Banbury hatches plan to celebrate spring

Home news

May 28, 2021

A local care home marked the arrival of spring with a feathery surprise.  

The Care UK team at Highmarket House, on North Bar Place, organised for five duck eggs to arrive for residents to look after to celebrate the changing seasons.

The eggs, which came from Incredible Eggs, an ethical provider of high-welfare hatching kits, were a hit with residents as soon as they arrived at the care home, with everyone keen to ensure they didn’t miss them hatching.

On the day the eggs hatched, there was much excitement from residents to meet the ducklings, and everyone was keen to witness their first ever swim. After spending five days being cared for by residents and the Highmarket House team, the ducklings have moved to their ‘forever home’ after being adopted by a Daventry neighbour, where they now have space to grow and paddle around.

The ducklings brought back many memories from residents’ younger years; one of them, Janet Wood, said: “It was lovely to have the ducklings, and it brought back memories of when I was a child, taking the younger ones to a village which had a chocolate box cottage and a duck pond at the front. Every week, we would make the pilgrimage there to feed the ducks.”

Jo Pohl, Home Manager at Highmarket House, said: “Everyone had a spring in their step after the eggs hatched here at Highmarket House. Having ducklings in the care home has created a lot of excitement among residents and team members alike.

“Petting animals and being in their company have proven therapeutic benefits, particularly for those living with dementia, as it can reduce anxiety and release calming endorphins. You could see from the residents’ reactions just how engaged they were when given the opportunity to look after the eggs and get close to such lovely, fluffy ducklings once they hatched – it was wonderful to watch them take their first swim too.

“The ducklings will certainly be missed, but we’re thrilled to know they have gone to a good home nearby where they’ll be given everything they need to grow and thrive.”

Highmarket House is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, dementia, nursing and short-term respite care. The home, which features 73 en-suite bedrooms, has been designed to enable its residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hairdressing salon and café.

For more information about Highmarket House, please contact Customer Relations Manager, Marisa Ramos, on 01295 297 652 or email marisa.ramos@careuk.com   

For more general information, visit careuk.com/highmarket-house