AT the start of another year it is worthwhile reminding ourselves of how Bolton as both a town and a borough has welcomed its Asian immigrants into the town.

It’s worth noting that some, if not all of those, who first came to settle in the 1950s, predominantly from both India and Pakistan, was to fill the often dirty and low paid jobs in the town’s mills.

They came to seek better money and better lives and brought with them the rich tapestry of traditions, customs and cuisine.

They also arrived against a backdrop in which the indigenous population was suspicious of their motives for coming, while politicians often chose to exploit those fears by dire warnings of the country being overrun.

It’s worth reminding ourselves of just how important the Asian community has been to economy of Bolton.

A book published last year by Barry Jewell captures Bolton’s Asian migration which through photographs largely captures their arrival and we thought we should feature some of them here

The idea to produce the book came about after The Sunnyside Club received a grant to document the arrival from the Heritage Lottery Fund for its We Were There, Lives of Bolton’s First Asian Migrants.

The first edition was so popular the group have ran out of supplies of the book. Free copies of the book were also donated to local school, libraries and universities.

A second grant to further develop the project was received by the group last autumn.

The Sunnyside Club is based in the clubhouse at Deane and Derby Cricket and Social Club and works with adults and children maximizing and developing their potential.