Mission Statement

Community members and Black-owned businesses in Gillett Square need our help. For years, they’ve grappled with the devastating impacts of gentrification without any support from the council. Now, they're struggling even more to survive as existing difficulties are exasperated by the global pandemic.

It's no surprise that many of the Black-owned spaces in the square may be closed down. Black people have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, and the business owners in Gillett Square are no exception.

Dalston Roundtable wants to offer support, consultations, and post-lockdown events to these businesses as well as the local community to help both thrive. We want to help locals who’ve been pushed out of Gillett Square reclaim this important community space in the heart of Hackney.

Hackney market is a special place where people from all different cultures come together to share their heritage and connect with one another, if it keeps having to deal with gentrification then this special place where people can shop, bond and buy goods from their own countries will be lost along with the culture and the heritage behind the market.

Workshop

Along with the African Menu Box, we offer a workshop that will educate participants about the African recipes and ingredients that are within the African Menu Box. For example, you will learn about the places where they grow, how they are transported and all the information about the nutrients and health benefits they offer, along with all the information about the ingredients we also educate people about black culture and black heritage within the hackney community.

Our Story

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, the founder of Holistic Support N'dey Fatou hosted a consultancy event with Hackney community members and Black-owned businesses in Gillett Square.

During the event, Fatou was struck by how much support the community needed, and how little it was getting. This is how the idea for Dalston Roundtable was born: a project for the community, by the community.

Fatou put together a team of volunteers who all share her passion for Dalston Roundtable’s mission to empower the community.

Since its founding, Dalston Roundtable has held numerous events, worked with local businesses and individuals to help them improve their output, won a campaign to remove temporary urinals from Gillett Square, and launched African Menu Boxes.

When our communities bloom, we all do.

Together we are stronger.