Yesterday, our members got creative, making wooden plaques for their bedroom doors and beautiful spring wreaths to brighten up their homes. We also had a blast playing bingo with the Multiply group at Bargoed YMCA — lots of laughs, friendly competition, and maybe even a few lucky winners!
That wraps up our craft sessions for now, but don’t worry, we’re back next week at 10:30am to chat about travel training on the train! If you fancy joining in, feel free to pop along. See you there!
Yesterday, we visited Torfaen People First for the second week of our relationship course. Ffion led a fantastic session on “My Body, Understanding My Body, and Consent.” The group had great conversations and lots of interaction, making it a fun and informative session. Next week, Ffion will be covering contraception and the different types available.
Wow, what a fantastic cookery session we had on Friday! We had 62 of our amazing members join us for a delicious feast of curry and chips with a side of garlic bread – all prepped by our wonderful members, who chopped up onions, peppers, and mushrooms like pros.
A massive THANK YOU to all our volunteers and support staff for running the bingo and quiz, for keeping the energy high, and making sure everything ran smoothly. And a special shoutout to Anthony and Delyth for clearing up – we appreciate you!
We also welcomed a new member, Dan, who had a brilliant time and can’t wait to come back next week. Next week, it’s chicken burgers, fries, and a fresh, healthy salad – all prepped by our amazing members.
Community groups like Reconnect Through Cookery are more than just about food – they help reduce isolation, build friendships, boost confidence, and create opportunities for adults with learning disabilities to learn new skills in a fun and supportive space. See you all next week!
What a fantastic day with RecRock Reconnect Through Music on Wednesday — another full house! We sang, danced, and enjoyed some delicious hotdogs while our members blasted out some incredible tunes! It was wonderful to see new faces joining in the fun and making connections.
A huge thank you to our amazing volunteers for all your support, and well done to Belle for running such a brilliant session. We can’t wait for the next one!
Big thanks to Emma for another amazing reflexology session on Wednesday! Our members absolutely love and benefit from these relaxing sessions. Also, a special shoutout to Emma and Gethin for bravely modelling for the body outlines – what a team effort! Who knew reflexology could involve a bit of art too? Thanks to everyone who joined in for the fun and relaxation!
Write-up by Morgan Jones:
Whilst I was in Caerphilly People First on Tuesday, me, Ffion Poole, Gethin Chamberlain, Rees Powell & others had a session of making wind chimes with Multiply.
When we all turned up, the materials were already on the table, ready for us to start designing our own creative wind chimes. To start designing them, we had to use PVA/super glue to cover the piece of wood. After we’d done that we used the coloured buttons to create a pattern.
Once everyone had finished designing their own colourful pattern with the buttons, I started making my wind chime. Before I started making it, I had a choice between buttons and coloured beads, whichever one I wanted to use for my wind chime.
Yesterday, Ffion spent the morning with Torfaen People First, delivering an engaging Relationship Training session. The group had fantastic discussions about:
What makes a good boyfriend or girlfriend?
What makes a good or bad friend?
How to handle arguments in a healthy way.
Everyone got involved in fun games, watched educational videos, and shared their thoughts — giving brilliant feedback and learning something new. Next week’s session is all about “Understanding Your Body & My Body” — we can’t wait to see you all again!
A huge thank you to Jenny from Cwm Taff People First for a fabulous day at the My Beautiful Day hackathon at the University of South Wales in Newport on Friday! It was a fantastic opportunity for everyone to express themselves in different ways.
Drama Group: We explored My Home and discussed what makes us feel safe, independent, and comfortable. Some shared that living alone can feel scary, support staff don’t always listen, and managing bills can be difficult. Others spoke about their love for cooking and enjoying their home’s view.
Craft Sessions: Members got creative, using drawings to express their feelings and daily activities.
Music Workshop: Some members wrote a poem and played musical instruments, while others worked together to write a song about what’s important to them and the challenges they face.
It was an inspiring day full of creativity, discussion, and connection. Looking forward to more sessions like this!
Yesterday, we had a special visit from the lovely Gerraint from All Wales People First, who came along to meet some of our new members – and he didn’t just stop there! He also signed up some of our members to All Wales People First, making sure their voices are heard. And if that wasn’t enough, he even blasted out a few tunes and absolutely smashed it! We also welcomed some new members again today!
It was also a bittersweet day as we said goodbye to our lovely Lexy at her final session. We’ll miss you so much, Lexy — thank you for everything! This group just keeps growing, and it’s so incredible to see so many people singing, dancing, and making new friends. Next week, Belle will be running the session, so get ready for more fun! See you all then!
Ffion Poole and Amy Jones recently delivered ‘Learning Disability Awareness and Health Care’ training to people from Shared Lives, the Caerphilly Learning Disability Social Worker team, and representatives from Care in the Community. The aim of this course is for people to gain a greater understanding of people with learning disabilities. The feedback we received was great, with comments including “the session was presented very well and information was given clearly”, “very informative, with lots of opportunities to ask questions”, “information given will help me to be a better social worker”, and “it was great that it was being led by people with experience of having learning difficulties”.