The Andersons - Bio

Windrush Generation

Dorothy Anderson (also known as Dar or Doris) and Hopeton Anderson are both from the Parish of St Catherine in Jamaica—Dorothy from Bonnett and Hopeton from Redwood. Hopeton was given the nickname “Music” as a child, and it stuck with him, but he also became known as “Andy” (short for Anderson) when he moved to the UK. They met in their teens and became engaged before Andy traveled to the UK in 1961, with Dorothy following in 1963. Both wanted to travel and see different parts of the world, with plans to eventually return to Jamaica. They chose the UK as a first step due to all it seemed to promise. They married in 1964 at Woodville Road Baptist Church in Cardiff, surrounded by family and friends. Andy worked as a builder and later became self-employed, working as a painter and decorator, which he loved. For a few years, Dorothy worked as a seamstress in a clothing store and also in a factory until she got the job she wanted in the NHS as an Auxiliary nurse. She remained in nursing until she retired, and some nurses and doctors still remember her when she visits UHW. Both became landlords, remembering the struggle they had to secure accommodation when they arrived in Cardiff, and they love helping people. Dorothy and Andy have one child, a daughter named Samantha-Joy, and are blessed with many godchildren.

Mr & Mrs Anderson

Samantha works as a Senior Manager in a Wales-wide children’s charity and has always worked in the voluntary sector since leaving University. Andy was diagnosed with Dementia in 2009, and Dorothy cared for him at home until he passed away in 2019. The family returned to Jamaica frequently for holidays and traveled to many other countries, but the couple never fulfilled their dream to move back 'home' permanently. Dorothy and Sam were able to fulfill his wish to be buried in Jamaica next to his mother. It is the NHS that Dorothy views as the greatest thing about living in the UK, and despite its problems, she feels that it is still better than how healthcare is delivered in many other countries. Dorothy still struggles with how closely together most houses are designed in the UK but loves the community where she lives. One of the disappointments about life in the UK is racism, but she is happy to see more measures in place to address it.