Stratford-upon-Avon care home opens doors to pair of unusual furry friends

Home news

Dec 17, 2019

A Stratford-upon-Avon care home has surprised an 81-year-old resident with an unusual meet and greet, in the shape of a special visit from a pair of alpacas.

The team at Care UK’s Ambleside on Evesham Road runs a Wishing Tree initiative to help make residents’ wishes come true. They decided to surprise resident Gillian Boss, who has always wanted to meet the friendly South American animal.

Animal lover Gillian saw alpacas once before on a local farm many years ago, where she forged strong memories of the visit, which made the animal a real favourite of hers.

Julia Joy, home manager at Ambleside, said: “Residents are at the heart of everything we do here, and we always like to go the extra mile to grant their wishes. Gillian had such lovely memories of an early alpaca visit, so I am really pleased that we were able to make her dream of seeing one again a reality, and on this occasion, truly getting up close to the lovely duo.

"The team at Ambleside are well acquainted with the therapeutic benefits of animal visits, as we host a number of these as part of our ongoing programme of lifestyle activities. Very few of us had seen an alpaca before, so this was an extra special session, which proved to be a real mood lifter for all, as well as a fantastic surprise for Gillian. The alpaca is such a gentle and social animal, so was extremely welcome in our home. We can’t wait for our next animal visit – whatever the breed or size!

“Gillian told us she’d had a wonderful afternoon and naturally, she’d love to see the alpacas again soon.”

Ambleside is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short term respite care. Designed to enable residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the care home has its very own cinema, coffee shop and hair salon, with plenty of space both indoors and out for relaxation and recreation.

To find out more about Ambleside care home call 01789 868 298, or email Francesca Brennan, customer relations manager, on francesca.brennan@careuk.com

For more general information visit: careuk.com/ambleside