There were smiles all round at Highwater House as two very special visitors came along for the day. Two mini donkeys joined the residents at one of our services for a day for lots of attention and cuddles.
The residents at Highwater House are some of the most traumatised people in our community. All have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives alongside mental health conditions plus addictions.
We do as much as we can to boost the wellbeing of the people we support. Highwater House is a friendly and welcoming place, and our furry visitors from South Norfolk company Minidonks started to feel at home too as they came into the main office and dining room to meet the residents.
The residents were in shock when the donkeys first came in and the reaction of several of them was to cry. Manager Angela Herbert said, “It was touching to see how emotional they were. They were totally mesmerised and it was so therapeutic for them. The experience highlights how much they like animals and how kind and caring they are.” Two of the residents enjoyed taking the donkeys for a walk and they quickly discovered they would do anything for a carrot!
The donkeys provided great therapeutic value and the residents were able to get up close and enjoy their stress relieving company. It was lovely how the donkeys brought so much joy and expression to their faces.
Angela said, “They were absolutely overwhelmed. It is something they would like to do again and there’s no question about it, our residents were so taken with Pippin that they would like to sponsor her!”