Reference Number: GB3228.5/4/25, Elouise Edwards, Demonstrations & Campaigns, 1982-1993
Rekindling Nello James Event
On Saturday 29th November, we attended ReKindle Supplementary Schools’ Rekindling Nello James event, which brought together former volunteers, students, and residents to share memories of the once-vibrant Nello James Centre in Whalley Range. Named after the Trinidadian historian, activist, and writer C.L.R. James, the Centre was opened in his memory in the early 1970s and gifted to the community through a donation from Vanessa Redgrave. The Nello James Centre became a social hub for education, activism, and legal advice. Its recent sale to developers, despite many recalling being “gifted to the community in perpetuity” has raised concerns and anger within the community, particularly around the legality of the sale.
With little formally recorded about the Centre’s 30-year legacy, the event focused on capturing personal stories, which will be preserved at the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre. During the event, we displayed historical photographs related to the local area, as well as community-produced materials from Abasindi and the Moss Side Advice Centre, which once operated from the same building as ReKindle school. These displays encouraged attendees to reflect on their own memories of local places and the sense of belonging they fostered.
Places, Memory, and the Meaning of Belonging
Many people spoke about their memories of the Nello James Centre, community spaces, and belonging, ideas that connect closely to our wider exploration of how places shape our lives.
Our collections include many photographs of local buildings, streets, and neighbourhoods, images that highlight how deeply our environments influence memory, identity, and connection. These have inspired us to explore, Places, Memory, and the Meaning of Belonging, which reflects on heritage, change, and the emotional ties that make places feel like home.
Global Majority Community Call Out: Add Your Voice to Our Story of Community Spaces
To document the importance of buildings and places, we are inviting Global Majority community members to share the places that have shaped them. Through our short survey, we welcome stories of joy, connection, continuity, or change, whether tied to specific locations or described more broadly.
Your responses will help us reflect on why places matter, how they evolve, and how they continue to shape who we are. We may want to quote your responses, in part or in full in our blog/social media, with credit given in whatever form you prefer.
To view images from our collection that may inspire you to think about local places, visit our social media pages, where we will be sharing a selection of images related to each theme. You can share your thoughts here on our survey, comment directly on our social media pages, or record a voice note and send it via direct message. There are no right or wrong answers, and you may share as much or as little as you like.
Thank you for helping us build a richer, more meaningful story of the places that define our communities.
