Alpacas bring joy to the Hospice

Patients, staff and volunteers are used to seeing PAT dogs around the Hospice but had to do a double take recently, when two Alpacas, Banksy and Buster visited the Inpatient Unit!

The family of a patient had arranged for the Alpacas, from Gorefield Alpacas, to visit their bedside for an unusual birthday treat. After they had visited them for a stroke and cuddle they made their way to the bays where 99 year old Barbara and 102 year old Ada, were excitingly waiting to meet them.

Barbara, who had been transferred from Addenbrookes a week earlier, was delighted to see real Alpacas at her bedside whilst her son’s Keith and Geoff, daughter Caroline and Grandson, Robert were visiting.

Keith said:

“It is amazing to see Alpacas in the Hospice. Mum has had a full and busy life and has five Grandchildren and five Great Grandchildren. She was brought up on a farm in Wisbech, before she married my Dad in 1948 and moved to Cambridge and this has given her a huge boost.

Since she has been here it has been emotionally very up a down, from day to day, but you can’t fault the Hospice – it is wonderful.”

It also gave the clinical staff a well timed boost in the middle of caring for patients and their loved ones.

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Our ‘Outstanding’ services are provided free of charge to patients and their families. Our aim being to provide the highest quality care, helping people to make every moment count. You can find out more about how we are funded here: arhc.org.uk/how-we-are-funded.