Tips For Starting A Conversation Around Mental Health, Sensory Exercise, Ballroom Dancing & More

The Happy Hour is here with great music and all things sight loss, wellbeing and happiness.

This week, Monday 10th of October marks World Mental Health Day. We know how important it is to be able to talk about mental health so RNIB's Head of Mental Health and Counselling Services, Amanda Hawkins, will join us with some tips on how to get that conversation started. 

Amin Afzal will share his personal story of sight loss. Amin was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa 5 years ago and found the adjustment hard. But thanks to support he was able to get back on his feet again.

Rashmi Becker MBE, founder of Step Change Studios, a dance company that wants to make dancing accessible to all, tells us about their ballroom and Latin dance classes for VI people.

And finally, Andy Shipley from Natural Inclusion has a very special sensory exercise that will help us immerse in the sounds, scents, and sensations of autumn. 

Find out more about support offered by RNIB by calling the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999

VI Ballroom and Latin dance classes take place Sundays 2:30 PM at the Seymour Leisure Centre in Westminster. Find out more here: Home | Step Change Studiosor get in touch via email: contact@stepchangestudios.com

Find more Sensory Odyssey exercises here: https://www.natural-inclusion.org and to join Andy on the sensory naturel walk in Chiltern on Friday 28th of October visit: https://www.chilternsaonb.org/whats-on/walkingfest/ or drop Andy a line here: andy@natural-inclusion.org

The Happy Hour Podcast is our trimmed down version of this hour-long show, so if you'd like to listen to the full show with all the amazing songs featured, catch a new episode of the Happy Hour on RNIB Connect Radio Mondays at 1 PM, with a repeat Thursday at 6 PM and Sunday at 10 am.

Image shows a photo of bright yellow and orange autumn woodlands.