We were recently invited by the Parent Network to attend their famous Trunk or Treat event 🚗🍬 — and what an amazing day it was! The displays were brilliant 🌟 with so much effort put into designing and crafting creative sets. The children absolutely loved it — almost as much as we did! 😄 Everyone looked fantastic in their costumes 🧙♀️🦸♂️🧛♀️ and had loads of fun while also learning about the support networks available in the community 💬🤝
Events like this mean so much to families with children ❤️. They give everyone a chance to come together, make memories, feel part of the community, and learn about help that’s out there for them. It’s all about connection, inclusion, and fun! 🎈 A big well done to Amanda and her team 👏 for another huge success — we loved being part of it! 🥰
On Thursday Ffion and Amy went to the University of South Wales 🎓 to talk to student nurses 👩⚕️👨⚕️. They shared their own stories about using health services 🏥 and what is important to them when seeing doctors or nurses. They said it helps when:
🗣️ People use easy words ⏰ We get longer appointments if we need them 👀 Staff talk to me, not just my carer or support worker 💡 We are told what will happen before our appointment
They also talked about:
✅ Reasonable adjustments – small changes that make things easier ❤️ Person-centred care – treating everyone as an individual and listening to what matters to them
The students asked great questions 🙋♀️🙋♂️ and learned how to make health care fair and friendly for everyone 🌈 👏 A big thank you to Amy and Ffion for doing a brilliant job and representing Caerphilly People First! 🌟💙
Today’s Reconnect Through Music session was a spooktacular success! 👏🕸️ The hall looked incredible — decked out with Halloween decorations that transformed the space into a fun setting. From cobwebs to skeletons, every detail added to the atmosphere. 🎃✨
Our members truly embraced the Halloween spirit — everyone looked amazing in their costumes! From witches to devils, and everything in between, the creativity on display was fantastic. 🧛🧙♀️🧟♂️
We enjoyed an incredible 29 songs today and each performance was filled with energy and enthusiasm. 🎵💫🎶 Here are just a few of the highlights:
🕺 Joshua thrilled us with “Thriller” by Michael Jackson 🌞 Hywel took us on a “Summer Holiday” with Cliff Richard 💃 Anthony impressed with “Help Yourself” by Tom Jones 🔥 Ffion and Amy rocked “Highway to Hell” 🦁 Chris delivered a powerful “Circle of Life” by Elton John 👻 Elizabeth got everyone singing along to the Ghostbusters Theme 🎸 Sean shook the room with “Jailhouse Rock” by Elvis Presley 🧙♀️ Nat wowed with “Babooshka” by Kate Bush
In the middle of the session, we got everyone up to dance — and what a sight it was! The floor was full of movement, laughter, and fun. 🕺💃 🎂 We also celebrated Andrew’s 30th birthday 🎉 with a delicious cake and a singalong of “Happy Birthday” 🥳 and everyone joined in to make his day extra special. To top it all off, we enjoyed a lunch of hot dogs, prepared by Christy and Cheryl — thank you both! 🌭💖 A huge thank you to everyone who helped make today’s Halloween-themed session such a memorable, musical, and magical day. 🎶🧡👻
On Friday we enjoyed a yummy homemade lasagna with lots of fresh vegetables prepared by our wonderful members! 🥕🥦🍅 A big thank you to Nat for doing the quiz 🧠🎤 and Sarah for running bingo! 🎉👏 And of course, a huge thank you to all our amazing volunteers who worked so hard today — you’re the best! 💪💚
It was lovely to see some new faces joining us — we welcomed three new members who really enjoyed today’s session! 🥰🙌 We can’t wait to see everyone again on Wednesday for our Halloween-themed Reconnect through Music session! 👻🎶 Don’t forget to dress up and choose a spooktacular song to sing! 🎤🧛♀️🕸️ We’ll be serving hotdogs and cakes too! 🌭🧁
What a fantastic day we had at today’s Reconnect Through Music session! Over 40 people joined us to enjoy great singing, friendship, and a delicious pizza lunch. 💃🕺🍕 The room was filled with music and smiles from start to finish.
✨ Ellysia set the festive mood by singing the first Christmas songs of the year – it might be early, but we all loved it! 🎄 💋 Natalie rocked the room with her version of Leader of the Pack by The Shangri-Las. 👑 Elizabeth got everyone singing along and swaying to Dancing Queen by ABBA. 🎭 Matilda brought Broadway energy with a song from Hairspray the Musical. 💞 Anthony melted hearts with a beautiful rendition of Perfect by Ed Sheeran. 🚗 Sean made us all smile with Driving in My Car by Madness. 🎤 Finally, Ffion and Amy closed the performances perfectly with Stuck on You by Lionel Richie – a lovely duet to end on!
While we enjoyed the performances, we tucked into a tasty pizza lunch, prepared by Christy and Helen – thank you both for the delicious food! 👩🍳👏 A huge shoutout also goes to Pete the caretaker for setting everything up so smoothly 🛠️, and to Sharon for keeping track of the paperwork 📋.
The feedback from today’s session was full of warmth and positivity:
💖 “It was fun!” 😊 “I love seeing my friends.” 🤝 “I like meeting new people.” 🌈 “Everyone is friendly.” ⭐ “All staff are amazing.” “I liked dancing in my chair.” 💪 “It builds my confidence.” 🏠 “I always love it here.”
Today’s session was filled with laughter, great music, and friendship. 🎶 Thank you to everyone who joined in and helped make it such a happy, confidence-building day. We can’t wait to see you all again next time! 💕🎤🍕
Today we were joined by Emma and her team from the Mental Health and Learning Disabilities team to learn all about the Community Advocacy Service. 💬 We had an informative presentation about advocacy — what it is, how it helps, and what it means to us. 🧠💚 We also learned about the amazing support that Dewis Advocacy provides, including:
✅ Helping people have their voice heard ✅ Supporting individuals to make their own choices ✅ Standing up for people’s rights ✅ Providing independent advocacy for adults with learning disabilities and those experiencing mental health challenges
A huge thank you to Emma and her team for such a great, engaging session! 🙌💙 Everyone really enjoyed learning more about advocacy and the important work Dewis CIL do in our communities. 💪🌈
On Friday our members made a classic sausage & mash with fresh vegetables and onion gravy. Everyone worked together to prepare cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots — it smelled amazing!
A big thank you to Theresa and Judith for running the quiz and to Sian for hosting bingo – you all made the session full of fun, laughter, and teamwork. The dinner was delicious, and all the feedback from our members was positive — everyone LOVES our Friday Cookery sessions!
Last week Christy and Ffion joined Jackie Hughes from Person to Person Advocacy and Citizen Advocates from across the Caerphilly Borough to take part in Safeguarding Level 3 training with our trainer Gareth. Gareth was very kind and detailed, listened to everyone’s stories and experiences, and made sure we all understood. There were lots of good conversations, lots learned, and new friendships made.
What is Safeguarding Level 3? Safeguarding means keeping people safe from harm, abuse, or neglect. Level 3 training helps you:
Spot signs of abuse or neglect Know what to do and who to tell Work with others to keep people safe Understand your role and responsibilities
This training is for people who may need to report concerns or support others when something doesn’t feel right.
Last week, we were honoured to attend the GAVO Caerphilly Volunteering Awards 2025, held at Blackwood Rugby Club. We’re thrilled to share that Caerphilly People First was nominated in the Community Advocate category — and we were absolutely delighted to be awarded the Runners-Up Prize! This recognition celebrates our contribution to volunteering and the positive difference our members continue to make across the community. The award was presented to us by Jane Mudd, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent — thank you, Jane!
The evening celebrated so many inspiring individuals and groups across Caerphilly, with categories including:
Sport and Leisure Health and Wellbeing Environmental Food Sustainability
It was amazing and uplifting to hear about the many great projects happening throughout our county — run by people of all ages and backgrounds, all making a real difference. A huge well done to everyone who was nominated — your hard work and passion shine bright! And a big thank you to GAVO for hosting such a wonderful and inspiring evening. We’re so proud to be part of this amazing community.
Last week marked the second get-together of our Breakfast and Belonging group, and what a lovely morning it was! We were delighted to see so many regular faces, along with friends we haven’t seen for a long time. A wonderful group of twelve members came together to share good food, laughter, and conversation. The room was filled with smiles, stories, and the warm feeling of reconnecting with one another.
We tucked into a delicious spread of breakfast treats — including bagels, croissants, waffles, pancakes, crepes, and fresh strawberries, helping everyone start the day off in the best possible way! The morning was all about belonging, catching up, and sharing our lives. Members chatted about what they’ve been up to, made new connections, and rekindled old ones. It was a perfect reminder of why this group exists — to bring people together and start the day with positivity and friendship.
A big thank you to Cheryl for leading today’s session, and to Amy for being such a brilliant help throughout the morning. We’re already looking forward to our next Breakfast and Belonging meet-up on Tuesday, 4th November. We can’t wait to see you all again for another morning of food, friendship, and fun!
