Elderly care home residents in Ripon were visited by a parliament of owls for an innovative animal therapy session.
Hoot of a time for Ripon care home residents during animal therapy session A hoot of a time was had by elderly care home residents in Ripon when a parliament of owls paid them a visit for an innovative animal therapy session. Residents at Sycamore Hall Care Home, on Kearsley Road, welcomed their feathered friends from Owl Adventures, a Yorkshire-based falconry and mobile zoo. Guests included Willow the pygmy owl, Juno the barn owl, Eva the Canadian great horned owl, and Maverick the Harris hawk. During the animal-assisted therapy session, resident Celia Berry, 75, recalled how an owl used to visit her garden and Margaret Smith, 87, commented on how beautiful the birds were. June Carling, 87, said:
“Owls are my favourite animal. I have a lovely big picture of one in my room, so it was wonderful to see them face-to-face.”[caption id="attachment_97729" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Sycamore Hall Care Home resident Brian Sawyer, 85, with Willow the pygmy owl.[/caption] Animal-assisted therapy sessions are a powerful way to raise residents’ spirits, tackle feelings of loneliness, and boost wellbeing, according to Sycamore Hall Care Home activities coordinator Jill Scaife. She said:
“You only need to watch the residents interacting with the birds and hear them speaking about it afterwards, to their loved ones and the carers, to see what an impact such a session has. “Residents were amazed at how Maverick flew between staff members outstretched arms. But everyone’s favourite was getting the chance to hold little Willow the pygmy owl. Everyone wanted to keep him. “Thank you so much to Ryan from Owl Adventures for giving everyone a fantastic experience. His talk about the owls and raptors was fascinating for everyone. “We will be running more animal-assisted therapy sessions in future and hopefully we can have Ryan, Willow, Eva, and Maverick back at the care home one day.”Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.
Harrogate Town sign Burnley youngster on loan
Harrogate drivers urged to submit footage of dangerous driving
Popular Dog Day returns to Himalayan Garden near Ripon
New Reformer Pilates studio to open in Harrogate
Work begins on Harrogate and York RSPCA's £2m animal home
Free bike repair event returns to Valley Gardens this weekend
Harrogate trains disrupted following death on railway
Businesses urged to sign up for Harrogate's Restaurant Week
Ripon MP warns over rise in unemployment-related benefits
New children's play area opens at Otley Garden Centre
Harrogate Town sign Middlesbrough midfielder on season-long loan
Harrogate adult learners prove it's never too late to achieve GCSE success
Ashville pupils celebrate GCSE success as new Sixth Form awaits
Police warning after counterfeit cash scam in Knaresborough
Outstanding GCSE results at one of Yorkshire's only all-girls schools
Volunteers transform children's play area at Harrogate hospital
Ripon market days see 31% increase in footfall
Harrogate pupils achieve best top-grade GCSE results in four years
Harrogate High head 'enormously proud' of school's GCSE results
Three new independent businesses join Halls of Ripon
