HenPower Launch at Nesfield & Bywater

We officially launched HenPower in two of our homes in Yorkshire this month, which was a great celebration for our residents, our communities and for the older people’s charity Equal Arts and their pioneering project. Together we have brought a community of twelve hens to live in each of our care homes Nesfield Lodge and Bywater Hall & Lodge, as a way of giving new purpose to our residents and tackling social isolation and loneliness.  Zoe Laver, Home Manager from Nesfield says; “The hens give a focus to the residents, some of whom have taken their new roles as ‘henshioners’ very seriously. They feed the hens, clean them out and collect the eggs each day. We get around eight eggs each day! We also bring the hens in to sit on the knees of our residents - they have a wonderful calming effect and we’ve seen such a positive uplift in the home.” One of the residents of Bywater commented on how much the hens helped her to reminisce, “My father was a farmer and it was my auntie that used to tend to all the hens and chickens. It’s such a pleasure to watch them all in the garden here and there’s always plenty of jobs to do.” The hens’ greatest success is in forming relationships - between residents, with carers and further afield with the pupils of local schools, who came in for the opening. The children got involved with holding and feeding the hens for the first time and took part in some hen-themed arts and crafts with the residents.