Arriving at a Flock Together meetup, you instantly know you’re in good hands. “This is the ultimate safe space,” says organiser Ollie Olanipekun, welcoming the 120 or so attendees to today’s walk at Trent Country Park in Enfield, London. Binoculars are handed out for those who don’t have them, as are raincoats, and people chat so enthusiastically that Olanipekun has to speak up to be heard.
Flock Together is a black-led birdwatching collective that runs monthly walks in and around London to help foster connections with the outdoors and bring people of colour together. Olanipekun explains that nature has had a profound impact on his mental health. “I have ADHD so my mind is super active. When I was introduced to nature, and specifically birdwatching, it was the only place I felt absolute peace.” Knowing that mental health can be a taboo topic in black communities and other communities of colour, Olanipekun and co-founder Nadeem Perera saw a chance to help. In 2020, Flock Together was born.
Previous walks have included trips to Brighton, to see starling murmurations swirl around the pier, and to Richmond Park, to spot woodpeckers and red kites among the deer. Today’s adventure is a little different – it includes a Macmillan Coffee Morning done the Flock Together way. After a wander through Trent Country Park’s rolling green stretches and ancient woodland, the group takes a break for refreshments and conversation. This time, alongside sharing stories, passion projects and animal facts, attendees will enjoy sweet treats in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.
Snacks are laid out on the Macmillan Coffee Morning tablecloth, which doubles as a picnic blanket and, after everyone has helped themselves, Olanipekun invites people to address the group. “This is a space where you look to your left, you look to your right, people have gone through similar lived experiences, similar struggles. They’re here to support you,” he says.
This sense of supportive community is why Olanipekun believes the Macmillan Coffee Morning is a natural fit for Flock Together. “[It’s] such an incredible, simple format and slots into our offering perfectly. It’s bringing people together around a shared cause and just being supportive.”
He’s right. Macmillan helps people in the UK who are living with cancer deal with its many and varied impacts – whether they need financial advice they can trust, a listening ear from a Macmillan buddy, or support understanding their diagnosis from a Macmillan nurse. As for Flock Together, on today’s walk people share how the collective has helped them deal with mental health struggles, overcome fears of hiking alone and process grief for loved ones lost to cancer.
For Koshii Quarcoopome-Harper, whose son died in 2021 from a cancer that mainly affects young black people with the sickle cell trait, Flock Together events have been a “solace”. She now regularly birdwatches with friends or on her own. “[The outdoors] is still a very white space, but Flock has given me the confidence not to care about that,” she says.
The Flock Together organisers are busy people, but incorporating the Coffee Morning into an event they were already running made the process seamless. Semira Badesha, one of the organisers of today’s event, says: “When it’s implemented in a community you’re already a part of, it’s kind of a no-brainer. It’s easy, it’s accessible, and it’s the community coming together to do something even better.”
The Coffee Morning phenomenon began in 1990 as a chance to get together over coffee and cake, but has evolved over the years, with organisers adapting the concept for our times. These days, it could be snacks with your sewing circle, a cake stand on your street, a chai afternoon, or a special Sunday dinner with the family. Every amount raised, no matter how small, makes a vital difference for people living with cancer.
Speaking of which, at Trent Country Park, it’s time to gather up donations in the Macmillan collection box. It comes included in the handy Macmillan Coffee Morning kit, which also has a sheet of scannable stickers for anyone who doesn’t have cash to hand. “The kit’s really important. Being able to have the QR code for people to donate has been incredibly useful,” says Olanipekun.
After the Macmillan snack break, it’s back to nature. The sun is shining over the dramatic scene of a territorial crow dive-bombing a buzzard and the more gentle sight of butterflies basking in the warmth. People are chatting away, connecting over the stories heard and shared in the break. Several people tell me Flock Together’s unique “vibe” of friendliness is what keeps them coming back. And they’re not wrong. The strength of the community here is clear.
Want to get involved? Raise money to help support people living with cancer and sign up to host a Macmillan Coffee Morning at macmillan.org.uk/coffee-morning
Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SCO39907) and the Isle of Man (604). Also operating in Northern Ireland.