Yesterday Caerphilly People First members had a lovely walk around Bargoed Woodland Park – the views were beautiful, and there are so many different routes to explore! 🌳🌞 We managed to get in over 6,000 steps – well done everyone! 👏🥇
After our walk, we headed back to the office and celebrated Anthony and Christopher’s birthday with some delicious cake 🎂🎈🎁 Happy birthday to the twins! 🥳👬
Viva Fest 2025 didn’t disappoint! 🎉 We had an amazing day at the ICC Wales 🎶🥁 trying out African drumming, getting creative with crafts 🎨, having a go at archery 🎯, chatting to all the stall holders 🗣, and enjoying some fantastic singing and live music 🎤🎵.
🤩 The stilt walkers were incredible 🤹♂️, and the giant bubbles were magical. It was so lovely to see all our wonderful People First friends 💛. Massive well done to the organisers 👏👏.
🏍 Gethin loved sitting on the Blood Bank motorbike 🏍, Rees enjoyed trying out the police gear 👮♂️, Judith had a go on the bike 🚴♀️, Theresa loved collecting all the free pens ✒️, and Libby had fun with the crafts ✂️.We even treated ourselves to some delicious ice cream! Can’t wait for the next one! 🎉✨
Friday was all about fresh flavours and fun! Our amazing members got stuck in preparing delicious salads with:
🥬 lettuce, 🍅 tomatoes, 🧅 red onion, 🫑 peppers, 🥒 cucumber, 🧄 garlic, and a sprinkle of herbs!
We had three mouthwatering options:
🍝 One with creamy tomato and bacon sauce, topped with melty ham and cheese 🧀
🐟 A tuna, mayo and sweetcorn mix – a classic favourite!
🥗 And loads of freshly chopped salad for everyone to enjoy 💚
Big thanks to:
🎉 Nat for calling out a fun game of bingo
🧠 Ffion for a fab quiz
🎟️ Amy for sorting the raffle
👩🍳 And everyone who helped out in the kitchen – you’re all stars!
💃 We’re already buzzing for next week’s Hawaiian Summer Fiesta! Expect:
🌭 Hotdogs
🍗 Chicken burgers
🥬 Homemade slaw
🍦 Ice-cream
🎶 Dancing, bingo & a quiz!
These sessions mean the world to our members — they’re a chance to try new foods, make friends, and learn together in a fun, supportive space 💛🌈
What a fabulous (and very warm!) session we had at the end of June! ☀️
Our wonderful group made three amazing pasta bakes:
🍝 Cold tuna pasta with mayo & sweetcorn
🔥 Hot tuna bake with mushrooms, peas & sweetcorn
🌭 Hot Mattessons reduced-fat sausage bake with mushrooms, peas & sweetcorn
🧀 All topped with melty cheddar and served with fresh salad & crusty French loaf – simply delicious! 😋🥖
Our members prepared a gorgeous, colourful salad full of:
🥬 Lettuce 🥒 Cucumbers 🌶 Peppers 🌰 Spring onions 🌰 Red onions 🍅 Tomatoes 🥬 Beetroot – it was fresh, healthy and beautifully presented!
🙏 A huge thank you to:
🎟 Sarah for doing the raffle
🧠 Hayley for the fun quiz
👩🍳 Cheryl, Helen, Libby, Connor & Ress for all your help in the kitchen
🧹 Peter the caretaker for setting up
👏 And everyone else who supports the smooth running of our sessions
💚 The food was so tasty there was hardly any waste! Even our salad trimmings went to the horses (with the owner’s permission 🐴) on the way home – nothing wasted!
💰 All raffle money goes toward buying prizes and refreshments – thank you for your support! This project is funded by the Postcode Lottery, helping us make every session special.
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!
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!
Yesterday our amazing TRAC members Amy, Gethin, and Natalie teamed up with maternity student nurses and learning disability nurses for a powerful training session! They took part in realistic scenarios based on being new parents and preparing for the arrival of a baby. The goal? To show how all fields of nursing must work together for the best outcomes.
Communication is key! It’s not just what we say – it’s how we say it. Clear explanations, empathy, and tailored support can make a HUGE difference for parents with learning disabilities. By supporting people properly, we give everyone the chance to become amazing parents and raise their babies in a safe, loving environment. They absolutely loved the day and took away some important lessons!
Massive thanks to our TRAC members, the brilliant nurses, and Stacey and the whole team for making it such a great day! So proud of Amy, Gethin & Natalie; you’re helping change the future – one conversation at a time!
What a session we enjoyed yesterday – 50 people came along and blasted out 22 cracking tunes! Morgan brought the house down with Tom Jones, and When You Say Nothing at All by Ronan Keating, Ffion gave us all the feels with Fifteen by Taylor Swift, Sean had us dancing with a classic Madonna hit, and so many more amazing performances – the energy was through the roof!
We had pizza, dancing, singing, and laughter – what more could you want?! These sessions help build confidence, friendships, and bring pure joy to everyone involved. Our members say they “feel included, happier, and more confident” – and we LOVE hearing that! See you all again on Wednesday, May 14th – we can’t wait!
We had a fantastic day yesterday at Llanhilleth Miners Institute working in collaboration with other People First groups on the My Beautiful Life project!
We explored what truly matters to us in health & social care, community, and housing. We brought our discussions to life through art, music, and drama, and the results were absolutely amazing! Some of our members helped write a song, others took part in acting, while some expressed themselves through musical instruments and canvas drawings. It was incredible to see so many individuals come together and share their voices in such creative ways!
A huge thank you to all Caerphilly People First volunteers and members for attending, and to Jenny from Torfaen People First and Blaenau Gwent People First for an absolutely fantastic creative event!
