Black History 365 Returns to Wandsworth with Year-Round Programme Celebrating Heritage, Creativity and Community

• Tales & Drums: Author Kamapala Chukwuka will lead interactive storytelling and drumming sessions celebrating African heritage for children and families.
• Age UK Wandsworth will deliver a six-month programme of weekly movement classes exploring Caribbean dance, music and culture for residents aged 50+.
• Mbeke Waseme will lead an intergenerational project connecting African Caribbean elders and young people in Roehampton to share experiences and explore life questions.
• Royal Academy of Dance will present a free community event celebrating Black history, heritage and culture through performances and workshops.
• Akosua Paries-Osei, founder of The Black ArtChive, will lead creative workshops exploring the African roots of Battersea Park's Subtropical Gardens through perfume and reed diffuser making.
• Addy Mumunie of Begin2Sports Group Academy CIC will deliver Wandsworth Black Heritage Voices, a community storytelling project exploring African and Caribbean heritage in Battersea.
• Pegasus Opera Co. will present a Legacy & Hope Concert and Elders Workshop celebrating Caribbean heritage through music, storytelling and community activities.
• Sound Minds will deliver a drama project exploring African and Caribbean heritage and experiences of the mental health system through performance.
• More Curricular will present an exhibition and creative workshops celebrating the legacy of John Archer, London's first Black Mayor.
• Ascend and Bloom CIC will explore the history of Notting Hill Carnival and the Windrush generation through workshops and a community festival in Roehampton.
• Michael Mapp, founder of Urban Studio Sessions, will lead steel pan workshops culminating in a community performance.

Age UK Wandsworth | July 2026 – January 2027

365 Caribbean Music & Dance is a free weekly for Wandsworth residents aged 50+, celebrating the music, dance and cultural heritage of the Caribbean. Delivered as part of Age UK Wandsworth’s Community Engagement service, the project brings people together to stay active, make connections and explore Caribbean traditions in a welcoming and inclusive environment.

The programme will offer 26 free weekly sessions over six months, with each month focusing on the unique culture, music and dance styles of a different Caribbean island. Sessions are led by experienced dance practitioners and are accessible to all abilities, with both seated and standing options available. Alongside dance, participants can engage with music-making and learn about the cultural significance and history of the traditions being explored.

Participants are encouraged to contribute music, share stories and experiences, and help shape the programme. Each one-hour session is followed by a social gathering with refreshments, providing opportunities to build friendships and reduce isolation.

Quarterly community performances will showcase participants’ achievements alongside live steel pan music, creating opportunities to celebrate Caribbean culture with family, friends and the wider community while promoting physical, social and emotional wellbeing.

Starting 2nd July 2026, Thursdays, 11.00am - 12.30pm, Gwynneth Morgan Day Centre, 52 East Hill SW18 2HJ, London

Free entry. Booking required to attend sessions. To book, please call 020 8877 8949 or email outreach@ageukwandsworth.org.uk | More info

Mbeke Waseme | July - December 2026

An intergenerational program that connects African Caribbean elders (aged 60+) and young people aged 16–18 on the Alton Estate, Roehampton, creating a brave space to explore life questions.

Taking place July - December 2026, it will bridge the generational divide through shared storytelling and discussions around the value of education, the secrets to enduring relationships, the components of a good life, and the cultural and physical importance of the food we eat. 

Central to the project is the documentation of life journeys that will encourage and lead to some memoir writing. This will highlight the critical importance of archiving and preserving cultural stories. To support the organic formation of community, each gathering will be enriched by traditional music and shared meals that will create a secure environment that celebrates heritage.  

“To document the intergenerational stories from the African Caribbean communities in Roehampton is an honour and a privilege.” - Mbeke Waseme, Lead Artist.

July to December 2026 at Roehampton Family Hub. Free entry.

November 2026

 As part of Wandsworth Council's Black History 365 programme, the Royal Academy of Dance is hosting a free, family friendly celebration of Black history, culture and creativity. 

This special event will shine a spotlight on a dance style or cultural theme that has played an important role in Black history and continues to inspire communities today. Through performances, talks and workshops, we'll celebrate the stories, traditions and cultural impact of dance. 

20 November 2026, Royal Academy of Dance, 188 York Road, London. Free entry, booking will be required.

Begin2Sports | October – November 2026

Wandsworth Black Heritage Voices is a free community heritage project celebrating the stories, memories and cultural experiences of African and Caribbean residents in Battersea and the wider Wandsworth community.

Through welcoming storytelling sessions, oral history recording and shared reflection, participants will be invited to talk about family, migration, identity, faith, food, music, traditions and community life.

“We are proud to bring Wandsworth Black Heritage Voices to Battersea because our community’s heritage lives in the memories, voices and everyday experiences of local people. This project will give African and Caribbean residents a warm and respectful space to share their stories, reflect on identity, culture and community life, and help preserve those voices for others to hear, learn from and celebrate. We hope it will help people feel seen, valued and more connected to their heritage and to Wandsworth.” - Addy Mumunie, Founder and Project Lead, Begin2Sports Group Academy C.I.C.  

The project is free to attend and open to African and Caribbean residents in Battersea and the wider Wandsworth community, especially adults, elders and community members who would like to share memories, stories or reflections about family, migration, identity, culture, faith, food, music and community life.

Sessions will begin from October 2026 and take place across Battersea Park Library & Cromwell House Community Hub. To register interest or find out more, email addy@begin2sportsgroup.com  or phone 07511 851090.

Pegasus Opera | October 2026

On Friday 9 October 2026, join Pegasus Opera Company for a free Legacy & Hope Concert featuring outstanding professional artists alongside community performers in an inspiring evening celebrating the rich musical traditions of opera, gospel and music African and Caribbean heritage. 

Alongside the concert, Pegasus is inviting African and Caribbean adults aged 60+ to take part in a special Elders Workshop. Led by Pegasus Learning & Participation Manager Harriet Kelley, together with a professional singer and creative practitioner, the session combines singing, storytelling, music and reminiscence, creating a warm and welcoming space to share memories, celebrate culture and connect with others. 

Legacy & Hope is about celebrating the extraordinary contribution of Caribbean heritage to classical music and opera. At Pegasus Opera, we believe opera belongs to everyone, and this concert brings together opera, spirituals, gospel and Caribbean musical traditions to tell stories that connect us across generations. It's a joyful celebration of culture, identity and community, showing that when we share our voices and our heritage, we create something truly inspiring.” - Alison Buchanan, Artistic Director, Pegasus Opera Company.

Concert: Friday 9th October at St Nicholas Church, Tooting, Church Lane, London, SW17 9PP, 7.30pm. Book free tickets: https://www.ticketsource.com/pegasus-opera-company/t-xdakgja

Elders Music Workshop: African and Caribbean adults aged 60+ can register by emailing harriet@pegasusoperacompany.org or by phone: 0207 501 9501. (Workshop date TBC).

Sound Minds | September – October 2026

Voices of Resilience is a drama project exploring African and Caribbean heritage and experiences within the mental health system. Brought together in a series of participatory workshops with mental health service users, Voices of Resilience will culminate in a performance at Sound Minds’ annual Black History Month event at Springfield Hospital. 

Drawing on interviews with Sound Minds staff, trustees and members, participants will create a piece of theatre inspired by lived experiences of mental health, identity, heritage and racial discrimination. By sharing these stories, the project will raise awareness of the experiences of African and Caribbean communities within the mental health system while helping participants develop confidence, creative skills and social connections. Supported by Wandsworth Council, it builds on Sound Minds' longstanding commitment to using the arts to improve wellbeing and amplify underrepresented voices.

“We are thrilled to be creating a space where African and Caribbean voices are heard, celebrated and preserved through the power of theatre.” - Lindsey Cross, Project Lead

Workshops: weekly from 7 September – 12 October, at Sound Minds, SW11 3QA.

Performance: 26 October at Springfield Hospital, SW17 0YF (TBC)

Michael Mapp (Urban Studio Sessions) | September – October 2026

Steel pan workshops, open to local residents, covering the fundamentals of the instrument and building toward a closing community recital, a celebration of everything participants have learned, and a gift to the wider community.

Born in the hills of Laventille, Trinidad & Tobago, and forged from the ingenuity and determination of a people finding beauty in adversity, the steel pan holds the unique distinction of being the only acoustic instrument invented in the 20th century. By bringing steel pan workshops into the heart of our community, we are opening doors to a living, breathing cultural heritage, inviting residents of all backgrounds to fall in love with an art form that has already made its home in London's vibrant festival scene, most famously at the Notting Hill Carnival. 

Partnering with New Generation Steel Orchestra, these workshops will be designed to be accessible and inspiring for young people, giving them the opportunity to discover a creative tradition that may reflect their own heritage or open a window into someone else's. 

We are especially pleased to have the opportunity to celebrate this instrument one with close historical links to the city and the local area, created as a response to laws and prohibition sanctioned and imposed by London. We are elated to join the dots and offer the Pan to the wider Wandsworth community in a celebration of beautiful sound." - Michael Mapp. U.S.S. Founder and Director

Five workshops, taking place on Tuesdays from 29 September - 20 October. Recital on 27 October. Katherine Low Settlement, 108 Battersea High Street. London SW11 3HP | More info