West Ealing Black Cultural Hub Faces Closure

Crowdfunder set up to enable move to new home

Michelle and Carlene, CACE founders, outside the hub. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/My London

August 7, 2025

A Black cultural hub in West Ealing is at risk of closure if it does not raise £65,000 to fund a move to a new premises.

The Caribbean and African Collective in West Ealing (CACE) is the only organisation of its kind in the borough. It was given a ‘meanwhile lease’ in February 2025 to launch its first physical site, however, this expires in just over a month, with building works planned at that site.

Now, its founders are trying to raise enough funds to secure a new lease elsewhere to operate from. So far, £205 of the £65,000 needed has been raised via Gofundme. The target is based on the average cost of a lease for the size of premises they require.

Michelle Brooks told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that West Ealing has long been “the heart of the Black community” in the borough. She added, “It’s all about sharing and preserving these stories.

“Especially for young people, who live on the internet, we want to keep the stories alive, get them to connect with the older people. 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.”

CACE is made up of organisations and of individuals of Black Caribbean and African origin. It was set up as a social enterprise in 2024, and provides a dedicated cultural centre for the Ealing’s Black communities.

Its mission is to share Black culture and history with the wider Ealing community to promote cross-cultural understanding and promote active anti-racism, with over 30 events since December 2024.

CACE is currently basedon a temporary basis in what was previously a jewellers .

Carlene Bender, Co-Director and Vice Chair, said, “There is nowhere in Ealing quite like this, it’s not just about spreading the word… 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. We only started in March, with a gardening group, we’ve tried lots of things. We also host cultural events in the evening.”

Attendees at a previous event at the centre

In June alone, the organisation hosted eight events, such as creative writing workshops, business networking, and a Windrush Day tea party. In July, it hosted a poetry workshop and an open mic night in its “reminiscence room” – a room which depicts the typical living room in a Black household decades ago.

Despite the work it does, CACE does not feel it has received enough support from Ealing Council. Michelle described the local authority as a “tough nut to crack”. She said, “We haven’t had a visit from Peter Mason (Council Leader), but we have invited him.”

In 2022, the council commissioned a race equality report which, when published in December 2024, found that the Black community is the least supported in Ealing. Referring to this, Michelle said, “[The report] found that we are the least supported, you’re not helping us so we are helping ourselves. But when we come to you, you’re not putting your money where your mouth is.”

Ealing Council told the LDRS that the council is “working with partners to identify alternative spaces”, and that it has “raised the issue with local developers and the West Ealing BID (Business Improvement District), and is also in discussions with the landlord to explore what might be possible.”

Michelle added, “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.

“We all remember George Floyd and Black Lives Matter, why when you say ‘Black lives matter’, and we come and ask for something do you slam the door in our face? They matter then, they matter now.

“Use your time as Ealing Council to show you are anti-racist by having a building that showcases Black heritage and pulls people together. A lack of education leads to racism – we are here to tackle that.”

A spokesperson for Ealing Council said, “We recognise the value of the Caribbean and African Collective (CACE) in Ealing as a Black-led cultural and arts organisation in West Ealing.

“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.

“The council is working with partners to identify alternative spaces, has raised the issue with local developers and the West Ealing BID, and is also in discussions with the landlord to explore what might be possible.

“Council-owned buildings do become available to lease from time to time, and we encourage all organisations to apply through the appropriate channels. While we cannot offer preferential treatment, we remain committed to supporting arts, culture and heritage organisations across the borough.”

More information about CACE and its go fund me is available here.

Philip James Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter