Here is the latest edition of the Caerphilly People First newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading about our recent activities!
Tag Archives: Learning Disability
🎄✨ A Magical Christmas Party!
On Friday we had the most wonderful time celebrating together at our Christmas party 💃🕺 We enjoyed a silent disco, with our lovely Daren keeping the party going with a disco in between 🎶🎧
🎅 We were thrilled to have a visit from Santa, and of course the naughty Grinch who tried to steal everyone’s selection boxes 😆🎁 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 🎄🤶 🎟️ We also had some fantastic raffle prizes – well done to all our winners! 👏
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 🙏
🎄❤️ 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 — from heartfelt ballads to upbeat Christmas classics. The hall looked magical thanks to the Christmas decorations 🎄✨, creating the perfect atmosphere for a fun and welcoming afternoon.
A few highlights from today’s performers:
Matilda sang “Wild Heart” by The Vamps 💙
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 👀💗
Ffion performed “Nice To Meet You” by Myles Smith 🎵
Christmas Songs 🎅🎄
Susan sang “Mistletoe and Wine”
Ellysia performed “All I Want for Christmas Is You” 🎁💖
Sean shared a lovely version of “Away in a Manger”
Adrian treated us to “Blue Christmas” 💙🎄
All performers brought enthusiasm, confidence, and festive spirit to the stage. Well done, everyone! 👏✨ In addition everyone enjoyed a delicious buffet of hot dogs prepared by Christy, Cheryl, Zoe, and Helen 🌭😋. 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! 🎤🗣️🤝🍽️
Ellie and Becky loved dancing 💃🎶
Anthony shared that he loves everyone who attends! ❤️🥰
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 Cookery
On Friday our members cooked up a delicious cottage pie 😋🥔 and prepared fresh leeks, broccoli, and cauliflower 🥦🥬🌿. Everyone worked together brilliantly and the kitchen smelled amazing!
A HUGE thank you to all our lovely volunteers for helping in the kitchen ❤️, and to our fantastic support staff for running the quiz and bingo 🎉🧩. And a special shout-out to Peter for setting everything up — we appreciate you! 🙌 It was definitely a session to remember 💛
See you all tomorrow for Reconnect Through Music 🎶 and Friday for our Silent Disco Christmas Party 🎧🎄
🎄✨ Christmas Craft Session ✨🎄
Yesterday our members enjoyed another brilliant Christmas craft session with Louise and the team from Multiply! 🎅🧶 They made the cutest Christmas gonks out of wool, and everyone did an amazing job. ❤️
We all enjoyed a lovely cuppa ☕ and some tasty pastries 🥐 while chatting and socialising together. It was a warm, festive morning filled with fun and creativity! ⭐💬 Don’t forget — our last craft session is next Tuesday! 🎁✨
🎄✨ Craft Morning with Deb and Louise! ✨🎄
Yesterday our members enjoyed another fantastic craft session with Deb and Louise from Multiply. They had a brilliant time designing their own Christmas trees and making festive decorations. 🎨🎅✨ Everyone got creative, learned something new, and made beautiful pieces to take home. We love seeing the confidence and smiles these sessions bring! 💚😊 Great work everyone — your Christmas crafts looked amazing! 🎁🌟
Reconnect Through Cookery
🌟 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 🎶💃🕺
TRAC members at the University of South Wales
Friday’s session was all about midwifery 👩⚕️💛 Ffion played the role of someone who was 9 weeks pregnant and did a fantastic job in her role. Christy played her mam, and the student nurses interacted brilliantly — speaking directly to Ffion, explaining everything clearly, and taking their time.
We also had a Learning Disability Nurse on hand 👩⚕️💙 who clarified things with Ffion and offered easy-read information, making sure she understood everything in a way that suited her needs. LD nurses are so important, especially when someone with a learning disability is pregnant. All fields of nursing should practice the same approach — clear communication, patience, and respect. It makes a huge difference. ❤️
Meanwhile, Gethin and Nat had just come home from the hospital with their new baby 👶🍼 And yes… believe it or not… they didn’t bicker for a change! 🤣 They were absolutely hilarious and kept everyone laughing.
A huge well done to everyone — our TRAC members and the students. ⭐ We’re already looking forward to the next session and working with you all again soon! 🙌💛
Annual Health Check Video Launch
✨ This morning we were joined by Clair, Leah and John from the Primary Care Learning Disability Health Team for the official launch of the Annual Health Check video we’ve been working on together! 🎥💙
We talked about what an Annual Health Check is — a free check-up offered every year to people with a learning disability to help them stay healthy, spot any concerns early, and make sure they get the right support from their GP 👍🩺
The new video will now be used to train doctors, helping them understand how to make health checks easier, clearer and more accessible for everyone 👏
A huge thank you to the team for the delicious pastries and juice 🥐🧃 Everyone who took part received a voucher and certificate for the fantastic job they did featuring in the promotional video 🎉🎖️ We’re proud of everyone involved and we’re already looking forward to working together again in the future 🤝✨
✨ Breakfast & Craft Yesterday ✨
We had such a lovely morning together! 🥰 Everyone enjoyed a warm breakfast 🥐☕ and then got stuck into some gorgeous Christmas crafts 🎄🎅🎁 There was plenty of chatting, laughing, and learning something new 💬✨ The crafts looked amazing and the room was full of festive cheer! Groups like this make such a difference ❤️ They help people:
⭐ Feel less isolated
⭐ Build friendships
⭐ Learn new skills
⭐ Boost confidence
⭐ Have fun together
Thank you to everyone who joined us — you made the morning special 🤗 Can’t wait for the next one! 🎨💖
