Residents at Altrincham care home flock together for RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

 

To celebrate the annual RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch last weekend, birds and wildlife of all shapes and sizes were spotted at a care home in Altrincham. 

Residents at Care UK’s Halecroft Grange, on Hale Road, dusted off their binoculars for a busy afternoon observing the many feathered friends visiting the home’s garden, when they took part in the world’s largest garden wildlife survey.

Every year, the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch sees more than half a million people nationwide take part, by counting the birds that they spot in their garden within one hour, as well as other garden species such as badgers and hedgehogs. This important survey allows the RSPB to monitor species population and trends year to year.

Keen to learn more about identifying their favourite birds, Halecroft Grange residents enjoyed an arts and crafts session, where they drew and painted birds using watercolour paints. Everyone enjoyed rolling up their sleeves as they gathered birdseed and plastic bottles to create bird feeders to hang in the home’s garden, ready to attract some feathered friends for monitoring.

Commenting on the afternoon, resident Penny Hughes, said: “I started the birdwatch from my window seeing six long-tailed tits on the bird feeder just outside of my room, after that I saw a Robin and a Pigeon. I now ensure I have the bird feeder well and truly stocked.”

Suzanna Sumegi, General Manager at Halecroft Grange, said: “We were delighted to be part of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch again this year and to be playing our part in this important national survey. 

“Birdwatching is a peaceful activity, with vibrant colours and distinctive bird songs also providing calming, sensory stimulation. It’s a hobby that residents can enjoy from the comfort of an armchair, no matter what the weather, thanks to our carefully positioned feeders. 

“The Birdwatch also proved to be a valuable relaxing activity for those residents living with dementia, and everyone enjoyed spotting and naming the many bird and wildlife species which paid us a visit throughout the day. We’ve got our binoculars at the ready for the next flock to fly across Halecroft Grange!”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Halecroft Grange provides full-time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care, and incorporates plenty of space for hobby and leisure activities. The building has been configured into a series of neighbourhoods to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourage social interaction among the residents.