LIFE4LIVING PONTYPRIDD “Spring” NEWSLETTER

Welcome to Life4Living Pontypridd’s 5th newsletter, which hi-lights what’s been happening lately and the exciting plans

for the future. The group is open where people can

come along as and when it suits them, in a very informal way and feel

welcome and valued. The ethos of Life4Living is very

inclusive (all ages, abilities/disabilities) and the focus is to

promote people’s strengths to enjoy life no matter what has happened in

the past. Please come along if you want to start getting out and about and make new

friends. Everyone who drops in is given a buddy to help them settle in and we can arrange speakers or activities that

interest you personally. So there’s every reason to come along

and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Our motto is ‘promoting friendship, enjoyment and a positive attitude’.

Updated Bucket Lists – With so many new members we discuss

bucket lists and how writing one can give you more reason to look

forward to the future. Birthday Parties Galore – From Rhiann to

Rodney and everything in between, join in the celebrations and

don’t forget to grab your piece of birthday cake!

1st Anniversary Party Time – Can you believe Life4Living is a year old in May? Let’s reminisce and plan an exciting 2nd year, after celebrating with a 2 course sit down meal – with our first annual (AGM) annual general meeting to come in this month of May. Depression Busting Techniques – Find out how simple techniques and strategies like keeping a gratitude diary can improve the quality of your thoughts and life! Poetry Workshop

Discover the therapeutic effect of writing and reading poetry.

Pamper Time (Because you deserve it!) – Chill out and get

spruced up with another visit from Marcia. From Junk to

Jewells – An interactive demonstration and display of making

stunning jewellery from things you would normally throw away.

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Pontypridd

May 2013 Volume 1, Issue 5

Saint David’s day Celebrations

Every Wednesday Afternoon: 1 – 4 Pm Pontypridd Daycentre,

Ynysangharad War Memorial Park

Newsletter, Produced, Designed & Printed

By The Group Treasurer: Mr Keith Evans

New members who joined our group here in the Pontypridd Daycentre earlier this year were here with us along with members from our sister groups from Beddau & Gellie at our 1st Birthday Luncheon to celebrate our first year together. And looking forward with antipredation has to what this our second year has in store for us??????????

Making the Most of your life

Bucket lists are an on-going theme of

Life4Living and to find out how you can benefit and look forward to your exciting future – come

along and get working on your very own list!

***NEWS***NEWS***NEWS***NEWS***NEWS***NEWS***NEWS***NEWS*** A new group has been set up on Thursdays in Pontypridd Daycentre 11.30am – 1pm called Singing4The Soul, Everyone is most welcome to join there is no auditions involved to join the Thursday morning sinalong, just a nicely tuned voice, but has with us, that is not always necessary to have loads of fun if you are brave enough to join the Thursday morning club. Contact our group secretary Miss Rhiann Johns on 077134 29668 for further information or better still seek us out on our social network feeds on Facebook & Twitter or pop along on the day and have a conflab with our group chairwoman Samantha.

Sad farewell to a Close &

Much Loved Dear Friend.

We were all left shell shocked once again recently to discover that we had all lost one our original members of our Life4Living group when we were first formed a year ago. Dennis was one of those, chaps of whom would do anything for you at the drop of a hat; he was a true gentleman to one & all he will be sadly missed by us all. Especially for his kindness, dry wit, and most of all his generosity and warmth towards one when you got to know him, like we had the wonderful opportunity to do so.

Meet The Members............................. This edition we find about Rhiann Johns, of whom was elected to our group secretary last year for the Pontypridd, Life4Living Group.

My name is Rhiann & I the group secretary for ‘Life4 Living’ here in Pontypridd. I was introduced to the group by my social worker as due to a neurological condition I am unable to get out of the house unaccompanied, so as a result I am stuck in the house alone for the majority of the time, watching television & going on to the internet, to occupying myself with writing my very own blog (online diary) to connect with other people on the net. After enjoying three years at University studying Psychology & spending a lot of time with friends it was very hard being on my own a lot & so I became very lonely & isolated & I was looking for a group to join to enable to get out of the house & to meet new people & to start enjoying life again…Pontypridd’s Life4Living group is just the answer for me. & if you too enjoy meeting new people & having a laugh – THEN COME ALONG!!

Life4Living, is all about enjoying your life, without dwelling on about how much water has gone under the bridge in the past…….

It’s a fact that regardless of how we feel about things, & has what’s gone on, we cannot change things, because the past has been & gone. The future however, is a very different thing. Lots of people believe that the reason why this time in our lives is called the present, because it is a gift – IF YOU want to make the most of your present time & start living your life with a little enthusiasm & look forward to the future, why not join us at Life4Living, Pontypridd & have some fun with like minded People. Who know’s what’s waiting around the corner for us. Enjoy your life for once & let your hair down.

I Life4Living Pontypridd celebrates each & every person’s individual strengths & positive attitudes for living life to the full. Never looking back on the past too much only forward from now on.

If you would like to discuss attending the group please ring the Pontypridd Disability Team on: 01443 : 486731 or alternatively Life4Living Group Secretary Miss Rhiann Johns on 077134 : 29668.

When a celebration beckons members rally round to purchase gifts & a card for the group member by paying an extra donation along with one’s weekly membership refreshment’s fee to pay for them. We also rally round when someone passes away whether it is an actual member (like above that occurred recently) to purchase a card to send to the deceased member’s to show respect to the family that the friendship that their family member showed to the group whilst living will be greatly missed.

Little gestures of kindness and the simple things in life mean so much, so it has been decided that if member’s aren’t able to attend group member meetings any reason & their friends within the group are not aware of how they are & to fathom the reason why they are not at the meeting, group secretary Rhiann will give the member a curtsey call just to check that they are ok.

This thoughtful telephone call will also help to put the member’s friends mind to rest has to the reason why one is running late. This agreement will come into play if an individual member did not leave a reason at the previous group meeting to say they would be slight late or they would have to miss the next meeting due to a prior appointment elsewhere the following week.

A Very Warm Welcome To New Members of The Pontypridd Life4Living Group

One of the most important principles of the Life4Living Group is to accept & value all the

members to really foster & develop & to respect each other’s views on different subjects in order

to develop warm lifelong friendships for one another.

And the group has decided to show care for all new & current members.

&

Getting 2 Know U

Also in this edition we meet the second of members of whom helps keep the ship on an even keel, has it were. Your group treasurer: Mr Keith Evans who was elected group treasurer last year. At this he is helping other group members seek funding for excursions out along with funding for the possibility of purchasing our very own vehicle. Plus funds to refurbish our Pontypridd base.

My experience of being Pontypridd’s Life4Living

Treasurer so far………………………………………..

Has a child growing up through the 1960’s & 70’s not being all too bright through my school years. I did not go through mainstream schooling entirely through that period in my life. I went through other centres attached to other mainstream schools, mainly in the Rhondda at first before ending up in one based here in Pontypridd, before ending up in a work experience course based at the former Rhydyfelin Technical College.

It was not until much later in life did I get the first chance & taste of adult further education even though it was in England of all places. I moved up there briefly with my late Mum, so that Sister Cheryl & her family would help to look after her. It did not work out that way though because my sixth sense kicked in to say that everything was not right with mum, she was not at all happy with the situation at the time. To cut a long storey short I got us moved to a sheltered housing complex up there in South Yorkshire, where mum was much happier for a wee while, before her health took a turn for the worse & she passed suddenly, with me by her side. There is not a single day that goes by when I do not stop & think her. But I have made a solemn promise to do right by her & archive all that I can to better myself under my steam with the time that I have remaining. The one ambition that I have that would make my late mum proud of me. Is to find a partner & possibly a son or daughter of my very own. Now wouldn’t that be something. If I can get someone to help me get over my shyness a wee bit then one perhaps, might

make one’s main objective in life come true?.

Coming bang up-to-date now, I now have quite a few college course certificates to my name. from Barnsley college of further education & once I had completed the move back home to be near family here, to start life all over again ‘alone in the world’ I Eventually obtained quite a few certificates from Coleg Morghannwg

between 2003/05 I was one of the very first

people to complete & pass one the first courses of Welsh Tripart Tight course in Wales. I even got to meet the then Welsh Education Minister Jane Davidson she handed me my completed Course certificate, I did not think anyone of us was going to get to meet her at all on the day, never mind having our course certificates being given & presented to us by such a V.I.P. We had a buffet lunch afterwards at an adjoining at the Wales Millennium Centre; also we got to see Billie Piper & David Tennant, filming outdoor scenes for Doctor Who through the windows as well.

I have not been in adult further education since 2005. I would like to take some further courses though to update my skills, has technology has moved on a bit since then with a wrath of new devices on the market now. Any further courses if any, I do apply to join will be have to be part-time like before, that said I would have to take in account the new UK Government benefit coming in effect across the whole of country this year 2013.

But I am having a ball at the moment, being treasurer of the Life4Living, Community Social Group here at the Pontypridd Daycentre, Ynysangharad War Memorial Park. I am putting some of my IT skills learnt over the years, producing this newsletter for my group, in addition to keeping the books in my treasury role.

To be continued……………………………

It’s Goodbye to a Dear Friend

We here, that’s all the membership of the inaugural group of the very first Life4Living Group Wish our founder Melaney Jones, of the Pontypridd ‘Disability Team’ all the best in her new job. Overseeing the Llantrisant area of RCT, we all wish her the very best in her new role there. That doesn’t mean she won’t be missed here, she will certainly will be, without her infectious enthusiasm, it will a quieter place around here I think? But we have Marcia & uhda to look in on us. Melaney has said she will still be dropping by from time to time to say hello, but will not be In overall control of her first inaugural group. ALL THE VERY BEST MEL, FROM ALL OF US!!!

It’s This Lady Here, Who Will Be Greatly Missed

Every great dream begins with a dreamer.

Always remember, you have within you the

strength, the patience, and the passion to

reach for the stars to change the world.

A big thank you to Colin for allowing me to reproduce his photographs for this group newsletter. My very first one after taking over the responsibility from Melaney.

I had a very difficult childhood; my mother had her first stroke when I was 3 years of age. Was epileptic & suffered from diabetes. My father was working so I became her carer; I was responsible for all the household duties, shopping, cleaning & ironing, as well as helping her with her personal care. I often had to miss school, even had to help with her insulin injections. This went on for years. I did not get any support from anyone, my father was extremely violent towards me, but I thought this was just normal so I did not tell anyone. Then my father had a breakdown, so I ended up caring for him as well.

I met my husband & we had two children together. Looking back on things now, I rushed into things too quickly as I wanted to leave my past life behind me. Things were fine for a while, but then my husband lost his job& then he became very emotionally & physically abusive towards me. Whilst I still cared for mum& looked after the family, whilst holding down a job of my own. Things became too much for me & I had a breakdown myself ‘the first of two’ I totally withdrew from life & spent the following six months in bed. A physiatrist was called to the house, I persuaded not to hospitalise me has I was scared that my children would be taken into care, so he

prescribed tranquilizers for me.

I tried to carry on with life; I refocused on caring

for others so I didn’t have to think of my own

problems in my own life, too much. By this time

I was also caring for my father of whom had

been diagnosed with cancer. There are large

parts of my life of which I do not really want to

revisit too often. I just went through the

motions. The strong medication made feel as if I

was cloud nine, as though I was disconnected

from the world.

The mental health support I received was very limited, I did happen to see a physiatrist, but was mainly to review just the medication that they had put me on, along with some support from out-patients, such as relaxation. I did not receive any cognitive therapies to talk through problems I was having at the time. The only cognitive therapies I did eventually receive was when my father passed away. And

the therapy I received was from CRUISE.

My G.P informed me that I needed to come off

The tranquilisers, the only advice I received that was given to me was to do it very slowly. I was not given any practical support & ended up having the second of

two brakdowns.

My sons eventually married & left home, I replaced the gap that they had left me with by caring for my neighbours. I took care of other people to avoid looking to my own

predicaments in my own life.

Meet The Member’s…………..

Moy’s Story

Eventually after having the breakdown, I begun seeing a new physiatrist who was much more supportive towards me. I spent the following six months going back & forth to the day hospital, where I attended occupational therapy sessions, of which was very therapeutic & helpful. I then attended a self-management course at the Maritime centre, I made new friends there & we learnt to support one another. I am still in touch with friends I made there to this very day. For the very first time in my life I well & truly believed in myself for once. Since attending that course, I have attended another self-management course with The Mental Health Foundation and we are aiming to continue as a peer support group. I am also a member of the service user involvement project based at Interlink. It has been a very long journey, indeed for me, but I finally feel that I reached journey’s end & now at last I feel I have some peace & solitude in my life. It is good to be able to use one’s experience in one’s life to help and

support other people.

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