j Black Boy Joy Club
Black LGBTQI+ adult wellbeing · London

A space for we to hear and be heard.

Mental health support, sexual health awareness, cultural events, befriending. Built by and for Black LGBTQI+ adults across London — by Mark Banfield's Black Boy Joy Club C.I.C.

What we do Meet the team →
A staged still life of UK Black queer ephemera from the 1980s and 1990s — a Sony Walkman, a hand-labelled Kiss FM mixtape, ivory bone dominoes, a Winston Reedy lovers rock vinyl record, a Refreshers wrapper, a copy of The Voice newspaper, a bottle-green mug, and a terracotta plant pot — arranged on a cream linen tablecloth in afternoon daylight.
What we do

Wellbeing, in the round.

BBJC's programmes meet adults where they already are — at the kitchen table, at the dance floor, in conversation, in the gym. Six service areas, none of them prescriptive.

Illustration of a quiet windowsill — a mug of tea, a knitted throw, a book and a plant
Mental health

Spaces to talk and to be quiet.

Peer-led group sessions, one-to-one signposting, a partner network of Black-affirming therapists.

Illustration of a glass of water, a plain-language health leaflet and a strip of condoms on a table
Sexual health

Information that meets you, not lectures you.

PrEP advocacy, testing signposting, plain-English resources written by community for community.

Illustration of vinyl records, dominoes mid-game and a portable turntable
Cultural & social

Saturday afternoon, in the kitchen.

Cooking, music, dance, films, cards. Programmed seasonally; everyone welcome.

Illustration of two mugs of tea and a phone showing a message
Befriending

A standing invitation, not a calendar invite.

Matched peer befriending for adults who want regular, low-stakes connection.

Illustration of worn trainers, a rolled towel and a water bottle on a park bench
Fitness & movement

Joy as a body practice.

Group walks, dance classes, gentle movement sessions — outdoor and indoor, all paces.

Illustration of lino-printing tools, paint tubes and fabric offcuts on a workbench
Arts & making

Hands working at something good.

Workshops with artists from the community — printing, textiles, photography.

In our own words

A space for people to reflect, share joy, support and just be — a space for we to hear and be heard.

— BBJC, in our directory entry
Our work · featured

When the room is full.

A room full of people seated together at a BBJC gathering

The brunches, the talkbacks, the kitchen tables — the heart of BBJC is a room full of people who turned up for each other.

A regular rhythm of gatherings across London, the food often cooked by Mark himself. People tell us the same thing afterwards: they slept better that night, and they left with a friend to text on a Tuesday.

Fully subsidised wherever we can; supported by partners across our wellbeing network.

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The people who hold the work

A small team, close relationships.

BBJC is founded and directed by Mark Banfield, with a small team of peer workers and volunteers — each holding a piece of the programme. We work part-time, in our own kitchens and in shared spaces; we keep overheads low and the relationships close.

Live from Instagram

@theblackboyjoyclub

The Instagram is the place to find what's happening this week — events, photos from the last gathering, signposting.

Follow @theblackboyjoyclub ↗