Our focus group went on an amazing adventure through Bargoed Woodland Park, walking all the way to Fleur-de-Lys and back via Pengam Lights! 💪 The walk took us two hours and our members absolutely smashed it! 🙌👏 We were a tiny bit disappointed there were no picnic benches on route 🧺😢 — but that didn’t stop us! We headed back to the YMCA and enjoyed our lunch together at the office 🍽️😊 while a few members made their way home for a well-earned rest. 🏡 Well done everyone – what a lovely way to stay active, social, and connected! 💚✨
We had an amazing time at the All Wales People First conference in North Wales! 🏔️✨ The hotel was lush 🛏️, the food was delicious 🍽️, and the company was just perfect 💬💖. A massive congratulations to everyone who won a Mirror Award 🪞🏆 — so well deserved for your outstanding work and contributions across Wales 👏👏👏. The workshops were so much fun! 🎨🎤 🎵 We learned to sing using Makaton and other signs – and totally nailed it! 💃🏽🕺 The House of Deviants brought the energy with a lunchtime drag performance that had us all smiling and dancing! We loved browsing the information stalls 🛍️📚— packed with great resources and freebies to take home 🎁. And the silent disco? Absolutely EPIC! 🔇🎧 The dance moves were on fire 🔥 and the laughter was non-stop 😂💃. Huge thanks to all the organisers who made it such a fab two days 🙌💐. We’re already counting down to the next one!
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.
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!
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!
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 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!
Back at TARAGGAN Educational Gardens this morning, and it felt great! We loved seeing the new fruit trees and getting our hands dirty planting a few rows of potatoes. A big shoutout to Kyle for showing us how to plant the spuds! Can’t wait to be back again soon.
At our most recent chair yoga session we used stress balls to exercise our fingers, did some great stretches, and practiced yoga poses while holding on to the back of our chairs.
We named our poses “Tree Pose” and “Surfing Pose” – and even had a special Sleeping Beauty Yoga story for our relaxing time, accompanied by soothing music.
Everyone had so much fun and left feeling happy and relaxed. Thank you, Lisa! See you next Tuesday afternoon at 12:30pm.
