Yesterday our members enjoyed another fantastic session at the gardens 🌼 The sunshine was out and so were the smiles! ☀️😊 Gethin and Morgan got stuck in—working hard, getting their hands in the soil, digging and turning over the plot 🪴🧤 It was a great way to boost wellbeing and connect with nature 🌸💚
Gardening is not just about growing plants—it’s about growing confidence, friendships, and happiness 🌻🤝 It was also lovely catching up, having a laugh, and seeing everyone enjoy their time outdoors 🌞 A big thank you to everyone involved for making it such a positive and uplifting session 🙌💚 We’re already looking forward to the next visit! 🌿✨
Monday was an exciting and important day for Caerphilly People First! 🎉 We were delighted to be invited to take part in the Caerphilly hustings as part of Learning Disability Wales’s Ready to Vote project. 🙌 The event took place at Y Banc in Caerphilly town centre 🏛️ and brought together politicians from four political parties: Plaid Cymru, the Conservatives, the Green Party, and the Liberal Democrats. It was expertly chaired by our very own Ffion Poole, who did a fantastic job guiding the discussion 👏✨
Our members played a key role in the hustings by asking thoughtful and important questions to the candidates hoping to be elected to the Senedd on Thursday 7th May 🗳️. The topics raised included:
🦷 Access to NHS dentists 🚌 Free bus passes for people with learning disabilities 🎓 Support for people with learning disabilities in schools and colleges
Other attendees also asked questions about housing 🏠 and jobs 💼, making sure a wide range of important issues were discussed. It was great to hear directly from each candidate and learn their views on the issues that matter most to our members 💬. Events like this help make sure that people with learning disabilities have a voice and can make informed choices. We encourage everyone to take part in the election on Thursday 7th May 🗳️ — your voice matters, so make sure it’s heard! 💪🗣️
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 💕🙌
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! 🧘☕💬
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! 💛🎶
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! 🌻🍃☀️
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! 💫
What better way to finish off a Tuesday than with a relaxing yoga session at our Stretch, Connect and Belong group with Lisa 🧘♀️💙✨ Our members love getting stuck in and having fun together! At our most recent session we played yoga dice and chose lots of different poses including the tree 🌳, superman 🦸, dancing pose 💃, baby pose 👶 and many more. We enjoyed some gentle stretches, lots of giggles 😂, mindfulness and relaxation time with soothing music 🎶 We also made beautiful calming sounds by gently tapping the singing bowl 🥣✨ which everyone really enjoyed and found relaxing.
These sessions are very accessible for everyone 💙 Some members choose to use chairs while others prefer using mats, allowing everyone to join in comfortably at their own pace 😊 Everyone did an amazing job taking part and supporting one another. We finished the session with a lovely cuppa, biscuits and a chat ☕🍪💙 Thank you Lisa for another brilliant session!
Another fantastic morning last week down at the University of South Wales simulation suite with the student nurses 👏🏥💙 Gethin played a patient with an injured shoulder, Hannah played a patient whose knee had popped out, both attending minor injuries, and Nat played Geraldine, a patient suffering with constipation. 🩺🦵💊
The student nurses gave amazing care throughout the scenarios and showed great communication skills, kindness and professionalism 🌟 They asked important questions about each person’s health profile and made reasonable adjustments to make sure everyone felt comfortable and supported ❤️
A health profile is a document that gives important information about a person’s health needs, communication, medication, likes, dislikes and the best ways to support them. This helps healthcare staff give the right care and understand the person better 📋😊 Everyone did a really great job and the sessions were not only educational but lots of fun too 😄🎭 We really enjoy taking part in the simulation suite sessions and helping future nurses gain valuable experience 👩⚕️👨⚕️Well done everyone! 👏💙
Yesterday morning we visited the simulation suite at the University of South Wales to take part in patient role play scenarios 🏥😊 The student nurses did an amazing job and worked so hard throughout the sessions 👏💙 These training situations make a real difference, helping students experience what it can be like working on a busy ward under pressure while supporting patients with care and compassion 🌟
A huge well done to all our TRAC members for taking part and helping with the training today 🙌 You were all fantastic! 💛 This was session 1 of 2, and we’re looking forward to more training and teamwork in session 2! 😊✨
