Our Day Out to Barry Island

Yesterday, staff, volunteers and members had a lovely day out at Barry Island! ๐Ÿ˜Š
We caught the train from Caerphilly ๐Ÿš† and had a nice walk along the seafront ๐Ÿ‘ฃ. Some of us went on the funfair rides ๐ŸŽข โ€” our brave members tackled the dodgems, the log flume, the waltzers, and many more exciting rides! ๐ŸŽ ๐Ÿ’ฆ๐ŸŽข
We enjoyed coffee and refreshments at Marcoโ€™s in the morning โ˜•๐Ÿฐ, and in the afternoon, we treated ourselves to some delicious ice cream ๐Ÿฆ โ€” perfect on a sunny day!
We also had fun at the penny arcade ๐ŸŽฐ and bumped into some of our friends from Newbridge who also came by train! ๐Ÿ‘‹
Everyone had a great day full of fresh sea air ๐ŸŒฌ๏ธ, smiles ๐Ÿ˜Š and walking by the beach ๐Ÿ–๏ธ. By the end of the day, we were tired but happy! ๐Ÿ’™
We canโ€™t wait for our next seaside adventure! ๐Ÿš๐Ÿงข๐ŸŒž

Disabled Peopleโ€™s Rights 10-Year Plan!

Last week we met with Tracey Drew from All Wales People First and our friends from Swansea Self Advocacy Groups ๐Ÿ’ฌ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿคโ€๐Ÿง‘
We talked about the big 10-year plan to make life fairer for disabled people in Wales ๐Ÿ’ช๐ŸŒ
โœ… We shared our thoughts on whatโ€™s good
โž• We said what could be better
๐Ÿ’ก We gave ideas to help improve the plan
The plan includes: ๐Ÿ  Independent living
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿซ More training & jobs
๐Ÿฅ Better healthcare
๐ŸšŒ Easier transport
๐Ÿ“„ Info in Easy Read
๐ŸŽค And making sure our voices are heard!
We were proud to speak up and be included! ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿงก

Travel Confidence Trip with Clare from Transport for Wales

We recently jumped aboard for a fantastic Travel Confidence trip with the lovely Clare from Transport for Wales! ๐Ÿ™Œ
We set off from Pengam Station and travelled to Cardiff Queen Street, before heading down to the beautiful Barry Island ๐Ÿ–๏ธโ˜€๏ธ
On the way back, we enjoyed a direct journey from Barry Island to Pengamโ€”and we were lucky enough to ride on one of the brand new trains! ๐Ÿš„ Theyโ€™re so comfortable, spacious, and much quieter than the old ones ๐Ÿ™‰๐Ÿ‘
We had coffee and cold drinks at Marcoโ€™s โ˜•๐Ÿฅค, took a lovely stroll along the front ๐Ÿšถโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿšถโ€โ™‚๏ธ, and of course, no trip to Barry Island is complete without chips and ice cream ๐ŸŸ๐Ÿฆ
Everyone had a fab day, full of fun, sunshine, and confidence-building travel skills ๐ŸŒŸ๐Ÿ’™
Thanks again to Clare and Transport for Wales for supporting us to travel safely and independently โค๏ธ๐Ÿš‰

Reconnect Through Cookery Fun!

At our first July session of Reconnect Through Cookery, our amazing members got hands-on prepping onions ๐Ÿง…, mushrooms ๐Ÿ„, and peppers ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ to add to our delicious Mayflower chicken curry! Some preferred it plain โ€“ all served with plain or vegetable rice ๐Ÿš and crunchy prawn crackers ๐Ÿฆ. YUM!
We had a sweet treat too โ€“ a slice of chocolate cake ๐Ÿฐ to celebrate Reeseโ€™s birthday! ๐ŸŽ‚๐Ÿฅณ
After lunch, we had a brilliant time playing bingo ๐ŸŽฑ and testing our brains with a fun quiz ๐Ÿง  โ€” big shoutout to: ๐Ÿ’› Peter the caretaker for all his support
๐Ÿ’› Sarah for being our bingo boss
๐Ÿ’› Nat for hosting the quiz like a pro!
These sessions arenโ€™t just about food โ€“ theyโ€™re about friendship, laughter, learning new skills, reducing isolation, and having a great time together. ๐Ÿ’ฌ๐Ÿ‘ซ๐Ÿง 
Thank you to our fab volunteers and members for making it all possible โ€“ youโ€™re the heart of Reconnect ๐Ÿ’š

Reconnect Through Music โ€“ What a Session!

Today our amazing members sang 29 songs, and the room was full of love, fun, and laughter! We danced our hearts out, enjoyed a cracking Easter raffle, and munched on yummy hot dogs!

So many new faces joined us โ€“ it was truly a special day filled with joy, singing, and togetherness. Great feedback as always โ€“ thank you!

Because you all LOVE the dancing so much, the next session on April 30th will have 20 minutes at the end just for more boogying โ€“ donโ€™t forget your dancing shoes! Have a fantastic Easter everyone; we canโ€™t wait to see you soon!