It’s a grey day in west London, but Age UK Hillingdon, Harrow & Brent’s Caribbean Club is brimming with sunshine.
Colourful flags hang from the walls, calypso and reggae music hums in the background, and more than two dozen older people from the Caribbean community are gathering to eat, catch up, and have fun.
Since being founded around 18 months ago by Juliet, who works for Age UK Hillingdon, Harrow & Brent, the group has already become a firm fixture in diaries. “It was very clear to me that there was a missing link in this community for people from a Caribbean background,” explains Juliet. “I wanted them to be seen and included, to learn more about what’s available to them and how they can be supported by Age UK Hillingdon, Harrow & Brent. I quickly found that the club was welcomed by many, and it’s continued to thrive.”
We have a common background, and I think it’s important for people who have a Caribbean heritage to meet up.
Learning together
Each month, the club’s 2-hour session revolves around a specific activity that attendees can do together – whether that’s a quiz, writing poetry, or learning about collective cultural heritage.
“Here, you learn things, you meet people, and it’s just a vibrant atmosphere,” says Jean, who’s been attending the club since it started. “Last year, we celebrated Black History Month, which was really interesting. I learned things that I wasn’t aware of about our history, about famous people that I’d never heard of and what they did for the Black community – what they did for the whole world, really.”
Today the group’s members are making jewellery. “I’ve just made a pair of earrings and a necklace,” says Elaine, who discovered the club a month ago. “They’re looking good, but it was very tricky. I didn’t bring my glasses today, but luckily there was a magnifying glass!”
On hand to help is Claudia, one of the club’s volunteers, who’s leading the crafting session. “There’s a sense of community here, which I love,” she says. “It gives me a feeling of belonging, and I think the other Carib Club members feel that too.”
Something in common
The community spirit is a driving force of the group. “I think we offer the people who come to the club a chance to reconnect with things that are familiar,” Juliet explains, “and to re-energise themselves and their identity in an environment where they feel safe and secure.”
Elaine knows that this makes a difference to her experience. “I like the fact that it’s a Caribbean club, with all Black people,” she says. “Not everyone’s directly from the Caribbean – my grandmother and mother were, but I was born in England – but we have a common background, and I think it’s important for people who have a Caribbean heritage to meet up.”
Its success in forging new friendships is what has helped the group go from strength to strength. Roy, the only man in attendance today, suggests with a cheeky grin that he doesn’t mind being outnumbered by the many female attendees. “I came just to check it out, see how we go,” he says. “But I’ve been coming here for about eight months now, for the company and the unity.”
For more than one of the group’s members, the club has also been a gateway for reigniting some old connections. “I actually met someone that I hadn’t seen in about 20 years!” reveals Jean. “We were acquaintances, then she moved away. But now I’ve seen her again here!”
It’s a well-loved, well-nurtured and very caring group of people, and that’s pretty natural to people from the Caribbean. That’s just what we’re like!
Looking to the future
Fuelled by the friendships made and the sense of belonging created, the Caribbean Club is continuing to grow: ten people came along to the first get-together a year and a half ago, but today around 25 attendees are huddled into the room.
“I think we might need a bigger place,” laughs Jean. “The more people hear about it, the more want to come, and once they come, they don’t want to leave!”
Juliet and her team have big hopes for the future of the club, too – hoping that it could inspire other local Age UKs to start similar groups of their own. Claudia’s clear that the appetite to do more is there. “I think what we’ve identified is that the group of people who come along want more than one day,” she says. “They also want different activities – not necessarily in our community centre, they want to do other things as well.”
“This club is a sharing process,” continues Juliet. “What we learn, we learn together. It’s a well-loved, well-nurtured and very caring group of people, and that’s pretty natural to people from the Caribbean. That’s just what we’re like!”
