From the late-1940s, thousands of men, women and children have left Jamaica for Britain. Yvonne Bignall’s parents were among those who left their family and homes to travel thousands of miles for opportunities abroad.

Today, the successful businesswoman from Radstock, who has written a best-seller and offered training courses world-wide, credits her parents for instilling resilience and an entrepreneurial spirit.

The award-winning women’s health advocate and self-care coach said: “I think my parents were entrepreneurial as they left the life they knew behind and were driven to succeed abroad.

“My mum is a driving force - great at making connections and facing challenges head-on. In contrast, my dad was a great listener - quick to absorb and learn.”

Yvonne’s mother, one of eleven siblings, left her hometown of Trelawny, while her father left his home of Kingston. They travelled with their two young children at the time, finding work as a nurse and train driver respectively.

Racism was a common experience and immigrants could be refused jobs and accommodation.

Yvonne, 55, who has three siblings and heads Y B Limited to support women to prioritise their self-care and personal development, said: “My mum was adamant we would rent until we could afford to buy.

“And within three short years my parents bought their first home in Langroyd Road, where I was born.

Yvonne has worked to tackle inequality, including volunteering with W4 (Women’s WorldWideWeb), an organisation providing mentoring to women in developing countries. She also does philanthropic work through Bath Women’s Fund and has visited Downing Street to look at ways of increasing Government support for single parents in business.

She has welcomed the Black Lives Matter movement and encourages people to call out racism, sexism or any form of inequality.

She said: “I think more people are willing to re-educate themselves, which has been shown in increased sales of books about race and black history in the wake of protests.

“If it leads to people calling out racism within their own circles, it’s a good start. It’s important to act and speak out so that life can be better for everyone.”

Yvonne, who heads Women’s Power Hour on Somer Valley FM, said: “We should all have the right to be treated with respect and equal opportunity, no matter what our sex, race or class is.”

For more information on Yvonne’s work, visit https://www.y-b-limited.com/

B&NES Council have recently organised a Black Lives Matter webinar with young black people to discuss their experiences with racism and how Bath needs to change for future generations.

Stephen Sumner wrote about the webinar: ‘October is Black History Month but they said black history should be taught throughout the year and not focus solely on the slave trade.

‘Ben, a student at Bath College, said: “Bath is obviously a predominantly white city. Sometimes it’s hard to relate to people or at least make friends that seem more diverse and so understand what I might feel.”

Rachelle Wabissa studies issues including race and racism at the University of Bath, but said she has never been taught by a black lecturer and she is “always the only black person in the room”.

“Culturally appropriate support is what institutions can start with – let’s not run before we can walk.”

‘Councillor Kevin Guy, the cabinet member for children’s services, said: “I’m a big believer in education, because people aren’t born racist, they’re not born sexists, they’re not born as bigots. This is taught behaviour."

‘Council Leader Dine Romero said: “I find it distressing that this is still such a feature of modern day life in Britain and in Bath. We need to do whatever we can to change that.”

She invited the panelists to join the Council’s new race panel, which is being set up in response to the Black Lives Matter movement to address systemic inequality, racism and discrimination.