Spirit of Carnival fills St Mary Redcliffe

The spirit of carnival filled Mary Redcliffe Church as Bristol paid tribute to one of the founding members of the St Paul’s Carnival, Carmen Beckford. Hundreds of brightly-dressed people filled the church as the Rainbow Steel Band played her flower-laden coffin down the aisle with “Island in the Sun”.

As family members, friends, and colleagues queued up to pay their tributes, it became clear how many people’s lives she had affected. Friends, family and colleagues had travelled from across the country and from around the world to pay their respects and share their stories. 

“There wasn’t a thing that Carmen wouldn’t do for anyone. She gave 100 per cent,” remembered her nephew Pierre Beckford, who had traveled from New York to give the eulogy. “She could bring out the good in just about anybody.” 

Bristol Mayor, Marvin Rees said that future generations have built their lives on Carmen’s legacy. 

“The greatest lives are lived by people who build bridges for other people,” he said. 

“It’s absolutely true to say that people such as myself would not be where we are today if it were not for the work and the sacrifice and the free spirit of people like Carmen,” he added.

Carmen Beckford was 17 when she moved to the UK from Jamaica to train to be a nurse. She came to Bristol in 1965 to work as a midwife in Downend and became active in the community soon after. She was one of the co-founders of the St Paul’s Carnival, now more than 100,000 people strong, and was in charge of the entertainment.

She wanted to move to Canada but was persuaded by the Jamaican High Commissioner to apply to become Bristol’s first Community Development Officer, and she beat 35 others to the position. She played an active role in improving race relations in the city, 

The overriding emotion at Carmen’s funeral was one of gratitude. Everyone had something to thank her for. Carmen’s work in the community was recognised in 1982 by an MBE from the Queen. She was the first black recipient of the honour in the South West. 

Everyone had a different story to share about a time they’d witnessed Carmen face obstacles, setbacks and racism with dignity and tenacity. Peter Courtier, former director of Bristol Racial Equality Council, praised Carmen for being “spirited… but above all, effective”. 

“Black women pioneers had it very hard in the civil right struggle of the 70s, and Carmen was no exception. She fought against the injustice of racism,” he said.

Poet, writer and activist remembered her as “composed and elegant, standing firm in the face of racial tension” in his poem ‘Our Festival Queen’:

“Amazing, beautiful, elegant. Strong and fierce. She was superwoman to me. She faced many challenges from outside and within the community.

“Leader, teacher, scholar and social activist, Carmen Beckford shined a light so bright that the darkness had to lift.”

Her legacy as one of the Seven Saints of Saint Paul’s will be cemented this summer in a mural due to be painted in St Paul’s and completed by the carnival’s 50th Anniversary in 2018.