Animal assisted therapy

Dogs which are used for animal assisted therapy were the latest visitors to a community-based initiative in Huddersfield which brings people together for social interaction and companionship.

Labradors Emmie and Kyro were the stars of the show at the recent Caremark Kirklees monthly Coffee Club held at Sandy Mount extra care housing scheme in Crosland Moor.

The dogs belong to Michelle Jackson, the Managing Director of sister company Caremark Redcar and Cleveland, who provides therapy dogs as part of the service delivered to customers in her area and which has been massively popular since being launched in 2023.

Michelle now has ten dogs which are integrated into assessed care packages, but this is the first time she has brought them to another area to provide therapy. Emmie and Kyro were joined by therapy dog in training, Cockapoo Sunny who is owned by a friend of Michelle.

Caremark Kirklees Director Fiona Smith said: “We had a fantastic sunny afternoon which meant customers and staff could spend time with the dogs indoors and outdoors and it would be a massive understatement to say they melted hearts and brought so much joy to everyone.

“The dogs have tremendous health and well-being benefits so even to be able to spend just a few hours with them was special, and hopefully this will just be the first of many visits from Michelle and her amazing animals.”

Caremark set up the Coffee Club in May 2023 as a way of combatting loneliness and social isolation among older people. The aim was to bring people together in one room for free food, refreshments, entertainment/activities, with a view to encouraging social interaction, particularly for Caremark customers who live on their own.

It proved so popular that the club moved from its original venue in Honley to the Kirklees Council owned Sandy Mount extra care housing scheme in Crosland Moor, which is more spacious and has better access.

The Coffee Club, which takes place on the first Friday of each month, has grown from strength to strength and recent other activities have included live entertainment, a birds of prey demonstration and a visit by ZooLab, a company which provides more unusual animal encounters such as a snake, tarantula, hissing cockroach and giant snail.

Fiona adds: “We’re always striving to introduce more interesting and stimulating activities for our customers and as a result Coffee Club has become an important fixture in people’s calendars each month.”