Christy and Stuart recently took part in the Autism Reality Experience, a hands-on training experience that allows people to walk in the shoes of autistic people and understand the challenges that they face. The aim is to encourage greater empathy and understanding for what it might be like for autistic people.
During the experience, we were asked to put on glasses with blurry lenses, gloves, and headphones. Loud noises were played in the headphones, and bright lights were flashed in our eyes. While this was happening we were given instructions on tasks we needed to complete. We were given 60 seconds to count money, separate green tiddlywinks from the other colours, and find the 5 of Spades playing card. We failed at all of these tasks, which showed us how difficult simple tasks can be for autistic people.
The experience was designed by autistic people who agreed that it was as close as physically possible to what they themselves experience, and it was definitely an eye-opening experience for us, which definitely gave us a greater understanding of the experiences of autistic people.
Yesterday was our last music session with Daniel Fitzgerald from RecRock until Wednesday 20th April. Thanks to Zak and Erin for attending today – it was great to see you as always.
During the session members recorded more vocals for the song we have written, and took part in more filming for the video of the song.
As well as this, members performed a wide variety of songs from artists including Robbie Williams, the Righteous Brothers, Queen, George Michael, and Mumford & Sons. Well done to everyone who sang and danced; it was another fantastic session full of joy and happiness.
When I had a look at the weather forecast for Tuesday, I was disappointed to see that rain was forecast for the majority of the day. When Christy said “we’re going up the allotments now” I was pretty surprised because at the time it was hammering down outside. When we got to TARAGGAN allotments me, Gethin, Rees, Anthony and Chris went inside the bottle shed to plant broccoli seeds, courgette seeds, and parsley seeds into tubs. This was much better than being outside and getting drenched like drowned rats. In a few weeks when we go back up to TARAGGAN me and everyone else are hoping to see progress with the seeds. Fingers crossed each of the seeds will have some growth.
On the 5th and 6th of March Ffion and Christy attended the All Wales People First National Council residential meeting at the Clayton Hotel in Cardiff. On day one, Joe Powell, Director of All Wales People First spoke about the role of the National Council, which was followed by the group going over the minutes of the previous meeting.
We then broke up into small groups and had a discussion about what we like and don’t like about being National Council representatives. Some people said they like being a rep because they get to have a voice for their members, while others said the meetings can be too long and it’s hard for people with autism to process all the information.
After lunch we talked about National Actions (when reps bring up issues from their groups). Caerphilly People First’s national action was that some our members receive limited care hours, which means they have to choose which activities they attend, and then miss out on other activities.
We then played a team-building game called Human Bingo which involved asking people questions like: Have you got a pet? Do you like cocktails? Have you sung at karaoke?
We finished day one with an item called Sub-Groups, where Reps were able to decide which sub-group to join. The groups were: Members (how more people can be self-advocates), Campaigning (what campaigns Reps want to start or join), and Position Statements (what Reps want All Wales People First to say about big issues).
Day two began with Joe Powell giving his Chief Executive’s report, followed by proposals to make changes to the All Wales People First rules at their next AGM. Reps unanimously voted yes to this proposal.
Next we heard from Simone Aspis from the Free Our People Campaign. This is a UK-wide campaign to get people with learning disabilities and autism out of inappropriate hospital settings. Reps voted yes unanimously to join this project.
Our last speaker of the meeting was Dan Biddle, a social entrepreneur who has written a proposal for an All Wales People First business. Reps and board members talked about how All Wales People First can start a business, and Dan presented ideas for the All Wales People First trading arm. Reps agreed with the proposals and All Wales People First will take these ideas forward.
At Friday’s cookery session members made cottage pie. Everyone had a go at preparing mushrooms, onions, and carrots to add to the mince beef filling, which was topped off with cheesy mash. This was served with a side of fresh broccoli, roast parsnips, and green beans.
Many thanks to all our volunteers/members who worked very hard as always. It’s great to see so many people coming to our sessions every Friday – this week we had 55 in attendance which means we are now full.
Thank you to the National Lottery Community fund for making this group possible – the difference it is making to so many individuals is immeasurable. The group will be back on Friday 22nd March to cook Spaghetti Bolognaise together.
On Friday our cooking group celebrated St David’s Day and enjoyed traditional Welsh faggots, Welsh Pork and Leek sausage, and homemade Welsh cakes.
Lunch was followed by a Welsh-themed quiz hosted by Ffion, bingo hosted by Alex, and a disco. Jamie won the best-dressed award (everyone looked great in their Welsh-themed costumes) and Richard (whose 50th birthday we celebrated) won the award for best dance moves.
Thank you to everyone who volunteered in the kitchen, cooked, dished up lunch, and washed the pots and pans. We’ll see you all next week for cottage pie and fresh vegetables, chosen by our member Nat.
Yesterday our members celebrated St David’s Day early at Libanus Lifestyle with Dan from RecRock, who joined us for week six of our Reconnect through Music project. Our members performed songs by Tom Jones, Duffy, Will Young and many other artists, and sounded as great as ever.
Thank you to Jeremy James for making us traditional Welsh Cakes, which tasted amazing.
On Tuesday our volunteer/member Amy Jones delivered further ‘Winter Warmth’ project training to our members/volunteers Sophie, Lisa, Gethin, and Rees. They talked about the cost of living crisis and how to save money, and Amy showed them how to fill up a water bottle safely.
If you would like this training please contact Ffion on 07488 350518.
On Monday Ffion delivered her Relationship Course to the learners at Oxford House. The topic was ‘Understanding your Body’, and we talked about the difference between Male and Females bodies, and played a game in which we came up with different names for private parts. The group will resume on Monday 8th April and the other dates are:
Monday 15th April Monday 22nd April Monday 13th May Monday 20th May
If anyone would like Ffion to deliver the relationship course, or if you need more information, please contact her on 07488 350518.
This report was written by Head Gardener Morgan Jones:
Yesterday, Christy Taylor, Gethin Chamberlain, Rees Powell, Chris & Anthony Davies, and I worked on our garden plots at TARAGGAN Educational Gardens & Nursery. As always, my job as head gardener was to make sure everyone followed the correct rules and behaved appropriately.
After we were told by Kyle Richards what we were planting, everyone put their gloves on and we planted four different types of seeds (cauliflower, oregano, pepper & tomato). As always, once we’d finished using the tools, our job was to clean the dirt from the equipment.
