Cherif was born in Algeria in the 1970s. He reminisces about his early life there by the sea, ‘hanging out on the beaches’, then how school got stressful at the age of 11.
At 16 the civil war started. He used to play handball to take his mind of things.
He went to Uni, continuing playing handball nationally and internationally until he had to stop at 22 due to an injury.
He chose to come to the UK ‘because it didn’t have handball’.
In the UK his first job was for Pret A Manger.
After meeting his wife and having a son they decided to move to Ilfracombe.
Cherif talks about falling foul of an immigration official which left him waiting for a visa for over a year and the joy he finds in doing community and youth work.
Listen to highlights from Cherif’s interview below:
Highlight 1: Childhood memories, Civil War, Coming to UK [00:00:00 – 00:02:54]
Highlight 2: Coming to the UK, working in the UK, Ilfracombe, Deportation [00:00:02.54 – 00:08:16]
Highlight 3: Back in UK for good, comparing London to Ilfracombe, moving from many minimum wage jobs to working for the council / Transform [00:08.18 – 00:13.54]
Highlight 4: Handball coaching here and in Bideford, creating independent young people [00:13:56 – 00:22:16]
Listen to Cherif’s full interview here:
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