Tag Archives: Learning Disability

Relationship Course in Aberystwyth

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Last week Ffion, supported by Christy, travelled to Aberystwyth to deliver her relationship course to Mencap Ceredigion and Our Voice Our Choice. We kicked off by playing the Skittles game, which we use to get to know each other and make everyone feel comfortable. During the course, which Ffion provided for the two groups over two days, she covered friendships, how to make friends, how to deal with arguments, what makes a good boyfriend and girlfriend, online safety, then finished off with a game of relationship Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Thank you to Anita and Carl for the lovely flowers and thank you card, and also for making friendship bracelets for the group.

The Our Voice Our Choice group said this about the training:

Excellent turn out and very informative about safety online when making friends, online dating, what is a good friend, what is a bad friend, how to make friends and so much more. A massive thank you to Ffion and Christy.

Gardening Group

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Head Gardener Morgan Jones:

Yesterday me, Christy, Gethin, Rees, and the twins Chris & Anthony went up to TARAGGAN allotments and started by taking all the plant pots up to the top of the allotments, so they could be planted into the soil later on. When it was about 11:00ish, me… Gethin, Rees & Kyle were in the middle of hoeing the patch we were working on and I asked Samantha what we were going to plant, and she said “onions, my lovely.” By the time all the onions had been planted into the ground, it was time for me and the others to clean any tools we were using and then we headed back down to the YMCA for us all to have our lunch.

Crafts

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At yesterday’s crafts session our members made braided fabric keychains and bracelets. They plaited their favourite colours and attached them to keychains. Some members also made name bracelets out of beads and elastic. Everyone enjoyed the activities and catching up with friends, sharing their bank holiday memories over a cuppa. Thank you to Cheryl & Zoe for volunteering to facilitate the session.


We don’t have craft next Tuesday afternoon, but we will be going out for a local walk. If you would like to join us, we will be leaving Bargoed YMCA at 12:30pm.

Gardening

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Well done to our volunteers who worked on our plots at TARAGGAN Educational Gardens yesterday. It was a cold and windy one, but we were finally able to work on the plots with the helping hands of Kyle Richards, Samantha, Sian Price, and Dillon, who showed us how to hoe the land and plant onions.

CPF is at TARAGGAN Educational Gardens & Nursery every Tuesday from 10:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. Please feel free to join us!

Reconnect through Cookery

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On Friday our members were busy making lasagne. They prepped mushrooms and onions to add to the ragu and cauliflower, and carrots and broccoli to serve on the side. Members also enjoyed a quiz hosted by Sarah, and took part in a consultation with Liz Sharma and a member of the team from Caerphilly Council about recycling.

Thank you so much to all our lovely, hard-working volunteers. We don’t have a cookery session next week, so we’ll see you all on Friday May 10th for pasta bake.

Reconnect through Music

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Yesterday our members had a blast singing their favorite songs with Daniel Fitzgerald from RecRock. It was awesome to see some new faces join the group and participate in singing songs by the likes of ABBA, Dolly Parton, Bread, and Robbie Williams. These sessions are perfect for meeting new people, making friends, and having fun!

A big shoutout to Jeremy James and Shaun at Libanus Lifestyle Centre for providing us with the delicious hotdogs!

Health and Social Care Changes

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There was no craft session yesterday, so our members gathered to discuss health and social care changes. What is social care? Social care services support people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities/illnesses, and mental illnesses. This support covers practical activities, personal care, and social work, helping recipients live comfortably.

We talked about service changes since the pandemic. Some have experienced positive changes with support staff and daytime opportunities, while others have struggled to get health appointments and face-to-face contact with social workers. Thanks to Cheryl Smith and Zoe Dummett for facilitating today’s group.

Gardening Group

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Yesterday our volunteers planted chives at TARAGGAN Educational Gardens & Nursery. Chives are green herbs with long, green stems used to flavor a dish or as a garnish. Chives are in the lily family, but they’re related to onions as well. Like onions, they are bulbous perennials, but you’ll likely never see the bulbs unless you’re a gardener. Thanks to Kyle Richards, Samantha Sian Price, and Dillon for teaching us how to do this correctly. See you next week.

Homes Not Hospitals Protest

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Last week Caerphilly People First staff and members were at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay for a peaceful protest arranged by All Wales People First, titled ‘Homes Not Hospitals: Stolen Lives’.

The aim of the protest was to bring publicity to the campaign of families for the release of people with learning disabilities and/or autism, who are trapped in mental health hospitals in Wales.

Our members Ffion, Gethin and Natalie were there with their banners, protesting about this awful policy which condemns people to hospital, just because the resources aren’t there to entitle them to live in the community.

It was great to see so many people there, and it is hoped that decision makers in the Senedd will listen to our pleas and do something about this inhumane policy where people with learning disabilities are locked up like prisoners.