Residents at a nursing home in Glastonbury enjoyed some up close and personal time with three owls.
The ‘priceless’ reactions at St Benedict’s Nursing Home were apparent as they held, stroked, and learned about the beautiful creatures.
William Merivale, assistant operations manager at the nursing home, drew attention to the unusual nature of the experience.
He said: "The visit provided something very different for our residents - being able to hold owls so close is a rare experience – and we loved seeing their reactions to this very tactile and unusual experience, so a big thank you to Anna and Helen of Owl Obsession."
The owls were guided to visit each resident within the home, providing delight even to those who were being nursed in their own rooms.
Adding to the interactive visit was an educational showcase conducted by owl guardian, Anna Reed, who answered intrigued residents’ bird-related queries.
The visit was organised by Owl Obsession, which was established in March 2023 and currently houses eight raptors.
The centre previously organised two fruitful visits in the last year and is looking forward to two more scheduled for 2024.
With 15 years of experience, the co-founder Anna Reed expressed heartfelt satisfaction from conducting such visits.
She said: "We love visiting care homes.
"It’s so rewarding - and sometimes quite emotional - to see how much the residents love meeting our owls who all have their own quirky and unique personalities."
Resident Harry Williams was particularly enthralled by the visit.
He said: "I was very impressed they showed off different birds from their last visit.
"I got to hold three owls, one from India, a very small owl that would eat tiny mice in the wild, and a barn owl.
"The barn owl was so light."
Ms Reed elaborated on the owls that were part of the visit.
She said: "Everyone says Woody, our Malay Wood Owl, has a little monkey face.
"The other two we took to St Benedict’s this time were Little Fudge and Gizmo the barn owl."
The Owl Obsession visit was part of a vigorous and diverse range of activities offered at St Benedict’s Nursing Home, which provides residential and nursing care for up to 60 of Glastonbury’s residents.
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