Black Minds Matter UK

Pardner Hand

£1,278

FUNDS RAISED

087

MEMBERS

JOIN US IN SUPPORTING

Therapy: We assess and match Black individuals and families to Black therapists

Awareness: We create and share resources, run workshops and deliver talks aimed at educating the community about Mental Health and Mental Illness

Advocacy: We advocate for transformational systems change with an aim to influence policy

Standing Together in Joy, Community & Care

This Christmas, we’re celebrating the power of community. The small kindnesses. The shared moments. The ways we lift each other up, sometimes quietly, sometimes joyfully, but always together.

When Black Minds Matter UK began in 2020, we made a promise: to stand firmly with our community by offering free, culturally appropriate mental health support. Together, we’ve raised over £3 million, delivered thousands of therapy sessions, and walked alongside hundreds of people on their journey to healing.

As the year draws to a close, we’re reminded of the traditions that have always helped us through life’s highs and lows. One of the most powerful is the Pardner Hand, a shared practice of giving, receiving, and holding each other up. Known across the Caribbean and African diaspora as Pardner, Susu, Sou-Sou, or Ajo, it is built on trust, unity, and the belief that everyone thrives when the community thrives.

This Christmas, we’re embracing that spirit more than ever.

For many, Christmas is a time filled with warmth and connection. For others, it can be a moment of loneliness, pressure, or worry, especially for those navigating anxiety or struggling with their mental health. That’s why we’re creating space for joy, rest, and togetherness.

We’ll be sharing tips to find calm, ways to ease anxious moments, and small acts of self-kindness to help anyone who might need support this season!

An Invitation to a Christmas Act of Kindness

In the same way the Pardner tradition brings people together, many in our community choose to make a small monthly contribution as a quiet act of care, a way of keeping the community strong for someone who needs support.

There is no pressure.. Just an open invitation to take part in a legacy of kindness.

With £1 a month or more, your Pardner contribution becomes part of something deeply meaningful: a shared fund that helps provide therapy for Black people across the UK, especially during times when support matters most.

It’s a simple gesture.

A gentle, joyful gift of community.

A way to say: no one should face their struggles alone, not at Christmas, not ever..

Want to learn more about our Pardner Hand? Check out the FAQs below.

 FAQs

  • On 22 June 1948, the HMT Empire Windrush brought hundreds of Commonwealth citizens from the Caribbean to help rebuild Britain after the war.

    Despite their hard work, many were denied bank accounts and loans because they had no UK credit history, making things like buying a home nearly impossible. So, the community pulled together and created Pardner Hand, a simple, trust-based savings club where everyone chipped in to help each other get ahead.

  • The Pardner Hand is rooted in traditions of mutual support within Black communities, where people come together to pool resources and uplift one another. By using this model, we’re not only raising funds but also building solidarity and accountability. It reflects the belief that mental health is not an isolated journey but a collective act of healing.

  • On 6th May 2025, we reopened our therapy waiting list. Just four months later, over 600 people joined the waiting list for help. That’s 600 lives on hold, families, friends, and futures, all in need of support. Meeting this need will cost over £1 million, but right now, our budget only stretches to help a little over 200 people.

    We can’t leave the rest behind. And we can’t do this without you.

    That’s why we’re asking you to stand with us. By joining our Pardner community, and giving as little as £1 a month, you can be part of a movement of 100,000 people raising £100,000 every month. Together, we can clear the waiting list and make sure no one is left without the therapy they deserve today, and for generations to come.

  • Your contribution goes directly towards providing free, culturally appropriate therapy sessions for Black individuals across the UK.

    Just like in a traditional pardner, your monthly contribution helps someone today, and builds a system that can support you or your loved ones tomorrow.

    Even £1 a month helps us extend access to life-changing support.

  • In addition to your monthly contribution, you can support the Pardner Hand by spreading the word within your networks, family, friends, workplaces, and community groups. Every conversation helps break the stigma around mental health and brings more people into the Pardner Hand community.

    Click here to select an image and Share our campaign on your socials

  • This campaign draws on the Caribbean Pardner hand tradition, but differs in one key aspect: contributions / donations are gifts that remain with BMMUK and are not returned to donors. The money remains in the fund to provide therapy for the Black community. Unlike the original system, there is no drawdown.

  • Yes, absolutely! Sharing stories of how traditions like Pardner Hand, Susu, or Ajo shaped and supported your family is at the heart of this campaign. These stories honour the resilience of the Windrush generation and show how community care, trust, and solidarity have always been part of our heritage.

    By sharing your story, you’re helping to connect past to present — showing how the spirit of Pardner Hand lives on today as we build a Black mental health fund, by us, for us.

    You can share your story in three ways:

    Email us at BMMUK info@blackmindsmatteruk.com

    Tag us in your post and use the hashtag #BMMUKPardnerHand

    DM us directly on our social channels

    Your voice helps inspire others to join this community and stand firm in power and pride.