Author Archives: Peoplefirst

☀️🌺 The perfect summer day for our party! 🌺☀️✨

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What a truly amazing summer celebration! 💃🕺🎊 The hall looked absolutely fantastic, filled with colour, laughter and sunshine vibes. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who arrived early to help decorate and set everything up – you made the day so special. ❤️🙌🎈

📸 A big thank you to Stu for the brilliant photo booth. Everyone loved capturing fun memories and taking home special souvenirs of the day! 🥳📷✨🎶 Thank you to Darren for another incredible disco! You always get everyone on the dance floor. 💃🕺🎧 We will really miss your discos, but you’ll always be welcome to come and party with us again! ❤️✨ 🥗 Thank you to Zoe for your help and your delicious homemade coleslaw – it was a real favourite! 🥗😋💚🌭🍔 Thank you to Helen for serving up tasty burgers, hot dogs and ice cream that everyone enjoyed. 🍦🍔🌭😄📝 Thank you to Judith for welcoming everyone and signing people in with such a friendly smile. 😊🖊️💖🏡 A very special thank you to Peter, our amazing caretaker, for all your support. Nothing is ever too much trouble, and we really appreciate everything you do. We love Fleur de Lys Community Centre – it’s the perfect place for a summer party like this. ❤️🏡✨

👏 And a huge thank you to ALL our wonderful volunteers. We couldn’t do it without you – you are truly appreciated! ❤️🙌🌟🌴 The Hawaiian summer theme was a massive hit! Grass skirts, bright shirts and colourful outfits brought the sunshine indoors. 🌺🌈🌴
🦩 Anthony looked fantastic in his flamingo outfit and matching hat – what a star! 🤩🦩🎩🌺 Gethin looked great in his Hawaiian shirt 😎🌺, showed off his dance moves 💃🕺🎶, and then helped out washing up with Rees and Connor – brilliant teamwork! 👏🫧🍽️✨
💃 Sian loved dancing, and it was wonderful to see everyone joining in together. Even members who use wheelchairs were enjoying the music and showing off amazing moves on the dance floor! 🪩❤️💃✨🕺✨ Ffion and Amy brought the retro energy in their awesome 90s outfits 🎤💜💚 – they looked amazing and added so much fun to the party! 🎶🕺✨

❤️ It was so lovely to see our members sitting together, laughing, chatting and making special memories. 😄💬💞 This is what Caerphilly People First is all about – friendship, joy and togetherness. 🌟 Thank you to everyone who came, danced, smiled and celebrated with us. 🥳💃🕺 It really was the perfect summer day – full of friendship, happiness and unforgettable memories. 💖✨ We can’t wait for the next one! 🌺🎉💙

🌿☀️ Another fantastic morning at TARAGGAN Educational Gardens! 🌼

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Yesterday Ffion and Gethin rolled up their sleeves and got stuck into weeding, helping to keep the gardens looking beautiful for everyone to enjoy. 💪🌱

It was a gorgeous day, but the heat certainly made it hard work! 🌞🥵 Thankfully, there were plenty of water breaks and lots of smiles along the way. A big thank you to our amazing volunteers for all their hard work and dedication. Every little bit helps the gardens continue to bloom! 🌸💚

🌟 Pride in Place – Your Voice Matters! 🌟

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Today we welcomed Sarah Coombes and her team to meet with our members. 🏘️ We talked about what could be improved in Bargoed, Aberbargoed and Tredegar. 📝 Together we completed an easy-read survey and shared our ideas about making our communities better places to live.

💙 What is the Pride in Place Fund? The UK Government has announced a new Pride in Place plan. From 2027, £20 million will be invested over 10 years to help communities improve local areas. The fund will support local people to have their say and help create projects that make neighbourhoods cleaner, safer, more welcoming and better for everyone. ❤️ Together we can help make our communities even better!

Reconnect Through Music 🎵

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What an incredible Reconnect Through Music session we had today at Fleur-de-Lys! 🎉 The room was absolutely packed with people, talent, and smiles, making for another unforgettable day of music and friendship. 🎵 We enjoyed an amazing 27 songs, spanning every genre and era, all performed by our wonderfully talented members. It was also fantastic to welcome two newcomers, Helen and Kyle to the group – we hope you both enjoyed your first session! 👏💐

🎤 Anthony got everyone singing along as he opened the session with the classic “Sweet Caroline”, while Kyle brought the afternoon to a perfect close with “Another Day in Paradise” by Phil Collins. 🌟 ✨ Along the way we were treated to some fantastic performances, including:

🎭 Tilly singing Evermore from Beauty and the Beast.
👑 Sean, Kyle and Adrian performing songs by Elvis Presley.
💃 Helen and Paula belting out some ABBA favourites.
🎸 Rhys entertaining us with hits from Huey Lewis and the News and “Weird Al” Yankovic.
🎶 Brilliant performances from both Chris Evans and Chris Davies, Hywel, Curtis, Morgan, and Christine, who all helped make the afternoon so special.

👏 A huge well done to everyone who performed—you were all amazing! 💙 As always, a massive thank you goes to our fantastic team:

🛠️ Pete for setting everything up.
😊 Cheryl for welcoming everyone and taking care of the paperwork.
🎙️ Amy for being such a brilliant compère.
🥗 Christy for keeping everyone well fed with delicious wraps and salads for lunch.

🌈 These sessions mean so much to our members, and it’s wonderful to hear how much they enjoy them. 💬 Here’s what some of our members had to say:

❤️ Helen: “I enjoyed seeing old friends.”
🎉 Hywel: “The session was great fun.”
🌟 Kyle: “Everything was great.”
💃 Andrea: “The staff are fantastic and I loved dancing in my wheelchair to the music.”
🤩 Emily: “The session was amazing.”
💙 Anthony: “I cherish these sessions.”

Hearing comments like these reminds us exactly why Reconnect Through Music is so special. 🎶💖 It’s about much more than singing—it’s about friendship, confidence, community, and creating lasting memories together. 📅 We can’t wait to do it all again—see you at our next session in two weeks! 🎤🎵✨

🌞🐐 A Fantastic Afternoon at Fferm Gelli Farm! 🦙🐴

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After a busy morning yesterday, we enjoyed a lovely free visit to Fferm Gelli Farm. 💚 Christopher, Anthony, Gethin and Amy had a brilliant time feeding the goats, llamas, ponies and horses. 🐐🦙🐴 Gethin is definitely a horse whisperer – the horses absolutely loved him and were so calm around him! 🐴❤️

Ellie enjoyed sitting by the pond with a fresh salad and sweet strawberries. 🍓🥗🌿 She also loved taking a peaceful walk around the pond, enjoying the beautiful scenery. The facilities at the pond have improved massively, and we saw a few fish jumping and beautiful geese with their babies. 🐟 It was also the first time we had ever seen a foal feeding from its mum. What a special treat and such a lovely moment to witness! 🐴💕

The café by the pond was a real treat! They serve delicious jam and cream scones, amazing coffee, toasties and freshly made baguettes. ☕🥪 The boys especially loved the tuna mayo and sweetcorn baguettes! 😋 We finished the afternoon with a peaceful walk around the pond, enjoying the sunshine, fresh air and great company. Thank you, Fferm Gelli Farm, for such a wonderful visit! 💙😊

🌮🍗 Reconnect Through Cookery 🍗🌮

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What a fantastic cookery session on Friday! 💚 We made delicious BBQ chicken fajitas. Some members chose plain chicken, while others enjoyed theirs with tasty mushrooms, peppers and onions. 🌶️🧅🍄 Everyone worked together to prepare a beautiful fresh salad 🥗, and we added salsa, sour cream and jalapeños to make our wraps extra delicious! 😋

A huge thank you to all our amazing volunteers for your hard work and support. 💚👏 🧠 Thank you, Amy, for running our fun quiz. 🎉 Thank you, Sian, for leading bingo. 🏆 Congratulations to all our quiz and bingo winners!

☀️ Don’t forget! Our next cookery session is Friday 31st July, and it’s our Summer Party! 🎈🌭🍔🎶 🎟️ You can also buy your ticket at Wednesday’s Music Group.

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!