Black hub needs £65,000 to move - it has £205

CACE founders Michelle Brooks and Carlene Bender say the organisation needs £65,000 for a new lease

A black cultural hub faces closure if it cannot raise £65,000 to move to new premises.

The Caribbean and African Collective in West Ealing (CACE) is the only such place in the borough.

The organisation was given a short-term lease in a former jeweller's in February but this expires in about a month. Now it is trying to raise £65,000 for a new lease elsewhere - so far £205 has been raised online.

CACE's co-founder Michelle Brooks said there was nowhere else in Ealing like it: "It's intergenerational, we have open-mics, poetry, storytelling, drop-ins, and it's a place where you can just have a chat and share your problems."

Ealing Council said it recognised the group's value

CACE was set up in 2024 and provides a dedicated cultural centre for black communities.

The group's Carlene Bender, also a co-founder, said: "There is a history of black people in Ealing, which is invisible.

"[CACE is here to] remind them about where we come from, and to share it with the wider community."

In June it hosted creative writing workshops, business networking, and a Windrush Day tea party, followed by a poetry workshop and an open-mic night in July.

CACE would like more support for its work from Ealing Council.

Ms Brooks said: "We haven't had a visit from (council leader) Peter Mason, but we have invited him."

A race equality report looking at Ealing Council was published in December 2024.

'We have to fight'

"[The report] found that we are the least supported," Ms Brooks said.

Ealing Council said it was working to find "alternative spaces".

It had, it said, raised the matter with developers and the West Ealing business improvement district and was in discussions with the landlord to explore what might be possible.

Ms Brooks said: "If you look at other boroughs, there are black cultural centres – we just want the same as they've got. We don't know why we have to fight for Ealing [Council] to help us."

Ealing Council said it recognised the value of CACE.

"While the building they currently occupy is privately owned and not under council control, Councillor Polly Knewstub, cabinet member for healthy equal lives, has visited the hub, as have council officers, and spoken with the group to help explore possible solutions."

It said council buildings sometimes became available for lease and it was committed to supporting arts, culture and heritage organisations.