Allyson Williams MBE

I came to London in May 1969 from Trinidad to train as a nurse at the Whittington Hospital in Highgate.

To get over the loneliness when I first arrived, I met up with the friends in my set as often as I could. This was usually in the dining room every day at meal times. The food was full of carbs and very heavy but we had no choice but to eat it. As a result, we all put on loads of weight in a short space of time.

I always made sure I was invited out. We went to house parties most of the time in places like Wood Green, Tottenham, Golders Green, Brixton and Croydon. We danced to R&B and reggae. We went to a few clubs like the Cue Club in Paddington and Hammersmith Palais. My most favourite form of socialising was going to concerts to places like Wembley Arena, Ronnie Scott’s or The Odeon in Hammersmith and Finsbury Park.

When we worked late on Saturday night and early on Sunday morning, we still went out. We would party all night and return to the Nurses Home about 6am, shower and then go on duty for 7am.

We got dressed up to the hilt when we went out. I came with suitcases of clothes that my Mum made for me. My fashion statement was wearing a wig which I set with rollers in different styles.

We listened to music all the time, especially when getting ready to go out, as it got us in the party mood.

No one prepared you for how the patients were going to treat you. They’d slap your hand away and say, ‘Don’t touch me, your black is going to rub off on me.’ One day I stood up in the ward and said, ‘I know I am black. I have been black for 21 years. So tell me something I don’t know.’ And there was silence.

I met my husband Vernon in 1974. He was one of the founding members of the Notting Hill Carnival and he took me to a workshop where fellow Trinidadians were making costumes for Carnival. It felt like home. I was also very proud that they were sharing our culture and their creative talents.

Forty years ago we formed our own Mas band called Genesis. That first year we made more than 400 costumes. It was completely overwhelming! I was working full time at the hospital so I used to work on the costumes after my shifts. Friends used to come and sew and even our children stayed up at night with us to help. My husband was a stickler for detail so you had to do everything properly!

We always tried to tell a story with our costumes. Vernon used to do research on historical themes like the Egyptians, Aztecs and the Great Khans. We would then interpret the splendour of those times in our costumes.

When my husband died, my daughter took over the band and we’re still going strong. Carnival means so much to me. It has always been a celebration of our freedom and emancipation and acknowledgement of our ancestors. Here in London it’s all about family, community and inclusivity.

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Allyson Williams MBE

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