An online petition has been created by staff and volunteers at the Marcus Garvey Centre calling for its reopening.
The appeal was published on February 9 after Nottingham City Council announced it was set to close the site in Lenton due to safety concerns at the end of 2024.
The petition gained popularity online after a video was posted featuring a member appealing to the public to help support the centre’s return. Uploaded shortly after the petition, the clip has received over 170,000 views on Instagram and has resulted in over 8,000 signatures being signed.
Named after political activist Marcus Garvey, the centre has been a hub and a significant space for African, Caribbean and other communities throughout Nottingham for over 40 years. It opened in the 1980s and features service provisions for children, adults and the elderly.
Tyron Browne runs the centre and says it plays an important role in the community. “Our goal and intention was to have somewhere that is representative of the black community,” he said. “We don’t know if the council will allow us to continue.”
The online petition has set out six points of action that staff members and volunteers want for the future of the hub – from the immediate reopening of function rooms to being granted a 25-year lease committing to the preservation for future generations.
Over the years, the community around the centre has grown with families developing strong connections. It operates with the support of around 10 dedicated volunteers who play a crucial role in ensuring facilities and events are run smoothly.
Music and community volunteer, Valerie Robinson, has been supporting the centre for over 30 years. She has put on numerous musical events for the hub and featured in the viral appeal video.
“There is a lot more to the building inside and out that is important to the community,” the 65-year-old said.
“This is about the respect of our Windrush generation who came to pave the way and helped rebuild this country – that cannot be forgotten.”
Located in the Howitt Building on Lenton Boulevard, the centre is composed of multiple functional rooms intended to serve different functions and occasions. It has a ballroom hosted for Christmas parties, gatherings, and other events.
“It is important that the legacy is left behind for the younger generation and the diversity of Nottingham,” Valerie added.
Additionally, on the ground floor of the building, a day centre is provided to cater for older members of the community providing comfort and social enjoyment to prevent isolation at home.
Premises supervisor, Ehimare Ojobo, 35, found the centre after studying in Nottingham more than 10 years ago and spoke about how it has benefited younger members of the community.
“The Marcus Garvey Centre is pre-disposed to young people of black origin as a space that they have access to. To develop music and social events,” he told Platform.
“With it closing down, that accessibility to a space of its kind becomes non-existent and it affects future generations from being able to develop.”
Staff say they hope the petition will make members of surrounding communities in Nottingham aware of the centres current situation and of the ongoing appeal to open its doors indefinitely. Nottingham City Council has been approached for comment.
I would like to thank the Nottingham community for the work it has done up to this point and the fight that it has put in to keep this cultural hun alive, as Caribbeans we have shaped this country and the little we have is not celebrated and often stripped, the councils should a be ashamed as the have all they need and have no humane grounds to do this, this MUST stop