Tag Archives: Training

Cookery Course Week 2

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What a fantastic turnout we had for our second cookery session – funded by the Comic Relief Community Fund in Wales – which was attended by 24 people! As suggested by Louise last week, we cooked chicken fajitas, which tasted amazing. Massive thanks to everyone who volunteered, and we’ll see you all next week when we’ll be making pizza, as suggested by Amelia.

Here are some of the comments we received from those attending:

Jordan – I enjoyed chopping up the peppers and eating all the biscuits. I had lots of fun.

Louise – It was really positive, and good to feel part of the community.

Amelia – I enjoyed meeting new people and learning to cook. The staff are lovely and helpful.

Adrian – I enjoyed speaking to people and learning new skills.

Audrey – I enjoyed helping to cut the food and having cups of tea. It’s an amazing group.

Mark – I liked getting out and meeting people, and trying something new to eat – I really enjoyed the food.

Independent Living Skills

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During yesterday’s Independent Living Skills course run by Austistic Minds we talked about coping techniques and creating a coping skills toolbox. This is a place for you to keep things that calm you down in periods of distress. The group learned about various coping techniques such as self-soothing (comforting yourself using different techniques), distraction (taking your mind off things by doing something that makes you happy), keeping a diary to express your feelings, and meditation. Next week we will be learning more about personal hygiene, including shaving.

Focus Group Art Session

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Yesterday we enjoyed our third session with Elizabeth from the Islwyn Arts Art and Wellbeing project. The group drew and coloured animals and insects – including butterflies, hedgehogs, wasps and bees – for our nature canvas. We also painted the two canvas backgrounds which we will transfer the animals and insects onto at a later session. #communityempowerment

Cookery Course

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Great start to our Cookery project last week which has been funded by #ComicRelief Community Fund in Wales! This project will help our local community by encouraging people to eat healthier and become more independent.

We’d like to thank everyone who volunteered on the launch day of the project, particularly Natalie who suggested making leek and potato soup (eaten with a warm baguette), a perfect choice for a cold and frosty day. The food was delicious and the positive feedback from the group was great to hear.

The course continues Friday 27th January at 10.30am at Fleur-de-Lys community centre. You are welcome to book a place on 07940 474640, but hurry because the class is almost full!

Comic Relief Community Fund in Wales

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We have received £3,000 from the Comic Relief Community Fund in Wales to fund a community group where adults with learning disabilities will come together and learn basic cookery skills, how to use kitchen equipment, and how to prepare a healthy meal.  Many of our members have gained weight during the pandemic and want to learn how to cook healthier meals. Some members have told us that they would like to live independently in the future, and would like to learn basic cooking skills to give them to confidence to do so.

The sessions will also make a difference to the lives of our members by giving them the opportunity to socialise in a group environment and make new friends, reducing isolation and loneliness, and improving mental health. We will be holding 13 sessions in total, and they will begin on Friday 20th from 10:30am-2:30pm at Fleur-De-Lys Community Centre. They are free to attend for anyone with a learning disability, and if anyone is interested in attending they can contact Ffion on 07488 350518.

#ComicRelief

Focus Group Activities

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Yesterday we began our 5 week art course with Elizabeth from Islwyn Arts. The team decided to produce one big artwork which everyone will contribute to rather than individual pieces of art. The group wanted the theme of the art to be nature, and we all drew things associated with nature (birds, flowers, butterflies), which Elizabeth will scan and use for the final artwork. We all really enjoyed expressing ourselves and can’t wait for the other sessions.

Also yesterday we were joined by Victoria and Jo from Autistic Minds who delivered Independent Living Skills (ILS) training to the group. We spoke about confidence, and were asked to point out things we are confident and not confident about, and need assistance with. This is a six week course and we’re really excited to learn more.

Autistic Minds Living Skills

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The team at Caerphilly People First recently met with the outreach team from Autistic Minds to discuss the skills courses they have on offer. Our members decided that they would like to learn more about living skills such as: cooking, shopping, cleaning, budgeting money, understanding bills, and many more. The group will be taking part in these skills workshops in the near future, and they are open to all who are interested.

Hate Crime Training

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Hate Crime Awareness week 2022 ran from Sunday 9th to Sunday 16th October. On Thursday 13th October we delivered hate crime training at the Fleur-de-Lys community centre. Ffion, the trainer, talked about:

  • Examples of hate crime
  • Reasons for hate crime
  • Who can carry out hate crime
  • Where hate crime can happen
  • How to spot hate crime
  • Who you can report it to
  • How to keep safe at home and in public
  • How to keep safe when using your phone or the internet

We also watched some videos produced by Newport People First, showing four people with learning disabilities talking about their experience of hate crime. Ffion ended the session by handing out easy-read leaflets co-produced by Caerphilly People First, which cover many of the topics included in her presentation, and also include useful telephone numbers and website addresses.

Relationship Course

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On 6th October Ffion held her third relationship course, this time at Neuadd St Catwg Community hall in Gelligaer. The group spoke about the differences between men’s and women’s bodies, and what people call their private parts. We did an exercise called “you can touch me here” where we used pictures of men’s and women’s bodies and highlighted different areas in three colours: green for areas you are happy for anyone to touch, yellow for areas only those closet to you can touch, and red for areas that are private and just for you to touch. Ffion stated: ‘this was one of my favourite sessions so far; everyone enjoyed the session, and people weren’t too shy to ask questions’.