Tag Archives: Learning Disability

🎶🎤 Music Session Report 🎤🎶

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What a fantastic music session we had today! 🌟 It was wonderful to see so many of our talented members singing a mix of much-loved old favourites and debuting songs we’ve never had at music before. 🎵💙

Our performers were brilliant:

🎤 Ffion and Amy had everyone singing along to “Something Inside So Strong” by Labi Siffre – a truly uplifting performance! 🙌
🎬 Rhys entertained us with a song from one of the Ernest films.
❤️️ Anthony performed the beautiful “On the Wings of Love” by Jeffrey Osborne.
🏍️ Helen gave an energetic and fun rendition of “Cool Rider” from Grease 2, which had everyone smiling!
🎸 Kyle impressed us with the Eagles classic “Hotel California”.
😊 Curtis rounded things off with the feel-good anthem “I Love My Life” by Robbie Williams.

A huge thank you goes to Ffion and Amy for running another brilliant session 👏, Christy for preparing our delicious pizzas 🍕, and Cheryl for giving everyone such a warm welcome 🤗. Thanks also to everyone else who helps make these sessions such a success each week. 💙

Our music group is so much more than singing—it’s a place where people can showcase their talents 🎤, build confidence 🌟, catch up with friends ☕, enjoy a cuppa and a chat 🫖, and simply have fun together. ❤️️

It was lovely to hear some of the feedback from our members:

💬 Diane said, “This group is amazing.”
💬 Elizabeth said she loves talking to her friends.
💬 Helen said she had a great time.

Thank you to everyone who came along and made today another memorable session. We can’t wait to do it all again next time! 🎶🥳💙

Health and Social Care Experiences and Future Improvements

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This morning, All Wales People First held a Zoom meeting to hear what people with learning disabilities think about Health and Social Care in Wales. Members of the Senedd want to know what is working well and what needs to change, and All Wales People First is collecting people’s views and will send them to the Senedd to help improve Health and Social Care services. People shared their own experiences and talked about what they think needs to improve. The main issues people talked about were:

🩺 Annual health checks are very important, and everyone should be supported to have one.
🧠 There are not enough mental health services for people with learning disabilities.
👩 Women’s healthcare needs to be better.
🔍 Some people with learning disabilities are not diagnosed properly or are not listened to.
📋 People do not always get the follow-up support they need after a diagnosis or treatment.
🦷 It can be very difficult to find an NHS dentist.
🤝 Some people felt their social worker was not giving them the support they needed.
📍 Many people have to travel too far for appointments because services are not available close to home.
⏳ Waiting times for appointments and treatment are too long.
💬 Better communication is needed between professionals and the people they support.
👥 More support workers

At the end of the meeting, everyone was asked to take part in a poll. Members were asked to rank which Health and Social Care issues they thought were the most important.
The options were:

⏳ Waiting lists
🦷 Access to NHS dentists
🤝 Not enough social workers
🗺️ Different services available in different parts of Wales
💻 Digital systems and personal data
🩺 Preventative care, such as annual health checks
🏥 Hospitals being too far away
💙 Health professionals not understanding people with learning disabilities

⭐ The top priorities chosen by members were:
Health professionals understanding people with learning disabilities.
Preventative care, including annual health checks.
Hospitals and healthcare services being closer to where people live.

It was great to hear everyone’s lived experiences and ideas, and All Wales People First will collect all the feedback from these meetings and send it to the Senedd. Our hope is that the Senedd will listen to the feedback we provide, and make changes to improve Health and Social Care services for people with learning disabilities across Wales 💙

🎵 Reconnect Through Music Session Report 🎤🎶

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A huge thank you to everyone who attended today’s Reconnect Through Music session! 💙 We had a fantastic morning filled with music, laughter, friendship, and plenty of feel-good vibes. Our talented members treated us to an incredible 26 special vocal performances, making it one of our most enjoyable sessions yet. 🌟 Some of the standout performances included:

🎤 Ffion – Enchanted by Taylor Swift
🔥 Anthony – Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash
🚗 Rees – Life Is a Highway by Tom Cochrane
🌟 Katrina (our newest member!) – Hopelessly Devoted to You from Grease
🎶 Sean – China Girl by David Bowie
💣 Chris – Sex Bomb by Tom Jones

A massive well done to Amy and Ffion, who successfully ran their very first music session! 👏🎉 You both did a brilliant job, and we’re so proud of you. Thank you for all your hard work and enthusiasm — you made the session a great success! 💖

A special thank you also goes to:
🏡 Pete, our caretaker, for getting everything set up before the session.
🥪 Christy for preparing another delicious lunch that everyone enjoyed.
📝 Cheryl for welcoming everyone and taking care of all the all-important paperwork.

Most of all, thank you to every single person who came along. Whether you got up to sing your heart out 🎤, cheered on others 👏, caught up with friends 🤝, or simply enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere, you helped make the session so special. We can’t wait to do it all again soon! 🎵💙

🍽️💚 Reconnect Through Cookery 💚🍽️

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What a delicious day we had on Friday! 😋🥗 Our amazing members got stuck in preparing a lovely fresh salad with 🍅 tomatoes, 🥬 lettuce, spring onions, 🥒 cucumber and 🫑 peppers. We also boiled and peeled the eggs 🥚 and cooked some delicious Welsh baby potatoes 🥔.

Everything was put together with ham and coleslaw, and it was absolutely delicious! 😍👏 And of course, we couldn’t finish the day without some yummy ice cream! 🍦😋 A HUGE thank you to everyone who helped in the kitchen today — you all did a fantastic job! We couldn’t do it without all of you! 🥰🙌

🎉 Thank you Sarah for keeping everyone entertained with bingo!
🧠 Thank you Amy for our brilliant quiz!
🧽 Thank you Anthony for helping to clean the hall afterwards.
💚 And as always, a massive thank you to Cheryl for all her help and support.
🏠 Thank you to Peter, our wonderful caretaker, for setting up the hall for us.

🎶 Reconnect Through Music 🎤🎉

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A huge thank you to all our wonderful members who joined us for yesterday’s Reconnect Through Music session! 💙 It was another fantastic morning filled with great company, plenty of laughter, and, of course, an incredible variety of music from across the decades and many different genres. 🎵✨

Some of the fantastic performances we enjoyed included:

🎤 Anthony – “Agadoo”
🎤 Amy – “Call Me When You’re Sober” by Evanescence
🎤 Andre & Ffion – “You’re the One That I Want” from Grease
🎤 Tilly – “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5
🎤 Sean – “Bat Out of Hell” by Meat Loaf
🎤 Wayne – “Money, Money, Money” by ABBA

There were so many brilliant performances that we simply don’t have space to mention them all, but every single one helped make the session special. 🌟 A special thank you goes to everyone who helped make the session run so smoothly:

💙 Cheryl and Ffion for welcoming everyone and keeping the register.
🌭 Christy for preparing the delicious hot dogs.
🎙️ Amy for introducing our performers on the microphone.
🙌 And everyone else who helped before, during, and after the session.
These sessions simply wouldn’t happen without your kindness, hard work, and continued support. Thank you all! ❤️️

Feedback we received:
😊 Andrew: “I enjoyed making new friends.”
🤝 Connor: “I like that the sessions are so inclusive.”
💙 Hywel: “I enjoyed talking with friends.”
⭐ Anthony: “The session was amazing.”
🌭 Christopher Davies: “My favourite part of the session was the hot dogs!”

Thank you once again to everyone who came along and helped create such a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere. We can’t wait to see you all again for another Reconnect Through Music session in two weeks’ time 🙌 ❤️

✨ Breakfast & Craft Yesterday ✨

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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! 🎨💖

Annual Health Check Video Launch

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✨ 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 🤝✨

TRAC members at the University of South Wales

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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! 🙌💛

✨ Reconnect Through Cookery

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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 🎧🎄

Reconnect Through Music

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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.