‘They share stories and while they are at the centre they are no longer lonely’
As part of our Spotlight series, Wendy Kewley explores how Ebony Carers strengthens support for carers from Gloucester’s Caribbean community by working collaboratively with local organisations
It’s 10am on a Wednesday morning and Martha and the Vandellas are singing ‘Dancing in the Street’ loudly in a community hall in central Gloucester. A few elderly people are sitting on chairs around the room tapping their feet to the beat. It’s hard not to. A few more are following the chair exercises that Kate, the fitness trainer, is enthusiastically demonstrating on stage.
Ebony Community Carers is a charity supporting Black carers and ex-carers from the Gloucester Caribbean community, though everyone is welcome to join their weekly social mornings. It offers vital services including sitting services to give primary carers a break, individual counselling services and general support across the community.
Suddenly a throng of people arrive and the All Nations Community Centre is bustling with people chatting and smiling in different groups around the exercise class.
“That’s the minibus arriving,” says Hazel, chair of Ebony Carers, as the last few arrivals stroll through the door and smile as they spot their friends. One woman arrives with enough bananas for the entire hall!
Run by volunteers, Ebony Community Carers Group launched in October 2004 and comes together every Wednesday morning. It’s a much-treasured social opportunity for the regulars who attend and is an important centre for Caribbean culture and heritage, and, fittingly, The All Nations Community Centre was built by the Windrush generation of Black elders back in 1970.
Hazel came across Ebony Community Carers by accident.
“I heard the previous chairperson Blanche McCalla on Gloucester FM radio talking about the work Ebony Carers does. She talked about the activities, one of which was the exercise class for the over-50s and I qualified, so l went along to the class.”
Hazel soon started volunteering on Wednesdays and then, before she knew it, she’d become the new chairperson.
Every week there are two exercise classes, run by SOHFIT, followed by an information session – it’s £3 for an exercise class. Lunch is also provided for £4 and this is arranged by the Black elders, who still oversee the community space.
Carol Sterling, treasurer, has been involved since starting Ebony Carers with Blanche when they identified a gap in provision for the Caribbean community and so decided to help Black, and minority ethnic carers access the services and support they need.
Back in 2004 there were a handful of people coming – now Carol says there are over 60 regulars.
She retired two years ago from working in adult social care, but people still ask her for advice on processes. The latest query is how to obtain a blue badge. She plans to compile a list of resources for everyone to make things easier in the future.
“I’ve seen how their face lights up when they see someone they recognise and they start to laugh and giggle because it is someone they went to school with in Jamaica”
As a small charity run by volunteers, Ebony Community Carers relies on partnerships to extend the services on offer, including with the NHS.
There are regular talks on practical subjects such as how to get an NHS appointment etc as well as advice on health topics such as skin cancer and breast cancer. NHS professionals visit to offer blood pressure checks or pre-diabetes health checks, making these more accessible for everyone. Gloucester GP Dr Andrea Loader has also led an information session on menopause in the Black community.
It’s a two-way partnership and Ebony Carers has supported the NHS with the development of a wound care booklet. The existing version focussed only on wound care for white people, so the NHS asked for suggestions and feedback to help make the booklet more inclusive and suitable for all communities.
During Dying Matters Awareness Week in May 2025, the NHS End of Life and Palliative Care team also visited to learn more about cultural and faith considerations around death, dying and bereavement in different communities.
At a strategic level, Blanche was a member of the NHS advisory group on health inequalities for several years showing how even a small organisation can make a significant contribution.
The NHS isn’t the only partner that the Ebony Carers team is working with. They’re currently collaborating with Gloucester Community Building Collective to provide computer, WhatsApp and mobile phone courses for all their members.
Additionally, every second Tuesday of the month, Ebony Carers host the Barton & Tredworth Memory Café with Gloucester City Homes to support individuals with dementia, their family and carers.
Yet while the support and advice available is greatly appreciated, for many members the social and cultural connections are equally important.
Beverley Witter, a former nurse and health visitor, heard about Ebony Carers through the community after the Covid pandemic.
“This is a lifeline for me,” she says.
“I come here every week and if I don’t come, I miss it. It’s not the exercise: it’s the social and the meal – you’ll have to try the lunch!
“I like the atmosphere. It’s such a comfortable and safe place to come to. We also get informed about things in the community – what’s coming up as well as any deaths.”
Beverley has met new friends at Ebony Carers - including some who even knew her Mum.
Looking around the bustling hall, she adds: “If I didn’t have this, then I’d be very unhappy and very sad. This is very, very important.”
Sitting with her friends at another table is Mrs Williams. She’s been coming to Ebony Carers for about 16 years and loves doing the exercises and seeing everyone. She first came along with her parents and husband until they sadly passed away. After mentioning Ebony Carers to her next-door neighbour, she now comes along too.
“With funding, we could offer regular trips to the theatre and museums, giving older people opportunities to socialise, learn and enjoy new experiences”
Hazel says: “Quite a few of the people who attend live on their own, either because their partner has died or the children have grown up and have families of their own.
“When someone comes for the first time I’ve seen how their face lights up when they see someone they recognise, and when they start to laugh and giggle because it is someone they went to school with in Jamaica. They share stories and while they are at the centre they are no longer lonely.
“Depression and mental illness amongst the elderly is a huge factor and we, at Ebony, subsidise visits to a counsellor.”
Hazel explains that Ebony Carers work with two private counsellors who support people from a Black African background. This provision helps to fill a gap by offering culturally informed counselling. Before Ebony Carer’s involvement, therapy was not something that many people in the Black community would typically seek.
With this in mind, most people come to the Wednesday sessions every week, but when regulars don’t turn up, Hazel calls them to check that they are okay, reinforcing how important everyone is to the community.
So, how can Ebony Carers provide such a fantastic service?
While Gloucester County Council provide enough funding to pay for the community space once a week, there is a great need for more activities and Hazel is keen to raise additional funding to meet this need.
She says: “With funding, we could offer regular trips to the theatre and museums, giving older people opportunities to socialise, learn and enjoy new experiences.
“We could also organise affordable weekend breaks, providing rest, companionship and a change of scenery that supports wellbeing, confidence, independence and reduces isolation and loneliness.”
To this end, Ebony Community Carers became a charity at the end of December 2025 in the hope that they will be able to apply for funding.
Besides funding challenges, former chair Blanche identifies another one: the need for more younger volunteers.
She reflects: “Many younger people who might have filled these roles left for university and did not return to Gloucestershire. As a result, the community lost valuable capacity, particularly in roles that could have helped shape policies to support the Black community.
On this, she says that cultural needs continue to be poorly addressed. She adds that many of the lessons - particularly around culture, language, and care needs - are still not being put into practice to properly support the local Black community.
Another Ebony member chips in adding that many younger people leave Gloucester for university or work and do not return, often because of better job prospects. They may also find more cosmopolitan cities, such as Birmingham or London, more welcoming as Black people.
Last year Age UK published ‘Ageing while Black: the experiences of Black Caribbean older people in England’ showing how lifelong experiences of racism, discrimination and inequality impact on ageing for people of Black Caribbean heritage, particularly in relation to financial security, health and wellbeing.
While it sounds as though Ebony Carers is making a big difference in Gloucester, can more be done and what does Hazel think might be a gamechanger here?
“This is a difficult question,” she says.
“Blanche was a member of the County Council Partnership Board until 2025, when she had to step down due to health issues.
“She shared extensive information about community needs, but this has not seen enough implementation. She also raised her concerns with Healthwatch and wrote a report, but no action was taken. Information continues to be shared with organisations, yet the community do not see any positive changes.”
Despite these ongoing concerns, Hazel seems optimistic about her role and the future at the All Nations Community Centre.
As the music changes to Stevie Wonder’s Uptight (Everything’s Alright), she adds that she enjoys seeing people happy and takes pleasure in being able to help and find resources that they cannot find themselves.
“What do I get back?
“The satisfaction that we are doing something that they appreciate, and they tell us that we are doing a wonderful job.”
Get in touch
If you’d like to find out more or would like to refer someone to Ebony Community Carers, then please call 01452 617456 or you can find out more here.
Photo: Members of Ebony Carers pictured after a fitness session. Credit: Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance