No Cash, No Rights Protest

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Yesterday we joined together outside the senedd alongside Torfaen People First ,Cwm Taff people first, All Wales People First, and other People First groups and Mencap for a peaceful protest about something that really matters ❤️

No cash = no rights.

For many adults with learning disabilities, cash isn’t just money — it’s independence, choice, and control. Not everyone has a bank card. Not everyone can use a cash machine. Some people in supported living are given a cash allowance to manage their daily lives. Taking cash away takes away freedom. We need a society where people can choose cash and card — not one or the other. Because real inclusion means making sure everyone can take part.

We made our voices heard loud and proud 🎶
We sang a brilliant song written by Cwm Taff members and chanted: “Keep cash, keep choice, listen to every voice!”

This is so important. A cashless society risks leaving people behind — and that’s not okay. Everyone deserves to feel confident, included, and in control of their own money. After the protest, we had a lovely walk around the bay and enjoyed some ice cream 🍦 …but unfortunately, they didn’t take cash — which just shows exactly why this campaign matters. Thank you Cwm Taff People First for inviting us to join you at this important protest 🪧🗣💸

Let’s keep raising awareness.
Let’s keep pushing for change.
Let’s keep cash, keep choice, and listen to every voice 💬✨

Reconnect Through Cookery 🍝

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What a fantastic session we had on Friday! Our members cooked up a delicious lasagne made with 5% lean minced beef, served with fresh salad and sides. 🥗 Our wonderful members worked hard preparing the salad, chopping lettuce, tomatoes, onions, spring onions, cucumber and peppers. We also enjoyed peas and garlic bread with our meal. Everything tasted amazing! 😋

A big thank you to Natalie for being our brilliant quiz master 🧠 and Sian for calling the bingo numbers 🎱 – lots of laughs and fun as always! Huge thanks to all our volunteers for their hard work in the kitchen 👏Thank you to Anthony for sweeping the hall 🧹 and Peter the caretaker for setting up the tables for us.

The atmosphere was lovely, the food was delicious, and most importantly our members absolutely love this group and the positive impact it has on them. Sessions like this bring people together, build friendships, and help everyone learn new skills while having fun. ❤️
We’ll see you all Wednesday for our Reconnect Through Music session 🎶

Two Great Days at National Council

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Amy and Christy from Caerphilly People First attended the **All Wales People First National Council meeting on 10th and 11th March at Galeri Caernarfon.🚆 We travelled by train from Cardiff with other staff and members from All Wales People First, and the journey was smooth.

🗓️ Day 1

We started by going through the minutes from the last meeting.
We checked the actions that had been completed and asked questions if anything was unclear.
👨‍💼 Joe Powell, Chief Executive of All Wales People First, gave us an update about the important work they are doing across Wales.
🗣️ Speaking up for Caerphilly
Amy spoke on behalf of our members.
She shared concerns about:
💻 GP appointments moving online
📱 The new e-consultation system for booking appointments.
Amy explained that some people with learning disabilities may find online systems difficult to use.
👏 We are very proud of Amy for speaking up and sharing our members’ views.
💬 National Council Review
All the representatives had a chance to talk about:
✅ What is working well
⚠️ What could be improved
There were really good discussions and lots of positive ideas shared.

🗓️ Day 2

We were joined on Zoom by the Senedd Engagement Team who gave a presentation about voting.
🗳️ Voting is important because:

  • Your voice matters
  • You can help choose who makes decisions
  • It helps create change in your community
    📅 Remember: Elections are in May.
    🏡 Homes Not Hospitals
    Joe also shared an update about the Homes Not Hospitals campaign.
    This campaign is about making sure people with learning disabilities can live in their homes and communities with the right support, instead of staying in hospital for long periods.
    Everyone agreed this is really important work.
    📱 Sharing Social Media Ideas
    We also had some group discussions and shared ideas for good social media posts.

It was great to see everyone:
😊 Taking part
💡 Sharing ideas
🗣️ Talking about their lived experiences
🚶‍♀️ A Lovely Walk Around Caernarfon

We also enjoyed a lovely morning walk around Caernarfon. It is a beautiful place with lots of history. We saw the famous Caernarfon Castle, a huge medieval castle built over 700 years ago by King Edward I. The castle is a very important part of Welsh history and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 🏰 It was great to see such an amazing place while we were there.

It was also really nice to Catch up with other People First members, and spend time with the All Wales People First team. Thank you to everyone for a friendly, positive and productive National Council meeting!

Democracy & Voting Workshop

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A big THANK YOU to Gerraint and Simon from Learning Disability Wales for delivering a fantastic workshop yesterday! 🙌 With the Senedd elections coming up on May 7th 2026, it was the perfect time to learn all about democracy and voting. We had great fun using the pop-up voting station 🗳

👉 Different ways to vote:
In person at a polling station 🏫
By post 📮
By proxy (someone you trust votes for you) 👥

👉 How to register to vote:
You can register online 🌐
You need your details (like National Insurance number)
Make sure you register before the deadline ⏰

👉 How to find your constituency in Caerphilly borough:
Visit the UK Government website 🔍
Enter your postcode 📍
It tells you where you vote and who represents you

We also got creative making our democracy paper chain ⛓️💡We shared ideas about what we want to see changed and improved in our communities! Why voting is important:

It gives you a voice 🗣️
It helps shape your future 🌍
Everyone’s vote matters ❤️

Our members really enjoyed this fun and informative session 😄 We learned so much and had a great time together! 👏 Thanks again to Gerraint and Simon for making it so engaging!

Reconnect Through Music – What a Day!

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We had an absolutely brilliant session yesterday, with an incredible 27 songs performed! 🎤💫 The energy was amazing from start to finish

It was so lovely to see Matilda again, who wowed us with songs from The Little Mermaid 🧜‍♀️ and K-Pop Demon Hunters 🎶🔥. Sean brought the vibes with Tears for Fears 🎹, while Susan had everyone singing along to Living Next Door to Alice 🚪🎵.

We loved the duet from Ffion & Amy singing Olly Murs 💕🎤, and Chris gave us a fantastic It’s Not Unusual 🕺. Anthony performed Hopelessly Devoted to You ❤️, and Christine got the whole room moving with Shut Up and Dance 💃🕺 (and yes… many people DID dance!).

A huge thank you to everyone who shared their amazing talents 🌟👏 — you made the session so special. The hall was packed (big thanks to Pete for setting everything up 🙌), and the delicious pizza 🍕 prepared by Christy & Zoe was a big hit!

💬 Feedback from the group:
Cheryl enjoyed meeting friends 🤝😊
Paula loved singing and chatting 🎶💬
Anthony said he loves everyone and that he’s a karaoke legend! 🎤👑

Thank you all for making it such a joyful and memorable day! 🎉🎶💖

Garden Day at TARAGGAN Educational Gardens ☀️🌿

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Today we visited TARAGGAN Educational Gardens and what a beautiful day it was! The sunshine really lifted everyone’s spirits 🌞😊 Our members worked incredibly hard, getting stuck into weeding one of the garden plots 🌱💪 It’s amazing to see the teamwork and dedication – everyone played their part and made a real difference 👏

Gardening has so many benefits 🌼💚

🌿 Helps reduce stress and anxiety
🌿 Boosts mood and wellbeing
🌿 Encourages physical activity
🌿 Brings people together and builds friendships

It was also lovely to see John, who once ran the community garden – a really special moment for everyone 🌻👋 Days like this show just how powerful being outdoors and connecting with nature can be 🌳✨ Already looking forward to the next visit!

Another fantastic Reconnect Through Cookery session! 🍳🌮

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The atmosphere was lovely at Friday’s Reconnect Through Cookery session, and it was great to see everyone smiling, chatting, and enjoying themselves 💛 We made delicious chicken fajitas, served with a crispy, fresh salad. Our amazing members got hands-on preparing lettuce, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, peppers, and mushrooms 🥗👏 We topped it all off with salsa and sour cream—and some even braved a jalapeño! 🌶️😄

A big thank you to:

✨ Amy for a brilliant quiz – everyone loved it!
✨ Sam and Rees for helping with the dishes 🧼
✨ Helen and Zoe for volunteering their time and dishing up delicious wraps 🌯💛
✨ Ffion for keeping everything organised with the register

These sessions mean so much to our members—bringing people together, building skills, and having lots of fun along the way 😊 Already looking forward to the next one! 🙌

Reconnect Through Music

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What a brilliant session today! 🌟 With over 20 magical performances, the room was full of smiles, laughter, and people enjoying each other’s company 🤗💬. It was fantastic to see everyone socialising and connecting through music 🎤❤️.

We were treated to many wonderful performances throughout the day. Sean gave us the full 8-minute version of American Pie 🎸, while Ellysia and Chris delighted everyone with two beautiful duet performances 🎶👫. Matilda brought great energy with “Summer Nights” from Grease 🌞🎭, Claire delivered a powerful rendition of “Purple Rain” 💜☔, and Anthony performed “Wonderful Tonight” 🎼✨.

A huge thank you goes to Christy, Cheryl, Helen, and Zoe for preparing our delicious hot dog lunch 🌭 and doing all the paperwork – your hard work helped the day run so smoothly, and is much appreciated 🙌💛.

Days like today show the power of music in bringing people together, and the feedback we received really captured the spirit of the session. Mark shared that he enjoys making new friends 😊, Anthony described it as an amazing day 🌟, and Matilda said it’s a happy atmosphere where everyone is made to feel welcome 💖.

Reconnect through Cookery 🍝❤️

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What a lovely session we had on Friday!! We made a delicious spaghetti Bolognese served with warm garlic bread, topped off with a sprinkle of cheddar 🧀✨ Our members got hands-on preparing fresh ingredients like celery, carrots, mushrooms, and onions 🥕🍄🧅—and it tasted amazing! We also sang Happy Birthday to our wonderful volunteer Anthony 🎂🥳 who recently celebrated his birthday—enjoy your cake, lovely man! 💛

A huge thank you to all our wonderful volunteers for your support today 💛 Special thanks to Sian for helping out and bringing the fun with bingo 🎉 and to Sarah for being our brilliant quiz master 🧠👏 It was so lovely seeing everyone enjoying themselves, sharing laughs, and sitting down together for lunch 😊🍽️ We’ll see you Wednesday for music! 🎶💃🕺