Carib & Co Brunch CIC: Crane Valley Partnership Projects

Carib & Co Brunch Community Interest Company are a community organisation set up in 2021 to provide free healthy brunches to the local community and foster social cohesion. In particular, they aim to make walking easier and more accessible to Black and ethnic minority men and women with disabilities. Their brunches have brought together a number of different groups from the local community, including families on low income, young adults, and elderly people.

Since starting up, Carib & Co Brunch have engaged with a number of organisations such as the NHS, Nando’s, and Headstone Manor Museum to deliver health and wellbeing workshops, art projects, fun fitness classes, comedy shows, and music events. They have also connected with local charities and organisations to help publicise their events. The events are free, offering opportunities for all members of the community to participate in social, fun, and wellbeing activities. Additionally, they provide support to people on low incomes, such as helping out at foodbanks and talking about the dynamics of the cost of living in Harrow and Brent. The group are largely involved with their local community and make sure to provide experiences that the community desire. During a visit to the group, Jerome, 18, spoke about one of Carib & Co’s events at Victoria Hall, where comedians and motivational speakers talked about their life experiences: “it’s nice to see different people and hear about their stories, it’s inspirational. It offers opportunities for people of all ages to demonstrate and broadcast their work and creativity. [For example], one comedian spoke about growing up with a
single mother”.

Carib & Co Brunch CIC used the Crane Valley Community Fund to launch the Crane Valley walk & talk events; a project which aims to bring people closer to nature and to gain confidence in walking, by exploring the Crane Valley. The project enables people, most of whom have never visited the Crane Valley, to connect with the river through walks, bike rides, and heritage talks. Their historical walks
in partnership with Black History Studies add intrigue as they showcase a new point of view of the Crane Valley. People are able to learn about the history of their local area and its inhabitants, further increasing unity and a sense of community. These events also help to improve people’s mental and physical wellbeing by creating opportunities for people to exercise together. Feedback from their recent events was hugely positive, with participants saying that they were able to connect to nature and feel a sense of calm and community. Some participants also expressed that they had not ridden bikes since childhood so the bike rides enabled them to relive this experience.

One of their events included a tour of Headstone Manor Museum, followed by brunch and a talk from Mind in Harrow on the services they can offer to people struggling with mental health. Afterwards, the attendees spoke about the positive impacts that Carib & Co’s events have on both themselves and the wider community:

Jerome, 18, shared that “the event today was different from other events [with Carib & Co Brunch], it shows they are able to switch it up… there is a range of different people and different ages”.

Nia, 33, added “it’s nice to find hidden gems, I had never been here before… I learned some new facts today. It’s nice to have diverse categories of learning and it’s good for your mental and physical health, it’s relaxing.”

In relation to a previous Butterfly Walk that Carib & Co Brunch CIC hosted, Angela said that “there were people of different ages who don’t usually cross paths connecting
more with nature. Simon (the butterfly expert who led the walk) was very passionate and helped us learn about nature and biodiversity. It was therapeutic, a nice escape from the city as it was not in a built up place”.

Jennifer described how Carib & Co’s talks tackle social isolation and generate connections amongst people “the talks are good as people today communicate via social media so it’s good to connect in person. Relationships are the foundation of life, the biggest accomplishments, and [the talks] create communication”.

The group found that the application to the Crane Valley Community Fund was seamless and clear. They shared that the portal was useful as it allowed to save answers and go back to them. Additionally, the local workshops that Groundwork organised were useful to gain a more in-depth understanding of how the application process worked, as well as to hear from other groups about their projects, and to ask any questions. The group added that the feedback from Groundwork was provided in good time, which helped with planning the project.

Below are some images of their latest events including a historic walk, a museum tour and a bike ride. With thanks to Jade W-Reid for providing the images. To learn more about Carib & Co Brunch CIC, follow them on Instagram: CaribandCoBrunch CIC (@caribandcobrunch)  and Facebook: Facebook. To get in touch with them, email: caribandcobrunch@gmail.com.