Black History Month - afternoon tea with a twist

The Brent Wellbeing Café hosted a Black History Month (BHM) afternoon tea with a twist at the Unity Centre this October.

Published: 06/11/2023

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The event saw residents enjoying music from Phoenix Rising steelpan group, an acoustic set from Cimarons reggae singer Locksley Gichie, a talk from Brent Health Matter's Jenny Lanyero and much more. 

All this was against the backdrop of Colin Robinson's reggae exhibition, which included well-known greats such as Bob Marley and iconic women such as Louisa Mark.   

There was delicious food, including jerk chicken, bun and cheese, fritters, patties chin chin, puff-puff, samosas, Somalian tea and pastries and lots more. Huge thanks to Peabody resident Nocketa, who provided the main food through her social enterprise – Earth Living and Yahuah Palms. 

The Mayor of Brent, Councillor Orleen Hylton, also attended to share her stories about the significant contributions made by individuals from the local area. 

Thank you to our local partners 

Partners from Thames Water, NHS Brent Hubs, Brent Health Matters, Equi-vision and CNWL Health Inequalities teams were there to provide advice on schemes such as WaterHelp and WaterSure, winter fuel vouchers and mental and emotional health support, and help with accessing local employment and career advice. 

On the day Brent Hubs provided £392 worth of fuel vouchers to help residents save on their bills too.  

Moji from the NHS wellbeing team provided a meditation room. Residents could participate in mindfulness sessions focusing on deep breathing to help reduce everyday stress and anxiety. Finally, thank you to local Asda Community Champion, Donna, for her much-appreciated support for the event. 

It was another fantastic wellbeing café event helping bring the community together. One resident said: "I regularly come to the Brent Wellbeing café. I enjoy chatting with my neighbours and discovering what's happening in the community. It's great when they hold these bigger events, too. The food and music were fantastic. This is the best BHM event I’ve been too for a while! I appreciated picking up the free fuel vouchers as well – it’s really helpful." 

Join us at the Brent Wellbeing café 

Join the Advice and Wellbeing team and your local housing teams every Wednesday from 11am-1pm for the Brent Wellbeing Café. 

There are regular speakers, local charities and services attending to help support your wellbeing. Keep an eye on our X and Facebook to learn who's joining us over the next few weeks. 

Come along for free tea, coffee, light refreshments and the chance to chat with your neighbours.