Tag Archives: Self advocacy

Reconnect Through Music Session ☀️🎶

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Today’s Reconnect Through Music session was a fantastic success, with a brilliant turnout on a beautiful sunny day 🌞. The room was full, creating a lively and welcoming atmosphere as everyone came together to enjoy over 20 amazing performances from our talented members 🎤✨.

We kicked off the session in style with Ellysia performing Dancing Queen by ABBA 💃, instantly getting everyone in the mood. Anthony kept the energy high with Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson 🎶, followed by Sean’s great rendition of Oh Julie by Shakin’ Stevens 🎤. Amy delivered a powerful performance of Undo by Sanna Nielsen 🌟, and Kelvin brought plenty of charm with Living Doll by Cliff Richard 🎸. Alongside these, there were many other wonderful performances that kept the room buzzing throughout.

It was brilliant to see so many smiling faces 😊, with members singing along, dancing 💃🕺, and really enjoying the session together. The atmosphere was, as always, warm, inclusive, and full of positivity. We were also delighted to welcome two new members, Benjamin and Callum 👋—it was great to have you join us!

A big thank you goes to Pete for setting everything up 🎛️, and to Christy, Cheryl, and Helen for preparing a lovely lunch 🍽️. Most importantly, thank you to all our members who continue to make each session so memorable 💙.

💬 Feedback from today:
🗣️ “I love this session so much, with all my friends around me.” – Anthony
🗣️ “It’s a helpful and happy atmosphere, and fun.” – Ceri

We’re already looking forward to the next session! 🎶✨

No Cash, No Rights Protest

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Yesterday we joined together outside the senedd alongside Torfaen People First ,Cwm Taff people first, All Wales People First, and other People First groups and Mencap for a peaceful protest about something that really matters ❤️

No cash = no rights.

For many adults with learning disabilities, cash isn’t just money — it’s independence, choice, and control. Not everyone has a bank card. Not everyone can use a cash machine. Some people in supported living are given a cash allowance to manage their daily lives. Taking cash away takes away freedom. We need a society where people can choose cash and card — not one or the other. Because real inclusion means making sure everyone can take part.

We made our voices heard loud and proud 🎶
We sang a brilliant song written by Cwm Taff members and chanted: “Keep cash, keep choice, listen to every voice!”

This is so important. A cashless society risks leaving people behind — and that’s not okay. Everyone deserves to feel confident, included, and in control of their own money. After the protest, we had a lovely walk around the bay and enjoyed some ice cream 🍦 …but unfortunately, they didn’t take cash — which just shows exactly why this campaign matters. Thank you Cwm Taff People First for inviting us to join you at this important protest 🪧🗣💸

Let’s keep raising awareness.
Let’s keep pushing for change.
Let’s keep cash, keep choice, and listen to every voice 💬✨

Reconnect Through Cookery 🍝

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What a fantastic session we had on Friday! Our members cooked up a delicious lasagne made with 5% lean minced beef, served with fresh salad and sides. 🥗 Our wonderful members worked hard preparing the salad, chopping lettuce, tomatoes, onions, spring onions, cucumber and peppers. We also enjoyed peas and garlic bread with our meal. Everything tasted amazing! 😋

A big thank you to Natalie for being our brilliant quiz master 🧠 and Sian for calling the bingo numbers 🎱 – lots of laughs and fun as always! Huge thanks to all our volunteers for their hard work in the kitchen 👏Thank you to Anthony for sweeping the hall 🧹 and Peter the caretaker for setting up the tables for us.

The atmosphere was lovely, the food was delicious, and most importantly our members absolutely love this group and the positive impact it has on them. Sessions like this bring people together, build friendships, and help everyone learn new skills while having fun. ❤️
We’ll see you all Wednesday for our Reconnect Through Music session 🎶

Reconnect Through Music – Today’s Session

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We had a fantastic time at this morning’s Reconnect Through Music session! Our members were in great voice and together sang an amazing 25 songs, matching the beautiful sunshine outside. 🌞🎤 We heard favourites both old and new, and every performance was wonderful. Here are just a few of today’s highlights:

🎵 Sean sang Going Underground by The Jam
🎵 Ellysia performed Can’t Get You Out of My Head by Kylie
🎵 Theresa gave us a lovely version of Eternal Flame by The Bangles
🎵 Anthony sang Against All Odds by Phil Collins
🎵 Christine performed Material Girl by Madonna
🎵 Morgan and Mandy performed a brilliant duet of Seasons in the Sun by Westlife

We truly loved every single performance – thank you to everyone who sang and supported each other. 💙 A big thank you as well to Christy, Cheryl and Zoe for preparing our delicious pizza lunch 🍕 and to Pete for setting up the hall ready for the session. It was also wonderful to welcome two new members to their first session — a big welcome to Robbie and Joe! 👋 We hope you enjoyed your first Reconnect Through Music experience.

💬 Some lovely feedback from today:

Chris said he enjoyed interacting with people
Judith enjoyed meeting new people
Olivia enjoyed the lovely atmosphere

Thank you to everyone who came along and made the session so special. We’re already looking forward to the next one! 🎶✨

Gardening Report

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Today we visited the TARAGGAN Educational Gardens and continued digging and weeding on our plot 🌱🧑‍🌾 Everyone worked really hard and the plot is really starting to take shape – we’re so proud of the progress! Huge well done to our amazing volunteers 💚👏 The beautiful flowers have started to bloom 🌼🌸 and it really feels like spring is almost here!

Just a reminder that we won’t be at the gardens next week as we’ll be welcoming the lovely Gerraint from All Wales People First to talk about their manifesto and Adfest. The meeting starts at 11am – you’re very welcome to join us 🗣️✨ TARAGGAN is always looking for volunteers who have knowledge and some time to spare. If you think you could help, please get in touch 🙌🌿

Reconnect Through Music – Session Report 🎤✨

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We had another fantastic Reconnect Through Music session this morning! The room was full of energy, laughter, and brilliant performances as we sang an amazing 28 songs together. 🎵💃 Our members brought us a wonderful mix of classics and hidden gems, covering music from the 1950s right through to the 2020s – what a journey through the decades, and what a joy to see everyone dancing, smiling, and socialising 🕺📻🎶 It was also lovely to welcome two new members, Cheryl and Claire, to their very first session with us. We hope you both enjoyed it and felt the warm Reconnect Through Music spirit! We were treated to so many brilliant performances, including:

Hywel and Kelvin – bringing us some fantastic Cliff Richard favourites 🎸
Rebecca – with a toe-tapping rendition of 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton 🤠
Adrian and Andrew – rocking the room with a couple of Elvis classics 🕺✨
Sean – getting us Eurovision-ready with Making Your Mind Up by Bucks Fizz 🎉
Christine – bringing the party vibes with We Like to Party by Vengaboys 🚌🎶
Ffion and Amy – delivering two powerful Tina Turner classics 🔥🎤
Anthony – leading us in a triumphant We Are the Champions by Queen 👑🙌

And of course, there were many more brilliant performances that kept the atmosphere buzzing all morning! 🌈🎼A big thank you to Christy and Cheryl for preparing our delicious lunch of ham and cheese rolls and crisps – it was very much appreciated after all that singing! 😋👏Thank you to everyone who took part and made today’s session so special. We can’t wait to do it all again in two weeks! 🎶💙

Gardening at TARAGGAN

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Today we visited TARAGGAN Educational Gardens 🌱✨ It was lovely and fresh with the sun shining ☀️ but still a little chilly ❄️ We started digging on our plot and over the next few weeks we’ll continue working on it to get everything ready for planting 🌼We’ll be volunteering at TARAGGAN every Tuesday from 10:30am – 12pm ⏰ If you’d like to join us, we’d love to see you 💚🙌

Reconnect Through Cookery 👩‍🍳🥔🧀💕

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On Friday we made a delicious cheese and potato pie 😋 Our members worked hard preparing fresh salad with tomatoes 🍅, cucumber 🥒 and lettuce 🥗 to go alongside it. We also served ham with the pie – it was absolutely delicious!

We were pleased to welcome a trainee social worker who visited to see the fantastic work we deliver in the community 💬💙 We also had a fun Valentine’s quiz ❤️🧠 which everyone really enjoyed! As always, we had lots of fun with bingo 🎉 and even a little dance from Sian and Paula 💃🕺 which made everyone smile!

A huge thank you to our amazing volunteers 🙌 Your support makes these sessions so special. The feedback from members was great as always 🌟See you all on Wednesday for music! 🎶🎤

Reconnect Through Music

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Today’s Reconnect Through Music session was packed with talent, energy, and big smiles all round 😄✨ The room was buzzing from start to finish, with our members singing an incredible 28 songs — and even then, the singing carried on while we were packing up! 🎤🎶 We were treated to a fantastic mix of classics and favourites:

🎧 Ellysia kicked things off in style with Saturday Night by Whigfield
🚒 Sean took us back to the 60s with Fire Brigade by The Move
🎵 Ffion and Amy delivered a brilliant duet of Valerie by Amy Winehouse
❤️ Anthony sang a heartfelt performance of Amazed by Lonestar
🎸 Kelvin gave us two great songs by Cliff Richard
🌙 Natalie performed Different Corner by George Michael
👯‍♀️ The twins, Christine and Elizabeth, wowed us with Let It Go from Frozen and The Best by Tina Turner
🕺 Chris stole the show by dressing up as Elvis and singing Hound Dog! 🎤🕶️

During lunch, everyone enjoyed delicious hot dogs prepared in the kitchen by Christy 🌭👏 — a much-appreciated treat! A big thank you to Pete for arranging everything at the centre and helping make the session run smoothly 👍 And of course, a huge thank you to our amazing members for attending and making every music session such a joyful occasion 💖🎶 As always, the session was full of singing, dancing, laughter, and smiles, and it was a pleasure to be part of it 😊💃🕺We’re already looking forward to the next one! 🎼✨

Midwifery Training at the University of South Wales

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✨ Yesterday Amy, Nat and Gethin visited the University of South Wales, Glyntaff working in the simulation suite with Year 3 Learning Disability and Midwifery students 👶🩺 Nat and Gethin played the fantastic role of new parents with a baby just a few days old, while Amy took on the role of a pregnant patient 🤰👏 These real-life scenarios helped future nurses better understand the experiences of adults with a learning disability.

💬 We talked about how everyone must work together to support adults with learning disabilities before, during and after pregnancy, ensuring parents are supported, cared for and understood, and giving families the best chance to raise a family together 💞 The students were amazing 👏 They learned not only from the “patients” but from each other, working across different fields.

Key topics included:
📄 Easy Read information
🗣️ Clear communication — no jargon
📘 Health profiles and why they are so important

This session highlighted the crucial role of all nurses, especially Learning Disability nurses, in delivering inclusive, person-centred care ❤️ 🎓 Interested in becoming a Learning Disability Nurse? You can enrol at universities like USW and make a real difference supporting people with learning disabilities and their families every day 💙 Another successful visit with so much learned by everyone — thank you USW Treforest! 👏✨