NEVER mind the weather, spring is definitely in the air at Hazelbrook Nursing Home in Horwich.

Residents know that because of the latest visitors whose company they have been enjoying for the past few weeks.

The fluffy ducklings pictured here are the latest in pet therapy at the Albert Street nursing home.

And there’s no such thing as an ugly duckling as far as the elderly people are concerned.

Everyone one of their five ducklings is a hit.

Home administrator, Julie Cunningham said: They are loving it.

“They love watching them swimming in the paddling pool and they love to hold them and stroke their fluffy feathers.”

Mrs Cunningham explained that the home has regularly had four-legged friends visit to offer pet therapy.

But when nurse manager Alison Harvey was looking for something a little different to ring the changes for residents, she came across Incredible Eggs . . . on the ‘web’, of course.

The company supplies ‘hatching kits’ complete with incubator and water trays.

Residents and staff at Hazelbrook enjoyed the sight of the eggs hatching, and watching the newly hatched ducklings grow. After a short time, from the comfort of their chairs in the lounge, the residents could hold the little birds and see them grow.

Mrs Cunningham said: “It has been hugely successful, especially for residents with dementia.

“They enjoyed watching the ducklings being delivered, then watching the ducklings swimming and getting bigger as they were in the paddling pool.”

Sadly for the residents, the ducklings had to go back to the Incredible Eggs farm yesterday. But it’s an exercise the staff will be keen to repeat. “We’d definitely recommend it,” said Mrs Cunningham.

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