Tag Archives: Self advocacy

Reconnect through Music

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Yesterday saw a full house at Libanus Lifestyle Wales CIC for week three of our Reconnect through Music sessions with Daniel Fitzgerald from RecRock, which was attended by over 30 people.

Everyone did a great job and had lots of fun performing their favourite songs, beating away on the drums and dancing along. Members performed songs by artists including Status Quo, Leona Lewis, Phil Collins, John Denver, Will Smith, Neil Diammond, Kylie Minogue, Will.i.am, and Barry Manilow, among many others. You all sounded amazing.

Members have reported that they feel more confident, less stressed and less anxious since attending these sessions, and they love how they can express themselves freely through music.

Reconnect through Cookery

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At Friday’s cookery session we were delighted to welcome a few more new members to our group. We started the morning with a cuppa, a biscuit and a chat, before getting started on the food preparation.

On the menu was lasagne served with salad and garlic bread.
Our member Connor cooked the lean mince and added peppers, onions and mushrooms, and made the bolognaise sauce for the lasagne. Everyone helped to prepare tomatoes, onions, lettuce, peppers, mushrooms and cucumber for the salad

Lunch was followed by a game of bingo, a quiz, and some yummy banana desserts. Our volunteers did an amazing job as always, and it’s great to see members old and new making friends, building confidence, and learning new skills.

Our new member Amanda has chosen Carbonara for another delicious pasta dish next week.

Reconnect through Music

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Yesterday saw our second Reconnect through Music session at Libanus Lifestyle Wales CIC with Daniel Fitzgerald from RecRock.

Over twenty individuals attended – including many new members – and a great time was had singing and socialising together. These sessions are great way to build confidence and make friends whilst having fun.

Many thanks to Jeremy and Shaun for cooking our hot dogs – they were delicious. We will be back at Libanus next Wednesday from 10.30am am until 12.30pm if you would like to join us. Refreshments and a light lunch will be provided.

Multiply Health Project

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This report was written by Caerphilly People First member Morgan Jones:

This week, as part of our work with the Multiply ‘Skills for Life’ project, Bryan Hayter from Caerphilly Adventures visited us to talk to the group about our health, ways to stay healthy, and where the group will be walking next Tuesday. He handed us an orienteering map, showing the Sirhowy Valley, where we will be doing our walk.

He was followed by Rebecca from Multiply talking to us about healthy foods. She showed us a picture of the ‘Eatwell’ plate and the types of foods we should eat and types of foods we should avoid in order to keep our weight down and stay healthy. The group then measured our height and got on the scales to see how much we weigh.

University of South Wales Training Exercise

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Last week our volunteers Natalie King and Amy Jones took part in a simulation exercise at the University of South Wales, the aim of which was to train midwifery students and learning disability student nurses.

Nat played the role of a pregnant female, who is visited in her flat by a midwife, and Amy played the role of a female who giving birth on a labour ward. Nat also played the role of a mother who has given birth to her child, is caring for her along with her partner Darren, and is visited by a midwife and a learning disability nurse

People with learning disabilities are increasingly likely to become parents, and are entitled to have access to the right support to do this. The students did an amazing job, and we hope that the knowledge they gained during the training exercise will improve the care and treatment people with learning disabilities receive in the future.

Reconnect through Cookery

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Thirty-five people attend our cookery session last Friday, when attendees made cheese pie. Members peeled the potatoes for the pie (to which we added crispy bacon bits), and prepped cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and carrots to serve on the side.

Whilst dinner was cooking Ffion hosted the quiz and bingo, which everybody enjoyed. Thank you to everyone who volunteered – you worked very hard as always. Next week we will be making lasagne, chosen by the lovely twin sisters Elizabeth & Christine.

Reconnect Through Music

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Yesterday saw the launch of our weekly music group, Reconnect through Music, run by RecRock. The aim of the project is to create a sense of belonging between individuals who are isolated, lonely, stressed or feeling low in mood.

We kicked off the session with introductions from members old and new, and shared our favourite songs, artists and genres. Following this our members almost blew the roof off the little chapel on the hill in Libanus Lifestyle Centre in Blackwood, with their singing, dancing and instrument playing.

We ended the session with lots of conversation, lunch and new friendships made. Well done to everyone who attended and travelled independently – we know it was a massive step for you.

Relationship Course

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On Monday 15th January Ffion Poole delivered her relationship course to the learners at Oxford House Community Education Centre in Risca. We spoke about what makes a good and bad friend, and how to make friends. It was lovely to see faces old and new, and our next session will be held on Monday 22nd January when we will continue to talk about friendships. If you would like Ffion to deliver this relationship course, please contact her on 07488 350518 or email her at ffion@caerphillypeoplefirst.org

Skills for Life with Multiply

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This report was written by Caerphilly People First member Morgan Jones:

Whilst I was in Caerphilly People First yesterday, some people from an organisation called ‘Multiply’ came to talk to me and my CPF buddies about their Skills for Life project and how to calculate our calorie intake and log our daily steps.

To do this we put a watch on our wrist that monitors our steps, and how many calories we’ve burnt whilst walking. When we got back to the office we all recorded how many steps we did on our walk, and the group managed 6,500 steps each.

Christmas Crafts and Party

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Yesterday was our final crafts session of 2023, during which the group made Christmas decorations. Thank you to Cheryl and Zoe from the Parent Network Community Forum for sharing their crafting skills throughout the year – they have assisted the group in crafting some great personalised keepsake. Our sessions have brought individuals out of isolation and loneliness, created new friendships and improved mental health, and we’re looking forward to seeing what everyone crafts next year.

Following the craft session, we held our office Christmas party, when the group enjoyed some delicious food and cake, and were visited by Santa who handed out selection boxes to everyone.