Hello! My name is Imran. I am 35 years of age and partially sighted/visually impaired from the London Borough of Merton, London, England, United Kingdom. I enjoy socialising, chatting, meeting people and making new friends.

This Reddit account and subreddit was set up for promoting and advertising of my social/support group, SocialLight.

I write to you to inform you about an exciting project we set up and started in August 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, SocialLight, a social group and support group for people with disabilities, which was postponed in September 2020 due to lockdowns and gathering restrictions enforced by the UK Government from last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The group’s get-togethers have been running since May 2021 and we had a good turnout attending our July 2021 get-together.

For the benefit of other disabled people, in collaboration with a few friends, SocialLight was set up to run a regular monthly coffee and lunch social group get-together event for people with disabilities to come together and meet for social interaction to chat, socialise, meet people and make new friends, have a drink and something to eat, and to also be used as a support group to share and discuss worries, problems and any issues they are having.

This group is for members aged between 18-45 years old who live in the UK with disabilities only.

The aim and objective of this coffee/lunch social/support group meetup event is to improve the social life, mental health and wellbeing of disabled people, to get them more active and socially engaging and interacting with others and to remove their anxiety, depression, isolation and loneliness.

We invite you to join our group. We are a very friendly, relaxed community where members can chat about anything and everything within reason and boundaries, interact, socialise, meet and get to know members in our WhatsApp and Facebook group before attending our meetups and hopefully make new friends. We hope you enjoy your time with us and make good friendships in our community.

New joining members and existing members must be a UK resident to attend our meetup get-together events and must have a disability to join the SocialLight WhatsApp, Facebook and Meetup groups.

We have been, and are still very low on numbers caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. We need more people and more new members to join the group and attend our meetup get-togethers.

SOCIALLIGHT ONLINE NETWORK LINKS

Reddit profile homepage: u/SocialLight-Group https://www.reddit.com/user/SocialLight-Group

SocialLight Social Group subreddit: r/SocialLightGroup https://www.reddit.com/r/SocialLightGroup/

Add us as a friend on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/imransociallight

Like our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/sociallightsw19

Join our Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sociallightsw19/

Meetup group page: https://www.meetup.com/SocialLight-Group/

SocialLight Eventbrite homepage: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/imran-at-sociallight18-45-socialsupport-group-30964940851

Please visit and check these above pages regularly for regular monthly updates on our monthly meetup get-togethers and information on tickets and our ticket system.

To ensure a very friendly, lively, happy and safe atmosphere, members must respect each other and be respectful and considerate of members’ mental health, wellbeing, feelings, honour, dignity and integrity when engaging in friendly banter and friendly joking.

Please read and follow the rules at this link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/w9jg2r9ugaa3qya/SocialLightRulesFinal3.pdf?dl=0

We have set up a WhatsApp group for the group as well. If you or anyone you know has a disability and really wants to start chatting, socialising and meeting everyone and make new friends right now, please contact me on the mobile number below and I will be happy to add you into the WhatsApp group.

DONATIONS AND TIPS ARE WELCOME

Donations and tips are welcome. Do please donate what you can and give us a tip to help SocialLight's future, potential expansion, and to help with running and admin costs.

OUR MEETUP GET-TOGETHERS

Full details of our venue where we run and hold the group’s meetup get-togethers are:

Where: Arthur’s Café/Arthur’s Catering
170 Arthur Road, Wimbledon Park, London, SW19 8AQ, England, United Kingdom
Telephone no: +4420 3602 4318
Email: arthurswimbledon@gmail.com
Website: https://www.arthurscafewimbledon.com/
Time: 11am-2pm UK time

Please check our online pages and our monthly electronic leaflet adverts/announcements for our scheduled dates.

The venue has wheelchair access.

Nearest London Underground Tube train station: Wimbledon Park, District Line towards Wimbledon

London busses: 156 bus route towards Vauxhall – Nearest bus stop: Stop H Wimbledon Park Arthur Road
156 bus route towards Wimbledon – Nearest bus stop: Stop R Wimbledon Park Arthur Road

The group will be running once every month until further notice. Please view the below links for regular updates on dates and times for the group meetup get- togethers.

We will only be allowing and accepting 17 members maximum to attend only for each of our monthly meetup get-togethers until further notice. This may increase depending on the success of the group and subject to approval of the venue owner.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Face masks are no longer compulsory and not required to be worn on the premises. It is your choice whether you want to wear one or not.

There is a first aid box available on site should any group member have any small, minor incidences and injuries. Any major or severe accidents need to be addressed by the emergency services.

There is also a defibrillator attached to the wall outside.
Members can request for their food and drink to be served in disposable boxes and plastic utensils. If you wish for this, please let a member of staff know when ordering.

If you are interested, please keep an eye out for updates and announcements and dates of the running of the group and venue details.

Please remember to view each event’s dedicated event page on Meetup, Facebook and Eventbrite to RSVP and register your attendance and to view event details.

Please purchase your ticket from our Eventbrite page to secure and guarantee your space and to register your attendance. RSVPing and registering your name down in the ‘Going’ list on Meetup and Facebook only shows and expresses your interest and notifies other members that you will be going to our event. We will not accept your RSVP on Meetup and Facebook as your registration to attend our event.

Tickets cost £10 for entry and for food and drink. Your ticket will secure your space and the £10 will include your coffee and meal. No refunds accepted.

You must bring your ticket with you for entry and show your ticket at the counter to get your free coffee and meal. If you cannot print your ticket and bring it with you, please show your ticket electronically on your smartphone to a member of our team upon entry and at the counter.

We will be operating a strict access policy for the safety and security of our members to prevent unwanted and unauthorised persons. If you are not able to present your ticket physically or electronically upon arrival ad entry, please declare and confirm your full name and e-mail address to a member of our team of which you used to purchase your ticket and for your registration to attend. If your details do not match our records and guest/attendees list, we may ask you to leave our gathering.

New joining members will receive a free complimentary drink.

Please note, for those attending, drinking alcohol and smoking is not allowed on the premises, and possession of cigarettes and any alcoholic drinks at any of the group gatherings is strictly prohibited on the premises. Please smoke and drink alcohol outside.

If you yourself or anyone else you know who has a disability and is interested in joining the group, and/or if you have any further queries and questions, please comment on this post or send me a DM or private message or send me a message in our inbox on Facebook Messenger or contact on the below contact details.

Due to a high volume of calls and messages, please allow up to ten days for a response and for your enquiry to be answered.

If you are interested to attend, please let me know.

Please share and circulate this post to those who are interested and to those who have a disability who may be interested in joining the group.

E-mail: sociallightsw19@gmail.com
Mobile: +447835420497

Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Imran
Founder and organiser for SocialLight Social/Support Group – Connecting Disabled People Together