Derbyshire Care Home Takes Part in 40th Anniversary of the Big Garden Birdwatch

24 January 2019 Press Release

Eckington Court Care Home in Derbyshire, has been preparing to take part in The Big Garden Birdwatch for 2019.

Every year from 26^th - 28^th January, the Big Garden Birdwatch takes place to help monitor trends and understand how the local birds and wildlife are doing. Birdwatchers, both amateur and experts all across the community have a chance to take part by counting and logging all the wildlife that visits during an hour period.

Whilst the lovely staff at Eckington Court provide care for the residents, our residents are providing care for the local wildlife!

In order to attract and care for the local wildlife and allow the residents to get a good look at their feathered friends, the home got creative during activity sessions and made their own bird feeders. These homemade bird feeders were made by using natural materials such as pinecones, peanut butter and birdseeds.

“It’s sticky but it’s fun! They are bound to bring flocks of birds”, commented Sheila, one of the residents at Eckington Court.

“It’s an easy and fun activity that everybody loved. Being part of the community is very important for our home and helping the local wildlife is a perfect way to show how fabulous our local area and Derbyshire is for wildlife”

“Many of our residents used to have their own gardens and enjoyed the wildlife they found throughout the years. It is very important for the staff to ensure that our residents feel that the homes gardens are now theirs and activities like this give them the chance to get creative and relive some fond memories.” said Anita Marsden, Activity Coordinator at Eckington Court.

Eckington Court boasts a large and enclosed garden where all kinds of wildlife visit regularly and are commented on by the residents.

This year is the 40th anniversary of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, which encourages people across the nation to count the birds in their gardens. This allows the charity to monitor trends and understand how the different species of birds are doing.