TRAC members at the University of South Wales

Friday’s session was all about midwifery ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€โš•๏ธ๐Ÿ’› 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 โ€” speaking directly to Ffion, explaining everything clearly, and taking their time.

We also had a Learning Disability Nurse on hand ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€โš•๏ธ๐Ÿ’™ 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 โ€” clear communication, patience, and respect. It makes a huge difference. โค๏ธ

Meanwhile, Gethin and Nat had just come home from the hospital with their new baby ๐Ÿ‘ถ๐Ÿผ And yesโ€ฆ believe it or notโ€ฆ they didnโ€™t bicker for a change! ๐Ÿคฃ They were absolutely hilarious and kept everyone laughing.

A huge well done to everyone โ€” our TRAC members and the students. โญ Weโ€™re already looking forward to the next session and working with you all again soon! ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿ’›

โœจ Breakfast & Craft Yesterday โœจ

We had such a lovely morning together! ๐Ÿฅฐ Everyone enjoyed a warm breakfast ๐Ÿฅโ˜• and then got stuck into some gorgeous Christmas crafts ๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ…๐ŸŽ There was plenty of chatting, laughing, and learning something new ๐Ÿ’ฌโœจ The crafts looked amazing and the room was full of festive cheer! Groups like this make such a difference โค๏ธ They help people:

โญ Feel less isolated
โญ Build friendships
โญ Learn new skills
โญ Boost confidence
โญ Have fun together

Thank you to everyone who joined us โ€” you made the morning special ๐Ÿค— Canโ€™t wait for the next one! ๐ŸŽจ๐Ÿ’–

Annual Health Check Video Launch

โœจ 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 weโ€™ve been working on together! ๐ŸŽฅ๐Ÿ’™

We talked about what an Annual Health Check is โ€” 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 ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿฉบ

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 ๐Ÿ‘

A huge thank you to the team for the delicious pastries and juice ๐Ÿฅ๐Ÿงƒ Everyone who took part received a voucher and certificate for the fantastic job they did featuring in the promotional video ๐ŸŽ‰๐ŸŽ–๏ธ Weโ€™re proud of everyone involved and weโ€™re already looking forward to working together again in the future ๐Ÿคโœจ

Reconnect Through Cookery

๐ŸŒŸ A massive thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who covered Friday’s Reconnect Through Cookery session! ๐ŸŒŸ The food looked absolutely amazing ๐Ÿ˜‹

Our members prepared peppers, onions, and mushrooms to add to a tasty Mayflower chicken curry ๐Ÿ› served with fluffy rice ๐Ÿš. We also enjoyed a fun game of bingo ๐ŸŽ‰ and a quiz โ“โ€”the room was full of happiness, laughter, and very full tummies! ๐Ÿ˜„๐Ÿ’›

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 โ„๏ธโœจ. They bring warmth, connection, and a reason to smile. Thank you everyone for making today so special! ๐Ÿ’› Weโ€™ll see you all on Wednesday for music ๐ŸŽถ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿ•บ

๐ŸŽ„โœจ Craft Morning with Deb and Louise! โœจ๐ŸŽ„

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. ๐ŸŽจ๐ŸŽ…โœจ Everyone got creative, learned something new, and made beautiful pieces to take home. We love seeing the confidence and smiles these sessions bring! ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ˜Š Great work everyone โ€” your Christmas crafts looked amazing! ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŒŸ

๐ŸŽ„โœจ Christmas Craft Session โœจ๐ŸŽ„

Yesterday our members enjoyed another brilliant Christmas craft session with Louise and the team from Multiply! ๐ŸŽ…๐Ÿงถ They made the cutest Christmas gonks out of wool, and everyone did an amazing job. โค๏ธ

We all enjoyed a lovely cuppa โ˜• and some tasty pastries ๐Ÿฅ while chatting and socialising together. It was a warm, festive morning filled with fun and creativity! โญ๐Ÿ’ฌ Donโ€™t forget โ€” our last craft session is next Tuesday! ๐ŸŽโœจ

โœจ Reconnect Through Cookery

On Friday our members cooked up a delicious cottage pie ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿฅ” and prepared fresh leeks, broccoli, and cauliflower ๐Ÿฅฆ๐Ÿฅฌ๐ŸŒฟ. Everyone worked together brilliantly and the kitchen smelled amazing!

A HUGE thank you to all our lovely volunteers for helping in the kitchen โค๏ธ, and to our fantastic support staff for running the quiz and bingo ๐ŸŽ‰๐Ÿงฉ. And a special shout-out to Peter for setting everything up โ€” we appreciate you! ๐Ÿ™Œ It was definitely a session to remember ๐Ÿ’›

See you all tomorrow for Reconnect Through Music ๐ŸŽถ and Friday for our Silent Disco Christmas Party ๐ŸŽง๐ŸŽ„

Reconnect Through Music

Todayโ€™s Reconnect Through Music session was full of energy, joy, and festive spirit! With 22 fantastic performances, members showcased a brilliant range of songs โ€” from heartfelt ballads to upbeat Christmas classics. The hall looked magical thanks to the Christmas decorations ๐ŸŽ„โœจ, creating the perfect atmosphere for a fun and welcoming afternoon.

A few highlights from todayโ€™s performers:

Matilda sang “Wild Heart” by The Vamps ๐Ÿ’™
Mandy gave a powerful performance of “The Power of Love” by Jennifer Rush ๐ŸŒŸ
Theresa performed “If I Never See You Again” by Wet Wet Wet ๐ŸŽถ
Anthony sang “Hungry Eyes” by Eric Carmen ๐Ÿ‘€๐Ÿ’—
Ffion performed “Nice To Meet You” by Myles Smith ๐ŸŽต

Christmas Songs ๐ŸŽ…๐ŸŽ„

Susan sang “Mistletoe and Wine”
Ellysia performed “All I Want for Christmas Is You” ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ’–
Sean shared a lovely version of “Away in a Manger”
Adrian treated us to “Blue Christmas” ๐Ÿ’™๐ŸŽ„

All performers brought enthusiasm, confidence, and festive spirit to the stage. Well done, everyone! ๐Ÿ‘โœจ In addition everyone enjoyed a delicious buffet of hot dogs prepared by Christy, Cheryl, Zoe, and Helen ๐ŸŒญ๐Ÿ˜‹. 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! ๐ŸŽค๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ๐Ÿค๐Ÿฝ๏ธ
Ellie and Becky loved dancing ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐ŸŽถ
Anthony shared that he loves everyone who attends! โค๏ธ๐Ÿฅฐ

Todayโ€™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. Itโ€™s clear that these sessions help people feel connected, confident, and part of a supportive community.

๐ŸŽ„โœจ A Magical Christmas Party!

On Friday we had the most wonderful time celebrating together at our Christmas party ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿ•บ We enjoyed a silent disco, with our lovely Daren keeping the party going with a disco in between ๐ŸŽถ๐ŸŽง

๐ŸŽ… We were thrilled to have a visit from Santa, and of course the naughty Grinch who tried to steal everyoneโ€™s selection boxes ๐Ÿ˜†๐ŸŽ 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 ๐ŸŽ„๐Ÿคถ ๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ We also had some fantastic raffle prizes โ€“ well done to all our winners! ๐Ÿ‘

It truly was a day full of Christmas joy, smiles, and togetherness โค๏ธ A huge thank you from us all at Caerphilly People First to our amazing volunteers ๐ŸŒŸ We couldnโ€™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 ๐Ÿ™

๐ŸŽ„โค๏ธ We wish you all a very Merry Christmas, filled with love, joy, and happiness. Weโ€™ll see you all again in January โ€“ take care and thank you for being part of our People First family โค๏ธโœจ