Black and Being Essex CIC

25/04/2026

How to join B.A.B.E in 30 seconds 💫

If you’ve been watching our events thinking “how do I join?” this is your sign 👀

✨ Free membership opens in June & December
✨ Or join anytime for £3.99/month
✨ Early event access, discounts & community perks

Join the waitlist via the link in our bio 🔗

22/04/2026

Exciting news ✨

We’ve got new Trustees joining our Board ✨ Meet Laura Brown, Preen Chakadonha, Angela Hutchings and Liz Smith...

✨ Laura is an award-winning Publicist and Producer based in Liverpool. She works with artists and organisations to tell their stories, whatever platform they’re using, and creates sound pieces and works that contextualise lived experience.

✨ Preen is the Knowledge Manager at Wellcome Trust and the Director of Black and Being Essex CIC. Preen is passionate about widening access to arts and cultural spaces, supporting grassroots initiatives, and helping organisations grow sustainably and inclusively.

✨ Angela is Chief Executive of Castle Point Borough Council, and she champions public engagement and civic pride through the imagination of art; the inspiration of heritage and culture; and the ingenuity of communities to innovate the places and spaces which mean the most to them.

✨ Liz is the Director of Learning and Engagement at the National Portrait Gallery. National reach and community accountability are core values for Liz, and a strong belief in the power of people and place to shape identity.

What a bunch! We’re excited to have Laura, Preen, Angela and Liz joining our team of already fabulous Trustees. Learn more about them over on the ‘Who We Are’ section of our website.

ID: A collage of images of our four new trustees on a green and white background, with the Metal logo at the top and their names at the bottom.

11/04/2026

Your May Bank Holiday weekend plans are sorted ☀️
Join us for a relaxed afternoon of creativity, connection and good vibes at our Sip & Learn event.
Drinks, nibbles and hands-on fun included ✨

📅 Date: 2nd May
🕰️ Time: 1-5pm
📍 Location: Braintree Community Centre
🎟️ Cost: £35-£40 (non refundable)
Book your tickets here:
https://blackandbeingessex.co.uk/event/sipandlearn2026/

Design a tote bag with Elasha Sewing Studios OR
Design press own nails with
(Both workshops are beginner friendly)

Book now via link in bio
Terms and conditions apply. See our website for more details.

Create a unique tote from scratch in this hands-on workshop. Use fabric paints, trims and embellishments to paint, sew and customise your bag. All tools and materials provided- take your designer tote home at the end.

30/03/2026

What are we doing, where are we going? You’re welcome to share your things to look forward to in the comments!

23/03/2026

No millennial pauses here 😏
I’ve missed chatting to you guys actually, shall we bring back Thankful Thursdays, I loved reading your DMs 🥹
Anyway back to actual motivational content aka regular programming next week 😉

21/03/2026

Spotlight Saturday with B.A.B.E presents Abi with

“We’re open to collaborate with event planners and vendors.”

If you are a Member, tap the link in our bio to register your business if you would like your business to be featured, with priority given to paid members

blackbusiness

16/03/2026

Here is to showing up, whatever state we are in (also not showing up is an option) happy new week everyone 👋🏾

14/03/2026

Spotlight Saturday with B.A.B.E presents:

Instagram & TikTok -
Orders taken via instagram DMs

Home based cake business - Essex & East London. Collection preferred but delivery *may* be available for a fee, depending on distance.

10/03/2026

Another month, another meet-up! For February BABE Members met up in group met up for a social walk, and a stop at ✨

08/03/2026

ANNOUNCEMENT:

BABE Membership is evolving 💛

As our community continues to grow, we’re excited to introduce our new membership structure.

You can now join BABE through:

✨ Free Membership – access to our WhatsApp community, subgroups and members meetups
✨ Paid Membership – everything above, plus early event access, exclusive discounts and BABE goody bags at selected events

This helps us keep BABE accessible while building something sustainable for the future.

If you’ve been thinking about joining the community… now’s the time!

🔗 Sign up via this link:
https://blackandbeingessex.co.uk/membership-levels/