The theme of the celebrations was animals. In preparation for the big day residents and staff all made and decorated special animal themed hats to wear, which looked amazing.
The fun began with some garden games including pin the tail on the elephant and parachute games.
The main event of the day was a visit from Animal UK who brought along a host of incredible creatures for everyone to meet. This was an opportunity for residents to experience rare animals they would not normally have the opportunity to see.
First out of his box was Odi the baby skunk. At just sixteen weeks old he was really playful and eager to meet all the excited on lookers. He was incredibly friendly and loved the attention he got from everyone and fortunately he did not let off any unwanted smells!
Jane, Elston House’s Registered Manager, was brave enough to get to grips with Angus the Lesser Tenrec. The animal handlers were full of interesting facts telling us that although Angus looks very similar to a hedgehog he is in fact more closely related to an elephant!! Other animals on show included Danny the bearded dragon and Duke the leopard tortoise (above) who came all the way from Africa to join us.
“Overall the day was a great success and the weather stayed dry for ‘most’ of the day. It was a fantastic way to celebrate nine years since we opened and now we will start the planning for our BIG 10 year anniversary in 2019.”Jane Bellamy, Registered Manager
After all the animals had gone home there was one last surprise when an ice cream van pulled into the car park. Everyone present at the party was treated to an ice cream of their choice which rounded off the day in the best possible way.