A massive thank you to our amazing tour guide Darrel Blake – founder of Black Rooted, social activist, historian, researcher, author and public speaker. He led the group equipped with a staggering amount of historical information, insight and a wide array of props that made for a dynamic and thoroughly engaging tour.

The tour began with The Royal Exchange and Bank of England as our backdrop. At this first stop we heard of the development of Britain’s wealth and its troubling reliance on the trading of African people to work the plantations of its colonies. From there, we journeyed along Lombard Street and on to Fenchurch Street, before stopping at the Gilt of Cain memorial sculpture, where we heard of the unsettling truths regarding the treatment of slaves and the questionable immortalising of the men that owned them.

Our tour guide Darrel delivered this tour with a great balance of sensitivity, directness and warm humour. It was a truly illuminating walking tour, and one we will not be soon to forget.

Earlier in the month, we also had a delightful time celebrating cuisines from all around the world with a Cultural Food Celebration Lunch. We all picked a country at random, and each brought in an item of food from our designated nations, coming together to create a diverse, colourful and absolutely delicious spread.

Thanks to Thabi Nyezi and Gregory Murrell – two of our EDI champions – for organising this month’s events to mark and celebrate Black History Month, and to the rest of the team for their fantastic cooking (or purchasing!) skills.