Star of the show

It may sound quackers, but a new star of the show has emerged at a community-based day centre in Redcar.

Flappy, the nine-month-old Indian Runner Duck, recently made her first appearance at The Safe Place, a thrice-weekly event ran by Caremark Redcar and Cleveland for people who benefit from activity-led, social interaction.

Run by a dedicated team, Safe Place offers dominoes, quizzes, crosswords, arts and crafts and exercise along with the chance to meet up with friends over a cuppa.

Innovative activities are welcome and with the mental health benefits of interacting with animals well known, it’s safe to say Flappy took to her new role like a duck to water.

“We are always looking at new ways to stimulate our clients and we were approached by Flappy’s owner and thought why not,” said Caremark Redcar and Cleveland Managing Director Michelle Jackson.

“We’ve brought therapy dogs to the sessions before and Flappy has proved just as popular.”

Flappy is owned by Ashleigh Smith, a qualified veterinary nurse currently taking a break after giving birth to daughter Olivia six months ago.

She raised Flappy from an egg and also owns five other ducks as well as two dogs, two guinea pigs and some fish.

“I heard about someone in the USA who took a duck into hospital to cheer up the patients and I was inspired,” said Ash. “Ducks are such loving creatures.”

After further research Ashleigh contacted Safe Place and after putting all necessary safeguards in place Flappy made her debut.

“It went really well, and it was lovely to see all the smiles on people’s faces,” said Ashleigh.

Michelle said tackling isolation is an important part of the service provided by Caremark.

“Home care does not mean restricting people to their homes,” said Michelle.

“Social contact is so important for an enriching, enjoyable life and organising these sessions and helping people to get there is an important part of the work that we do.”

Safe Place runs every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at Redcar Rugby Club. It is fully accessible and open to Caremark’s customers and people who have been assessed by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council’s Adult Social Care Team. Private paying customers are also welcome.