Anoushé Hussain
Paraclimber and public speaker
Anoushé has always been interested in both charity work and sports. She works as a civil servant, but also fits in paraclimbing, public speaking and blogging as she works to enable others to participate in sports. Anoushé approaches parasport from multiple angles: she was born without a lower right arm and also lives with multiple health conditions. In 2017 Anoushé became an ambassador for Ehlers-Danlos Support UK, and through this and her work as an ambassador for Limb Power, has helped to normalise the topic of chronic illness and inspired people to take part in sporting activity.
After her cancer diagnosis in 2013 Anoushé took up paraclimbing to help with her rehabilitation and went on to achieve a ranking of second in her category in the UK in 2016. As her interest in the sport grew she wanted to correct the lack of opportunities for people with disabilities. This led her to co-found Paraclimbing London in 2018: an initiative to make climbing more accessible for anyone with a disability or long term health condition.
Away from work and sport Anoushé blogs and also speaks publicly about the challenges facing disabled people and how disability and invisible illness are perceived. She also about facing fears and talking about the things that we, as a society, aren’t great at discussing, such as mental health. She deliberately writes in a way that it can speak to a variety of audiences regardless of people’s gender, disability or background.
In 2017 Anoushé won the Asian Woman of Achievement for Sport Award and, as part of the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year Awards, received the accolade of a Helen Rollason Award. Last year Anoushé was recognised in the Sunday Times Alternative Rich List. Anoushé also supports deprived teenage girls to climb and develop self-confidence through the Grit&Rock Foundation.