Author Archives: Peoplefirst

🎶✨ Reconnect Through Music – Today’s Session ✨🎶

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A huge thank you to everyone who attended another inspiring and joyful Reconnect Through Music session today! 💛 It was wonderful to see so much talent on show, along with plenty of smiles and laughter throughout the afternoon 😊🎤 Here are just a few of the highlights we enjoyed:

🎵 Ellysia kicked us off beautifully with Never Gonna Dance Again by Pink.
🎸 Sean had everyone rocking along as he told us to Walk This Way with the classic from Aerosmith.
💃 Christine got the whole room moving with 5,6,7,8 by Steps.
🌼 Adrian gave a heartfelt performance of Edelweiss from The Sound of Music.
🎶 Dennis closed out the performances with the powerful Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad by Meat Loaf.

It was fantastic to see so many people up dancing and enjoying themselves 🕺💃 — including Paula, who treated us to some of the yoga moves she learned yesterday! 🧘‍♀️✨ We also loved hearing everyone’s feedback about what makes these sessions so special ❤️

💬 Ellie shared that she loves dancing and meeting friends, and said the sessions are so good for bringing everyone together.
💬 Morgan said he enjoys socialising with friends and singing his favourite songs.
💬 Ellysia said she loves seeing everyone enjoying themselves.

A special thank you to Christy and Cheryl for keeping everyone well fed with delicious pizza 🍕😋, and of course to all our amazing volunteers and everyone who attends and helps make our music sessions so special each week ❤️🎶

Yoga with Lisa

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We had another lovely afternoon with Lisa doing yoga yesterday 🧘‍♀️✨ We used yoga blocks for stretching, balance and posture, and everyone chose a block out of the bag that had a yoga pose drawn on it 🟦🧘‍♂️ It was lots of fun and gave everyone a chance to try something different 😊

We also enjoyed some relaxing time listening to soothing music 🎶💜 Some members like to use chairs for the session while some choose to use the mats, making the sessions very accessible so everyone can take part comfortably 🌟

Everyone did an amazing job joining in and there was lots of laughter as usual 😂💛 These sessions are great for relaxation, movement, confidence and wellbeing, and it’s wonderful to see everyone supporting each other 🤝✨ See you all next week! 🥰👋

Gardening at TARAGGAN

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🌱☀️ Another fantastic session at TARAGGAN Educational gardens this week! We planted courgettes, lettuce, and carrots 🥕🥬 Everyone also worked really hard doing more weeding and helping to keep the garden looking beautiful 🌼👏

It was lovely to be outdoors enjoying the fresh air and sunshine while working together 🌞💚 Our members absolutely love these sessions and always enjoy getting involved, learning new skills, and spending time with friends 😊🌿 A big well done to everyone for all their hard work! 💪🌱

🍽️💛 Reconnect Through Cookery 💛🍽️

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What a lovely session we had at Reconnect Through Cookery on Friday! Our members made a delicious cheese and potato pie, topped with fresh tomatoes 🍅 and served with ham and beans 😋🥔🧀 After enjoying our meal, we had lots of fun playing bingo 🎉🎲 and a big well done to Rhys for doing his fantastic quiz, which everyone really enjoyed 🏆👏😊

A huge thank you to all our amazing volunteers and everyone who helped out — your support means so much and helps make these sessions warm, welcoming, and full of friendship 💕🙌


🧘‍♀️✨ A Wonderful Yoga Session! ✨🧘‍♂️

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As always, there was plenty of fun, laughter, and a lovely warm atmosphere at yesterday’s yoga session 💙 Some members chose to use mats, while others were comfortable using chairs — showing that these sessions are accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

Lisa added a fun twist by using a fidget spinner to choose yoga cards with different poses, which brought lots of smiles and excitement 🌈 We also enjoyed gentle stretching with beautiful ribbons, helping us relax, move our bodies, and feel refreshed. These sessions are fantastic for exercise, relaxation, and bringing people together. Thank you to everyone who joined — what a lovely session! 💫

☀️🌱 Another Fantastic Morning at TARAGGAN Educational Gardens

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Everyone enjoyed the beautiful sunshine yesterday, got stuck in, and worked hard as usual 💪🌼 There’s something special about being outdoors — fresh air, teamwork, and getting hands in the soil does wonders for wellbeing 🌿😊 A big thank you to all involved for your energy and effort. Another great morning in the garden! 🌻🍃☀️

🎶✨ Reconnect Through Music – Great Vibes! ✨🎶

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What an incredible session we had today! 🌟 This morning, our group absolutely smashed our previous record by singing an amazing 31 songs 🎤🎉 — what a milestone! We enjoyed a fantastic mix of music spanning decades and genres 🎵🕺, showing just how diverse and vibrant our group is. Some standout moments included:

🌈 Ffion and Amy bringing fun and energy with The Gummy Bear Song 🐻🎶
🎭 Tilly with two songs by Panic! at the Disco 🎤🔥
💖 Morgan serenading us with Mandy
🌟 Mandy delivering a beautiful rendition of Against All Odds by Phil Collins
💃 Anthony filling the room with joy through Love Is in the Air (and it truly was! ❤️)
🎩 Chris entertaining us with Leave Your Hat On
🎧 Dennis getting everyone moving with Dance Monkey 🕺🎶

The atmosphere was absolutely lush 🌿💫 — full of smiles 😊, laughter 😂, and brilliant dancing 💃🕺. It was wonderful to see everyone so engaged and enjoying themselves! A big thank you goes out to:

👏 Pete for getting everything set up
🍽️ Christy, Zoe, and Cheryl for preparing a delicious lunch
🎶 Amy and Ffion for keeping the music flowing smoothly

We’re already looking forward to the next session… can we beat our record again and hit 32 songs? 🎯🎤 See you all next time! 💛🎶

🌟🧘‍♀️ Stretch, Connect & Belong 🧘‍♂️🌟

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Our brand new Stretch, Connect & Belong project started yesterday at Fleur-de-lis Community Centre and will run for 10 sessions every Tuesday from 1pm–2pm, followed by 30 minutes for a cuppa ☕, a chat 💬 and session feedback 📝 — a lovely chance to connect and build friendships.

Our first session began with calming breathing and stretching exercises 🌬️💚, followed by lots of fun as our members chose a yoga pose from the surprise bag 🎁🧘. There were plenty of smiles and laughter 😊. Some members used mats, while others chose to use a chair — showing these sessions are truly accessible and inclusive for all ♿💙. For our breathing exercises we used beautiful chiffon scarves 🌈, and we finished with a peaceful relaxation session to soothing music 🎶✨ under soft ceiling lights, leaving everyone feeling calm, refreshed and uplifted.

Sessions like this are so important for people with learning disabilities because they help to:

💚 reduce anxiety and stress
💚 improve movement, balance and flexibility
💚 build confidence and independence
💚 encourage social connection and friendships
💚 reduce isolation and loneliness
💚 support emotional wellbeing and mindfulness
💚 create a safe, welcoming space where everyone belongs 🤝

A huge thank you to Lisa Harwood 💐 for such a wonderful start to our project, and thank you to our amazing members and volunteers for bringing such positive energy — everyone absolutely loved it! 🌟💖 Here’s to the next session! 🧘☕💬

Gardening at TARAGGAN

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🌱🍃 We’ve had a great morning at TARAGGAN Educational Gardens! Morgan, Gethin, Christopher and Anthony have all been working hard weeding and clearing the plots, getting everything ready for planting 🌼🌿👏 It was very windy 🌬️ and chilly 🥶 to start, but all that hard work soon warmed us up 💪😊

Being outdoors and gardening has so many benefits — it helps improve wellbeing 💚, reduces stress 🌞, keeps us active 🚶‍♂️, builds confidence 🌟 and gives everyone the chance to connect with nature 🌍🦋. Most importantly, it brings people together, creating friendships, laughter and a real sense of achievement 🤝💐 A brilliant morning all round — well done everyone! 🌱🙌✨

🍽️✨ Reconnect through Cookery ✨🍽️

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What a lovely session we had on Friday! 💛 We made a delicious tuna pasta bake 🐟🍝 and a tasty sausage pasta bake 🌭🍝, served with warm garlic bread 🧄🍞😋 Our members got hands-on preparing a fresh, healthy salad 🥗 with lettuce 🥬, tomatoes 🍅, onions 🧅, and peppers 🫑 — it looked as good as it tasted! 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳

The room was filled with a relaxed, happy vibe 😊✨ Everyone was in great spirits, enjoying themselves and each other’s company 💛🤗 It really was a warm, friendly atmosphere all around 🥰🌟 A big thank you to all our amazing volunteers 🙌💙 for your support — we couldn’t do it without you 👏✨