Violet, 89, befriends family of Robins at Castleford care home

Violet harper, aged 89, loves nothing more than watching the world go by and observing the wildlife that visits her Brookfield Avenue care home, Newfield Lodge.

Staff at the home spend time getting to know each resident, their likes, dislikes, hobbies, interests and life history as part of Ideal Carehomes unique initiative, #thisisme.

It was through this project that Lifestyle Manager, Emily Waugh, discovered that Violet would love to encourage new flying friends to drop in ahead of this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch.

The Big Garden Bird watch is an annual event hosted by the environmental charity RSPB, which encourages people to record the wildlife that visits their gardens in an effort to understand the challenges faced by wildlife across the country.

To Violet’s delight, the care team surprised her with an outdoor bird feeder, complete with hanging feeding blocks, a bird bath and lots of different types of seeds and suet balls for the birds to enjoy. Violet wasted no time in spreading the seeds and waited to see who dropped in first.

Although over 15 species of birds visited Violets feeding station, it was the daily visits from the family of Robins that truly brought a smile to her face as she laid fresh seeds and fat balls in anticipation of their visit.

Violet said: "I am delighted that the Newfield team were so eager to help me fulfil my wish of seeing new wildlife at the home. Our new little bird feeding station in the garden means the world to me and I am so pleased to see so many little visitors getting some much needed seed to keep their tummies nice and full in the winter months .

"I have always been a huge fan of bird watching. My husband and I used to feed bread to the birds each morning. Without fail, our feathered friends would be waiting for us, all lined up in the garden - our neighbours would laugh!

"I can’t wait for the summer months to come, where the days are longer, and I can see the birds dropping in for tea."

General Manager, Lynn Robinson, said: "To have the opportunity to put something like this together for one of our residents is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. The Newfield Lodge team really came together to make Violet’s wishes come true, and it just shows how much the Ideal Carehomes #thisisme initiative really works to bring our residents and staff together!"