28/10/2026
A personal message from our CEO, Dr Shola, honouring the mothers, stories, and heritage that shape who we are today:
This Black History Month post comes towards the end of October, but it is not an afterthought. If anything, it is a reminder that one month is not enough to celebrate Black history, communities and the people who have shaped them. Honouring Black lives deserves more than a date in the calendar.
I spent much of the month in Nigeria, travelling through Lagos, Ibadan, Ado Ekiti and Ijero Ekiti with my husband and my 84-year-old mum, Comfort. Along the way, her stories brought her life in Britain into sharper focus for me.
She came to the UK in the 1960s and had to find her feet in a country that was often unwelcoming. She was raising a family and making a home while learning to live between two cultures.
Food was central to that story. Egusi, shoko, ewedu, garden egg, iru and okra were not always easy to find. Though the pots, pans and cooking methods were different, Mama adapted, found substitutes and kept cooking the foods we knew.
She also made beautiful meals from oxtail, offal and cuts of meat others turned their noses up at. I have to smile at how sought-after oxtail has become today! Through skill and care, she kept the flavours authentic while nourishing us with what was available.
Those meals fed more than hunger. They carried memory, comfort and a sense of home, helping shape who we became.
This year’s Black History Month theme is “Honouring Our Communities.” I honour my mum, Comfort, and the many mothers who made a life in Britain while keeping their families connected to where they came from. Their ingenuity deserves recognition, their stories deserve to be heard and their care honoured while they are here.
Honouring Black lives deserves more than a month, a theme or words.
