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Windrush room founder praised for volunteer work

Jon WrightSuffolk
Jon Wright/BBC Max Thomas stands in a room with pictures and household items in soft focus in the backgroundJon Wright/BBC
Max Thomas runs the Windrush reflection room inside the Sailmakers shopping centre

The founder of a "living room exhibition" that honours the Windrush generation has been praised for his volunteer work.

Max Thomas set up the Reflection Room in 2021 in an empty shopping centre unit in Ipswich.

He has won the BBC Radio Suffolk Make a Difference Volunteer Award at a ceremony at Trinity Park on 17 September.

Mr Thomas said: "A lot of the elders are passing away, with such valuable stories, such gems, and if we don't capture those and archive them, they'll be lost forever."

Jon Wright/BBC A living room from the 1950s with coffee table, a record player and fireplaceJon Wright/BBC
The Reflection Room has relocated several times within the Sailmakers shopping centre

The exhibition contains household items popular among people of Caribbean heritage living in Britain since 1948, including furniture, bedspreads, a dial-telephone - and even a metal bathtub.

The Ipswich Windrush Society organises an annual event on Windrush Day each June and runs educational sessions in schools.

There is also a new a fundraising campaign to fit out a bus to allow the exhibition to take to the road on tour.

"We want to be able to travel all over the country, have an awning, have a staging, bring it to festivals... that's my next vision," Mr Thomas said.

Stuart Howells/BBC A selection of people on a stage, holding awards trophiesStuart Howells/BBC
The winners from the 2025 BBC Radio Suffolk Make a Difference Awards

Young Hero shows spirit of friendship

Contributed A boy with glasses and blue t-shirt, which has the face of another boy on the frontContributed
Ozzy with his friend Jake pictured on his t-shirt

Another winner at the BBC Radio Suffolk Make a Difference Awards was 14-year-old Ozzy Rayner.

He has earned the Young Hero trophy for fundraising to help his friend Jake - who also has a complex disability - go on holiday.

Ozzy has Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes a wide range of physical symptoms including an enhanced appetite, learning disabilities and very low muscle tone.

Despite it making exercise difficult, Ozzy ran 5km - which helped boost donations for Jake and his family.

BBC Suffolk Make a Difference Awards 2025 winners

  • Volunteer Award - Max Thomas
  • Young Hero Award - Ozzy Rayner
  • Great Neighbour Award - Rosie Burrows
  • Active Award - Mike McCarthy
  • Animal Award - Peter Merchant
  • Green Award- Jackie Orbell
  • Fundraiser Award - Project Seven
  • Community Group Award - The Caribbean & African Community Health Support Forum
Cleah Hetherington/BBC Rosie Burrows and her daughter Julie Donoghue. Rosie has a patch over her left eye.Cleah Hetherington/BBC
Contributed Mike McCarthy stands in a sports hall, he is holding a microphone.Contributed
Great Neighbour Award winner Rosie Burrows (left) and her daughter Julie Donoghue - Rosie has had facial cancer twice but still spends her time supporting her community
Active Award winner Mike McCarthy works as an inclusive sports development officer for the Ipswich-based charity Activlives and volunteers with the Special Olympics Suffolk

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