OULTON COURT AND BLOOMSBURY CLOSE RESIDENTS GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH TWO ALPACAS – AND A SKUNK
A skunk and a pair of alpacas were among some unusual visitors to an Oulton Broad community, when Shipmeadow-based Unicorn Alpaca Walks brought a number of animals for residents to meet, stroke and hold.
Alpacas Baloo and Gino joined Bear the skunk and a number of smaller animals including a rabbit and a pair of guinea pigs for a special visit to Oulton Court, as part of a community event for residents of the sheltered scheme and of nearby Bloomsbury Close.
Children and families joined older residents at the event, which also included arts and crafts activities and an Easter egg hunt.
The event was aimed at boosting the wellbeing of residents, and bringing the two adjacent communities closer together. Oulton Court, which is run by Broadland Housing Association, provides 33 flats offering independent living for the over-55s. Thirty-five families live in Bloomsbury Close, the majority of whom are also Broadland Housing tenants.
“We take our animals to all sorts of places and it always makes people glow,” said Kerry Nichols, owner of Unicorn Alpaca Walks, an organisation which runs a unique recreational farm resort at Shipmeadow.
“It is magical how meeting the animals really brings people out of themselves. We take them into places such as care homes and schools, and it is very moving to see how everybody smiles when they come into contact with the animals.”
Paula Strachan of Broadland Housing said that the event would help bring the two communities closer together.
“Oulton Court is right in the middle of Bloomsbury Close, so it was lovely for the neighbours to come together. It is amazing to see so many children and young people interacting with the older residents at Oulton Court, and a love of animals is something which transcends any generation.
“We hope the neighbours will be talking about the afternoon for some time to come.”
More details about Unicorn Alpaca Walks can be found at www.wilderley.com.