‘OWL’ SMILES AT HALLOWEEN

Residents at a care home in Bridgwater were taken on a flight of fancy after a special Halloween visit from a local ‘witch’ and her two owls.

Tawny owl Peeps, barn owl Tolkien and handler Naz Kingston swooped into Avalon nursing home as part of the service’s Halloween party event.

Avalon activities organiser Lisa Priddice said individuals who live at the home were delighted to engage with the birds.

“Our residents absolutely loved having the opportunity to get up close to these amazing creatures and to stroke their chests.

“They lifted everybody’s spirits and provided a real talking point, not to mention adding a spot of spooky fun into the proceedings.”

The owls were brought along to the Taunton Road service from local exotic live animal specialists Kingston’s Exotics.

The visit marked the culmination of a week of activity leading up to Halloween with residents helping make spooky-themed bunting and posters to put up in the lounge.

The group also got involved making cakes and biscuits in the shapes of ghosts and witches.

During the day staff dressed up in Halloween costumes with a fancy dress competition in the evening.

“We had Halloween games including the feely box game where the residents put their hands in the feely box and guess what inside,” added Lisa.

“Residents also really enjoyed playing Halloween skittles where they had to knock down the skeletons and pumpkins.”

Lisa, and chefs, Robert Adams and Sarah Duggan cooked up a treat with a special Halloween menu including mummified sausages, pumpkin soup and Halloween slimy jelly

The visit was part of a busy activities programme provided by award-winning dementia care specialists Camelot Care, who run Avalon service.

The organisation has 15 years’ experience in providing top quality nursing and dementia care to the elderly with further homes in Wellington in Somerset and Plymouth in Devon.