When I first came here, I didn’t leave my room much. Now I go to college, I play football, and I have friends.

I came to the UK from Sudan when I was 15 after war broke out. One day I was playing football with my friends and, suddenly, everything changed. I found myself running with a crowd of people, far from home, unable to go back. I was frightened and didn't know where I was going – I just followed everyone else.

When I arrived in the UK, I was given a room and some money for clothes and food. It was safe and comfortable, but everything felt unfamiliar. I didn't know anyone and I couldn't speak English. At the time, I only spoke Arabic.

When I moved into Transform, Simon was the first person to welcome me. He showed me around, explained everything and helped me feel more comfortable in a place that was completely new to me.

The first few months were hard. I spent a lot of time in my room because I couldn't communicate with anyone, although it helped that there was another person who spoke Arabic. I missed my family every day. I still don't get to speak to them very often because my mum has to borrow someone's phone. I have lots of brothers and sisters, and we're very close.

When I first came here, I didn’t leave my room much. Now I go to college, I play football, and I have friends.

I've now been at Transform for about a year and I'm 17. Things are completely different. My key worker, Angie, has supported me with everything from enrolling at college and opening a bank account to learning to cook and finding football teams to play for. Thanks to her support, I now play for local football teams and have made friends through both college and Transform.

Football has always been my biggest passion. I played every day in Sudan, I support Arsenal, and Angie even took me to Wembley for an event about football and religion. It was a great experience.

I'm studying ESOL at college to improve my English. Before that, I taught myself using apps and TikTok because I was determined to learn.

When I first arrived, I hardly left my room. Now I go to college, play football and spend time with friends. Transform has given me a safe, supportive place where I can settle, grow in confidence and start building my future.

Life in the UK is very different from Sudan. I like the rain, and I still smile when I hear people saying "please" and "thank you". I miss Sudanese food, but we've started cooking some of it here, which reminds me of home.

In the future, I'd like to go to university, although I'm not sure what I want to study yet. I'd also love to become a pilot. But my biggest dream is to become a professional footballer.

For now, I'm focused on improving my English, playing football and taking my future one step at a time.