In marking the 75th anniversary of the arrival in the UK of passengers on the Empire Windrush ship, the Royal Mint has released a new commemorative 50p coin.

Designed by artist Valda Jackson, the coin depicts two smartly-dressed people from the Windrush generation standing against a backdrop of the Union Flag.

The coin pays tribute to the British Caribbean and Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK from 1948-1973.

Bristol-based Ms Jackson, whose parents came from Jamaica in the 60s, said it honours “our parents and their legacy”.

“It’s more than a celebration of one moment – it is an acknowledgement of the real, lived experience of generations of ordinary working people, and, though we may have struggled, and we still struggle in so many ways, we and our descendants are, in fact, at home.

“And this is what the image – these figures and the added Union Jack – represents.

The design pays tribute to the many British Caribbean and Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK between 1948 and 1973, the Royal Mint said.

The Windrush generation refers to people who arrived in the UK from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1971, when British immigration laws changed. The ship became a symbol of the wider mass-migration movement. Many of those who came to the UK had served in the British armed forces in World War II.

Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coins at the Royal Mint, added: “We’re honoured to be marking the 75th anniversary since the Windrush generation arrived in the UK.”

She said the coin had gone through “a rigorous process”. “It’s decided which anniversaries are suitable for British coinage and once it’s passed that process, we then go to the Chancellor and only then does it finally go up to the King for his approval.”

There are three coins available, two are limited edition in gold and silver; the other is a standard metal coin, much like the legal tender 50p piece.