A resident at a Frome care home spent an afternoon connecting with her favourite animals – pigs!

When Eileen Wilkie, aged 104 and resident at Care UK's Rossetti House on Welshmill Lane, shared that she would love to spend a day at a farm to visit the pigs, the home's team quickly set to work on arranging a special trip to White Row Farm in Beckington. 

Eileen, who was born in Chrik, North Wales, had a love for animals growing up, with a particular fondness for pigs. On the day at White Row Farm, Eileen and her daughter, Amanda, took time to speak to the keeper and watched the pigs in their field.

Eileen said: "it was such a lovely day, we went in the minibus to the farm and when we got there, we thought we wouldn't get to see them because they were all sleeping. Then, they just woke up and surprised us. It was lovely to watch them, and it was such a fun day."

Eileen hung her wish to visit a farm in person on the Rossetti House Wishing Tree, a special Care UK initiative that enables residents to revisit old hobbies and passions or try something new. Whether it's a fish and chip supper, a skydive or watching a football match, no wish is too big or small for the team to try to grant.

Phil Vale, General Manager at Rossetti House, said: "We regularly organise activities and events that promote positive wellbeing and bring back happy memories from residents' younger years. It has been so rewarding to see how much of a positive impact the Wishing Tree initiative has had in creating new memories too.

"Eileen's visit was so heartwarming; she was thrilled to see the pigs and spoke about her excitement throughout the entire visit. When she came back to Rossetti House, she told everyone about her trip to see the pigs. It was a fantastic day that we'll all remember for a long time."

Rossetti House provides full-time residential, dementia and nursing care, as well as short-term respite care, in a luxury setting. Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, the home incorporates plenty of space for leisure activities and hobbies, and has its very own cinema, hair and beauty salon and café. The building has been set out to facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourage social interaction among the residents.

For more information on Rossetti House, please call Customer Relations Manager Helen Cross on 01373 887 988, email [email protected] or visit careuk.com/rossetti-house.