Crawley turns 75: Charity commissions artwork to celebrate the town’s diversity

The legacy banner will be made-up of cultural fabrics from Crawley’s migrant community and will represent the town’s history of immigration.

Fabric artist Sam Murray has been commissioned to work on the Legacy Banner. She has lived in Crawley her whole life, so understands the importance of diversity to the town.

The banner wouldn’t have been possible without the generous donation of Dominic Clay of 141 Recruitment in Tilgate.

Crawley Museum has set up a collection container for the cultural fabrics and to date there have been 19 fabrics collected from different parts of the world.

Crawley has a rich history of immigration and the project is designed to remember those who have helped build the town and who continue to shape it in the future.

A lot of recent migration to the town can be easily traced, but DIVERSECrawley’s aim is to remember those who came from Africa, The Caribbean and South East Asia to work in the town’s hospitals, schools and other industries.

The completed Legacy Banner will be unveiled at DIVERSECrawley’s ‘World Day for Cultural Diversity’ event on May 21 2022.

Youth Mayor Leon Mukazi said: “Born and raised in Crawley, so I believe I know a thing or two about it.

“It’s a privilege to witness its rich culture and diversity, which can be seen in every corner of the town.

“Crawley is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the UK and within West Sussex, it’s the most ethnically diverse area.

“20% of people in Crawley were born overseas, which makes it 1 in 5 people. 27.9% of people in Crawley aren’t British.

“This enables us to engage in the sheer diversity of our town. It also emphasises the importance of sharing our own culture with neighbours, friends and people we interact with.

“It’s very important to share our cultures so we can learn more about each other.”

Fabrics will be collected until the end of January, so if you want to get involved please pop into the Crawley Museum or email: [email protected]