting for their dad.

Rodolph Spencer:

I arrived in England in 1956 and a 29 year old on a British passport as part of the Windrush generation and spent over forty years here.

I visited Jamaica in 1996 and travelled on my Jamaica passport as well also using my passport issued in 1968 with the indefinite leave to enter stamp which I always used when travelling to Jamaica. I had stayed some time in Jamaica and wanted to travel back to England in 1999 and my ticket was booked to travel. At the airport I was told that I could not travel as my passport with the IDE stamp was invalid. I tried to explain that this is an old passport; however I have always used this in addition to my valid passport without any problems. I was advised to visit the British Embassy and I missed my flight. I went home and did not understand what happened, and called my family in the UK who were distraught. I contacted the Embassy the next day who were not helpful and were not able to give advice to me at all and said I should have book an appointment to visit the Embassy. A few weeks later I went to Kingston, which is around 50 minutes away in a car from where I lived, and after queuing for a good while the lady behind the desk said “you cannot travel without a British passport and you only have a Jamaican passport", again I showed them the stamp to show I could travel. I was told you cannot travel and to move along. I contacted my eldest daughter Sarah who was around 19 years old to tell her that I have been detained in Jamaica and I cannot travel as they say I am not allowed back. Sarah and my younger daughter Laura said they will try and come to Jamaica which they did in around 2001, they could not come quickly as my daughters were young and could not afford the cost of the tickets without some time to save money.
 
My two daughters came to Jamaica in 2001 and started looking at trying to get me back to England and made a number of calls to the Embassy as well as visiting many times. This proved pointless as the issue of the invalid passport kept being mentioned and now I was told I needed a visa to travel. I asked why, the lady said you have been here too long and they probably will not let you back to England as you have no proof. My daughters went home which was very upsetting for us all and I felt hopeless, as by that time I was 75 years old, on my own with all my family in England. In 2003 my daughters saved again to travel and came back to Jamaica and tried again in contacting the Embassy and had no success as I needed a visa. I really did not want anymore stress from this as my health had deteriorated and I resigned myself to never been allowed back and even if I did apply for a visa I thought I would be turned down as a lot of Jamaicans were at that time, which I was told by staff at the Embassy.
 
By 2006 my health really went downhill and I was admitted to hospital in a serious condition suffering from serious hypotension, an enlarged heart plus a prostate condition. My daughters had to fly out. My daughters came to assist me with paying the hospital fees as I was only receiving my basic pension from England and could not afford the costs of treatment, tests and medication. I was in a desperate state and my daughters saw that I could not be left on my own, but as I had no family in Jamaica to help me, my younger daughter Laura made the decision that she would stay in Jamaica to look after me and to do this she gave up her job offer to be with me which affected her financial stability as she was no longer able to work and earn money which would have been around a full time salary per year and ended up staying in Jamaica for six years. In 2010 I was ready to try again and was advised by the British embassy to apply for a visa online, however I do not know how too use a computer, so Laura rang them for advice and was told this could be completed online or by an adviser in a travel agent, which was advised the best option. The agent advised that I would have difficulty and would be turned down for a return resident visa and that I should apply for a visitor visa,  which was done. This was denied on the basis that I had nothing to return to Jamaica to as my ties were in England! Unfortunately I do not have the paperwork for this, but hope this would still be on file for reference. I really struggled as I felt I was trapped, I was suffering with my health as well as financially in paying for medical treatment and frequent visits to Kingston to see the Doctor which, to give an example, cost $8000 a month plus $11000 for medical plus travel to Kingston by taxi which cost $5000, this does not include additional treatments and tests over time etc, this was out of my pension. As a result my daughter Sarah and her mother in England had to send money regularly to help me and my daughter Laura stayed with me as she had no money to help, being that she would not be allowed to work. I know now that my Sarah had to borrow money to be able to send money over the years as her wages did not cover the expenses and is now in debt. I felt so despondent and on top of this I suffered a stroke and was admitted to hospital in 2010.
 
Laura had to return home to England in 2012 as she was having a baby. This caused so much panic for us as a family as I would be left with no one to look after me; in the end we secured a paid helper to assist me with care. I found this hard to accept to have a stranger take care of me, but I was left with no choice as I was not allowed to come back to England with my daughter and felt humiliated every day and really wanted to be with my family.
 
In 2012 my daughter Sarah appointed a Solicitor Lewis Sidhu, to apply for a returning residence visa with the Solictor costs and visa fee paid by her. Lewis Sidhu assisted initially by completing the evidence etc and then referred us to another Solicitor, Amethyst Chambers, who provided representation at the tribunal. The Solicitor provided all details of my life in the U.K from working, having 3 children, me receiving a UK pension from England, length of time spent in England etc. This application was denied in December 2013 based on me being out of the country for over two years and that I showed no evidence of being legally a resident of the U.K. The Solicitor said to appeal and this was lodged to the tribunal. The case was heard in January 2015,  my two daughters and common law wife and the Solicitor from Amethyst Chambers were at the hearing and my appeal was allowed as the Judge stated that the ECO failed to fulfil his duty and to consider the matter by reference to the Article 8 issues raised and to consider whether or not to exercise discretion in the appellants favour, as I did meet the criteria on length of time in England and strong family ties which was provided as evidence. My daughter and grandson travelled to Jamaica to bring me back to England in May 2016.
 
I feel that I have been treated appallingly, this affected not just me but by family particularly my daughters who dedicated their lives in trying to help and this has placed a strain on us all and has been harrowing. Financially it has been costly when you consider all of the money that this whole situation has cost from medical treatment, my younger daughter Laura giving up her job to look after me for six years, leaving her with no money of her own, which will affect her in later life with her pension, not to mention giving up a good portion of her life, benefits I now know I would have been entitled to, costs accrued by my older daughter Sarah who sent money for us to survive, for flights, medical bills and paying visa fees and solicitor fees, not to mention my right to being with my family being denied, missing out on the arrival of my only Grandson, the effect on my health, emotionally and physically as I came back at 89 years of age, with failing health and wheelchair bound as I was not receiving adequate medical treatment which I would have received had I been allowed to return to England. 

This has caused huge devastation and I should have been back with my family in England many years ago and I have been prevented in doing so, I do not think my circumstances were taken into account and was simply refused entry, without due consideration. There is no help given by the Embassy in Kingston at all. I did not think I would have had such difficulty in coming back as I was not aware that restrictions were in place that would affect me, or that Britain would abandon me like this, considering I was invited to this country and how long I have been living and working, raising beautiful children in England and consider myself a British Citizen. By being detained in Jamaica I have being denied so much as mentioned and although I am now back here, I am going on 91 years of age and can only hope that I have enough time left in life to enjoy my right to me being with all of my family.

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Sadly this is not an isolated story , there are countless other experiences just like Rodolph's, Sarah's and Laura's.

This is why I believe that an independent public inquiry into the Windrush scandal is imperative. The families deserve compensations but they need answers too and for those responsible to be held accountable.  

Please can you share this update and if on social  media use the hashtags;

#WindrushJustice #endhostileenvironment #RodolphsWindrushStory 

Best Wishes and thanks 

Zita 

Zita Holbourne 

National  Chair BARAC UK