Written by Bianca Danielle
I cannot believe it has been a full year of planning and delivering the Rekindling Nello James project. What a project. What an honour. If you attended any of our events over the past year, you will probably have heard me repeat the same thing over and over again, being asked to lead this project felt timely and purposeful.
Looking back, it feels like a natural extension of so much of the work I have spent years doing. Working in the creative sector across producing, audience development, outreach and marketing, I have always been passionate about breaking down barriers and helping my community access spaces, opportunities and art forms that may have previously felt out of reach.
Alongside this, through my own venture Melanin Markets, I have spent years platforming Black-owned businesses, creatives and community voices. Then suddenly, everything paused. For a year, I was able to fully immerse myself in the story of the Nello James Centre.
I spoke to people who founded it, people who governed it, people who worked there, people who visited, and people who protested its closure. I listened to stories, memories, frustrations and hopes for the future. Whilst many people understandably wanted answers around ownership and what happened to the building, I became equally interested in the people behind the centre.
Who were they? What were their stories? How could we ensure they were remembered?
For me, it became a personal mission to help find, name and platform the people who made the Nello James Centre what it was. I wanted to ensure that when the history of Manchester and the North is told, the Nello James Centre finally takes its rightful place within that story. And I genuinely feel we achieved that.
The Final Gathering
In April 2026, we hosted The Final Gathering, bringing together community members, former centre users, supporters and project participants to reflect on everything that had been achieved over the previous twelve months.
One of the highlights of the evening was screening a selection of films created during the project. These films centred local African and Caribbean voices and captured the heart of the Nello James Centre through the people who experienced it. The film I was most excited for people to see was Stories of Nello James Centre. (Which you can watch at the end of this blog) Many members of the Rekindle team had not even seen the completed film before it was screened and the reaction was powerful.
The film combines one-to-one interviews with elders who founded, worked at and attended the centre. They share joyful memories, reflect on the impact the centre had on their lives, and speak openly about the heartbreak of its closure. Interwoven throughout the film are scenes from our community discussion event, held on the same day. The atmosphere felt less like a formal heritage project and more like a community rallying point. People shared memories, frustrations, hopes and opinions. There was laughter. There was passion. There was pain. And all of it felt important.
I was determined that the discussion should be an open space where people could say what they needed to say without being rushed, redirected or limited by a strict agenda. Sometimes communities simply need space to speak. I feel incredibly proud of what we achieved that day.
Community Voice
One thing that stayed with me was seeing people travel from far and wide to attend and contribute to the conversation. Some key individuals connected to the centre were unable or unwilling to attend, which was sad, but understandable. But I couldn’t deny how wonderful it was to witness so many showing up, sharing their stories and agreeing to be filmed so that their memories could be preserved for future generations.
Those recordings now form part of the first dedicated Nello James Centre archive at the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre, ensuring these voices will not be lost.
There were many moments from the day that will stay with me. One that made me smile was when an older gentleman took the microphone and passionately declared
“You have a case here. This centre was wrongfully sold and now you need to contact a friend of a friend, or even a friend of a friend of a friend, because somebody knows somebody who can help.”
The room erupted with laughter. But underneath the humour was something deeper, as he was reminding us of the power of community, networks and collective action. That it’s people, together, that can truly move mountains.
Another moment has stayed with me for different reasons was Barry Coleman, one of the original co-founders and trustees of the Nello James Centre, spoke about learning of the centre’s closure. He said:
“I was shocked and heartbroken when I heard the centre had closed. If I had known there were protests, I would have joined.”
You could feel the emotion in the room. Here was a man who had helped build something extraordinary, expressing grief decades later. The pain had never really left him. You could see it on his face.
Why This Project Mattered
What I know for certain is that this project mattered.
It mattered to the people of Whalley Range. It mattered to the people of South Manchester. It mattered to African and Caribbean communities. It mattered to those who attended the centre and understood what it represented, a space built by the people, for the people.
Securing funding for this project was not easy. It took four applications before funding was finally awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. I am so grateful that it was, because that funding allowed us to spend an entire year remembering, documenting and celebrating the centre. It allowed us to activate spaces in homage to its legacy, create films, capture photographs, host exhibitions, gather oral histories and begin answering questions that have remained unanswered for decades. Most importantly, it allowed us to create the foundations of the first dedicated Nello James Centre archive.
Now, when future generations search the archives, they will not simply find references to a building. They will find the people, they will hear their voices, they will learn the story directly from those who lived it, and that feels incredibly important.
It’s Just The Beginning
This is a project I will always be proud to have been part of. The work may be coming to an end, but the conversations certainly are not. This week, the project was featured in The Guardian, which you can read here, it brings the story of the Nello James Centre back into public conversation once again.
Perhaps that is the greatest legacy of all. Not that we have all the answers, but that people are asking the questions again. That people care and remember, and that the story of the Nello James Centre is still being told.
Watch the short documentary: Stories of Nello James Centre: