Care home residents help hunt down lions in Scotland

Residents from a Bupa care home have helped Scottish authorities track down ten lions in the town of Paisley.

Twenty-five brightly-coloured lion sculptures were scattered around the town of Paisley in a public art trail that encouraged locals, including residents at Bupa’s Norwood care home, to go out and hunt them down.

The local community took part in the art trail to find as many lions as they could to promote the town’s bid to become City of Culture in 2021.

The Norwood home residents took photos with the ten lions they spotted and were congratulated by Renfrewshire councillor Lord Provost Anne Hall on their successful hunt for the colourful kings of the jungle.

Bupa Care Services has 30 care homes in Scotland, which look after more than 2,400 people.

Marc Tuffley, home manager at Bupa’s Norwood care home, said: “When the residents heard about the lion trail, despite not being quite as young as they once were, they were determined to give it a go.

“It was a really fun day out and everyone was delighted to have had the opportunity to take part. Successfully bagging a total of ten lions was also a great added bonus.

“The residents especially enjoyed seeing all the different designs from the various local artists. It was lovely to see the town looking so bright and colourful, and we’re all very excited about Paisley’s bid to be City of Culture 2021.”

The lion sculptures were painted by local artists to raise awareness of the town’s heritage and history, and those who take part in the art trail have the chance to win £100 of town centre vouchers.

The project attracted a number of new visitors and tourists to Paisley for ten weeks during the summer.

The town will hold a farewell event for the lions before each sculpture is auctioned off on 21 October. The auction proceeds will be split between ACCORD Hospice and St Vincent’s Hospice.