Meet the blind Waterlooville footballer who runs his own massage business

Brandon Coleman, from Waterlooville, runs his own firm – Coleman’s Massage Therapies.

He wanted to start a business as he felt it was hard to get a job when up against people with full sight.

The 24-year-old said: ‘In a normal job if I was up against someone who could see, even if we had all the same skills, I think the person who could see would get the job over me.

‘With massage it’s a bit different. I chose massage because I wanted to make people feel good and also in massage a lot of it is through touch and feel. If anything the person who could see couldn’t see could be better at massage. You don’t have to see to be able to do it.

‘In my own surroundings in my little room that I set up I can make it special and that’s what makes it unique.’

He also found that people feel more comfortable receiving a massage from him because he can’t see them, meaning they feel more at ease around him.

He said: ‘I like helping people and making them feel good about themselves, it’s what I like to do.’

Brandon lost his sight in 2012 due to a genetic condition.

Over the last seven years, not only has he started his own business, but he has also found success as a footballer, which is partly why he chose to do massage, as he knew how helpful they can be when playing sports.

He plays blind football for England and has represented the team in the Blind Football World Championships for several years running.

His business specialises in holistic massage therapy, ranging from deep tissue to relaxation massages.

Brandon has run the company since July 2018 from his home in Waterlooville, where he has a fully-equipped room dedicated to his treatments.

He often teams up with other businesses in the Portsmouth area to offer competitions for people to win free massages and products, to give back to the customers that have helped him grow the business over the last 18 months.