Yesterday afternoon was our second session of chair yoga with the lovely Lisa Harwood, funded by the Gwent Regional Partnership Regional Integration Fund. This week, we focused on stretching exercises and used blocks to test our posture and balance. Everyone enjoyed the session and felt super relaxed afterwards. We look forward to seeing you all next week!
Caerphilly People First Wins the GAVO Food Sustainability Award!
We are thrilled to announce that Caerphilly People First has won the prestigious Food Sustainability Award at the GAVO Volunteer Awards 2024 for Caerphilly County Borough. This recognition highlights the incredible dedication and hard work of our volunteers, especially through our Reconnect Through Cookery sessions, where we have promoted sustainable food practices and shared the joys of cooking together.
A special thank you to Amy, Gethin, and Rees for not only accepting this award but also for their continued dedication as volunteers. Your hard work and passion continue to inspire us all! This award is a true testament to the difference we are making in the community, working together to build a brighter, more sustainable future. Thank you to everyone involved — this is your achievement!
Here is what we are up to this week. We still have a few spaces for Chair Yoga on Tuesday if you’d like to join us – members loved last week’s session!
Our Reconnect Through Cookery group had an amazing time making chicken korma and tikka masala on Friday. They prepared onions, mushrooms, peppers, and cooked fluffy rice. The delicious curries were served with naan bread, poppadoms, and prawn crackers. A HUGE thank you to all the volunteers who help make these sessions possible, and a special shout-out to Cheryl and Zoe for running the group in Christy’s absence. Your hard work and dedication are greatly appreciated!
Cooking and eating together isn’t just about the food, it’s about building friendships, boosting confidence, and learning new skills. Sharing a meal reduces loneliness and brings people closer. We can’t wait for the next session on October 18th.
Big thanks to Zac and Lexy for another fantastic session music session last week! Shoutout to the Libanus Chapel team for hosting us in such a perfect location! We enjoyed refreshments and a light lunch together, which added to the sense of warmth and belonging. We also welcomed new members who brought along some amazing voices. There’s something special about coming together for music, food, and friendship. Well done to all the Caerphilly People First volunteers and members for making it a great day. We can’t wait to do it all again next week!
Our volunteers enjoyed a beautiful fresh morning up at TARAGGAN Educational Gardens yesterday! We harvested some delicious peas and planted onions. Huge thanks to Kyle for leading another great session! Looking forward to next week.
Yesterday afternoon, Caerphilly People First members and volunteers took part in our first chair yoga session! We practiced tree pose stretches, the cat and cow, and listened to relaxing music. We also did some stretching using chiffon scarves, making it a soothing and fun experience for everyone. Thanks, Lisa! See you next week. Everyone enjoyed the session and felt so relaxed afterward!
These sessions are kindly funded by the Regional Integrated Fund from the Gwent Regional Partnership.
What a fantastic day we had yesterday with Caerphilly People First members at our Reconnect through Music project with RecRock! There was singing, dancing, laughter, and plenty of socialising — so much fun! Everyone who took the mic did an amazing job.
The buffet lunch was delicious — thank you to everyone who contributed, and a big shoutout to Zac, Lexy, and our new volunteer Gemma for helping out! Next week, we’ll be holding a raffle for just £1 per ticket, so don’t miss it! See you all next week!
This week at the TARAGGAN Educational Gardens & Nursery, we have been busy looking after the garden! We planted cabbages and got the beds ready for autumn. Our volunteers worked hard to pull out the weeds and keep the garden healthy.
A big thank you to Kyle for helping the group and supporting us! The garden is a nice, calm place where everyone can enjoy nature, learn new things, and make friends. Thank you to everyone who helped! We are growing something special together!
If you want to join us, let us know. We are always looking for more people to help in the garden!
On Friday our Reconnect through Cookery group made a delicious pasta bake. We had a plain sausage bake, a plain tuna bake, and some with mushrooms, onions, peas, sweetcorn, and peppers. Our members also prepared a fresh and healthy salad using tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, and spring onions.
We had a full house again and served up 60 portions! We even made our own garlic butter and added parsley and chives to part-baked rolls, which were absolutely delicious! Lunch was enjoyed by everyone.
It’s amazing to see everyone joining in, having fun, learning new skills, and trying new foods. These sessions make a huge difference to our members, reducing isolation and loneliness. A big thank you to all our fantastic volunteers for helping in the kitchen, running the quiz and bingo, and setting up the hall.
We’re off next week, but we’ll see you all on Friday, October 4th when we’ll be making curry with chicken korma and balti, chosen by our member Connor.
