At yesterday’s music session, some members received a certificate from Caerphilly Adventures, in recognition of their effort in completing last week’s walk in the Sirhowy Valley. Well done everyone.
Walk Certificates
Author Archives: Peoplefirst
Reconnect through Cookery
Forty-six people attended our Reconnect through Cookery session on Friday, when the group made carbonara. Members prepared mushrooms and peppers to add to the carbonara, and chopped tomatoes and courgettes which we oven roasted in olive oil.
Rees and Connor did a great job on the hob frying up the smoked bacon, ham, and mushrooms, which we added to the carbonara sauce, and they cooked the tagliatelle perfectly.
Lunch was served with fresh spinach, roasted vegetables, and garlic bread, followed by birthday cake. This was in celebration of the birthdays of our members, Amy and Paula. The group had great fun celebrating and dancing along to the music provided by Darren, who surprised the group with a disco.
Next week the lovely Cheryl Smith and Zoe Dummett will be on hand, assisting you all to make chicken stir-fry.
Group Walk
On Tuesday, as part of our project with Multiply Skills for Life, the group went on a walk in the Sirhowy Valley. 13 of us from Caerphilly People First were driven to the location of our walk, by Brian Hayter, the person who led the walk.
Brian handed out maps of the route, with some locations on the route marked with a number. There were 11 numbers in all, and each one represented a letter. The numbers were located on things like benches, fences, and wooden posts.
At the end of the route, once the group had matched the numbers to the letters, the word written on their sheets was ACHIEVEMENT. Congratulations to everyone who took part, and completed the walk.
Reconnect through Music
Yesterday saw a full house at Libanus Lifestyle Wales CIC for week three of our Reconnect through Music sessions with Daniel Fitzgerald from RecRock, which was attended by over 30 people.
Everyone did a great job and had lots of fun performing their favourite songs, beating away on the drums and dancing along. Members performed songs by artists including Status Quo, Leona Lewis, Phil Collins, John Denver, Will Smith, Neil Diammond, Kylie Minogue, Will.i.am, and Barry Manilow, among many others. You all sounded amazing.
Members have reported that they feel more confident, less stressed and less anxious since attending these sessions, and they love how they can express themselves freely through music.
Reconnect through Cookery
At Friday’s cookery session we were delighted to welcome a few more new members to our group. We started the morning with a cuppa, a biscuit and a chat, before getting started on the food preparation.
On the menu was lasagne served with salad and garlic bread.
Our member Connor cooked the lean mince and added peppers, onions and mushrooms, and made the bolognaise sauce for the lasagne. Everyone helped to prepare tomatoes, onions, lettuce, peppers, mushrooms and cucumber for the salad
Lunch was followed by a game of bingo, a quiz, and some yummy banana desserts. Our volunteers did an amazing job as always, and it’s great to see members old and new making friends, building confidence, and learning new skills.
Our new member Amanda has chosen Carbonara for another delicious pasta dish next week.
Reconnect through Music
Yesterday saw our second Reconnect through Music session at Libanus Lifestyle Wales CIC with Daniel Fitzgerald from RecRock.
Over twenty individuals attended – including many new members – and a great time was had singing and socialising together. These sessions are great way to build confidence and make friends whilst having fun.
Many thanks to Jeremy and Shaun for cooking our hot dogs – they were delicious. We will be back at Libanus next Wednesday from 10.30am am until 12.30pm if you would like to join us. Refreshments and a light lunch will be provided.
Multiply Health Project
This report was written by Caerphilly People First member Morgan Jones:
This week, as part of our work with the Multiply ‘Skills for Life’ project, Bryan Hayter from Caerphilly Adventures visited us to talk to the group about our health, ways to stay healthy, and where the group will be walking next Tuesday. He handed us an orienteering map, showing the Sirhowy Valley, where we will be doing our walk.
He was followed by Rebecca from Multiply talking to us about healthy foods. She showed us a picture of the ‘Eatwell’ plate and the types of foods we should eat and types of foods we should avoid in order to keep our weight down and stay healthy. The group then measured our height and got on the scales to see how much we weigh.
University of South Wales Training Exercise
Last week our volunteers Natalie King and Amy Jones took part in a simulation exercise at the University of South Wales, the aim of which was to train midwifery students and learning disability student nurses.
Nat played the role of a pregnant female, who is visited in her flat by a midwife, and Amy played the role of a female who giving birth on a labour ward. Nat also played the role of a mother who has given birth to her child, is caring for her along with her partner Darren, and is visited by a midwife and a learning disability nurse
People with learning disabilities are increasingly likely to become parents, and are entitled to have access to the right support to do this. The students did an amazing job, and we hope that the knowledge they gained during the training exercise will improve the care and treatment people with learning disabilities receive in the future.
Reconnect through Cookery
Thirty-five people attend our cookery session last Friday, when attendees made cheese pie. Members peeled the potatoes for the pie (to which we added crispy bacon bits), and prepped cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and carrots to serve on the side.
Whilst dinner was cooking Ffion hosted the quiz and bingo, which everybody enjoyed. Thank you to everyone who volunteered – you worked very hard as always. Next week we will be making lasagne, chosen by the lovely twin sisters Elizabeth & Christine.
Reconnect Through Music
Yesterday saw the launch of our weekly music group, Reconnect through Music, run by RecRock. The aim of the project is to create a sense of belonging between individuals who are isolated, lonely, stressed or feeling low in mood.
We kicked off the session with introductions from members old and new, and shared our favourite songs, artists and genres. Following this our members almost blew the roof off the little chapel on the hill in Libanus Lifestyle Centre in Blackwood, with their singing, dancing and instrument playing.
We ended the session with lots of conversation, lunch and new friendships made. Well done to everyone who attended and travelled independently – we know it was a massive step for you.
