A distinguished Windrush campaigner is set to deliver a keynote speech at HQN’s annual conference this summer.

Patrick Vernon OBE, a social commentator and cultural historian, will address delegates at the event on 13 July in London.

Patrick’s keynote address will focus on the significance of the 75th Windrush anniversary, touching on the positive impact of the Windrush generation to UK society and the ongoing issues with racism and structural inequalities faced by the BAME community, including access to decent housing.

He will also share his reflections on the 6th anniversary of the Grenfell fire disaster.

Patrick, who works in the voluntary and public sector, has been involved with developing and managing health and social care services, including mental health, public health, regeneration and employment projects.

A film maker, he runs his own social enterprise promoting the history of diverse communities, and is the founder of Every Generation and the 100 Great Black Britons campaign.

Additionally, he’s an expert on African and Caribbean genealogy in the UK and was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2012 Birthday Honours, for “services to the Reduction of Health Inequalities for Ethnic Minorities”. In 2018 was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Wolverhampton.

In 2018, Patrick led a successful campaign for 22 June to be recognised annually as Windrush Day, a national day acknowledging the migrant contribution to UK society.

He’ll be making an appearance on a special episode of the BBC’s The Repair Shop on 21 June to mark the anniversary of Windrush, during which he’ll bring along a radiogram that belonged to his late friend Eddie Noble, a Second World War veteran from Jamaica who settled in the UK after serving in the RAF. You can find more details here.

Other speakers at the HQN annual conference, which runs over two days in July, include: Richard Blakeway, the Housing Ombudsman; Jill Haley, CIH Vice President; Amanda Coleman, former Head of Corporate Communications, Greater Manchester Police; Charlotte Hilliard, Policy Lead – Professionalisation and Anti-Social Behaviour, DLUHC; Angela Holden, Assistant Director, Consumer Regulation, Regulator of Social Housing; and housing journalist Hannah Fearn.

Click here for all the details and to book your place.