our work with adults with additional needs
In March of 2020, when the pandemic hit, we were contacted by the amazing Adrienne Earls, a manager of the wonderful team at Skills and Volunteering Cymru. The adults she worked with couldn’t comprehend why all their activities and social get togethers had abruptly ended and, having heard of our popular sessions with children, she asked if we would be interested in putting something in place for SVC’s service users. Always up for a new challenge we leapt at the chance! We began with a month of pre-recorded sessions put together by Stef’s tirelessly supportive husband Huw with both of us independently singing, dancing and chatting to our imagined audience. Once these were well received we moved onto live weekly zoom sessions. These quickly grew in popularity and numbers and we all had great fun getting to know each other and people's musical tastes.
The plan was always for these to become live events and in late 2021 we were lucky enough to receive a lottery grant which enabled us to launch weekly live sessions at
Capel. Having reached out to a geographically wide ranging audience through affiliation with Innovate Trust and their ground-breaking Insight app. The app is a safeguarded online space for people with additional needs to come together and enjoy a variety of events and activities. We decided that these hybrid sessions needed to continue for those living outside of the area (we have online attendees from as far away as Glasgow and Colwyn Bay) in addition to those able to attend in real life. Since September 2021 we have been running hybrid sessions with both zoom and in person attendees, rocking out with a group of people with a wide range of disabilities. We have themed weeks, sometimes tying in with issues which resonate with our group such as “wear odd socks to raise awareness for Downs day” but sometimes just for the fun of dressing up in Country and Western gear! Many of our attendees use sign language and we regularly spotlight one of the wonderful peer leaders as she leads us all in signing along to a song, 'Reach for the Stars' being a firm favourite.
We have come to know and love so many of our attendees and it has been humbling to see how their confidence has grown over time. Here are just a few examples of the growth and development that we have witnessed:
J is a lovely 40 year old man with Downs Syndrome who had been reluctant to engage in group sessions. When we first started our online sessions he was very shy, saying little and not really participating. However, he continued to turn up every week and we have seen his confidence grow and his wonderful kind personality has been revealed. He is now happy to share in group chats, is very vocal in his song choices and has on occasions felt able to become quite emotional when sharing sad family news and says he feels much better for sharing his emotions with his friends. He is a great fan of "Strictly" and once his confidence had grown he would always dance along in his room (his speciality is the waltz to a Boyband track). We have felt privileged that he has overcome his shyness enough to join us at real live sessions and we have felt incredibly emotional ourselves when he has taken us by the hand and led us in a slow dance. James has become a much loved member of the group, sharing his kindness and empathy with all who attend.
C has limited communication and when he first came to the group was obviously uncomfortable making eye contact and mixing with the group. He is sensory seeking and would stand right in front of the speaker or gaze at one of the projected lights. Again, with regular attendance we have seen huge growth in his development and confidence. Christian now holds our eye and flashes a fleeting smile when greeted on arrival. A huge breakthrough was when he was handed a fake microphone which he now holds as if singing along to each session. When we receive another fleeting smile and high fives we know we’ve chosen a song he especially likes. He still loves his place near the speaker but will now face the rest of the group and sway along to the beat. We’ve also given him a mic to take home which his carers say encourages him to be vocal with them in his home environment.
K was anxious and concerned when she first attended. Constantly asking her carers questions. After only attending a few times she now smiles, joins in, loves a dance move, following our every groove! The carers now get to sit back, have a break and enjoy watching Kim relax and have fun.
K sat outside the room for 1st two weeks, very anxious and unsure about joining in. Now, although she likes to stay seated with her carers, she joins us in the room shaking an instrument to the beat and rocking out to the music.