Thanks to Cheryl Smith and Zoe from the Parent Network Community Forum for a fun afternoon of crafts last week. Our members and volunteers made personalised bags that can be used for stationery, make-up etc. Our next session with Cheryl is on Tuesday July 18th at 12.30, so please get in touch if you would like to join us.
Here is the latest edition of the Caerphilly People First newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading about our activities.
What a fantastic turnout we had for our second cookery session – funded by the Comic Relief Community Fund in Wales – which was attended by 24 people! As suggested by Louise last week, we cooked chicken fajitas, which tasted amazing. Massive thanks to everyone who volunteered, and we’ll see you all next week when we’ll be making pizza, as suggested by Amelia.
Here are some of the comments we received from those attending:
Jordan – I enjoyed chopping up the peppers and eating all the biscuits. I had lots of fun.
Louise – It was really positive, and good to feel part of the community.
Amelia – I enjoyed meeting new people and learning to cook. The staff are lovely and helpful.
Adrian – I enjoyed speaking to people and learning new skills.
Audrey – I enjoyed helping to cut the food and having cups of tea. It’s an amazing group.
Mark – I liked getting out and meeting people, and trying something new to eat – I really enjoyed the food.
Over the last couple of years Caerphilly Council has been asking residents which council services are most important to them, and which areas they feel the council should prioritise. This week Caerphilly People First members joined the conversation when they gave their views on what is important to them. You can have your say by completing the online survey at:
www.caerphilly.gov.uk/caerphillyconversation
We recently visited the University of South Wales to take part in filming scenarios based on patient experiences and consent. Our volunteer Natalie loved being filmed, and we would like to thank Martin and the team for giving us the opportunity to be involved.
This week the group made their weekly visit to the garden plot at Taraggan Educational Gardens, and although the weather was too hot to do much physical work, the group dug up some of their potatoes and took them home. One of our volunteers, Morgan, sent us a picture of the meal he made that evening using the potatoes.
During the afternoon the group welcomed Geraint, Tracey and Kelly from All Wales People First. Geraint did his SATV (Self Advocacy TV) roadshow with the group, and we covered subjects such as: what we want that we haven’t got now, day centres, and COVID. We then played Family Fortunes and Wheel of Fortune, answering general knowledge questions, which the group really enjoyed. We also sang happy birthday and presented a birthday cake to Chris, Anthony and Morgan who share the same birthday. Happy Birthday, boys!
Yesterday the Reconnect Focus Group spent the morning at Taraggan Educational gardens, where we continued weeding and getting our plot looking nice and presentable. The gardens are so relaxing and it’s amazing being outdoors.
During the afternoon our Focus Group was joined by Rhian Cook, from the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, who asked the group for feedback on easy-read hate crime leaflets her organisation has produced. We were also joined by Zoe Gibbs from Cyfannol Women’s Aid, who met the group in preparation for a future visit when she will talk about the work the work of Cyfannol. It was lovely to meet them both and we’re looking forward to working with them further in the future.
Thank you to everyone who attended our “Have your Say” consultation this week at Fleur De Lys Community Centre. What a great day we all had discussing our lives, and what we would like to see in our community. We had great conversations that brought tears and laughter. Caerphilly People First will now work towards looking for funding to deliver on your recommendations, needs and ideas.
This week we visited Brooklands Day Centre to look at their new garden project and summer house, which are both looking fantastic – the summer house is so relaxing. It was lovely to catch up with some of our members, who we hope to be working with soon in the Risca area.
Here is the latest Caerphilly People First newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading about the work of our members.