Local black history has been celebrated at a Swindon school to mark Black History Month.

Lawn Manor Academy focused on the stories of pioneering black voices and the Windrush generation from Swindon and Wiltshire.

The national theme for this year's Black History Month was 'Reclaiming Narratives,' which aims to correct historical inaccuracies and highlight the untold success stories and full complexity of black heritage.

Lawn Manor Academy marks Black History MonthLawn Manor Academy marks Black History Month (Image: Lawn Manor Academy)

Throughout October, pupils studied different areas of black history, including the work of poet Linton Kwesi Johnson and writer Benjamin Zephaniah, as well as inventors and scientists like Elijah McCoy and Dr Patricia Bath.

They also led assemblies, sharing stories from their research and their own history, as well as cultural history, including dancing.

Alex Gasche, head of social sciences at Lawn Manor Academy, said: "Black History Month is an important time to stop and acknowledge the contributions of black people to our history and society.

"With this year’s Black History Month theme being ‘Reclaiming Narratives’ we were very pleased to work with Swindon Libraries’ Local Studies department to bring the historic experiences of black people in our area to life through their own words.

"Their research and stories taught us things about black history that even I, as a historian, didn’t know about."

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