Windrush Programme: Honouring Our Elders

The Hackney Caribbean Elderly Organisation was founded in 1985 by Dolly Mayers, to support older people within her local Hackney. It started as a lunch club, but over the years, it has developed to offer a range of services to older Caribbean people living in and around Hackney, and over the age of 55. 

Today, their services include a Lunch Club, Dementia and Advocacy Support, alongside other activities, such as Exercise Classes, Arts and Crafts, Gardening, Dementia Services, and Events Seminars. 

Hackney Caribbean Elderly Organisation are an inclusive organisation, so whilst many of their members have Caribbean heritage, they are open to people from all backgrounds, especially those living in the borough of Hackney. Their door is always open for new members. They accept referrals from friends, families, health and social workers and neighbours. 

Through the services they provide, they have become a pillar to older people within the community. Their work aims to improve their members’ health & wellbeing, reduce loneliness/isolation, and champions their rights.  

The Hackney Caribbean Elderly Organisation enables many to ‘get out of the house and meet new people, there is always something new and different every day’.  Others have described the centre as a ‘home away from home’. 

This year, the centre celebrates their 40th anniversary and have several events and activities lined up, including partnerships with the Museum of the Home.  

Website: www.hackneycaribbean.org.uk/ 

Black Rootz, is a Black- led horticultural centre founded by Paulette Henry. Its ideas are grounded upon a multigenerational food growing initiative for all communities, with an emphasis on inspiring those of African and Caribbean heritage to step out of the hobbyist mentality of growing food, but to develop it as means to collective wealth and generate a process that allows them to invest in their own health and the environment. 

Paulette comes from a family of growers, her grandfather was a commercial farmer in Jamaica and when her family moved to the UK, her father continued the legacy and grew food for his family. Growing up in this environment led to Paulette’s own interests in the land which she later developed in 2008 taking up training with Living Under One Sun, while also setting up her own space, Tourmaline Urban Gardens.   

In 2012, Paulette enrolled on a Master Gardeners course and connected with an incredible mentor who, to this day, serves as inspiration for how food growing is a lifestyle and attainable in London.  Paulette has supported many other food growing groups and was previously connected with the growing space and people at Wolves Lane before setting up Black Rootz.  

Website: www.capitalgrowth.org/black-rootz/#1 

SoilSistars is a branch of GoGrowWithLove C.I.C, an award-winning women led non-profit organisation, founded by Sandra Salazar. She is a come-unity horticulturalist and farmer who loves to grow food and teach practical food growing skills development, land, food & seed sovereignty to children, women, families and adults. With the group of other women, SoilSistars shares traditional land skills in nurseries, schools, home education groups, allotments, housing estates and community projects.

Sandra is the lead SoilSistar at Women Leading with The Land Project, a grass roots Afro-ecological project in London, that teaches women of African Caribbean heritage traditional skills in land care & cultivation, food growing and enterprise.  

Website: www.go-grow.org.uk