On Thursday 3 September 2026, around 100 to 150 people gathered to celebrate the first anniversary of the Bay 56 Pledge. In September 2025, we formally pledged to keep Bay 56 under African Caribbean community leadership for the full duration of our lease (currently 75 years), including any future extensions.
Our CEO Venu Dhupa and Minal Patel, Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees, delivered speeches highlighting the pledge as an important step towards reparatory justice and recognising the importance of long-term African Caribbean community leadership at Bay 56.
The celebration featured a wide range of activities, many of which were led by local community members, who contributed their time and skills to help deliver the event.
The programme included:
Food
- Soup from Love’s Kitchen
- Patties by Charlene Imbert
- Fresh Juice by Jada Pascal
- Chicken and vegan mini-meals from Chip n Jerk
Music
- Soundsystem from Cornbread
Workshops
- Jewellery Making with Kelly Richard
- Wellness with Sistah Ivie: the workshop focused on protection during winter and introduced herbs & dis-eases for autumn and winter conditions.
- Bowen Technique with Delbert Skeete: a holistic light-touch, vibrational therapy, with the capacity to initiate the restoration of one’s physical, emotional and energetic balance through gentle stimulation of the body’s innate resources.
- Seed Planting: Guests had the opportunity to decorate a plant pot and then plant a seed to take home as a souvenir from the event.
Plus
- Games with Emmanuel De Silva
- Henna stencilling
- Face painting
- Colouring in activities
- Quiz on African Caribbean achievements
- Walking tours: African Caribbean Achievements across the Westway Estate
The celebration provided an opportunity to reflect on the significance of the pledge, while bringing people together to recognise African Caribbean heritage, community contributions and the future of Bay 56.
You can learn more about the Bay 56 Pledge here