πŸŽ„βœ¨ A Magical Christmas Party!

On Friday we had the most wonderful time celebrating together at our Christmas party πŸ’ƒπŸ•Ί We enjoyed a silent disco, with our lovely Daren keeping the party going with a disco in between 🎢🎧

πŸŽ… We were thrilled to have a visit from Santa, and of course the naughty Grinch who tried to steal everyone’s selection boxes πŸ˜†πŸŽ There was lots of dancing, laughter, and fun, yummy buffet food, Christmas crackers pulled, and everyone looked amazing in their fancy dress and Christmas jumpers πŸŽ„πŸ€Ά 🎟️ We also had some fantastic raffle prizes – well done to all our winners! πŸ‘

It truly was a day full of Christmas joy, smiles, and togetherness ❀️ A huge thank you from us all at Caerphilly People First to our amazing volunteers 🌟 We couldn’t do what we do without your continued support. Special thanks to Peter, the caretaker, for all his help and support at Fleur-de-lis Community Centre throughout the year πŸ™

πŸŽ„β€οΈ We wish you all a very Merry Christmas, filled with love, joy, and happiness. We’ll see you all again in January – take care and thank you for being part of our People First family ❀️✨

Reconnect Through Music

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 β€” from heartfelt ballads to upbeat Christmas classics. The hall looked magical thanks to the Christmas decorations πŸŽ„βœ¨, creating the perfect atmosphere for a fun and welcoming afternoon.

A few highlights from today’s performers:

Matilda sang “Wild Heart” by The Vamps πŸ’™
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 πŸ‘€πŸ’—
Ffion performed “Nice To Meet You” by Myles Smith 🎡

Christmas Songs πŸŽ…πŸŽ„

Susan sang “Mistletoe and Wine”
Ellysia performed “All I Want for Christmas Is You” πŸŽπŸ’–
Sean shared a lovely version of “Away in a Manger”
Adrian treated us to “Blue Christmas” πŸ’™πŸŽ„

All performers brought enthusiasm, confidence, and festive spirit to the stage. Well done, everyone! πŸ‘βœ¨ In addition everyone enjoyed a delicious buffet of hot dogs prepared by Christy, Cheryl, Zoe, and Helen πŸŒ­πŸ˜‹. 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! πŸŽ€πŸ—£οΈπŸ€πŸ½οΈ
Ellie and Becky loved dancing πŸ’ƒπŸŽΆ
Anthony shared that he loves everyone who attends! ❀️πŸ₯°

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.

Reconnect Through Music

Today’s Reconnect Through Music session was an absolute hit! The room was packed with energy, smiles, and incredible talent. πŸ˜„πŸ™Œ The atmosphere was buzzing from start to finish, with everyone joining in, singing along, and enjoying the chance to reconnect through the power of music. πŸŽΆπŸ’›

A total of 27 songs were performed today! 🌟 Here are some of the great performances we enjoyed:

Matilda delivered a stunning version of Never Enough from The Greatest Showman πŸŽͺ✨
Ffion & Amy brought the fun with Girls Just Wanna Have Fun πŸ’ƒπŸŽ‰
Anthony gave a heartfelt performance of Perfect by Ed Sheeran ❀️🎸
Natalie lit up the room with Murder on the Dancefloor πŸ’ƒπŸ”Š
Ben, our new member, wowed everyone with Cold Heart by Dua Lipa πŸŽ§πŸ’™
Theresa got everyone singing along to Wonderwall 🎸🎢
Adrian rocked the classic Return to Sender πŸ“¬πŸŽ€
Susan charmed the room with Take Me Home, Country Roads πŸŒ„πŸ›£οΈ
Sean brought festive cheer with Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin’ Stevens πŸŽ„πŸŽ…πŸŽ΅

The group enjoyed delicious pizza prepared by Christy and Cheryl β€” thank you both! πŸ•β€οΈ It added to the warm and friendly atmosphere that everyone felt.

Feedback was glowing! ✨

Helen said it was a happy atmosphere and that everyone interacted so well. 😊🀝
Moira shared that she really enjoyed everything. πŸ’›
Vicky especially loved the dancing and socialising. πŸ’ƒπŸ•ΊπŸŽ‰

It’s clear that today’s session brought people together in the best possible way. A huge thank you to everyone who came along and made today so special. Your energy, positivity, and talent created a wonderful day for all. πŸŒŸπŸ’– Also a big thanks to the Moondance Foundation for funding these sessions – they make a huge difference to our members. Here’s to many more sessions filled with music, laughter, and connection! 🎡😊✨

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 Music πŸŽ€πŸ•

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. πŸ’ƒπŸ•ΊπŸ• 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! πŸŽ„
πŸ’‹ Natalie rocked the room with her version of Leader of the Pack by The Shangri-Las.
πŸ‘‘ Elizabeth got everyone singing along and swaying to Dancing Queen by ABBA.
🎭 Matilda brought Broadway energy with a song from Hairspray the Musical.
πŸ’ž Anthony melted hearts with a beautiful rendition of Perfect by Ed Sheeran.
πŸš— 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! πŸ‘©β€πŸ³πŸ‘ A huge shoutout also goes to Pete the caretaker for setting everything up so smoothly πŸ› οΈ, and to Sharon for keeping track of the paperwork πŸ“‹.

The feedback from today’s session was full of warmth and positivity:

πŸ’– β€œIt was fun!”
😊 β€œI love seeing my friends.”
🀝 β€œI like meeting new people.”
🌈 β€œEveryone is friendly.”
⭐ β€œAll staff are amazing.”
β€œI liked dancing in my chair.”
πŸ’ͺ β€œIt builds my confidence.”
🏠 β€œI 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! πŸ’•πŸŽ€πŸ•

Reconnect Through Music

Today’s Reconnect Through Music group was full of energy, laughter, and incredible talent. In total, our members performed an amazing 28 songs 🎀✨, and each performance brought its own magic to the room. 🌟

Matilda shone with her powerful rendition of Believe by Cher 🌈, while Ffion and Amy teamed up for a lively performance of Rehab by Amy Winehouse 🍷. Sean had everyone smiling and moving along to My Boy Lollipop by Bad Manners 🍭, and Ellysia wowed us with her version of Crazy by Gnarls Barkley 🀯. Natalie brought a touch of pop sunshine with Flowers by Miley Cyrus 🌸, and Jackie gave a heartfelt performance of Back for Good by Take That 🎢.

As the performances flowed, everyone gathered together to enjoy a delicious hot dog lunch 🌭 lovingly prepared by Christy, Cheryl, and Helen πŸ‘©β€πŸ³πŸ‘©β€πŸ³πŸ‘©β€πŸ³. This provided a lovely opportunity to relax and chat with friends. We’re grateful to Sharon and Libby πŸ“ for helping with the paperwork, and to Pete the caretaker πŸ› οΈ who made sure everything was set up and ready before we even arrived.

The feedback we received today really shows how much the group means to people. One member shared, β€œI made more friends” 🀝, while another said, β€œI love singing and seeing friends” 🎡. We also heard, β€œI wish it was every week” πŸ“…, and perhaps the best compliment of all: β€œYou can’t improve this session – I love it” πŸ’–.

Overall, today was a truly joyful session filled with music, friendship, and community. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making it such a success! πŸŽ‰

Reconnect Through Music

Thanks to our brilliant members for another great music session today! We broke our personal record for most songs sung at a session with 33 songs! Our gifted members sang songs by a range of artists including Jason Donovan, Liv Harland, Tina Arena, Eric Clapton, Jackie Wilson, Patsy Cline, the Bangles, Adele, Shania Twain, and many more!

We love seeing people coming together through the magic of music, with the added benefit of a buffet lunch and the chance to catch up with old friends and make new friends. Here are some compliments we received today:

I love these sessions – the group are nice people to be with.
Amazing – I really enjoy myself.

Thanks to Cheryl and Helen for working hard in the kitchen to make everyone’s pizza, and to Sharon for helping out with the paperwork in the hall. Most of all, thanks to our members for bringing the joy, the singing, and the dancing!

There won’t be a music session on Wednesday 25th, because Caerphilly First staff and members will be in North Wales for the All Wales People First conference, so we’ll see you all on Wednesday 9th July for our next session, so keep practicing those vocal skills and dance moves!

FULL HOUSE at Reconnect Through Music!

Wow! Another amazing karaoke & dance session today week with 55 people joining in the fun! 29 different songs were performed, with some absolute bangers, including:

Morgan – Green Green Grass of Home (Tom Jones)
Elizabeth – Money, Money, Money (ABBA)
Ffion – Pink Pony Club (Chappel Roan)
Brian – Sweet Caroline (because it wouldn’t be Music Wednesday without it!)
Wayne – I Should Be So Lucky (Kylie Minogue)

The feedback is always incredible!

“I love singing and dancing!”
“I’ve made new friends!”
“The staff are so friendly!”
“These sessions make me happy!”

We’re back on April 16th for another sing-song & dance-off! See you all then!

What an incredible Reconnect Through Music session!

Today our amazing members belted out 23 different songs, filling the room with laughter, dancing, and pure joy! We welcomed lots of new faces and enjoyed a delicious buffet – the atmosphere was absolutely buzzing!

A HUGE THANK YOU to:

Peter the caretaker for all your help
Stu & Nat for hosting an epic karaoke session
Helen & Sharon for doing the register and helping clear up
Cheryl & Zoe for preparing the delicious buffet

See you all in a fortnight – let’s do it all again!