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important change starts with people meeting up
Change can blossom
In Brighton & Hove, some of the most important changes have started with people meeting up, comparing notes, and deciding they are not going to let things slide. Sometimes that begins as a support group. Sometimes it begins as a response to a crisis. Either way, the pattern is often the same: people notice what is not working, then build something that helps.
This page pulls together a few group stories from Brighton & Hove. Each one shows how the group started and what it has worked to improve.
Brighton and Hove Black Women’s Group (established 1987)
The Brighton and Hove Black Women’s Group began in 1987 as a self-help group. It was set up so Black women in the city could find support, share knowledge, and speak up together. Over time, the group has been linked to wider work challenging racism and inequality, including how people are treated by services that shape everyday life.
What it has helped change
- A steady network of support for Black women in Brighton & Hove.
- More confidence and collective voice, especially when individuals might otherwise feel pushed to the margins.
- Ongoing pressure for fairer treatment across local services and organisations.
Sources
The Migrant English Project (MEP) (started 2003)
MEP started as a simple idea: people involved in migrants’ rights work could see that Brighton & Hove needed a welcoming place where migrants could meet, practise English, and get basic support without jumping through hoops.
MEP grew into a regular, friendly space offering free, informal English learning. For many people, the lessons are only one part of what matters. The other part is having somewhere you can turn up, be known, and not feel alone.
What it has helped change
- Less isolation for people who are new to the city or living with uncertainty.
- Easier access to informal English learning, especially for beginners who cannot attend college provision.
- A practical support route where advice and signposting can happen naturally, not as a last resort.
Sources
Sussex Refugee and Migrant Self-Support Group and the Jollof Café
Mutual support is part of Brighton life, and the Jollof Café is a clear example. The café has become a weekly point of connection, where people share food, conversation, and information. It is rooted in lived experience and shaped by what people actually need.
The important part is not only what is served. It is what the space makes possible: a regular place where people can meet others, get help, and feel a bit more steady.
What it has helped change
- A friendly weekly space that reduces isolation and helps people build trust.
- Practical support through fundraising linked to real need.
- Community leadership that stays close to lived experience.
Sources
The Hummingbird Project (founded 2015, Brighton-based services)
The Hummingbird Project began in 2015 as grassroots work connected to refugee camps in northern France. Over time it developed Brighton-based services shaped by what young refugees said they needed.
This is a key point for Brighton & Hove: good support starts by listening. Not guessing. Not assuming. Listening. The project links day-to-day support for young people with wider advocacy, so the lived reality of life here is not separated from the bigger systems that affect it.
What it has helped change
- Local support shaped by young refugees, rather than designed without them.
- Clearer routes into help and community connection for young people.
- Wider awareness, alongside practical support.
Sources
Racial Harassment Forum (Brighton & Hove)
Some organising work only becomes visible when something goes wrong. The Racial Harassment Forum supports people affected by racist and faith hate incidents in Brighton & Hove. It also works to improve how organisations respond.
When someone experiences hate, it can be hard to know what to do next. Groups like this help make the route clearer: how to report, where to find support, and how to keep pressure on services to do better.
What it has helped change
- Stronger routes for reporting and support.
- Ongoing scrutiny of how local organisations respond to incidents.
- A focus on outcomes for people affected, not only public statements.
Sources
BARCO: Brighton and Hove Black Anti-Racism Community Organisation (formed 2020)
BARCO formed in summer 2020, in the context of renewed public pressure to address anti-Black racism. In Brighton & Hove, it established a Black-led organisation with a clear local focus.
A lot of change work is not one big moment. It is sustained presence. It is showing up again and again, keeping the conversation rooted in real experiences, and not letting the city drift back into comfortable silence.
What it has helped change
- A clear, Black-led focal point for anti-racism work in Brighton & Hove.
- More local accountability, with attention kept on real-life impact.
- A route for partnership work and community-led activity.
Sources
Brighton & Hove City Council Anti-Racism Community Advisory Group (CAG)
Some community organising happens outside the council. Some of it is about making sure the council creates proper routes for accountability and change. The council describes the Anti-Racism Community Advisory Group as part of its anti-racist pledge, meeting regularly and helping shape its anti-racism work.
This matters because strategies can become paperwork if nobody checks whether they are improving real experiences. A group like this exists to keep lived experience in the room while decisions are being made.
What it has helped change
- A structured route for community input and challenge.
- Support for developing and monitoring the council’s Anti-Racism Strategy.
Sources
Why these stories?
These groups did not start in the same way, and they do not do the same work. But they share a local thread:
- a gap becomes obvious
- people organise
- a service, space, or campaign begins
- over time, that work makes new things possible
If you are reading this and thinking you had no idea this was happening, you are not alone. Much of the work of change in Brighton & Hove happens quietly, through regular meet-ups, patient support, and long conversations that keep going after the headlines move on.
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