Yesterday our members had a blast singing their favorite songs with Daniel Fitzgerald from RecRock. It was awesome to see some new faces join the group and participate in singing songs by the likes of ABBA, Dolly Parton, Bread, and Robbie Williams. These sessions are perfect for meeting new people, making friends, and having fun!
A big shoutout to Jeremy James and Shaun at Libanus Lifestyle Centre for providing us with the delicious hotdogs!
There was no craft session yesterday, so our members gathered to discuss health and social care changes. What is social care? Social care services support people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities/illnesses, and mental illnesses. This support covers practical activities, personal care, and social work, helping recipients live comfortably.
We talked about service changes since the pandemic. Some have experienced positive changes with support staff and daytime opportunities, while others have struggled to get health appointments and face-to-face contact with social workers. Thanks to Cheryl Smith and Zoe Dummett for facilitating today’s group.
Yesterday our volunteers planted chives at TARAGGAN Educational Gardens & Nursery. Chives are green herbs with long, green stems used to flavor a dish or as a garnish. Chives are in the lily family, but they’re related to onions as well. Like onions, they are bulbous perennials, but you’ll likely never see the bulbs unless you’re a gardener. Thanks to Kyle Richards, Samantha Sian Price, and Dillon for teaching us how to do this correctly. See you next week.
Last week Caerphilly People First staff and members were at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay for a peaceful protest arranged by All Wales People First, titled ‘Homes Not Hospitals: Stolen Lives’.
The aim of the protest was to bring publicity to the campaign of families for the release of people with learning disabilities and/or autism, who are trapped in mental health hospitals in Wales.
Our members Ffion, Gethin and Natalie were there with their banners, protesting about this awful policy which condemns people to hospital, just because the resources aren’t there to entitle them to live in the community.
It was great to see so many people there, and it is hoped that decision makers in the Senedd will listen to our pleas and do something about this inhumane policy where people with learning disabilities are locked up like prisoners.
At Friday’s Reconnect through Cookery session our volunteers and members cooked hot dogs and burgers, and chopped tomatoes, lettuce, spring onions, and cucumber for the salad to accompany them. We also made fresh, crunchy coleslaw using carrots, white and red cabbage, and mayonnaise. Well done, everyone! Lunch was served with a side of fries and onion rings.
Our member Gareth turned 40 on Saturday, so we celebrated with a disco, cake, and a visit from his favourite Pokémon character, Pikachu. Everyone had a blast dancing and socializing with friends, old and new.
Many thanks to all our wonderful volunteers, and to Jenna for arranging for Darren to come and do the disco. See you all next week for lasagna.
Yesterday, Gethin, Rees, Christy, Chris, Anthony and I visited our allotments at TARAGGAN Educational Gardens, where we worked alongside Samantha Sian Price and Kyle Richards.
Kyle told us we’d be planting onions, so we used hoes to make the soil level enough to plant the onions. The other tool we used was a dibber, which we used to make deep holes, which we placed the onions in, face upwards.
With all the torrential downpours we’ve had over the last few weeks, it was lovely to see the sun shining brightly. Lets hope the weather will be just as nice next Tuesday so we can all get a suntan!
Chicken curry – served with prawn crackers and spring rolls – was on the menu at Friday’s Reconnect through Cookery session. Thank you to our volunteers Cheryl, Zoe, Ffion, Connor, Rees, Alex, Gethin, and Delyth for your hard work in prepping and cooking the food, and washing up. Thank you also to Alex for running the bingo session. Next week burgers and hot dogs are on the menu, and there will also be a disco for Gareth’s birthday.
Yesterday afternoon we had a lovely visit to Ynys Hywel Farm allotment. Our volunteers got to meet the newborn chicks, chickens, tadpoles, and lambs. Thank you Theresa Heal for sharing some great facts about the animals with us!
We love our RecRock sessions! Our communication skills, social skills, knowledge, confidence, and friendships are all improving. It’s the perfect setting in the perfect place, Libanus Lifestyle – Wales CIC.
Yesterday, our members and volunteers met for a sing-along and a catch-up over a cuppa. We sang and shared our love of music while some belted out great songs by great musical artists. Thanks to the Libanus Lifestyle – Wales CIC Team for providing delicious hot dogs for lunch – they were enjoyed by all.
We are attending a peaceful protest at the Senedd next week, so there will be no Reconnect through Music. We will be leaving Bargoed YMCA around 11:30 on Wednesday, so feel free to join us at the ‘Homes not Hospitals’ protest in Cardiff Bay.
Head Gardener, Morgan Jones:
When me, Gethin, Rees, Christy and the twins (Chris & Anthony) arrived at TARAGGAN allotments on Tuesday, Kyle Richards told us we’d be planting onions.
We went into the polytunnel, and I couldn’t believe how hot it was in there. There were lots of plant pots for us to fill, so we filled them to the top, but made sure there was also enough room to put an onion bulb in. Once we’d finished filling every pot up and placing the bulbs into the compost it was time to go back to the YMCA for some lunch.
Following this, as the sun was shining brightly, we went for a walk through the Bargoed Woodlands and back to the office. When everyone got back to the YMCA, we were all absolutely exhausted. I had nothing to moan about because I love walking, and getting out in the fresh air is so lovely.
