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What is it like to be a black person growing up in Dorset?

According to poet and historian Louisa Adjoa Parker, it can be an isolating experience.

"There are parts of Devon and Dorset where people will still look at you. You can feel uncomfortable walking into pubs. It's been quite difficult growing up here. I think it's difficult for a lot of people."

Louisa Parker researching Dorset's past

Louisa lives in Lyme Regis and works to raise awareness of Dorset's black history. Many people are surprised to discover the county's multi-cultural past, which began with the slave trade over 200 years ago.

Louisa says: "Most people think that Dorset is the epitome of Englishness, with tea in the afternoon and cricket on the village green.

"But there's actually a rich and detailed history of black people in the county and many links between Dorset and 'non-white' people overseas," explains Louisa.

Along with DEED (Development Education in Dorset) and the Global Perspectives Group at Bournemouth University, Louisa put together an exhibition called 'Hidden Histories'.

Melsia Tomlin-Kraftner

The exhibition offers a brief glimpse into the lives of people of African and Caribbean heritage living in Dorset over the past 300 years.

And a showing at Bournemouth University attracted a mixture of Dorset residents, those with an academic interest in diversity and people of mixed heritage themselves.

Melsia Tomlin-Kraftner is a lecturer at the university. Her ethnic background is so complicated that she decided to have a DNA test. Not only did she find African and European roots – she also discovered she was 11% Chinese!

Louise Boston-Mammah knows what it's like to grow up in a mixed race family. She hopes to use her experiences to help others searching for a sense of identity.

As the nature of Dorset changes, raising awareness about the county's black history becomes ever more important.