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What’s New At PSU? Our Current Projects

Posted on Oct 02, 2022
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By Peter Wyn Mosey
Peter Wyn Mosey participates in People Speak Up Projects, including Story Care and Share, People Sing Up, and Spoken Word Saturday. 

People Speak Up is growing. In a few short years, the organisation has gone from offering a handful of inclusive community projects that bring people of all ages and backgrounds together to becoming Llanelli’s Arts, Health, and Wellbeing Hub with a wide range of opportunities for participants to get involved.

The spiritual home of People Speak Up, Ffwrnes Fach (Llanelli’s former Zion chapel), is alive with energy. With a full program of activities to suit everybody, there has never been a better time to pop along and get involved. 

With lots of new projects running, I caught up with a few participants to get insight into how People Speak Up benefits the community. 

Young People Speak Up

The popular YPSU group meets every Wednesday evening between 5 pm and 7 pm. It is a non-judgmental and inclusive space for young people aged 11+. 

During the summer holidays, People Speak Up opened its doors to YPSU for a wide range of activities, inviting them to join the Story Care and Share group, offering art, craft, and music workshops and Street Play. 

I spoke to 16-year-old Hollie Able, who joined YPSU at the start of the summer and has also volunteered with the Street Play project. Before coming to YPSU, Hollie was nervous about meeting new people. "Joining in the activities and getting involved has been fun". 

Hollie has particularly enjoyed playing sports like football and rugby and talked about how coming to YPSU has made it easier to speak to people and how it’s got her out of the house during the summer holidays. During the last few months, she’s met several new friends with whom she’d like to stay in touch.

PSU’s Artistic Director, Eleanor, said: "I can really see Hollie’s confidence grow. She’s a massive help setting up and helping with the younger children. I’m very thankful”.

During the summer, PSU’s Street Play team was out and about around Llanelli and Carmarthen, pitching up at places like Penagear Playing Fields, Pen Y Fan Park, People’s Park, Danybanc, and more. 

Although the summer is over, Street Play will continue and is open to children of all ages, providing opportunities for them to safely play and meet new friends of a similar age. 

Story Care and Share

Story Care and Share is one of PSU’s longest-running groups. A different facilitator hosts the session weekly, and participants are invited to meet, write, share stories, and be creative. 

As with all PSU projects, Story Care and Share is a safe, non-judgmental space where everyone is made to feel welcome and encouraged. There’s tea and coffee on hand, and there’s always an opportunity to interact with new and old friends. 

I spoke to Val Thomas, a long-time member of the group, who told me that the social aspect of the group is important to her. She enjoys being able “to meet new people and share ideas, knowing you are not completely alone in writing in a solitary space.”  

Many of the Story Care and Share attendees enjoy the program that features a great variety of supportive facilitators from many backgrounds, each with their own approach to sharing their creative experience and empowering group members.  

Being a member of the Story Care and Share group also benefits Val as she feels “able to listen to different styles of readings, poetry, and singing.” 

An in-person session runs at Ffwrnes Fach on a Wednesday from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. On Friday, an online session is held on Zoom from 5:30 pm until 7:00 pm. 

Spoken Word Saturday

PSU’s Spoken Word Saturday is a hybrid event that runs every second Saturday each month at Ffwrnes Fach and online via Zoom. The events are an opportunity for people to share spoken word pieces such as short stories, poems, and music Alternatively, you can just soak up the creative atmosphere of Ffwrnes Fach and enjoy the work of others. 

Each month, there are guest spots from diverse backgrounds, from poets to rappers, storytellers to musicians. 

People Sing Up 

Run by Nerrisa Joan, People Sing Up is one of the newer PSU projects. Meeting on a Thursday from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm, the group is open to anyone aged 16+

Some people might feel daunted about the idea of singing in front of other people. People Sing Up offers a relaxed atmosphere where people can find their voice and build their confidence. 

Regular People Sing Up participant Debs Byers said this about the group. 

“I love singing and I know singing is good for the soul. I've been looking for a singing group for quite some time where there is no outside commitment to practice, where there is no pressure to perform and where the songs are varied and fun. I found all this and more with People Sing Up. I love the non-judgemental feel of the group, and I especially love how I can arrive feeling a bit out of sorts or tired and can forget about everything for an hour and a half and leave feeling a hundred times better than when I arrived.”

As the writer of this blog, I don’t always give my point of view about projects, although I participate in a few. However, I myself have regained lost confidence since attending the signing group

Around twenty years ago, I used to play in bands, sing in choirs, and even enjoyed performing in musicals. Over the years, as life got in the way,  I gradually stopped singing in public — aside from in the car. I also kept my guitar playing for when I was home alone. 

I can’t pinpoint exactly why, but I had started to feel embarrassed about my singing voice— or at least allowing others to hear it. But joining People Sing Up has been a game changer for me, and since going along to sessions, I’ve actually found the guts to bring my guitar along to a couple of Spoken Word Saturday sessions and perform. Who knows, I might finally fulfil my teenage dreams of forming a band.

People Sing Up sessions are fun, inclusive, cathartic, and great for people of all singing abilities.

Men In Conversation

Men In Conversation meet both online and in person. It’s a group that’s open to men from all backgrounds. The group is designed to be a supportive environment for men to come together and talk, get creative, and make new friends.  

Stephen Treharne is a Men In Conversation regular. He told me: 

"I feel that a men’s group is important because it gives us all a sense of belonging, and we can talk about issues that we wouldn’t otherwise share. I feel the Men's group has also given me and I feel others in the group as well some confidence to share our own personal journey which we then turned into a creative space." 

" have benefited so much from being a member of the Men in Conversation group. I have met some fantastic friends here, which has given me a family of brothers, and the greatest gift that this group has given me is respect. We all get good days and bad days, and sometimes we might not agree on something, but there is enough trust to sometimes ask each member if they need to talk about certain things, and of course, the creative aspect has been fabulous, which really helped us men"

The times and dates of Men In Conversation sessions vary, as do the activities the members get involved in. Some sessions are in-person, while others are online. 

If the group is of interest to you, get in touch, and we’ll let you know where and when the next meeting will be. 

Elevenses

As the name suggests, Elevenses is held at The Ffwrnes Fach at 11 am every Friday. The sessions are for people with dementia and their families. 

Each week, a guest storyteller or artist will lead the session, and members of the new Dementia Carmarthenshire Coalition and The Activ communities leisure team will also be present.  

The sessions offer a chance to share stories, get creative, and make new friends. 

Llanelli Social Group

In association with Age Cymru, Llanelli Social Group is an opportunity for over 50s to meet up and spend time together. The group meets up every Monday morning from 10:30 am to 11:30 pm. 

There’s tea, coffee, and snacks available, and the chance to have a good catch-up with old and new friends. 

Arty Afternoons

Anyone looking for ways to get crafty can come along to Arty Afternoons, which is held on Tuesday afternoons between 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm and is open to participants aged 16+. Each week, a guest artist will help you explore a different aspect of the visual arts.  

Just like with other PSU projects, there’s no pressure, just a space where you can develop and hone your craft and express your creativity in new and fun ways. 

Join In

PSU is a growing hub of creative and social activities aimed at improving the well-being of its participants. We offer a supportive and welcoming environment where you can grow and develop. 

If any of PSU’s projects sound like they’re up your street, come join us! For more information on anything mentioned here, get in touch!