On Monday 5th September Ffion Poole and Sam Evans delivered a Safeguarding training session to staff at the Islwyn Park Coffee shop. It was great to be back out in the community delivering our sessions, and we’d like to thank the group for for having us. We can’t wait to do more training in the future, so if anyone would like us to deliver training on Safeguarding, Learning Disability Awareness, or Ambulance Training, please get in touch.
We recently did some filming alongside Cwm Taff People First at the University of South Wales simulation suite. The film will be used to educate medical staff, using the experiences of patients in hospital. Ffion and Natalie dressed up and played the role of Paramedics, and Christy acted out the part of Dr Strange. Although this is a very serious subject we had lots of giggles during the filming.
As usual, the Focus Group spent Tuesday morning at Taraggan Educational Gardens, and this week was spent harvesting beetroot and potatoes. Beetroot can be harvested from early summer through to mid-autumn, depending on time and variety, and are rich in folate which plays a key role in controlling damage to blood vessels, which can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The afternoon session was spent making chocolate shredded wheat cakes. These are easy to make and taste delicious. We melted the chocolate in the microwave and mixed it into a bowl of shredded wheat. We then spooned the mix into the cupcake cases and popped them into the fridge to set (except some didn’t make it to the fridge). Thanks to Amanda from The Parent Network for helping out and supplying the ingredients.
Today we held the second workshop in our relationship course. We spoke about LGBTQIA+, what those letters represent, and what it means to be Lesbian / Gay / Bisexual / Transgender / Queer / Intersex / Asexual. The + represents those who do not identify as any of these. As well as this, the group discussed what it means to identify as non-binary, and how to be an ally and show support to LGBTQIA+ people. We also talked about what the colours in the Pride flag represent. Nicole spoke about the drag project she does in her spare time, and we watched a video of a drag queen talking about their experiences. We will be at Pride Cymru this weekend, so we hope to see you there.
This week, some of the members of our Tuesday Focus Group attended a Bee workshop run by Lorne East at Libanus Lifestyle in Blackwood. Members found the workshop very interesting and it was great seeing the Bees in action, and learning more about what they do. Thank you to Karen and the team for a warm welcome, as always.
Yesterday the Reconnect Focus Group spent the morning at Taraggan Educational gardens, where we continued weeding and getting our plot looking nice and presentable. The gardens are so relaxing and it’s amazing being outdoors.
During the afternoon our Focus Group was joined by Rhian Cook, from the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, who asked the group for feedback on easy-read hate crime leaflets her organisation has produced. We were also joined by Zoe Gibbs from Cyfannol Women’s Aid, who met the group in preparation for a future visit when she will talk about the work the work of Cyfannol. It was lovely to meet them both and we’re looking forward to working with them further in the future.
Thanks to everyone – including Joe Powell, Chief Executive of All Wales People First – who attended our recent relationship course, which was designed by Ffion and Lisa French from Insight. The group talked about what makes a good relationship, what makes a bad relationship, and the warning signs of a bad relationship. They also discussed how to make friends, and how to deal with falling out with friends. The session finished with a ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ relationship quiz designed by Vale People 1st. At the next session on 25th August we will be talking about identity and LGBTQ issues. Everyone is welcome to join us then.
This week we visited Brooklands Day Centre to look at their new garden project and summer house, which are both looking fantastic – the summer house is so relaxing. It was lovely to catch up with some of our members, who we hope to be working with soon in the Risca area.
The group spent the morning volunteering at Taraggan Educational Gardens, where we did some weeding and tidied up a new plot, which is now ready grow some more vegetables and fruit. We then went back to the office and provided feedback on the work that Ffion, Natalie and Sarah are involved in with the University Of South Wales, called ‘Co-producing accessible outcomes for people with Learning Disabilities’. A massive shout out to our Tuesday group, who are all fantastic – it’s lovely to see them all become independent and confident. We’d also like to welcome Gethin, who spent his first day with the group this week, and will be joining us every Tuesday from now on.
Here is the latest Caerphilly People First newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading about the work of our members.