Meet Asif, Social and Peer Group member

Meet Asif, a member of our brand new Social and Peer group in West London, made possible by the Heathrow Community Fund. Here he tells us how the group has increased his confidence and taught him valuable skills for the future.

“My name’s Asif and this is the first RSBC group that I’ve come to.

I’m partially sighted, blind in my right eye, and am currently at Sixth Form College studying ICT and Business Studies.

We’ve done lots of events with the group, from visiting the London Aquarium to horse riding, which was my favourite. I’ve seen a horse before but never ridden one. There were people by me leading the horse. I was nervous at first, but it became really fun after.

At the aquarium we had a guide that described the sea life creatures to us. They had different fish there including sharks and I learned a bit about the animals.

When we don’t go out on an activity we have meetings where we talk about the trips, which has taught me to be open and honest about things. At the meetings we have also had guest speakers and we get to plan our outings.

The group leader Noel really encourages us to talk to each other and I’ve made new friends that are partially sighted like me. We’ve had the chance to talk and share what it’s like to live with a visual impairment.

Before the group I hadn’t met many blind people and I didn’t have much confidence in terms of socialising and travelling, but by coming along I’ve become more confident and had great fun. I definitely think blind young people should come along, because the groups are a really good experience.”

If you’re interested in joining, visit our Social and Peer groups page for more info.

Or email us on connections@rsbc.org.uk or call 020 3198 0225.