Cllr Sheila Chapman (left) with Sapphire CEO Jasmine Cannon-Ikurusi and Islington mayor Jason Jackson

WITH an understated façade on a street leading up to the Emirates stadium, Islington’s Black Cultural Centre has become a destination for film screenings, health talks and community meals since it opened in November 2024.

This week, a new initiative took over stewardship of the space – the last of four organisations which have taken turns to hold events at the centre in its first year.

The Sapphire Employability and Wellbeing Academy will offer employment training and mentoring, mental health and wellbeing support, and a digital platform for people of colour to access vital services and funding.

Chief executive Jasmine Cannon-Ikurusi, who founded Sapphire a decade ago, said the launch was not just a “milestone” but “a promise”, adding: “A promise to keep building, keep listening, and keep creating spaces where every soul feels seen, valued, and uplifted. The future we envision is bold, compassionate, and shared, and it continues right here.”

Islington Council’s equalities chief, Councillor Sheila Chapman, said Sapphire would provide opportunities to those who have “long faced systemic barriers”.

Sapphire takes a holistic approach to its career support, also offering food and clothing donations, counselling services and housing support to people who need them.

Over the past nine months, three other organisations – Go Africa, Black History Studies, and Carib Eats – each had three-month residencies that brought something different to the space.

Sapphire’s residency will continue until mid-November, at which point the council said it will be working with local groups on “exciting plans” for the centre’s next chapter.