Chickens fly their care home coop to visit charity

CHICKENS flew the coop at a Pelton care home to visit a nearby charity for those with learning disabilities.

The feathered residents from Pelton Grange Care Home, on Front Street, were taken to GOALs (Go Out and Live), a day care and out-of-hours service in the town.

One of the charity’s service users, Stephen Hodgson, was among those to meet the chickens.

He said: “I enjoyed spending time with the hens. This is something I haven’t experienced before.”

Pelton Grange Care Home resident Audrey Robinson, who has become known as the chicken whisperer at the home, showed Stephen how to handle and care for the hens.

She said: “It was lovely to introduce our hens to those from GOALs. Hopefully they can come and visit us soon and see the hens in the coop outside.”

The chickens were homed at Pelton Grange Care Home as part of the HenPower Project, run by charity Equal Arts.

The project aims to improve wellbeing and reduce loneliness among the elderly and includes weekly creative sessions run by the charity’s associates.

Christopher Hogan-Hind, home manager at Pelton Grange Care Home, said: “The impact of the HenPower project has been massive at the home.

“Residents are engaging daily with the hens and the creative sessions are proving very popular.

“Both the sessions and hens are a fantastic way to build relationships in the community, such as with GOALs, as we’re always looking for new ways to play an active role in Pelton.

“We hope to take the chickens on more day trips in future as well as invite nearby schools, charities and other groups into the home.”