Harry had worked on a farm for many years and his wish was to reconnect to the animals he held most dear from his working life, the chickens. He wanted to have a shed and some hens in the gardens of the setting where he lived. Harry is a quiet gent, with no immediate family or close friends. He kept himself to himself and was not part of any activities or groups on scheme. His communication with others was limited and so visual aids were produced to support him. Through his Community Circle he realised his dream of having a shed and 4 hens on scheme. His confidence grew, people wanted to be part of his dream and supported with the care of the hens. He would approach other Circle groups and sit, have a cuppa and join in conversations. People commented about both his growth in confidence and indeed his whole demeanour.

There were a number of collaborations for this Circle. Firstly, Connector approached Men’s Sheds, a community group bringing local isolated gents together, whom Harry asked to build his shed, coop and run for the hens. She also contacted Lucky Hens, a local chicken rescue charity who offered advice, guidance and whom supplied the 4 rescue hens we rehomed. They brought together other residents whom had an interest in chickens to see if they wanted to be part of regular care for the hens. In addition, they had a gent whom was on placement at the scheme who was keen to be part of the ongoing maintenance of the hens and coop.

Teams worked closely and intensely to help make Harry’s dream a reality. Community Circles reached out to all connections to bring knowledge, expertise and skills to this Circle.

Care & Support managers supported rotas to ensure hens were kept fed, watered and well looked after. They also liaised with Harry’s finance team to help him fund the buying of the hens and shed (Harry was fully involved in decision making around paying for what was required)

Building managers looked at health & safety requirements and called a residents’ forum where questions and concerns could be raised prior to hens coming to scheme.