Yesterday morning, Ffion delivered an online Easy Read presentation to Geraint Ashton and his colleagues from Caerphilly Council. 💻👏 We started with a fun icebreaker question: 🎵 “What are you looking forward to?” Many people said music concerts! 🎤🎶
Ffion talked about: 📖 What Easy Read is 💡 Why Easy Read is important 📄 Which documents should be in Easy Read ✏️ How to create Easy Read information. Everyone took part in an activity where they changed a complicated sentence full of jargon into an Easy Read sentence. 👍
Ffion did an amazing job speaking, explaining, and answering questions. We are very proud of her! 💙⭐ Easy Read helps make information accessible for everyone and supports people to understand important information. 👏 Well done, Ffion! 👏
We had an amazing and uplifting day today at our fortnightly Reconnect Through Music session, followed by an energetic and fun one-hour African Drumming Workshop! 🌟 The singing session got off to a fantastic start with Tilly performing Beat It by Michael Jackson 🎤🕺 which was followed by a series of wonderful performances from our talented members:
🎵 Amy – Rehab by Amy Winehouse 🎵 Dennis – Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars 🎵 Sean – Don’t Bring Me Down by ELO 🎵 Chris – Hound Dog by Elvis Presley 🎵 Anthony – Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations
As always, the performances were met with plenty of encouragement, singing along, and smiles from everyone in attendance. 😊👏 During a brief break for lunch, members enjoyed delicious pizza 🍕. A huge thank you goes to Christy and the gang stationed in the kitchen for keeping everyone well fed and ready for the afternoon’s activities! 🙌❤️
Following lunch, 15 members took part in an exciting African Drumming Session led by Liz Mullins 🥁🌍. The group learned a couple of different rhythms, including one set to the memorable phrase:
☕ “I don’t like tea, I like coffee!” ☕
The workshop was full of energy, laughter, and teamwork, and everyone sounded absolutely amazing drumming together in the big hall. 🎶🥁✨ The sense of togetherness and enjoyment throughout the session was truly special.
❤️ Olivia said the drumming session was “amazing.” ❤️ Matilda said the drumming was “an experience for her that she may never have the opportunity to do again,” adding that it would be hard to improve such a great session. ❤️ Anthony said he “loves this session, with all his friends around him.”
A huge thank you to Liz Mullins, all our fantastic volunteers, and every member who joined us for another magical, music-filled Wednesday. 🎵🥁🌟
There will be no music session in two weeks, as Caerphilly People First will be attending the All Wales People First Adfest conference in Cardiff, so our next session will be on Wednesday 8th July. We look forward to seeing everyone then!
What a wonderful day we had at our Reconnect Through Cookery session on Friday! 😊💛 Our amazing members got stuck in by peeling the potatoes 🥔, chopping the carrots 🥕 and broccoli 🥦, helping to prepare a delicious sausage dinner 🍽️. We served it with creamy mash, peas and plenty of tasty gravy 😋.
The dinner was absolutely delicious, and it was lovely to sit together, enjoy good food, have lots of chats and take part in a fun quiz 🧠🎉. There were plenty of smiles, laughter and great teamwork throughout the session 😊👏.
A huge THANK YOU ❤️ to all of our wonderful volunteers who give their time, support and kindness each week. These sessions simply wouldn’t be the same without you. Your dedication helps create friendships, build confidence and make our members feel valued and connected 🤗🌈.
Yesterday we visited the University of South Wales for another brilliant session with the TRAC team.
🎭 Hannah took on the role of Geraldine, who is non-verbal, has a learning disability and Williams syndrome. 🧡 Christy played the role of Geraldine’s support staff. 💥 Nat played a patient who had a fit and knocked herself out, bruising and cutting her head.
The students were amazing! 👏 They asked thoughtful questions about the best ways to communicate with someone who is non-verbal and explored what medical checks and support Geraldine would need for her constipation. They also worked brilliantly as a team supporting Nat’s scenario. The feedback was fantastic — it’s wonderful that TRAC students get the chance to teach, share real-life experiences, and help future nurses learn in such a meaningful way. 🌟 Well done everyone! 🌟
We had such a lovely morning together! 🥰 Everyone enjoyed a warm breakfast 🥐☕ and then got stuck into some gorgeous Christmas crafts 🎄🎅🎁 There was plenty of chatting, laughing, and learning something new 💬✨ The crafts looked amazing and the room was full of festive cheer! Groups like this make such a difference ❤️ They help people:
⭐ Feel less isolated ⭐ Build friendships ⭐ Learn new skills ⭐ Boost confidence ⭐ Have fun together
Thank you to everyone who joined us — you made the morning special 🤗 Can’t wait for the next one! 🎨💖
✨ This morning we were joined by Clair, Leah and John from the Primary Care Learning Disability Health Team for the official launch of the Annual Health Check video we’ve been working on together! 🎥💙
We talked about what an Annual Health Check is — a free check-up offered every year to people with a learning disability to help them stay healthy, spot any concerns early, and make sure they get the right support from their GP 👍🩺
The new video will now be used to train doctors, helping them understand how to make health checks easier, clearer and more accessible for everyone 👏
A huge thank you to the team for the delicious pastries and juice 🥐🧃 Everyone who took part received a voucher and certificate for the fantastic job they did featuring in the promotional video 🎉🎖️ We’re proud of everyone involved and we’re already looking forward to working together again in the future 🤝✨
Friday’s session was all about midwifery 👩⚕️💛 Ffion played the role of someone who was 9 weeks pregnant and did a fantastic job in her role. Christy played her mam, and the student nurses interacted brilliantly — speaking directly to Ffion, explaining everything clearly, and taking their time.
We also had a Learning Disability Nurse on hand 👩⚕️💙 who clarified things with Ffion and offered easy-read information, making sure she understood everything in a way that suited her needs. LD nurses are so important, especially when someone with a learning disability is pregnant. All fields of nursing should practice the same approach — clear communication, patience, and respect. It makes a huge difference. ❤️
Meanwhile, Gethin and Nat had just come home from the hospital with their new baby 👶🍼 And yes… believe it or not… they didn’t bicker for a change! 🤣 They were absolutely hilarious and kept everyone laughing.
A huge well done to everyone — our TRAC members and the students. ⭐ We’re already looking forward to the next session and working with you all again soon! 🙌💛
On Friday our members cooked up a delicious cottage pie 😋🥔 and prepared fresh leeks, broccoli, and cauliflower 🥦🥬🌿. Everyone worked together brilliantly and the kitchen smelled amazing!
A HUGE thank you to all our lovely volunteers for helping in the kitchen ❤️, and to our fantastic support staff for running the quiz and bingo 🎉🧩. And a special shout-out to Peter for setting everything up — we appreciate you! 🙌 It was definitely a session to remember 💛
See you all tomorrow for Reconnect Through Music 🎶 and Friday for our Silent Disco Christmas Party 🎧🎄
Today’s Reconnect Through Music session was full of energy, joy, and festive spirit! With 22 fantastic performances, members showcased a brilliant range of songs — from heartfelt ballads to upbeat Christmas classics. The hall looked magical thanks to the Christmas decorations 🎄✨, creating the perfect atmosphere for a fun and welcoming afternoon.
A few highlights from today’s performers:
Matilda sang “Wild Heart” by The Vamps 💙 Mandy gave a powerful performance of “The Power of Love” by Jennifer Rush 🌟 Theresa performed “If I Never See You Again” by Wet Wet Wet 🎶 Anthony sang “Hungry Eyes” by Eric Carmen 👀💗 Ffion performed “Nice To Meet You” by Myles Smith 🎵
Christmas Songs 🎅🎄
Susan sang “Mistletoe and Wine” Ellysia performed “All I Want for Christmas Is You” 🎁💖 Sean shared a lovely version of “Away in a Manger” Adrian treated us to “Blue Christmas” 💙🎄
All performers brought enthusiasm, confidence, and festive spirit to the stage. Well done, everyone! 👏✨ In addition everyone enjoyed a delicious buffet of hot dogs prepared by Christy, Cheryl, Zoe, and Helen 🌭😋. A big thank you to the team for their hard work!
We received some wonderful feedback from participants:
Sean said he enjoyed singing, chatting, meeting people, and the food! 🎤🗣️🤝🍽️ Ellie and Becky loved dancing 💃🎶 Anthony shared that he loves everyone who attends! ❤️🥰
Today’s Reconnect Through Music session was joyful, festive, and full of talent; the event was a huge success. Thank you to all performers, volunteers, and supporters who make these sessions so special. It’s clear that these sessions help people feel connected, confident, and part of a supportive community.
🌟 A massive thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who covered Friday’s Reconnect Through Cookery session! 🌟 The food looked absolutely amazing 😋
Our members prepared peppers, onions, and mushrooms to add to a tasty Mayflower chicken curry 🍛 served with fluffy rice 🍚. We also enjoyed a fun game of bingo 🎉 and a quiz ❓—the room was full of happiness, laughter, and very full tummies! 😄💛
Also, during the session Paula received her certificate and delicious dairy- and gluten-free cake from the learning disability liaison nurses as a thank you for taking part in the annual health check video.
These sessions make such a huge difference to our members, especially on dark winter days ❄️✨. They bring warmth, connection, and a reason to smile. Thank you everyone for making today so special! 💛 We’ll see you all on Wednesday for music 🎶💃🕺
