Highlights From The Black History Month Cultural Pop-Up Market and Workshop Weekend in Hatfield

Our 3rd Black History Month Cultural Pop-Up Market and Workshop Weekend which took place at The Galleria, Hatfield on the 25th and 26th of October was highly successful!

We loved meeting every one of you who came along to shop with over 40 Black-owned handcrafted businesses, explore our exhibitions, speak with our veterans, take part in workshops, and join in our celebrations. Across the weekend, we welcomed more than 1,000 visitors from across the UK. Some passers-by even stumbled upon the event by chance and decided to rearrange their lunch plans once they heard they could enjoy African and Caribbean cuisines in such a lively atmosphere.

The weekend also created a valuable opportunity for participating organisations to engage in outreach, raise awareness, and connect with a diverse, multicultural audience.

Endometriosis UK

We also proudly helped raise awareness for Endometriosis, an extremely painful and often debilitating condition that affects one of our amazing volunteers. It’s a topic not spoken about enough in the Black community, and she continues to advocate whenever she can.

We are grateful for Endometriosis UK’s support of this event over the years, and we will continue to amplify their mission for more research, better care pathways, and stronger advocacy for those living with this condition.

Supporting and Showcasing Black-Owned Businesses

We grew the market again this year, welcoming both local and out-of-area small handcrafted businesses and artisans eager to reach new customers. Several returning traders joined us after a successful experience last year; among them was Nimi and Nosh, who have recently received fantastic news. After a successful pitch to Tesco, You will soon be able to see and purchase their brand of sauces in stores across the UK.

This is exactly the kind of progress we love to see, brilliant brands striving higher, increasing visibility, and achieving well-deserved success!

Thank You to The Galleria Hatfield

Many thanks to The Galleria, Hatfield team for again allowing us the use of this much-loved space and for supporting the event through their promotional efforts. We hope our relationship continues to grow from strength to strength.

Providing an easily accessible and welcoming environment for businesses, volunteers, artists, and visitors is essential to us, and the operational team is always ready to help when needed. The Galleria's event calendar looks fruitful and is defiantly one to keep an eye on.

Duty and Honour Exhibition of Curated Storied

This year’s curated exhibition, Duty and Honour, was sponsored by Arise Hatfield and was received with admiration, gratitude, and appreciation. The display featured five veterans, men and women of various ages from the UK Army and RAF, both former and currently serving. Each of their stories is unique, offering an insightful look into their experiences and the doors opened by the skills they gained.

We received a lovely surprise and were joined by two contributors from the exhibition.

Winston White, Ex RAF Sergeant from the Transport Division, was born and raised in Jamaica before moving to the UK.

He joined the RAF at 16, embarking on a new life that allowed him to travel the world and meet incredible people.

Now a historian specialising in Caribbean war history and a spokesperson for the National Caribbean Monument Charity (TNCMC), which is campaigning for a Caribbean monument at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. Winston spent time at the event in deep conversation with visitors discussing his story and the work he now does.

“Well done on your project, it was very well presented with something for everyone over the weekend, Debbie and I enjoy the afternoon and welcome the chance to work with you in the years ahead; we felt at home, thank you.” Winston White

We were also joined by Private Chavassea Okeke, a reservist with the RLC, who spoke powerfully about the challenges he has faced, and the strength required to progress in his field.

His honest account had a profound impact, especially when a group of Army Cadets visited the exhibition.

Many shared their aspirations to pursue a career in the armed forces and expressed that they had never seen anything like this in Hertfordshire.

“Thank you so much for an AMAZING day! I made some new connections, and the food was excellent! It was an absolute pleasure being there and meeting the team. You should be proud; it was an amazing level of organisation!” Chavassea Okeke

Support was also received from Officer Patrick Stanley, a Regimental Recruiting and Mentoring Support Officer from the 254 (East of England) Multi-Role Medical Regiment in Hitchin. He was instrumental in helping us share our message across multiple military units.

Patrick and his colleague joined us, providing recruitment advice, answering questions, and engaging with the public.

"What an incredible and meaningful exhibition! So important to honor the stories and contributions of service personnel, especially highlighting voices from the African and Caribbean Diaspora. Thank you to everyone involved in making this possible!" Social Visitor 🎖️

With the support of Arise Hatfield funding, we are now able to loan this exhibition to schools in Hatfield, giving students the opportunity to engage with these experiences within their own learning environments. Our team would also be delighted to visit schools to deliver a short introductory presentation and answer any questions students may have.

If you are a school in Hatfield and would like to host the exhibition “Duty and Honour “at your establishment, please email hatfieldculturalconnection@gmail.com.

Workshops & Family Activities

Our workshops and activities were part-sponsored by our wonderful Hertfordshire County Councillors: Beth Kelly, Paul Zukowsky, and Tony Kingsbury. Carnival Crowns, African Wreath Making and Skincare Lessons were a hit with those participating. We are truly grateful for County Councillors support, which helped us provide a warm, creative space where parents and children could bond, learn, and express themselves together.

Appreciation was given for opportunity to enjoy hands-on creativity as a family, while also discovering new brands, learning about history, tasting African and Caribbean cuisine (for some, the first time), and experiencing live entertainment - all under one roof. Children, young people and adults moved happily from one activity to the next.

Tree of Life – Tree of Unity

Our beautiful Tree of Life – Tree of Unity activity in the Express Yourself corner perfectly reflected the diverse, multicultural audience who attended the event. Starting as a bare tree, it gradually blossomed with flag-shaped leaves painted by visitors of all ages, abilities, and heritages.

Once again, this activity exceeded expectations and brought our vision to life.

“Thank you for providing this activity. I want my daughter to feel proud of where she comes from, and you’ve created this so she can.” – Visitor

“Thank you, I feel comfortable here. This has made my day.” - Visitor

In a climate where some voices in the UK are promoting division and intolerance, creating a space where everyone can feel welcome, comfortable, and proud of their heritage is more important than ever.

Sounds of DJ Hollywood

This year’s in-house DJ, DJ Hollywood, brought an electric energy to the weekend. Blending classic soul, revival and reggae with contemporary Afro-beats, he kept the atmosphere lively. The visitors, stallholders, and volunteers remained uplifted throughout the event.

Jamaican Folk Songs with Nadine Walters

Nadine Walters led the crowd in traditional Jamaican folk songs, joined by volunteers and the public from Jamaica and of heritage. Her warm energy brought everyone together, with the audience singing along and even learning a new song together. The simple melodies may be gentle, but their stories rooted in history, resilience, and everyday life, remain deeply powerful.

T1NA-Valerie – South African Artist & Internatinal DJ

Hertfordshire-based South African artist T1NA-Valerie energised the crowd with the smooth sounds of Amapiano along with the deep basslines of Afro-house, and Afro-tech. As soon as she started her set, dropped the beats, people flocked to the performance area. Amapiano is a much love style of house music, a genre which is popular globally. She followed up performing a “Qongqothwane," also known as "The Click Song," a traditional Xhosa song from South African and her latest hit “Vulani”, an emotive track calling for strength and hope for the next generation.

Efua Sey Cultural Academy Drummers

Returning for another year, the popular Efua Sey Cultural Academy Drummers once again filled the space with Ghanaian rhythm and soul. Their vibrant performance brought cultural education through traditional songs and created an atmosphere that made faces light up with smiles and bodies move to the sounds of Africa. The audience willingly joined in, letting go of inhibitions, showing their best moves, and fully immersing themselves in the energy, richness, and joy of African music.

“You have a good mix of cultural performances. I’m glad I came back the second day. You had Amapiano - my gosh!” Visitor

“This is the best event of this type I’ve seen, and I’m from London. I never expected this in Hertfordshire.”Visitor

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for joining us. You made all our hard work worthwhile and we can't wait to bring you more.

Become a Sponsor

We are actively seeking sponsors who share our commitment to cultural celebration, community connection, and positive representation. By becoming a sponsor, you are directly supporting workshops, exhibitions, performances, and opportunities for local businesses and young people. Sponsorship is an opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to diversity, inclusion, heritage, and community wellbeing, while gaining visibility among a broad and engaged audience. 

To learn more, please contact us at hatfieldculturalconnection@gmail.com.

Join Us - Volunteer

With such positive feedback from our community, we the volunteers are motivated to do even more but we need your help. We’re looking for new volunteers to join us, bring fresh ideas, share skills, and support our mission.

There is strength in numbers, but also in the richness of our different cultural experiences. Connect with us, connect with the community.

Get Involved