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”.
At Friday’s Reconnect through Cookery session our talented members prepared fresh salads and chopped mushrooms and onions to mix with 5% lean mince for a delicious Bolognese! We even made a gluten-free option for our lovely member Ellie, and it tasted just as amazing. Everyone enjoyed garlic bread and added cheese to the top for that extra flavour.
The day was packed with fun, including a quiz and bingo! We were also thrilled to have Clair from the Learning Disabilities Team join us to chat about filming our future project on annual health checks. A huge accomplishment for the day: we served up 63 portions to members, volunteers, and support staff. What a fantastic effort by everyone!
We’ll be taking a break from cookery next week as we have another important event to attend, but we’ll see you the following Friday for chicken curry and chips. Thank you to all our incredible volunteers for making this possible!
This is a report by Morgan Jones, volunteer and Head Gardener:
When I was in Caerphilly People First yesterday, me Ffion, Gethin Chamberlain, Rees Powell and others had a crafts session with Multiply. Whilst I was there, I was given a piece of paper and a pair of scissors so I could cut it down to size, ready for when it was time to make my leather bracelet.
Using the piece of paper I was given, I had to write down either my name, or something else on there. I decided to do my initials. Once I’d done that, out of all the colours of leather that was on the table I chose red as it’s my favourite colour. I cut it to the same size, so it could be the same length as the paper and then went into another room to choose the letters I’d like on bracelet.
After I’d chosen the letters, I had a hammer and I placed each letter onto the leather and tapped them so it made a mark. Then before I went back into the room where I was bracelet making, I had to choose what coloured popper I wanted. The last thing I had to do when I went back into the other room, was to go over the letters with a permanent marker pen.
At Friday’s cookery session we made delicious fajitas. Our amazing members prepared peppers, mushrooms, and onions, with a fresh salad on the side. Thanks to all our wonderful volunteers for their support!
We had loads of fun with bingo, a quiz, and a surprise visit from our local PCSOs, Nicola and Lesley. Everyone was excited to have their photo taken with them, and Gethin even tried on the PCSO hat!
It was a fantastic session of socialising, making friends, and learning new skills. We finished the session singing Happy Birthday to our volunteer Amy and enjoyed some delicious Birthday cake. Next week, we’re cooking up spaghetti bolognese and garlic bread – we can’t wait!
Last Thursday our amazing members, Amy Jones and Natalie King, attended a TRAC meeting at the University of South Wales. The morning kicked off with a productive discussion alongside Tracy Drew and two representatives from Public Health Wales to consult on an exciting new initiative — a lung screening service that will be available in the future. Lung screening is a vital health check designed to detect early signs of lung disease or cancer before symptoms appear. This often involves a low-dose CT scan, enabling healthcare professionals to identify and address issues early, significantly improving outcomes.
We also discussed teaching interviewing and research skills and even the possibility of some members becoming researchers—an exciting opportunity for personal and professional growth. It was lovely to see members from other People First groups and connect with everyone working towards making a difference! Advocacy and participation like this truly make an impact.
Reconnect Through Music never disappoints — there’s always fun, laughter, and love in the air! At the most recent session we welcomed Codie, along with new members Melanie, Luke, Michala, Terrie, and Theresa! Thanks to Lexy and Belinda for making it a great session as always. The songs, singing, and dancing were fabulous!
Special thanks to Helen and Angel for helping out in the kitchen — it’s much appreciated! And a big thank-you to caretaker Pete, who’s always there to lend a hand. See you all at the next session!
It was lovely to meet with our neighbours, the People First group at Cwm Taff, last week, when we continued working on a very important article that will eventually be published. An article is a piece of writing that shares news or information. It can be published in magazines, newspapers, or online to help lots of people understand something important. It was fantastic to see you all! Co-Production is very important.
