Pardner Hand: A Caribbean answer to British banking exclusion

An exhibition by Museumand, The National Caribbean Heritage Museum

Pardner Hand: A Caribbean answer to British banking exclusion

An exhibition by Museumand, The National Caribbean Heritage Museum

Free, no need to book ahead. Extended until 20 December 2024.

On 22 June 1948, HMT Empire Windrush arrived in the UK from the Caribbean along with many Commonwealth citizens answering Britain’s call for workers after the Second World War. Once in the UK, they worked in skilled jobs such as nursing, transport, and manufacturing. 

Despite their contributions to society, many of the Windrush Generation were denied access to basic banking services such as loans and bank accounts because they didn’t have a credit history in the UK. Without access to the banking system, key financial resources such as securing a mortgage became nearly impossible. This led the Caribbean community to join together to support one another through Pardner Hand, an informal, community-based savings scheme. It is a kind of community-based saving method also known as a Rotating Savings and Credit Association (ROSCA) that is used around the world.

This exhibition explores this way of saving which was popularised by the Windrush Generation and highlights Caribbean entrepreneurship in the face of financial discrimination. It celebrates the legacy of the Windrush Generation and their descendants in the UK today, looking at how communities came together to support themselves through saving schemes such as Pardner Hand. 

Learn more about Pardner Hand in our blogs

Hear their stories

Listen to our free audio guide to hear first-hand accounts from people who has used Pardner Hand. The tour can be listened to at home or in our gallery. Approximate duration: 15 minutes.

Listen now

School Resources

In association with Museumand, we have created a series of free education resources for young people aged 7 to 16 which use images and stories from the exhibition to bring to life this period of history. The resources explore some of the challenges faced by the Windrush Generation, the community response, and the legacy today. 

About Museumand, The National Caribbean Heritage Museum

We are a Museum that celebrates and commemorates the Caribbean contribution to the UK. Dedicated to preserving Caribbean history, tangible and intangible heritage, and culture in unusual ways, we are a museum ‘without walls’ - run, owned and led by a Caribbean mother and daughter team. We partner with organisations, from national institutions to grassroots organisations, churches, community centres, and schools to ensure the Caribbean contribution to life in Britain is understood, shared, and celebrated across the UK and known to all people of all communities.

 

The proof is in the picture

Take a look at these treasured family photos, which document the power Pardner can have on an individual, a family, and a community.

This page was last updated 21 August 2024