A HUGE thank you to everyone who turned up to support Caerphilly People First for our sponsored walk at Pen Y Fan Pond yesterday!
The sun was shining, the spirits were high, and the laps were… well, many! Some of us did one, some smashed two, others powered through three, and a few even managed four laps!
Every step counted, and every penny raised means so much to us. We’ll let you know the total sponsorship money as soon as it’s all collected. Well done team – you absolutely smashed it!
Thanks to our brilliant members for another great music session today! We broke our personal record for most songs sung at a session with 33 songs! Our gifted members sang songs by a range of artists including Jason Donovan, Liv Harland, Tina Arena, Eric Clapton, Jackie Wilson, Patsy Cline, the Bangles, Adele, Shania Twain, and many more!
We love seeing people coming together through the magic of music, with the added benefit of a buffet lunch and the chance to catch up with old friends and make new friends. Here are some compliments we received today:
I love these sessions – the group are nice people to be with.
Amazing – I really enjoy myself.
Thanks to Cheryl and Helen for working hard in the kitchen to make everyone’s pizza, and to Sharon for helping out with the paperwork in the hall. Most of all, thanks to our members for bringing the joy, the singing, and the dancing!
There won’t be a music session on Wednesday 25th, because Caerphilly First staff and members will be in North Wales for the All Wales People First conference, so we’ll see you all on Wednesday 9th July for our next session, so keep practicing those vocal skills and dance moves!
On Friday we attended First Aid Level 3 at Bargoed Community Centre. Well done to everyone who passed — it’s not as easy as you might think!
We most definitely had a giggle at times, and really enjoyed the practical side of it — there’s nothing like getting hands-on when it comes to learning life-saving skills.
First Aid Level 3 covers a wide range of important topics, including:
Primary and secondary assessments
CPR and using an AED
Treating bleeding, burns, and shock
Managing fractures, sprains, and spinal injuries
Responding to medical conditions like strokes, heart attacks, epilepsy, asthma, and more.
A huge thank you to Kyle for staying open so we could finish — it was a long day, but we learned loads! And big thanks to Cheryl for supporting Nat throughout the session.
Huge thanks to Jenny and the Torfaen People First members for inviting us to Able Radio recently! We had a fantastic time recording a show all about the Police Crime and Justice Plan, and we were also joined by Rhian, the Communication and Engagement Officer, who added some brilliant insights to the discussion
Special shout-out to Chris, who did an amazing job as our radio show host – confident, clear, and professional – we’re so proud of you!
Big thanks to Ffion and Nat for sharing how Caerphilly People First helped with the Easy Read version – such important work making information accessible to everyone! Stay tuned to hear the show soon!
We enjoyed another brilliant music session this morning when our talented members belted out 24 songs by a diverse range of artists including Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, the Bee Gees, John Legend, UB40, and Adele. We also welcomed new faces Hywel, who performed How Great Thou Art, Josh, who performed Greased Lightning, and Andrew, who performed Suspicious Minds.
Our members absolutely loved it, with people saying they love how friendly everyone is, and how they love singing and meeting up with old friends and making new friends. Thanks to Cheryl for providing a delicious buffet lunch, and to Helen (happy birthday!) and Sharon for helping out in the kitchen and in the hall – we really appreciate it.
Seeing everyone smile and connect through music is truly heart-warming, and we can’t wait to do it all again on Wednesday 11th June. See you all in two weeks!
Reconnect through Cookery was a huge hit again last week! We rolled up our sleeves and made a delicious homemade lasagna, served with warm, golden garlic bread – yum! Our amazing members also prepared a colourful fresh salad filled with juicy tomatoes, crispy lettuce, zesty spring onions, crunchy red onions, cool cucumber, and tasty mushrooms – the perfect combo to go with our lasagna!
A massive THANK YOU to all our fantastic volunteers – you’re the heart of our sessions – and to Peter our caretaker for helping set up the hall. You’re all superstars! We’ll see you again in two weeks for a flavour-packed session with curry and rice – we can’t wait!
Cooking, sharing, laughing, and reconnecting – that’s what it’s all about!
Yesterday our members enjoyed a relaxing foot treatment and left feeling calm and refreshed. Reflexology offers real benefits for adults with learning disabilities, helping to reduce anxiety, improve wellbeing, and promote relaxation. Thank you, Emma, for your kindness and care – everyone loved it!
Yesterday afternoon, Ffion, Nat, Gethin, and Amy joined an online meeting with other People First groups across Wales. The meeting was run by All Wales People First and was about Benefits Reform.
We talked about:
Changes to benefits money from the government
The Access to Work scheme that helps disabled people in jobs
Getting good jobs and being treated fairly
Health and safety at work
What is Access to Work? Access to Work helps pay for things like:
Travel to work
Job coaches or support workers
Special equipment or changes at work
We also talked about:
Making benefits easier and fairer
Getting faster help from Access to Work
Helping people move from volunteering to paid jobs
And organisations like the Equality and Human Rights Commission which:
Makes sure disabled people are treated fairly
Protects people’s rights
Helps stop discrimination
The government should:
Give money to these organisations
Listen to disabled people’s voices
Follow equality laws
We also spoke about Health and Safety at work:
Some people need changes to help them stay safe
Staff should get health and safety training
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) checks if workplaces are safe
Next steps:
Kelly will fill out the consultation form from All Wales People First. This means our group’s voice will be heard and shared!
Amy, Nat, and Gethin visited USW this morning to take part in a training session in the Simulation Suite. Today was all about being a patient!
Amy played a young lady with a learning disability, epilepsy, and a chest infection.
Nat portrayed a lady with a learning disability who lives in supported living and loves to visit A&E — she claimed to have drunk shampoo and bleach!
Gethin played a young man with a learning disability who fell into a bin and cut his head, with a suspected concussion.
The nursing students did amazing and worked brilliantly with our TRAC members. It was great to see them:
Asking for Health Profiles
Making reasonable adjustments
Using easy read language
Nat gave feedback and said the nurses did great! So proud of our team and the future healthcare professionals learning how to support people with learning disabilities with care and compassion. Great job everyone! You were all stars today!
Wow, what an amazing session! We had over 25 songs, featuring classics from The Fugees, Phil Collins, George Ezra, Robbie Williams, and Ed Sheeran. Our members absolutely loved it! There was plenty of singing, dancing, and a delicious buffet lunch. It was wonderful seeing everyone have so much fun, and we even saw some new singers take the mic!
We also took some great photos to promote World Mental Health Day. Seeing everyone smile and connect through music was truly heartwarming. A massive THANK YOU to all our amazing volunteers – we couldn’t do it without you! See you all in two weeks!
