Annual Health Check Video Launch

✨ 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! πŸŽ₯πŸ’™

We talked about what an Annual Health Check is β€” 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 πŸ‘πŸ©Ί

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 πŸ‘

A huge thank you to the team for the delicious pastries and juice πŸ₯πŸ§ƒ Everyone who took part received a voucher and certificate for the fantastic job they did featuring in the promotional video πŸŽ‰πŸŽ–οΈ We’re proud of everyone involved and we’re already looking forward to working together again in the future 🀝✨

✨ Breakfast & Craft Yesterday ✨

We had such a lovely morning together! πŸ₯° Everyone enjoyed a warm breakfast πŸ₯β˜• and then got stuck into some gorgeous Christmas crafts πŸŽ„πŸŽ…πŸŽ There was plenty of chatting, laughing, and learning something new πŸ’¬βœ¨ 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 β€” you made the morning special πŸ€— Can’t wait for the next one! πŸŽ¨πŸ’–

✨ Another Fantastic Day at USW in the Simulation Suite! ✨

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.
πŸ’₯ Nat played a patient who had a fit and knocked herself out, bruising and cutting her head.

The students were amazing! πŸ‘ 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 β€” 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! 🌟

Reconnect Through Music

Today’s Reconnect Through Music session was another brilliant get-together! 🌟 The room was filled with singing and friendship as our talented members performed an amazing 25 songs. Everyone showed confidence, enthusiasm, and joy β€” it was a day to remember. πŸŽΆπŸ’« Every performer gave it their all, and the support from the audience made it even more special. πŸ‘πŸŽ€βœ¨

Our members gave some incredible performances that had everyone smiling and clapping along:

πŸŽ™οΈ Natalie sang Why by Annie Lennox β€” such emotion and power!
🌈 Matilda brought energy and confidence with Naughty from Matilda the Musical.
❀️ Mandy gave a beautiful version of If You Don’t Know Me by Now by Simply Red.
πŸ’° Adrian had us all moving with Money, Money, Money by ABBA.
πŸ”₯ Theresa performed Eternal Flame by The Bangles.
πŸ’ž Anthony sang What About Us by Champaign and wowed everyone.
β˜€οΈ Ellysia lifted the room with Mr. Blue Sky by ELO.

A big thank you to Christy, Cheryl, and Helen for preparing the delicious sandwiches and sausage rolls. πŸ₯ͺ🌭 We received some lovely feedback from those who attended:

🎧 Jason said he loved the music and singing.
πŸ’¬ Vicky shared that she enjoyed mixing with people.
🀝 Rebecca said she loved meeting up with everyone again.
πŸ—£οΈ Rachel enjoyed talking with new friends.
🌟 Anthony said it was an excellent day.
πŸ’ͺ Judith said the session helped build her confidence.

It was wonderful to see how much these sessions mean to everyone β€” not just for the music, but for the chance to connect, make friends, and feel part of something special. πŸ’žπŸŽΆToday reminded us why these sessions matter so much β€” music brings people together, builds confidence, and fills the room with joy. πŸ’– A huge well done to everyone who took part, helped out, and made the day unforgettable. πŸ₯°

✨ Craft with Deb & Louise from Multiply ✨

What a brilliant day at our Meet and Make sessions yesterday! Our members made gorgeous snow globes ❄️⛄ β€” and they looked absolutely amazing! Our members did a great job learning something new and getting creative. πŸ’™βœ¨

πŸ•™ Session Times:

  • Morning: 10am – 12pm
  • Afternoon: 1pm – 3pm
  • Location: Bargoed YMCA

⭐ How we made our snow globes:

1️⃣ Fill a clean jar with water
2️⃣ Add glitter or fake snow ✨
3️⃣ Glue a small decoration or figure to the inside of the lid
4️⃣ Screw the lid on tightly
5️⃣ Give it a shake and watch the magic happen! β„οΈπŸ’™

A huge thank you to Deb and Louise for another fantastic Multiply session 😊 Everyone had fun, learned new skills, and made something special to take home. Can’t wait for next week!

πŸŽ‰ Reconnect Through Cookery 🍽️

On Friday we cooked up an amazing feast! πŸ˜‹ Our members made sausage bake, tuna bake, and ham & cheese – all served with warm garlic bread πŸ₯–πŸ§„ and a lovely fresh salad πŸ₯— prepared by our fantastic team. We had tomatoes πŸ…, lettuce πŸ₯¬, cucumber πŸ₯’, red onion πŸ§… and spring onions – absolutely delicious!

A huge thank you to Mark, Rees, Nat, and everyone who worked hard in the kitchen πŸ‘ Big shoutout to Sarah for doing the quiz and helping to serve lunch 🧠🍽️ and Ffion for sorting the register βœ… We all had a brilliant day eating, chatting, and socialising together πŸ’›
See you all Wednesday for Reconnect Through Music πŸŽΆπŸ’ƒπŸ•Ί

Breakfast and Belonging / Meet and Make with Multiply

✨ What a fantastic day at Caerphilly People First! ✨ We started the morning with our Breakfast and Belonging session πŸ₯β˜• where everyone enjoyed a warm cuppa, fruit, pastries, crumpets, and a good chat.

This was followed by our very first craft session delivered by Deb and Louise from Multiply πŸŽ¨βœ‚οΈ Our Meet and Make with Multiply sessions will run for the next six weeks with two groups:

πŸ•™ 10am – 12pm
πŸ• 1pm – 3pm

Today everyone enrolled and introduced themselves. The theme was to pick someone in the room and draw a portrait of them! πŸ–ΌοΈπŸ‘€

Both our morning and afternoon members did an amazing job β€” and there were plenty of giggles with a fun game of β€œGuess Who?” once we revealed the finished portraits! πŸ˜‚πŸŽ­ πŸ“Έ Check out our designs below and see if you can guess who’s who! A big thank you to everyone who joined us today β€” what a brilliant start to the project! πŸ’›πŸ™Œ

πŸŽƒ Reconnect Through Music – Halloween Special πŸ‘»

Today’s Reconnect Through Music session was a spooktacular success! πŸ‘πŸ•ΈοΈ The hall looked incredible β€” decked out with Halloween decorations that transformed the space into a fun setting. From cobwebs to skeletons, every detail added to the atmosphere. πŸŽƒβœ¨

Our members truly embraced the Halloween spirit β€” everyone looked amazing in their costumes! From witches to devils, and everything in between, the creativity on display was fantastic. πŸ§›πŸ§™β€β™€οΈπŸ§Ÿβ€β™‚οΈ

We enjoyed an incredible 29 songs today and each performance was filled with energy and enthusiasm. πŸŽ΅πŸ’«πŸŽΆ Here are just a few of the highlights:

πŸ•Ί Joshua thrilled us with β€œThriller” by Michael Jackson
🌞 Hywel took us on a β€œSummer Holiday” with Cliff Richard
πŸ’ƒ Anthony impressed with β€œHelp Yourself” by Tom Jones
πŸ”₯ Ffion and Amy rocked β€œHighway to Hell”
🦁 Chris delivered a powerful β€œCircle of Life” by Elton John
πŸ‘» Elizabeth got everyone singing along to the Ghostbusters Theme
🎸 Sean shook the room with β€œJailhouse Rock” by Elvis Presley
πŸ§™β€β™€οΈ Nat wowed with β€œBabooshka” by Kate Bush

In the middle of the session, we got everyone up to dance β€” and what a sight it was! The floor was full of movement, laughter, and fun. πŸ•ΊπŸ’ƒ πŸŽ‚ We also celebrated Andrew’s 30th birthday πŸŽ‰ with a delicious cake and a singalong of β€œHappy Birthday” πŸ₯³ 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 β€” thank you both! πŸŒ­πŸ’– A huge thank you to everyone who helped make today’s Halloween-themed session such a memorable, musical, and magical day. πŸŽΆπŸ§‘πŸ‘»

Reconnect Through Cookery Update! πŸπŸŽƒ

On Friday we enjoyed a yummy homemade lasagna with lots of fresh vegetables prepared by our wonderful members! πŸ₯•πŸ₯¦πŸ… A big thank you to Nat for doing the quiz 🧠🎀 and Sarah for running bingo! πŸŽ‰πŸ‘ And of course, a huge thank you to all our amazing volunteers who worked so hard today β€” you’re the best! πŸ’ͺπŸ’š

It was lovely to see some new faces joining us β€” we welcomed three new members who really enjoyed today’s session! πŸ₯°πŸ™Œ We can’t wait to see everyone again on Wednesday for our Halloween-themed Reconnect through Music session! πŸ‘»πŸŽΆ Don’t forget to dress up and choose a spooktacular song to sing! πŸŽ€πŸ§›β€β™€οΈπŸ•ΈοΈ We’ll be serving hotdogs and cakes too! 🌭🧁