Author Archives: Peoplefirst

Reconnect through Music

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What a brilliant Reconnect Through Music session we had last week! 🎉 We were treated to an incredible 28 brilliant performances from our talented members, making it another fun-filled morning of music, singing and dancing. 🎵💃🕺

Some of the highlights included:

🌟 Christine singing the much-loved Sweet Caroline, which had everyone singing along. 🎤
🌟 Sean got everyone up on their feet with a lively performance of the Can Can! 💃👏
🌟 Chris Davies entertained us with two fantastic songs by Rick Astley. 🎶
🌟 Chris Evans treated us to a wonderful selection of Tom Jones classics. 🎙️
🌟 A warm welcome to Eirwen, who joined us for the very first time and performed songs by Blondie and The Wanted. She summed up the session perfectly by saying, “It’s so good!” ❤️
🌟 Ellysia impressed us with songs by Billy Joel and Katy Perry. 🎹🎤
🌟 Tilly gave us a lovely rendition of Any Dream Will Do. 🌈✨
🌟 Anthony rounded things off with fantastic performances of songs by Tina Turner and Lulu. 🎵🔥

It was also wonderful to welcome Alisha to her very first Reconnect Through Music session. We hope both Alisha and Eirwen enjoyed being part of our musical family, and we look forward to seeing them again soon. 🤗💜

A massive thank you goes to Christy and Cheryl for all their hard work in the kitchen preparing a delicious lunch for everyone. 🍽️👏 Your efforts are always so appreciated! Finally, thank you to everyone who came along and helped make today’s session such a happy, welcoming and memorable one. Your enthusiasm, support and amazing performances are what make Reconnect Through Music so special. 🎶❤️

We can’t wait to do it all again, so we’ll see you all on Wednesday 22nd July for another fantastic Reconnect Through Music session! 🎤🎉

🧘‍♀️💙 Yoga 💙🧘‍♂️

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After a busy morning, our latest yoga session was just what we needed! 😊 🧘 We stretched out on our mats. 💪 We did gentle movements to stretch our: 🦵 Legs 💙 Back 💪 Arms 🌿 We also enjoyed some mindfulness and relaxation. It helped us feel calm, happy, and refreshed. 🕊️

✨ The benefits of yoga: 💙 Helps us relax. 😊 Reduces stress and worries. 💪 Improves strength and balance. 🤸 Helps with flexibility. 🧠 Supports our mental wellbeing. 🤝 Gives us time to connect with friends.

👏 A big thank you to Lisa for another fantastic session. We always look forward to yoga, and our next, and unfortunately final session, will be on Tuesday 21st July at Fleur-de-lis Community Centre.

📱💙 Media and Literacy Training with Cwmpas 💙💻📱

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Caerphilly People First volunteers and members recently took part in a fantastic Media and Literacy Training session delivered by Cwmpas. 🌟

We learned about: 📖 Understanding information 📰 Spotting trustworthy news and media 💻 Staying safe online 🗣️ Building confidence to use our voices and share our opinions
Everyone got involved, asked questions, and learned new skills in a fun and friendly environment. It was a great morning of learning together! ☺️ A huge thank you to Cwmpas for delivering such an interesting and engaging session. 👏

🌍✨ AdFest 2026 – Living My Best Life Around the World ✨🌍

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What an amazing two days our members from Caerphilly People First had at AdFest 2026 in Cardiff! 💙 The conference brought together self-advocates, organisations, and friends from across Wales, the UK, and around the world to celebrate the importance of self-advocacy and how it helps people live their best lives.
🎶 On the first day, we enjoyed a fun and uplifting singing session with the lovely Maddie from RecRock. There was plenty of laughter, singing, and joining in. We also took part in a fantastic samba workshop where everyone had the chance to try different drums and instruments. 🥁🎵
🌍 Throughout the conference, we watched inspiring clips from self-advocacy groups around the world, showing the incredible work people are doing to make sure the voices of people with learning disabilities are heard. 🗳️ We attended the AGM and had the opportunity to vote on important proposals that will help shape the future of the movement.
💐 We would also like to thank and congratulate Ruth Northway, who has retired from the board after nine years of dedication and commitment. Thank you, Ruth, for everything you have done to support self-advocacy. 💙
📸 We enjoyed viewing the beautiful photographs from the Through Your Eyes project and celebrating achievements at the Mirror Awards. A huge congratulations to all the winners! 🏆
🍽️ The evening was filled with friendship, good food, lots of chatting, and a brilliant silent disco where everyone had a chance to let their hair down and have fun. 🎧💃🕺
🤝 There were lots of exhibitors sharing information and advice, including Cardiff People First, the Welsh Ambulance Service, Mencap Cymru, Llais, Learning Disability Wales, Learning Disability Nurses, and many more.
🎓 On day two, we attended the Confident Travels workshop and Game of Rights, where we learned more about human rights and how to speak up for ourselves. Both sessions were fun, interactive, and gave us lots to think about.
☀️ Despite the very hot weather, we were lucky to have no travel problems and were able to enjoy every moment of the conference. 💙 Most importantly, AdFest gave people the chance to learn, share experiences, build confidence, make new friends, and celebrate everything that self-advocacy can achieve. 👏 A huge thank you to All Wales People First for organising such a fantastic event. It was wonderful to meet people from Ghana, Ireland, Bournemouth, and many other places. We came home feeling inspired, connected, and proud to be part of such a strong self-advocacy movement. 🌟 We can’t wait for next year!

Another Great Reconnect Through Cookery Session!

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👩‍🍳 On Friday our members worked hard preparing: 🫑 Peppers 🧅 Onions 🍄 Mushrooms 🥗 A fresh salad. We made delicious fajitas and added: 🧀 Cheese 🍅 Salsa 🥄 Sour cream. 😋 They tasted amazing!

🎉 We also enjoyed:

❓ A fun quiz
🔢 Bingo
☕ A chat over a cuppa
💃 A little bit of dancing
😂 Lots of laughter

🤝 New friendships were made and everyone had the chance to socialise, learn new skills, and build confidence. 💜 Do You See Me? When you see us, see people learning new skills, making friends, having fun, and being active members of our community. 👏 Well done to everyone who took part today!

🧘‍♀️🌿 Another Wonderful Yoga Session! 🌿🧘‍♂️

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Yesterday afternoon our members enjoyed a relaxing yoga session outdoors in the fresh air. ☀️💚 We started by using bubbles for breathing exercises, helping everyone to slow down, focus, and relax. 😌

Being outside allowed us to connect with nature as we enjoyed some mindfulness activities, listening carefully to the birds singing 🐦 and the gentle breeze through the trees. 🍃
Gethin invited members to choose yoga pose cards, and everyone had a turn taking part in a variety of stretches and poses. 🧘‍♀️🧘‍♂️⭐

Sessions like these are a great way to support wellbeing, reduce stress, build confidence, and spend timetime together with friends. 💙 A big thank you to everyone who joined us today. We hope you left feeling calm, refreshed, and smiling! 😊✨

🌟 Ffion delivers Easy Read Training 🌟

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Yesterday morning, Ffion delivered an online Easy Read presentation to Geraint Ashton and his colleagues from Caerphilly Council. 💻👏 We started with a fun icebreaker question: 🎵 “What are you looking forward to?” Many people said music concerts! 🎤🎶

Ffion talked about: 📖 What Easy Read is 💡 Why Easy Read is important 📄 Which documents should be in Easy Read ✏️ How to create Easy Read information. Everyone took part in an activity where they changed a complicated sentence full of jargon into an Easy Read sentence. 👍

Ffion did an amazing job speaking, explaining, and answering questions. We are very proud of her! 💙⭐ Easy Read helps make information accessible for everyone and supports people to understand important information. 👏 Well done, Ffion! 👏

Reconnect Tuesday Group

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🌿☔🧘‍♀️ What a busy, fun-packed day for our members at Caerphilly People First at this week’s Tuesday Reconnect session! 🧘‍♂️☔🌿 Our day started with a visit to the beautiful TARAGGAN Educational Gardens. Unfortunately, the rain showers had other plans, so our gardening session was cut a little short. We still managed to get some weeding done before heading back to the office! 🌱🌼 Back at the office, there was plenty of fun with games of 🎱 pool and 🎯 darts before lunchtime.

In the afternoon, it was time for our fantastic yoga session with the wonderful Lisa! 🧘‍♀️💜 At this session we practised breathing exercises using colourful chiffon scarves ✨ Enjoyed gentle stretches ✨ Picked letter cards with different yoga poses ✨ Tried Warrior poses, Tree pose, Sitting Baby and many more ✨ Had lots of laughs, including some fantastic dance moves from the lovely and hilarious Paula 💃😂 ✨ Finished with relaxing music, mindfulness, and yes… a little bit of snoring! 😴🤣

These sessions are so important to our members. Feedback tells us that yoga helps reduce anxiety, improves wellbeing, boosts confidence, and gives people techniques they can use at home whenever they need them. ❤️ Many members tell us they regularly practise their breathing exercises and favourite poses between sessions. A huge thank you to Lisa for another amazing session filled with relaxation, laughter, friendship, and fun. 🌟 We can’t wait to do it all again next week! 🥰

🎵🥁 Joint Reconnect Through Music & African Drumming Session 🎶✨

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We had an amazing and uplifting day today at our fortnightly Reconnect Through Music session, followed by an energetic and fun one-hour African Drumming Workshop! 🌟 The singing session got off to a fantastic start with Tilly performing Beat It by Michael Jackson 🎤🕺 which was followed by a series of wonderful performances from our talented members:

🎵 Amy – Rehab by Amy Winehouse
🎵 Dennis – Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars
🎵 Sean – Don’t Bring Me Down by ELO
🎵 Chris – Hound Dog by Elvis Presley
🎵 Anthony – Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations

As always, the performances were met with plenty of encouragement, singing along, and smiles from everyone in attendance. 😊👏 During a brief break for lunch, members enjoyed delicious pizza 🍕. A huge thank you goes to Christy and the gang stationed in the kitchen for keeping everyone well fed and ready for the afternoon’s activities! 🙌❤️

Following lunch, 15 members took part in an exciting African Drumming Session led by Liz Mullins 🥁🌍. The group learned a couple of different rhythms, including one set to the memorable phrase:

☕ “I don’t like tea, I like coffee!” ☕

The workshop was full of energy, laughter, and teamwork, and everyone sounded absolutely amazing drumming together in the big hall. 🎶🥁✨ The sense of togetherness and enjoyment throughout the session was truly special.

❤️ Olivia said the drumming session was “amazing.”
❤️ Matilda said the drumming was “an experience for her that she may never have the opportunity to do again,” adding that it would be hard to improve such a great session.
❤️ Anthony said he “loves this session, with all his friends around him.”

A huge thank you to Liz Mullins, all our fantastic volunteers, and every member who joined us for another magical, music-filled Wednesday. 🎵🥁🌟

There will be no music session in two weeks, as Caerphilly People First will be attending the All Wales People First Adfest conference in Cardiff, so our next session will be on Wednesday 8th July. We look forward to seeing everyone then!

🍽️🌟 Reconnect Through Cookery 🌟🍽️

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What a wonderful day we had at our Reconnect Through Cookery session on Friday! 😊💛 Our amazing members got stuck in by peeling the potatoes 🥔, chopping the carrots 🥕 and broccoli 🥦, helping to prepare a delicious sausage dinner 🍽️. We served it with creamy mash, peas and plenty of tasty gravy 😋.

The dinner was absolutely delicious, and it was lovely to sit together, enjoy good food, have lots of chats and take part in a fun quiz 🧠🎉. There were plenty of smiles, laughter and great teamwork throughout the session 😊👏.

A huge THANK YOU ❤️ to all of our wonderful volunteers who give their time, support and kindness each week. These sessions simply wouldn’t be the same without you. Your dedication helps create friendships, build confidence and make our members feel valued and connected 🤗🌈.