Meet a Changemaker: Aisha Ahmed, Co-Facilitator, the Friendship Club

Aisha volunteers for the Friendship Club, a social inclusive disability group aimed at people with autism or learning disabilities. The group encourages people with disabilities to come together to chat and have fun, with the aim of reducing isolation and loneliness. Having herself spent six months as an inpatient on mental health wards before being diagnosed with autism and bipolar disorder, Aisha credits the Friendship Club with turning her life around. It gave her a space where she felt seen and listened to, and helped her get a job in the NHS. She now hopes to use her lived experience to empathise with and support other people.