This Christmas, I finally get to go clubbing like everyone else

On a dance floor under disco lights, Dylan Hughes is letting loose to Olly Murs, JLS and One Direction.

He's in his element when he dances - and his mother says it's one of the things that makes him come alive and express himself.

The 23-year-old, who has Down's Syndrome, dreamed of having a night out in Cardiff - but struggled to find anywhere that felt safe enough, until an inclusive night club event was started in Treforest, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Dylan's mother, Victoria Hughes, says making meaningful relationships can be "really difficult," so it's important to have a space like this.

A self-proclaimed lover of a disco, Dylan had heard of similar events, but couldn't find anywhere locally to go and get his groove on safely.

He brought the idea to Crwban supported living service, who arranged the Christmas-themed event.

"A lot of these adults are vulnerable, so they need to be somewhere safe, where they can just be themselves and not worry about what people might think of them," added Victoria.

The event was set up by sisters Sian Perez and Katrina Morris, who run a supported living service for people who are neurodivergent or have learning disabilities.

"We wanted to provide a safer environment for our residents to get to experience the same thing everyone else their age get to experience - and after realising there wasn't anything out there, we decided to put the event on ourselves," Sian said.

It has everything you'd expect from a nightclub such as mocktails, a DJ, a dance floor and even bouncers on the door - but with an "accessible" twist, Sian added.

"Our residents have such varied needs and no persons are the same, so a lot of effort has been put in to make sure everyone feels safe."

Declan, another one of the attendees, posed as a bouncer to help make the night feel authentic.

It was the 27-year-old's first night out.

He said the thought of going into a nightclub environment filled with people he doesn't know "terrifies" him.

Visual cue cards saying things such as "I don't want to dance" were available so people could communicate their needs.

Staff were also easily identifiable, as Sian explained: "There's a number of support workers with Santa hats so there's familiar faces for our residents and a quiet area with mindfulness activities in case everything gets too much."

Both Sian and Katrina hope this will be the first of many similar events - so a night out can become just as common for their residents as it is for everyone else.