Getting up close and personal to three owls in at a nursing home in Glastonbury has sparked ‘priceless’ reactions from residents according to the home’s activities team.

William Merivale, assistant operations manager at St Benedict’s Nursing Home said: “The visit provided something very different for our residents - being able to hold owls so close is a rare experience – and we loved seeing their reactions to this very tactile and unusual experience, so a big thank you to Anna and Helen of Owl Obsession.”

The owls were taken to visit residents throughout the home, including some who were being nursed in their rooms, and they were able to stroke and hold the owls.

The owls’ guardian, Anna Reed, also did a showcase for residents and staff and entertained them with her answers to a range of owl-related and conservation questions.

The Owl Obsession centre was set up in March 2023 and is now home to eight owls. It was their first visit of the year to St Benedict’s Nursing Home, following on from two successful visits last year and with a further two lined up for 2024.

Owl expert Anna, who has an impressive 15 years’ experience working with birds of prey, created the enterprise with her partner Lee Welch and the pair are now assisted by a number of volunteers.

Anna Reed said: “We love visiting care homes. It’s so rewarding - and sometimes quite emotional - to see how much the residents love meeting our owls who all have their own quirky and unique personalities.

“Even when people are living with dementia and maybe don’t seem to be registering much, when I gently place a resident’s hand on an owl’s tummy you can see a spark of interest as they recognise this is a special experience, and the encounters often really bring them to life.”

Resident Harry Williams said: “I was very impressed they showed off different birds from their last visit.

“I got to hold three owls, one from India, a very small owl that would eat tiny mice in the wild and a barn owl. The barn owl was so light.

“One other owl had a face that resembled a monkey. It was fascinating and stared right into my eyes.”

Anna Reed said: “Everyone says Woody, our Malay Wood Owl, has a little monkey face. The other two we took to St Benedict’s this time were Little Fudge and Gizmo the barn owl.

“The residents always coo over Little Fudge, who is an Indian Scops Owl, one of the smallest breeds in the world. He’s only 25cm tall, and we often place him on residents’ laps if they are unable to use their arms.

“We have been told by carers that seeing and touching the owls in some dementia patients can trigger some memories. And they quite often tell us stories of when they have come across owls in their younger days.

“We aim to introduce residents to different owls on each visit.

Owl Obsession offers a range of activities including experience sessions at their centre near Yeovil, as well as static displays at public events such as the Abbey Hill Steam Rally and the Mid Somerset Show, and they make regular visits to local care homes as well as educational visits to groups such as Brownies and the WI.

Their visit was part of a busy and varied programme of activities at St Benedict’s Nursing Home, a family-run care home providing residential and nursing care for up to 60 residents in Glastonbury, details at: www.stbens.co.uk