Residents and Colleagues at Tameside’s residential and residential memory care home,
Sunnyside, have been working together to make fat balls to feed the local birds with.
Residents at Sunnyside love to feed the birds in the garden, but buying fat balls is very expensive, so an activity was organised to make their own.
First Bessie, who lives at the home, checked the computer for the perfect recipe. Then fellow Residents Marion (pictured) and Hazel mixed oats, seeds, grated apple and raisins together. Then melted lard was added and the mixture was rolled into balls and kept in the fridge overnight.
When the fat balls were put out into the garden, many different species of birds appeared; big and small! The home even got a couple of squirrels regularly visiting the garden now, and a small robin.
One of the Residents commented, “I just can't believe how much they enjoyed our homemade variety, in comparison to the bought fat balls. We will have to make more!”
Another of the Residents said, “We must buy a book about garden birds, so we can identify the species.”
Everyone liked watching the birds in the afternoon.
Kay Harrison, Care Home Manager, remarked, “Such an enjoyable activity for the Residents. We need to hide round corners to get some good pictures of the birds!”