fbpx

Smiles all round as alpacas surprise residents at Leicester care home

Coco and Tufty thrilled residents at Sanctuary Care’s Asra House residential care home during a “heart-warming” visit.

23 June 2022

Residents at a care home in Leicester were delighted by a surprise visit from two local alpacas.

Coco and Tufty thrilled those living at Sanctuary Care’s Asra House residential care home during a “heart-warming” visit earlier in June.

There were smiles all round as the four-legged guests, from Anstey Alpacas in Cropston, went for a wander around the premises.

Resident Sylvia Hughes (right) at the Oaks Care Home in Newtown, Powys, receives a visit from two alpacas for therapeutic value
Resident Sylvia Hughes (right) at the Oaks Care Home in Newtown, Powys, receives a visit from two alpacas for therapeutic value (Peter Byrne/PA)

Residents and their families were able to feed, walk, stroke and interact with the furry guests as part of the animal therapy session.

Karshandas Mistry, 87, a resident at the home, said it was a “lovely surprise”.

He said: “I’ve never seen an alpaca before, but it was a really special experience.

Sarah Tickle (left) and Isabelle Titley guide the alpacas out of a lift
Sarah Tickle (left) and Isabelle Titley guide the alpacas out of a lift (Peter Byrne/PA)

“The alpacas were so friendly and gentle – and their fur is much softer than it looks!”

Sabbir Aswat, activities leader at the care home, said: “This is the first time that we have had alpacas to visit, but it certainly won’t be the last.

“Everyone loved it – we were talking about our furry guests for days!

It won't be the last visit, bosses at the home say
It won’t be the last visit, bosses at the home say (Peter Byrne/PA)

“While moving into our homes is a new chapter, ensuring that our residents feel like they have a sense of purpose and like they are part of something special is so important.

“It was heart-warming to see the joy that the animals brought to our residents, and to have their family, friends and even grandchildren join in on the festivities was wonderful.”

More from Perspective

Get a free copy of our print edition

News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.
You need to agree with the terms to proceed

Your email address will not be published. The views expressed in the comments below are not those of Perspective. We encourage healthy debate, but racist, misogynistic, homophobic and other types of hateful comments will not be published.