Today we visited TARAGGAN Educational Gardens 🌱✨ It was lovely and fresh with the sun shining ☀️ but still a little chilly ❄️ We started digging on our plot and over the next few weeks we’ll continue working on it to get everything ready for planting 🌼We’ll be volunteering at TARAGGAN every Tuesday from 10:30am – 12pm ⏰ If you’d like to join us, we’d love to see you 💚🙌
On Friday we made a delicious cheese and potato pie 😋 Our members worked hard preparing fresh salad with tomatoes 🍅, cucumber 🥒 and lettuce 🥗 to go alongside it. We also served ham with the pie – it was absolutely delicious!
We were pleased to welcome a trainee social worker who visited to see the fantastic work we deliver in the community 💬💙 We also had a fun Valentine’s quiz ❤️🧠 which everyone really enjoyed! As always, we had lots of fun with bingo 🎉 and even a little dance from Sian and Paula 💃🕺 which made everyone smile!
A huge thank you to our amazing volunteers 🙌 Your support makes these sessions so special. The feedback from members was great as always 🌟See you all on Wednesday for music! 🎶🎤
Last week Ffion and Christy attended The Lewis School for the First Give Final 🌟 The First Give programme gives Year 7 students the chance to learn about social issues in their community, choose a charity they care about, and take part in fundraising and social action. Each Year 7 group delivered a presentation on their chosen charity to a panel of judges, who asked questions and decided which group had made the biggest impact. The winning group receives £1,000 for their chosen charity 👏 All Year 7 groups did an amazing job presenting their charities — congratulations to the winners! 🏆
A very special thank you to Year 7S for choosing Caerphilly People First. We thought your presentation was absolutely fantastic 💙 As well as raising an incredible £75 through your scavenger hunt, 7S also wrote us a beautiful poem, which will be framed and proudly displayed in our office — a truly thoughtful and meaningful gift 🌈✨
If you know of a secondary school that would like to take part in the First Give programme, please contact info@firstgive.co.uk for more information. Well done everyone!
Today’s Reconnect Through Music session was packed with talent, energy, and big smiles all round 😄✨ The room was buzzing from start to finish, with our members singing an incredible 28 songs — and even then, the singing carried on while we were packing up! 🎤🎶 We were treated to a fantastic mix of classics and favourites:
🎧 Ellysia kicked things off in style with Saturday Night by Whigfield
🚒 Sean took us back to the 60s with Fire Brigade by The Move
🎵 Ffion and Amy delivered a brilliant duet of Valerie by Amy Winehouse
❤️ Anthony sang a heartfelt performance of Amazed by Lonestar
🎸 Kelvin gave us two great songs by Cliff Richard
🌙 Natalie performed Different Corner by George Michael
👯♀️ The twins, Christine and Elizabeth, wowed us with Let It Go from Frozen and The Best by Tina Turner
🕺 Chris stole the show by dressing up as Elvis and singing Hound Dog! 🎤🕶️
During lunch, everyone enjoyed delicious hot dogs prepared in the kitchen by Christy 🌭👏 — a much-appreciated treat! A big thank you to Pete for arranging everything at the centre and helping make the session run smoothly 👍 And of course, a huge thank you to our amazing members for attending and making every music session such a joyful occasion 💖🎶 As always, the session was full of singing, dancing, laughter, and smiles, and it was a pleasure to be part of it 😊💃🕺We’re already looking forward to the next one! 🎼✨
✨ Yesterday Amy, Nat and Gethin visited the University of South Wales, Glyntaff working in the simulation suite with Year 3 Learning Disability and Midwifery students 👶🩺 Nat and Gethin played the fantastic role of new parents with a baby just a few days old, while Amy took on the role of a pregnant patient 🤰👏 These real-life scenarios helped future nurses better understand the experiences of adults with a learning disability.
💬 We talked about how everyone must work together to support adults with learning disabilities before, during and after pregnancy, ensuring parents are supported, cared for and understood, and giving families the best chance to raise a family together 💞 The students were amazing 👏 They learned not only from the “patients” but from each other, working across different fields.
Key topics included:
📄 Easy Read information
🗣️ Clear communication — no jargon
📘 Health profiles and why they are so important
This session highlighted the crucial role of all nurses, especially Learning Disability nurses, in delivering inclusive, person-centred care ❤️ 🎓 Interested in becoming a Learning Disability Nurse? You can enrol at universities like USW and make a real difference supporting people with learning disabilities and their families every day 💙 Another successful visit with so much learned by everyone — thank you USW Treforest! 👏✨
This morning Ffion and Amy visited The Lewis School. Year 7 students are currently taking part in the First Give programme as part of their English lessons, and they’ve chosen to support Caerphilly People First. Through the First Give programme, the students will be carrying out social actions to support us and our work in the community 💪💬
We delivered a presentation about what we do at Caerphilly People First, what a First Give grant is, and how we would use £1,000 to make a real difference 🌱🍳🎶 A First Give grant is funding that students can win by planning and delivering social action projects that support a local charity or community group, helping them create positive change. The students asked lots of fantastic questions and showed a genuine interest in our work – it was brilliant to see such enthusiasm and compassion 💙
We’re really looking forward to attending the finals on Friday 🤞⭐ Good luck to all the students – you’re doing amazing things for your community!
What a lovely Reconnect through Cookery session we enjoyed on Friday 💚👩🍳👨🍳 A huge thank you to our amazing volunteers and everyone who helped with the quiz and bingo 🎉🧠🎱 — you always help make the sessions so much fun. Special thanks to Peter our caretaker for getting everything set up for us 🙌👏
Our members did a fantastic job preparing fresh cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower 🥦🥬 to go alongside a delicious cottage pie and gravy, made with 5% fat lean beef mince 🍽️😋As always, we had great feedback and we’re proud to say there was no waste at all ♻️
Everyone absolutely loves our cookery sessions and the difference they make to our community — bringing people together, building skills, and sharing good food and laughter 💬❤️ See you all Wednesday for Reconnect through Music 🎶🎤
We were recently honoured to attend the Annual Caerphilly Parent Network Volunteer Awards Event, and what an inspiring occasion it was 👏💙 It was truly uplifting to hear about the incredible range of voluntary work being carried out by the Caerphilly Parent Network across the borough. The event celebrated the dedication, kindness, and commitment of individuals who selflessly give up their time to support others in their communities 🌈🤝
Several awards were presented throughout the event, including:
🏆 Inspirational Volunteer
🏆 Personal Journey Award
🏆 Most Enthusiastic Award
🏆 Humble Hero Award
The final award of the day was the Sian Northey Award, which holds a very special meaning 💐 This award is named in honour of Sian Northey, a wonderful and much-loved volunteer who contributed so much to the Parent Network before she sadly passed away a few years ago. Each year, the award is presented by Sian’s son, Gethin Chamberlain, a valued member of Caerphilly People First, making the moment especially moving and meaningful ❤️
We would like to say a huge thank you to the Caerphilly Parent Network for inviting us to be part of such a positive and heartfelt event 🙌 And of course, thank you as well for the lovely buffet – it was very much appreciated! 🥪🍰 Overall, the event was a wonderful celebration of community spirit, generosity, and the power of volunteering 💫
Fleur-de-Lys Community Centre was packed yesterday for our fortnightly Reconnect Through Music session, creating a fantastic atmosphere full of smiles, laughter, and socialising 😄💬 Music once again brought everyone together, and our talented members sang an impressive total of 22 songs during the session 🎤🎶
Theresa kicked things off with a heartfelt performance of “Never Forget” by Take That, and Natalie soon had everyone moving and singing along with “One Love” by Bob Marley 🌍🎶 Ellysia followed with an energetic version of “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen, while Kelvin treated us to two songs by Cliff Richard 🎸✨ Wayne kept the energy high with “Who’s That Girl” by Madonna, and Paula and Natalie teamed up for two fantastic duets, performing songs by ABBA and The Righteous Brothers 💃🎼 There were many other great performances, making the session varied and enjoyable for everyone involved 🌟
We would like to say a big thank you to Cheryl and Helen for preparing a lovely lunch 🥪💐, and to Pete the caretaker for getting the centre ready for us and making sure everything ran smoothly 🔑👏
The feedback from members was incredibly positive and really shows how much these sessions mean to people. Theresa said she enjoyed making new friends and feels the sessions cannot be improved 😊❤️ Anthony told us that our music sessions are the best in the world! 🌍🌟 Emily shared that she really enjoyed the loud music 🔊🎵 It was another wonderful session filled with music, friendship, and joy 💕🎤
We look forward to welcoming everyone back at our next Reconnect Through Music session on Wednesday 4th February! 📅🎶
It was really nice to see our members and volunteers on Friday, at our first Reconnect through Cookery session since the Christmas break. The session had a warm and welcoming atmosphere, with everyone happy to be back together. Alongside the cooking, members also took part in group activities that encouraged social interaction and fun. A quiz and a game of bingo helped create lots of laughter and conversation, adding to the positive atmosphere of the session. Members loved reconnecting after the Christmas break, working together as a group, learning and practicing cookery skills, and taking part in fun, inclusive social activities.
A big thank you to all the volunteers who helped in the kitchen and supported members throughout the day, and a massive thank you to Cheryl, Zoe, and Helen for running the session and making sure everything went smoothly. We would also like to say a huge thank you to Natalie for running the quiz, and to Tasha for calling out bingo – your continued support and enthusiasm are greatly appreciated.
Our next Reconnect Through Cookery session will take place on Friday 30th January, when we will be cooking cottage pie. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for another enjoyable session, and we’ll see you then!
