Tag Archives: Self advocacy

Adfest 2025 – What an Epic Adventure!

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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!

Sponsored Walk at Pen Y Fan Pond

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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!

Reconnect Through Music

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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!

Meeting about Benefits Reform

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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!

TRAC in Action at the University of South Wales!

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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!

Reconnect Through Music Was A Hit!

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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!

Chair Yoga

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Another fantastic Chair Yoga session with the lovely Lisa yesterday! As well as our usual attendees, we welcomed Ben, a new member to the group. The main activity today involved members rolling dice to decide which yoga poses the group would do. The poses we did included:

Tree pose
Butterfly pose
Warrior Pose
Half-moon pose
Plank

As usual we finished the session with relaxing music (and even Gethin was quiet!). It was lovely to stretch our muscles and spend an hour feeling relaxed and calm. Next week’s Chair Yoga session will be held on Wednesday rather than Tuesday, so we hope to see you all then!

‘My Rights and Me’ Radio Show

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What a fab morning we had yesterday with our friends from Torfaen People First, recording a radio show at Able in Cwmbran. The topic? Human Rights – including our right to relationships, marriage, and friendship.

We had open and honest chats about love, what it means to us, and shared our own experiences in relationships. There were some real talk moments, plenty of learning, and of course… loads of giggles too! We even chose some top tunes to play when the show goes live on air! Can’t wait to hear it back! Big thanks to Jenny and the team – you made it a day to remember!

Reconnect Through Music – What a Session!

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Today our amazing members sang 29 songs, and the room was full of love, fun, and laughter! We danced our hearts out, enjoyed a cracking Easter raffle, and munched on yummy hot dogs!

So many new faces joined us – it was truly a special day filled with joy, singing, and togetherness. Great feedback as always – thank you!

Because you all LOVE the dancing so much, the next session on April 30th will have 20 minutes at the end just for more boogying – don’t forget your dancing shoes! Have a fantastic Easter everyone; we can’t wait to see you soon!

One Planet Project

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We’ve had another great morning with Kurtis and Mared from Innovate Trust as part of the One Planet Project! Today’s session was all about composting and saving rainwater for the garden.

We learned:

What composting is
What we can (and can’t!) put in the compost bin
Why saving rainwater is important
How compost helps our plants grow big and strong
What is composting?

Composting is nature’s way of recycling. We turn food scraps and garden waste into rich, healthy soil that helps our plants thrive.

Why save rainwater? It’s free, eco-friendly, and perfect for keeping our gardens green and blooming without wasting tap water.

Thanks again to Kurtis and Mared – we had a brilliant time learning and getting hands-on with nature!