Tag Archives: Friendship

Reconnect Tuesday Group

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🌿☔🧘‍♀️ What a busy, fun-packed day for our members at Caerphilly People First at this week’s Tuesday Reconnect session! 🧘‍♂️☔🌿 Our day started with a visit to the beautiful TARAGGAN Educational Gardens. Unfortunately, the rain showers had other plans, so our gardening session was cut a little short. We still managed to get some weeding done before heading back to the office! 🌱🌼 Back at the office, there was plenty of fun with games of 🎱 pool and 🎯 darts before lunchtime.

In the afternoon, it was time for our fantastic yoga session with the wonderful Lisa! 🧘‍♀️💜 At this session we practised breathing exercises using colourful chiffon scarves ✨ Enjoyed gentle stretches ✨ Picked letter cards with different yoga poses ✨ Tried Warrior poses, Tree pose, Sitting Baby and many more ✨ Had lots of laughs, including some fantastic dance moves from the lovely and hilarious Paula 💃😂 ✨ Finished with relaxing music, mindfulness, and yes… a little bit of snoring! 😴🤣

These sessions are so important to our members. Feedback tells us that yoga helps reduce anxiety, improves wellbeing, boosts confidence, and gives people techniques they can use at home whenever they need them. ❤️ Many members tell us they regularly practise their breathing exercises and favourite poses between sessions. A huge thank you to Lisa for another amazing session filled with relaxation, laughter, friendship, and fun. 🌟 We can’t wait to do it all again next week! 🥰

🍽️🌟 Reconnect Through Cookery 🌟🍽️

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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 🤗🌈.

Stretch, Connect and Belong Yoga

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✨ What a fantastic afternoon at our Stretch, Connect and Belong yoga session yesterday! ✨🧘‍♂️ A huge thank you to Lisa for another fun-filled session! 💜 We enjoyed plenty of giggles 😄, gentle stretching 🤸‍♀️, and used yoga cards to practise different breathing exercises 🌬️ and yoga poses 🧘.

Everyone joined in brilliantly and did an amazing job! 🌟 It was wonderful to see everyone relaxing, connecting, and having fun together. 💕😊 Of course, we finished the session with a lovely cuppa ☕ and a chat 🗣️, which is always a great way to end the afternoon. Well done everyone – we can’t wait to do it all again next week! 🎉💜

Reconnect Through Cookery

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🌟 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 🎶💃🕺

Reconnect Through Cookery

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It was really nice to see our members and volunteers on Friday, at our first Reconnect through Cookery session since the Christmas break. The session had a warm and welcoming atmosphere, with everyone happy to be back together. Alongside the cooking, members also took part in group activities that encouraged social interaction and fun. A quiz and a game of bingo helped create lots of laughter and conversation, adding to the positive atmosphere of the session. Members loved reconnecting after the Christmas break, working together as a group, learning and practicing cookery skills, and taking part in fun, inclusive social activities.

A big thank you to all the volunteers who helped in the kitchen and supported members throughout the day, and a massive thank you to Cheryl, Zoe, and Helen for running the session and making sure everything went smoothly. We would also like to say a huge thank you to Natalie for running the quiz, and to Tasha for calling out bingo – your continued support and enthusiasm are greatly appreciated.

Our next Reconnect Through Cookery session will take place on Friday 30th January, when we will be cooking cottage pie. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for another enjoyable session, and we’ll see you then!

Reconnect Through Music

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What a brilliant session today! 🌟 With over 20 magical performances, the room was full of smiles, laughter, and people enjoying each other’s company 🤗💬. It was fantastic to see everyone socialising and connecting through music 🎤❤️.

We were treated to many wonderful performances throughout the day. Sean gave us the full 8-minute version of American Pie 🎸, while Ellysia and Chris delighted everyone with two beautiful duet performances 🎶👫. Matilda brought great energy with “Summer Nights” from Grease 🌞🎭, Claire delivered a powerful rendition of “Purple Rain” 💜☔, and Anthony performed “Wonderful Tonight” 🎼✨.

A huge thank you goes to Christy, Cheryl, Helen, and Zoe for preparing our delicious hot dog lunch 🌭 and doing all the paperwork – your hard work helped the day run so smoothly, and is much appreciated 🙌💛.

Days like today show the power of music in bringing people together, and the feedback we received really captured the spirit of the session. Mark shared that he enjoys making new friends 😊, Anthony described it as an amazing day 🌟, and Matilda said it’s a happy atmosphere where everyone is made to feel welcome 💖.

Gardening at TARAGGAN

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🌱🍃 We’ve had a great morning at TARAGGAN Educational Gardens! Morgan, Gethin, Christopher and Anthony have all been working hard weeding and clearing the plots, getting everything ready for planting 🌼🌿👏 It was very windy 🌬️ and chilly 🥶 to start, but all that hard work soon warmed us up 💪😊

Being outdoors and gardening has so many benefits — it helps improve wellbeing 💚, reduces stress 🌞, keeps us active 🚶‍♂️, builds confidence 🌟 and gives everyone the chance to connect with nature 🌍🦋. Most importantly, it brings people together, creating friendships, laughter and a real sense of achievement 🤝💐 A brilliant morning all round — well done everyone! 🌱🙌✨

🍽️💛 Reconnect Through Cookery 💛🍽️

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What a lovely session we had at Reconnect Through Cookery on Friday! Our members made a delicious cheese and potato pie, topped with fresh tomatoes 🍅 and served with ham and beans 😋🥔🧀 After enjoying our meal, we had lots of fun playing bingo 🎉🎲 and a big well done to Rhys for doing his fantastic quiz, which everyone really enjoyed 🏆👏😊

A huge thank you to all our amazing volunteers and everyone who helped out — your support means so much and helps make these sessions warm, welcoming, and full of friendship 💕🙌


Reconnect Through Cookery

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On Friday our members made a classic sausage & mash with fresh vegetables and onion gravy. Everyone worked together to prepare cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots — it smelled amazing!

A big thank you to Theresa and Judith for running the quiz and to Sian for hosting bingo – you all made the session full of fun, laughter, and teamwork. The dinner was delicious, and all the feedback from our members was positive — everyone LOVES our Friday Cookery sessions!

Breakfast and Belonging

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Last week marked the second get-together of our Breakfast and Belonging group, and what a lovely morning it was! We were delighted to see so many regular faces, along with friends we haven’t seen for a long time. A wonderful group of twelve members came together to share good food, laughter, and conversation. The room was filled with smiles, stories, and the warm feeling of reconnecting with one another.

We tucked into a delicious spread of breakfast treats — including bagels, croissants, waffles, pancakes, crepes, and fresh strawberries, helping everyone start the day off in the best possible way! The morning was all about belonging, catching up, and sharing our lives. Members chatted about what they’ve been up to, made new connections, and rekindled old ones. It was a perfect reminder of why this group exists — to bring people together and start the day with positivity and friendship.

A big thank you to Cheryl for leading today’s session, and to Amy for being such a brilliant help throughout the morning. We’re already looking forward to our next Breakfast and Belonging meet-up on Tuesday, 4th November. We can’t wait to see you all again for another morning of food, friendship, and fun!