We attended our first cuddle party three years ago, with no idea what we were walking into. Through word of mouth, we’d heard about a long-running project funded by Camden Council which offered a space to explore “platonic touch”. We looked at each other like, what does ‘platonic touch’ even mean? The concept felt utterly foreign and airy fairy to us – two Black Caribbean women who grew up in East and South West London!

Nevertheless, we were intrigued. When we arrived, we noticed the room was set up with chairs, cushions and blankets. We can admit we were anxious, hesitant and very much on high alert. The busy room hummed with the low chatter of strangers. Everywhere we looked there were a whole lot of people, who didn’t look like us, of mixed genders and mixed ages, smiling at us gently and seeming very much at ease.

We, however, were not at all at ease. We stood slightly apart from the group, close enough to the exit, as we took it all in, quietly hypervigilant, scanning the room so we could see any threat coming, if there was one.