Relationship Course

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Ffion was back delivering her relationship courses at Oxford house yesterday, and it was great to see everyone again after our Easter break. We spoke about the word ‘no’, and the different ways you can say no to someone. We also spoke about personal space. The next session will be on Monday 14th April from 10am-11am, when we will be talking about sex education, safe sex, and pornography. If anyone would like to join the session, or if you would like more information, please contact Ffion on 07488 350518.

Gardening

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Head Gardener Morgan Jones:

The first thing me, Gethin, Chris, Anthony, and Christy did at our TARAGGAN allotments this week was to get cracking with filling all the plastic trays with soil. As Head Gardener it was my job to keep checking that everyone was doing their bit. Thank you to Kyle for another educational session; we can’t wait to see everything grow in the following months.

Crafts

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Yesterday our members made Easter-themed masks in preparation for the Parent Network Community Forum’s Planet event. Thank you to Cheryl for facilitating today’s group and to Amy and Tina for assisting.

We don’t have a craft session next Tuesday afternoon, but we’ll be going for a lovely Spring walk instead! Our members will be meeting at 12.30 outside Bargoed YMCA if you would like to join us!

GAVO One Beat Event

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The GAVO Caerphilly One Beat Event is an opportunity for organisations to come together, and publicise the work they do, while offering support and advice for anyone who is interested. The Spring 2024 edition was held in Blackwood Rugby Club, and Caerphilly People First were there along with other organisations including Caerphilly Parent Network, Petra Publishing, Llais, Disability Can Do, Platfform, Citizen’s Advice, Person to Person, and many others.

There were also live demonstrations for people to enjoy on the day, including first-aid, tae kwon do, yoga, and Welsh folk music. In addition, there were activities for people to get involved in, including an Easter egg hunt and various craft activities. It was great to see so many people there we already know, and also to meet new people and learn about the great work being done by so many organisations.

Tuesday Group Activities

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Head Gardener Morgan Jones:

At TARAGGAN Educational Gardens & Nursery yesterday, me, Rees Powell and the twins Christopher & Anthony Davies planted sunflower seeds. We filled the pots with soil, added the seeds, and covered the seeds with more soil.

When we got back to the office, it was craft time. Cheryl Smith had brought in materials, so everyone could decorate/design their own Easter bunny. We also made chocolate rice crispy cakes.

Reconnect through Cookery

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On Friday our esteemed members became master chefs, whipping up a scrumptious spaghetti Bolognese. We chopped celery and mixed it all into a yummy mince and ragù sauce. Linguine, garlic bread, and Parmesan were added to make it a feast fit for royalty.

A big shoutout to our amazing volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, cooking and serving a whopping 45 delicious lunches. Your hard work and dedication made this event a huge success.

And guess what? The Easter bunny hopped by early with a special delivery of chocolate eggs! We’ll be taking a short break next Friday, so we decided to indulge in this sweet treat a bit sooner.

Thanks to The Parent Network Community Forum for lending us the bunny costume, and thanks to all our special supporters who donated money for Easter eggs.

Mark your calendars for April 5th because we’ve got a sizzling fajita fiesta coming your way. Our very own Rees Powell handpicked this tantalizing meal.

Autism Reality Experience

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Christy and Stuart recently took part in the Autism Reality Experience, a hands-on training experience that allows people to walk in the shoes of autistic people and understand the challenges that they face. The aim is to encourage greater empathy and understanding for what it might be like for autistic people.

During the experience, we were asked to put on glasses with blurry lenses, gloves, and headphones. Loud noises were played in the headphones, and bright lights were flashed in our eyes. While this was happening we were given instructions on tasks we needed to complete. We were given 60 seconds to count money, separate green tiddlywinks from the other colours, and find the 5 of Spades playing card. We failed at all of these tasks, which showed us how difficult simple tasks can be for autistic people.

The experience was designed by autistic people who agreed that it was as close as physically possible to what they themselves experience, and it was definitely an eye-opening experience for us, which definitely gave us a greater understanding of the experiences of autistic people.