Caerphilly Parent Network Trip

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A huge thank you to Amanda and her wonderful team for giving us such a fantastic day out yesterday! 💕👏 We started our day with a visit to Cardiff Museum 🏛️, where we enjoyed a lovely tour and discovered lots about Cardiff’s history, people, art and culture. The museum has a fantastic mix of collections, including natural history, archaeology, social history and beautiful artwork. 🎨🦖🏛️ Of course, we had to stop for a delicious coffee ☕😋 and take some time to enjoy all the amazing art.

Then it was off to Barry Island! 🌊☀️ We enjoyed a lovely walk along the seafront, took in the views and, of course, had a go on the shows! 🎢🎠🎡 There were plenty of laughs and lots of happy faces! We were also very kindly provided with a yummy packed lunch 🥪🍎🧃, which kept us fuelled for our busy day! It really was a fab day enjoyed by everyone — full of friendship, fun, laughter and making special memories together. ❤️😊 Thank you again, Amanda and team, for making it such a wonderful day! 🌟💜

📸 TRAC Photo Shoot at USW Treforest! 🌟

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Yesterday afternoon, Ffion, Amy and Gethin took part in a photo shoot at USW Treforest as proud TRAC members. 💙 Their photos will help promote Learning Disability Nursing on social media and the university website. 🎉 We can’t wait to see the finished photos! 📷✨ A big thank you to Stacey for inviting us.

💙 Learning Disability Nurses are so important. They help people with learning disabilities get the right care, feel listened to, stay healthy, and be treated with dignity and respect. They make a real difference every day. 🌈🤝 Well done, Ffion, Amy and Gethin! We are very proud of you all! 👏💙

🎶 Reconnect Through Music 🎤🎉

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A huge thank you to all our wonderful members who joined us for yesterday’s Reconnect Through Music session! 💙 It was another fantastic morning filled with great company, plenty of laughter, and, of course, an incredible variety of music from across the decades and many different genres. 🎵✨

Some of the fantastic performances we enjoyed included:

🎤 Anthony – “Agadoo”
🎤 Amy – “Call Me When You’re Sober” by Evanescence
🎤 Andre & Ffion – “You’re the One That I Want” from Grease
🎤 Tilly – “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5
🎤 Sean – “Bat Out of Hell” by Meat Loaf
🎤 Wayne – “Money, Money, Money” by ABBA

There were so many brilliant performances that we simply don’t have space to mention them all, but every single one helped make the session special. 🌟 A special thank you goes to everyone who helped make the session run so smoothly:

💙 Cheryl and Ffion for welcoming everyone and keeping the register.
🌭 Christy for preparing the delicious hot dogs.
🎙️ Amy for introducing our performers on the microphone.
🙌 And everyone else who helped before, during, and after the session.
These sessions simply wouldn’t happen without your kindness, hard work, and continued support. Thank you all! ❤️️

Feedback we received:
😊 Andrew: “I enjoyed making new friends.”
🤝 Connor: “I like that the sessions are so inclusive.”
💙 Hywel: “I enjoyed talking with friends.”
⭐ Anthony: “The session was amazing.”
🌭 Christopher Davies: “My favourite part of the session was the hot dogs!”

Thank you once again to everyone who came along and helped create such a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere. We can’t wait to see you all again for another Reconnect Through Music session in two weeks’ time 🙌 ❤️

🧘💚 Our Final Stretch, Connect and Belong Session 💚🧘

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This week we had our last session with the lovely Lisa. 💐 Our Stretch, Connect and Belong journey has been full of:💚 Friendships😂 Laughter🌟 Learning new things🤸 Stretching🎲 Playing games📚 Stories🧘 Mindfulness😌 Relaxation🤝 Togetherness

Tuesday was a warm day, so we started with some gentle stretches. 🌞 🎲 Everyone took turns rolling the yoga dice and choosing a pose for the whole group to try 👏 Everyone did an amazing job!

💛 Ellie loved stretching and giggled all the way through the session.
Gethin showed how flexible he is and impressed us with his stretches.😍
🙌 Christopher and Anthony enjoyed trying some new moves 🧘‍♂️
🪑 Ffion joined in from a chair, showing that yoga can be made accessible if you have a bad back or cannot get down onto the floor.⭐
Kirsty was amazing as always. Nothing holds this young lady back and she is always happy to give everything a go.💪🧘‍♀️
👑 Our Princess Paula was busy doing what she loves best – enjoying a biscuit, a cuppa ☕🍪 and some colouring. It was a little too warm for her to join in, but she chose Alice in Wonderland for our relaxation story… and of course it included cake! 🎂🐇📚💖

💐 A huge thank you to Lisa for her kindness, patience and encouragement throughout the programme. You have helped us grow in confidence, make new friends and enjoy every session💚 We really hope we can continue Stretch, Connect and Belong in the future because our members absolutely love it. It has made such a positive difference, and we’d love to keep making more happy memories together. We’ll miss you, Lisa! ❤️

🌟 Travel Confidence is Underway! 🚶🚦

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This week we were joined by Mared and Kurtis from Innovate Trust for our first Travel Confidence session. We learned: 🚶 How to stay safe when walking near roads 🚦 How to use traffic lights safely ✋ When it is safe to cross the road 🎧 Why we should avoid wearing headphones 📱 Why it’s important to put our phones away and stay alert 🕵️ We also had a fun interactive quiz where we had to spot 11 road safety hazards. 👏 Well done to everyone – the group spotted all 11 hazards! 🎉 We had a fantastic morning and can’t wait for our next session in 2 weeks’ time! 😊

☀️🌺 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! 💙😊