Care home welcomes ten chickens as part of Big Lottery Silver Dreams programme

Philips Court care home has built a chicken coop to house its ten new chickens, which are set to provide both residents and the community with fresh eggs.

The care home, located in Gateshead, will sell fresh eggs laid by the chickens to raise funds which will provide extra treats for residents to enjoy and benefit from.

Karleen Taylor-Williams, manager at Philips Court, said: “We are always trying to think of beneficial activities that are a little bit different and stimulating for our residents.

"The hens are a great addition to our home and the residents are really enjoying having them here. They have benefited from lots of different interesting activities about hen-keeping and looking after the hens means that our residents have that little bit more independence and responsibility.”

The home has also created a range of activities based on their new pets for residents to get involved with, including cookery lessons, creative writing and digital photography.

The hens have been provided by HenPower, a project funded through the BIG Lottery Fund Silver Dreams programme and managed by registered charity Equal Arts.

Equal Arts aim to provide creative opportunities for older people, and their goal is for Philips Court to take full responsibility of the hens independently after one year of the programme.

Philips Court provides nursing and residential care for up to 75 older people who have dementia, and is part of Akari Care group.