At yesterday’s crafts session our members made braided fabric keychains and bracelets. They plaited their favourite colours and attached them to keychains. Some members also made name bracelets out of beads and elastic. Everyone enjoyed the activities and catching up with friends, sharing their bank holiday memories over a cuppa. Thank you to Cheryl & Zoe for volunteering to facilitate the session.

We don’t have craft next Tuesday afternoon, but we will be going out for a local walk. If you would like to join us, we will be leaving Bargoed YMCA at 12:30pm.

Craft sessions are a great way to tackle isolation and loneliness, develop skills, make friends, improve self-esteem, and develop motor skills. Thanks to Cheryl Smith & Zoe Dummett for facilitating yesterday’s sessions, when the members made friendship bracelets.

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!

Yesterday, to celebrate St. David’s Day, our members made personalised Welsh-themed canvas wall art with Cheryl Smith from the Parent Network Community Forum. The group printed off pictures of Welsh dragons, daffodils, and leeks, and applied the prints and scrabble letters onto the canvas, creating some great pictures to hang on the wall at home.

Thank you to Cheryl Smith & Zoe Dummett for volunteering to facilitate our arts and craft activities at short notice this week. The group decorated tote bags, which they said they will use when they go shopping. Arts and crafts are a fantastic outlet for self expression, patience, concentration, planning, mental health, and wellbeing.

At Tuesday’s crafts session (our first of 2024) with Cheryl Smith from the Parent Network Community Forum, members made Valentine’s trees and love heart wooden plaques. It was great to get back to what the members love. Thank you to Zoe for volunteering at this group.

Yesterday was our final crafts session of 2023, during which the group made Christmas decorations. Thank you to Cheryl and Zoe from the Parent Network Community Forum for sharing their crafting skills throughout the year – they have assisted the group in crafting some great personalised keepsake. Our sessions have brought individuals out of isolation and loneliness, created new friendships and improved mental health, and we’re looking forward to seeing what everyone crafts next year.

Following the craft session, we held our office Christmas party, when the group enjoyed some delicious food and cake, and were visited by Santa who handed out selection boxes to everyone.

How awesome are these Christmas platters designed by our members? Thank you to Cheryl Smith Zoe Dummett from The Parent Network Community Forum for sharing your crafting skills with our focus group members.