“We flew to Cyprus to afford £9k IVF – now we’re expecting triplets”
A couple who are constantly mistaken for mother and son flew to Cyprus so they could afford IVF – and are now expecting triplets.
Lauren Kaye, 31, and her wife, Hannah, 29, knew they wanted to start a family but were shocked after being quoted £21k for fertility treatment in the UK.
Instead they looked at going abroad but had to tie the knot first so Hannah, a specialist engineer, wouldn’t have to adopt her own baby.
The couple planned their wedding in just six weeks and got married in August 2024 before jetting off to Cyprus the following month for treatment – costing £9k.
Lauren had Hannah’s fertilised eggs implanted in her womb and found out she was pregnant three days later.
The pair – who often get mistaken for mother and son due to Hannah’s youthful appearance – were shocked to discover they were expecting triplet girls.
Now they are raising money to put towards items they will need for the triplets – such as clothes and bottles – after Hannah was unexpectedly made redundant.
Lauren, who works in medical tourism, from Kingston, Surrey, said: “I get called a nonce and a paedophile.
“People think Hannah is a 10-year-old boy.
“We get it everywhere we go.
“It does happen a lot – like when we go food shopping.
“People try to talk over Hannah.
“Just because she looks young doesn’t mean she’s not entitled to be loved.”
Lauren and Hannah have been together for two-and-a-half years and wanted to start a family together.
They looked into reciprocal IVF in the UK – which involves taking the eggs from one woman, fertilising them with donor sperm and putting them into the womb of another – but were shocked by the cost.
Lauren said: “We went and got quoted in the UK and with everything it was £21,000.
“It’s ridiculous.”
Lauren works with a health company in Turkey called Prime Health Concept – and managed to work with them to create an IVF package for same sex couples for £9k – including all the treatments and flights.
Lauren – who has two children, aged 10 and nine, from a previous relationship – chose to carry the baby so they could be Hannah’s biological kids.
Lauren said: “That way we could both be involved and she didn’t want to carry.”
But before going abroad, the couple rushed to get married in August 2024.
Lauren said: “Me and Hannah had to be married prior to conception.
“Otherwise Hannah would have had to adopt her own baby.
“We did the wedding in six weeks.”
The couple flew to Northern Cyprus in September 2024 and had their embryo transfer on September 18.
The couple had chosen a donor from the international sperm bank who looked similar to Lauren.
Lauren said: “There was a 75 per cent chance one would stick.
“I got my first positive three days later.”
The couple say twins do run in the family but they were not expecting the news at their six-week scan.
Lauren said: “They could see two and needed to do an internal scan.
“They did the internal scan and could see viable babies.
“Hannah’s face dropped.
“We’re very excited.”
But the couple are now raising money to fund items for their triplet girls after Hannah was unexpectedly made redundant in January 2025.
The pair hope to raise £3k for baby items and for their travel and accommodation when the triplets arrive.
The triplets are due in June but Lauren will have a scheduled c-section at around 34 weeks as it is a high risk pregnancy.
But the couple are fearful they could come even earlier and are saving up as much as they can.
Lauren said: “We’ve had to move back to Hannah’s parents – until we can save for a deposit or for private rent.
“We’ll need four to five bedrooms.”
On top of their financial worries, the pair have to deal with trolls online and in person mistaking Hannah for a young boy.
Lauren said: “We went to Boots last week.
“The lady asked if I had a Boots card and said it would be worth getting one.
“I said she [Hannah] has one.
“She said ‘but your little boy can’t be with you all the time’.
“I said ‘it’s my wife’.”
You can support the couple and their triplets here – https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-kaye-triplets
Chaotic scenes as hundreds of sheep run through village
This incredible video captures the chaotic scenes as more than 200 sheep brought traffic in a small town in the Yorkshire Dales to a standstill.
Wayne Hutchinson recorded the incredible sight of the flock of Swaledale Ewes storming through the narrow streets of Hawes, North Yorks.
The sheep can be seen being herded from their farm to moorland above the village, a common practice during winter months.
They are followed by a farmer on a quad bike and his border collie, who keeps the sheep in line as they pause to chew on grass.
Wayne said: “These ewes are ‘hefted’ to this ground, meaning they know and live on this open moor, on their own particular patch, not held in by fence.
“Many generations of sheep from this flock will have made this journey, with lambs learning the route from their mothers, who learnt it from their mothers, an unbroken modern ‘migration’ pattern for this flock.
“A farmer goes on ahead to warn oncoming traffic, but the sheep know their way to the high wild moorland, where they call home.
“These sheep will stay up on the moors until early spring when they are brought down again for lambing in April.”
A video shared by Wayne on social media has been viewed more than one million times.
One user commented: “There is nothing in the world more satisfying than watching a good sheep dog at work.”
Another said: “I love the ‘ooh look, there’s grass’ moment on the corner and the dog coming in saying ‘oh no you don’t! On you go ladies’. Fabulous.”
A third added: “Brilliant drone footage and brilliant farmer and sheep dog.”
A fourth said: “Is there any more magnificent sight than a farmer and collie in perfect harmony herding sheep?
“Also love the way the sheep stop off at the green for a quick nibble of grass.”
Wayne Hutchinson recorded the incredible sight of the flock of Swaledale Ewes storming through the narrow streets of Hawes, North Yorks.
SWNS
“We booked $70k five-month cruise around the world for our entire family”
Meet parents who have splashed out $70k on a five-month cruise around the world for their entire family.
Mark Baker, 40, and his wife, Tiffany, 39, decided to pull their daughters – Giuletta, 10, Penelope, eight, and Delia, seven – out of school and embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
The cruise ship will call at 52 ports in 21 countries – including South Africa, Madagascar and Argentina – across five different continents.
The pair are homeschooling their children and working remotely while they are onboard the ship – which set off from Marseilles, France, on January 6.
They have been on the cruise for 16 days but have already travelled to Spain, Morocco, and Cape Verde. They are currently in South America visiting Brazil.
Tiffany and Mark have spent a whopping $70k for two bedrooms on the ship – and say the cost includes activities on board, food and drink – and they’ve also given themselves a $10k spending allowance.
Mark says the family are in the “honeymoon period” of the cruise and they are already looking at booking another trip in 2026.
Mark, a real estate investor and remote travel advisor, from Terre Haute, Indiana, US, said: “We are loving it so much already.
“It is four months, you don’t have to clean, do laundry, or do a food shop.
“We have a roof over our head and we are travelling to all these incredible destinations on this beautiful ship.”
“Our family is not on vacation, we have moved onto a cruise ship,” Tiffany, a real estate investor and remote travel advisor, added.
“It’s not like everyone is partying for one week – we are living on a cruise ship for four months.
“It is important, as a family unit, to have this family time for our family – this is not a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
“I hope this is the first of many.”
On December 30, 2024, the family travelled to Marseilles, France, where the cruise set off from on January 6, 2025.
They have been on the cruise for 11 days but have been to Spain, Morocco and Cape Verde and are on their way across the Atlantic.
Tiffany said: “Once we left Spain we realised every country until Cape Town will be new to our family.
“It is so exciting that we get to do this as a family, all together, from this point forward we are exploring together.”
Mark and Tiffany said their daughters are enjoying life on the cruise and as a family, they are focusing on “interest-based learning”.
Mark said: “They are loving it, another cost we don’t have to worry about is childcare.
“There is a kids club on the ship that allows them to connect with other kids on board.
“As we were gearing to pull our daughters out of school, we spoke to a lot of families about their approach.
“They spoke about interest-based learning, finding what our daughters enjoy and leaning into that and supporting them.
“That is what we have been doing.”
While they are on the cruise, Tiffany and Mark have a property manager looking after their property portfolio.
Tiffany says she’s sick of the words “work-life balance” and wants to focus on having a life balance.
She said: “I just want to live life, I want a balanced life – that is my main focus.
“Togetherness is our main goal on the cruise, we play games all the time, we are reading books and spending lots of quality time together.”
The family are on social media at @atimerichfamily
List of destinations that the family are travelling to:
- France
- Spain
- Morocco
- Cape Verde
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Falkland Islands
- Chile
- Pitcairn
- French Polynesia
- Cook Islands
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Maldives
- Seychelles
- Madagascar
- South Africa
- Namibia
- Senegal
- Italy
“I’m a professional snake catcher despite being allergic to venom”
Meet the professional snake catcher – who is allergic to snake venom.
Siouxsie Gillett, 49, was worked with animals all her life – supplying animals to major films including Harry Potter, Ridley Scott’s Exodus, and Esio Trot.
But being bitten countless times by venomous snakes and spat at by spitting cobras over the years has caused her to develop anaphylaxis – a severe allergic reaction which could be fatal if she is bitten again.
It’s so severe that now even if she is near a cobra she finds her throat swell up and her eyes become red and swollen and is left with an irritating cough for a week.
But despite the real danger of death, she still works as a snake catcher rescuing, handling, and educating people about some of the world’s most feared reptiles.
In a bid to stay alive if she is bitten, she carries an EpiPen and ensures she is surrounded by people who are trained to rapidly treat snake bites and know how to give CPR in the event she gets bitten again.
Despite all that, when she is filming she will still handle snakes daily.
Siouxsie, from, Boston, Lincolnshire, said: “I’ve had close calls, I have been been bitten by snakes, I have been spat by at cobras, and have had close calls with Racoons and dogs – I was even bitten by a meerkat.
“It’s easier to say what I haven’t been bitten by than what I have – But I absolutely love my job!
“I’ve had close calls, but it doesn’t put me off. I love educating people about snakes and dispelling the negative myths surrounding them.”
Her fascination with misunderstood animals like snakes began during her time as a zookeeper.
“My work in the film industry even got me on camera, eventually landing me my own show called Snake City on Nat Geo Wild,” she said.
While based in the UK, Siouxsie travels extensively during snake seasons.
Her work has taken her to South Africa, where she’s renowned for removing venomous snakes, including the infamous black mamba.
She’s also spent time in India, another hotspot for dangerous reptiles such as the infamous King Cobra.
Siouxsie said: “I only go to places like South Africa for the snake-catching season,” Siouxsie explains.
“It’s not about the money – it’s about the passion.”
The last time she had exposure to venom was during a spitting cobra capture in South Africa.
The cobra spat at her and Siouxsie found that she could not breathe and her throat began swelling up.
After that incident every time she went near a cobra her symptoms would come on – and has been told by doctors that a bite would be potentially fatal.
Siouxsie said: “I rescued a dog that had been bitten by a snake – the dog was covered in venom – and I could feel my throat closing up.
“When I used to be exposed in the past I had no real symptoms so it’s definitely over exposure.
“I do try to avoid getting bitten – but it is just one of those things you have to think about.”
Aside from snake bites she has been spat at by a spitting cobra several times and has had at least three scorpion stings and several tarantula bites.
“The various bites and attacks have happened so many times I can’t remember the exact number!”
However the thing she fears most is being bitten by a black mamba – which caused an old friend to lose their life in just 80 seconds after he was unable to administer himself with an EpiPen.
“If I were bitten by a black mamba, most people would have about 45 minutes before they see symptoms – for me, it’s much quicker,” she said.
“It’s always at the back of my mind,” she said.
Despite the dangers, she said she has never been deterred from doing what she loves. .
For Siouxsie, working with animals has always been about love and passion rather than financial gain.
“Whether it’s working for zoos, doing film work, or rescuing animals, it’s not about money,” she explains. “Especially when you’re doing rescues – it’s a labor of love,” she said.
When she’s not catching snakes, Siouxsie stays busy with her TV show, film work, and educational outreach.
She says part of her mission is to defend creatures that most people fear or dislike.
Siouxsie said: “I’ve always considered them to be misunderstood – I feel sorry for them.
“There’s no deep psychological reason – I just want to dispel the negative myths people have about these incredible animals.
“My passion is so strong – I don’t think about death.”
“I earn $12k a MONTH – by buying and reselling clothes on eBay and Depop”
A woman makes $12k a month on average by buying and reselling clothes on eBay and Poshmark.
Kelsey Mikula, 27, started buying and reselling clothes in 2020 while she was studying zoology at Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, US.
She buys clothes from charity shops like Salvation Army, Goodwill and local thrift stores and sells them on sites like eBay, Mercari and Poshmark.
Kelsey will also collect unwanted clothes from people’s homes and sell them at auction on Whatnot.
In March 2023, Kelsey was able to successfully pay off her $80k student loan and now runs her business full-time.
On average, Kelsey sells $15k of clothes a month – but spends $2.8k a month on the items she resells – making $12k a month.
Kelsey, a reseller and content creator, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said: “It has been crazy how much things have grown since I went full-time.
“Working for myself I have a lot more free time, it is good for my mental health doing something that I really want to do.
“That being said, you need to be productive if you want to see the money coming in.
“Reselling is a performance-based job, if I work my butt off for the whole month my numbers go up.
“I have also streamlined my business in a way that some weeks when I am not working full time I am still earning a full-time income.”
Kelsey started reselling items while she was studying zoology at University to get some extra cash.
After graduating, she would then resell on the side of her full-time job as a unit secretary in a hospital – before taking the plunge and going full-time.
She said: “I didn’t start taking it seriously until 2020 when I finished university and couldn’t get a job in my major.
“I have now surpassed my hospital income.
“I have really taken a dive into content creation which was a hobby for me but is now earning me money.
“My main form of income is still reselling but content creating and teaching people how to resell is bringing in money.”
Since she started reselling, Kelsey has been able to pay off her student debt and buy her dream car, a Ford Explorer.
On average, Kelsey will earn around $12k a month and spend $2.8k a month on items to resell.
Kelsey still gets clothes from places like charity shops and thrift stores and has started collecting people’s unwanted clothes.
She said: “I still source at charity shops and thrift stores, just the other day I found a 36inch poo bear teddy that sold for $160.
“I started doing bulk buyouts where I go into people’s homes and bulk buy the things they don’t want.”
Kelsey primarily sells her items on eBay, Poshmark, Mercari and Whatnot and will host live auctions for her items.
She said: “It is a never-ending circle of people selling, people buying and then people buying to sell.
“I sometimes auction on Whatnot, I will auction off live.
“Whoever gets the last bid or swipe will get the item and I will ship the next day.
“Items can sometimes sell for my starting price of $3 or they can get bid up to $40.
“It’s quite a risk as you don’t know who will be watching and what they are willing to pay.”
KELSEY’S TOP TIPS FOR RESELLING:
1 – Check history of what items have sold for
2 – Find out how fast the items are selling
3 – Don’t go straight to the thrift store, start off with your own items.
19-year-old diagnosed with two rare blood disorders is fighting for her life
A 19-year-old woman diagnosed with two blood disorders is fighting for her life — and a lack of funds could result in death.
Briana Pires, from Spokane, Washington — who recently pulled out of college due to her illness — was diagnosed with aplastic anemia and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), two rare blood disorders causing her bone marrow to fail.
“I had headaches, but I didn’t really pay attention to them,” Briana shares of her year of college.
“Then it started getting worse. I noticed bruising all over my body — my face, arms, stomach, and especially my legs.
“Red spots appeared on my arms and legs, and my vision became blurry. Even a simple 10-minute walk to class began taking 40 minutes because I was so tired and lightheaded.”
Despite these signs, it didn’t register to Briana that something was seriously wrong.
She visited the doctor, hoping for headache medication.
Instead, blood tests revealed her blood cell counts were dangerously low.
“My blood count was at a three or four, and they said anything below seven is critical. I was rushed to the hospital for blood and platelet transfusions,” she explained.
After weeks of tests and ruling out conditions like leukemia and internal bleeding, doctors diagnosed Briana with severe aplastic anemia and PNH.
“My bone marrow was only producing 5% of the stem cells my body needs, when a healthy 20-year-old would produce around 80%,” Briana said.
“Even a 90-year-old produces about 30%.”
For an active and healthy teenager, the diagnosis was devastating.
“I’ve been an athlete my entire life, and I’ve always had a healthy lifestyle.
“I tested negative for everything that could’ve caused this — HIV, leukemia, drug use, even chemical exposure.
“There’s no known cause for my condition, which is really frustrating.”
The impact of the disorder extends beyond her physical health.
“I struggled with doing things I loved. I became depressed. Hanging out with friends was hard because I didn’t have the energy. Even talking left me out of breath,” she said.
The road to recovery includes a challenging bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, Briana doesn’t have a full sibling, the ideal donor match.
She’ll undergo a haplo transplant with a half-match donor, which involves more intensive chemotherapy and radiation.
Briana said it’s been “really hard” for her mom, Evvy Berg, 45, a party planner.
“I’m her only biological child, and seeing me go through this has been so painful for her.
“For me, it’s easier to not think about how life-threatening it is because I don’t feel pain.”
Briana, who currently lives with her mom and stepfather, Eric Berg, 60, an engineer, in Spokane, said she feels “really, really tired” all the time.
On top of her medical battle, Briana faces significant financial hurdles.
At just a teenager, she’s unable to afford the mounting medical expenses and uncovered fertility preservation costs.
“I want to have kids one day, but chemo and radiation can affect my fertility,” she said.
“Insurance doesn’t consider fertility preservation a necessity, and organizations that help fund fertility treatments only support cancer patients.
“It’s been so hard trying to raise the money.”
Through it all, Briana holds onto hope. She dreams of one day returning to school and pursuing her goal of becoming a doctor.
“It’s frustrating having my life put on hold, but I’m determined to heal, figure things out financially, and get back to my normal life,” she said.
Her resilience and optimism shine through, even in the face of uncertainty.
“If I hadn’t gone to the doctor when I did, I would’ve died that year,” Briana reflected. “I’m just grateful to still be here and to have a chance to fight for my future.”
“I get all my food from the dumpster – I haven’t been to the supermarket in years”
Meet the woman who has not done a supermarket shop in FOUR YEARS – and gets all of her meals from the dumpster.
Sofie Juel-Anderson, 30, started dumpster diving in October 2020 while living in Sydney, Australia.
She started out by taking just fresh produce from designated bins – but soon realised she could get an entire weekly shop.
Sofie now only buys household items such as toilet roll, dishwashing soap and toothpaste from supermarkets and spent just £80 in 2024.
By sourcing her food from the dumpster, Sofie saves thousands of pounds annually and has used that cash to travel the world.
Sofie, a restaurant manager, from Aarhus, Denmark, said: “I haven’t done a food shop in four years.
“I don’t really have the need to go as I find all of my food in the dumpster.
“In 2024 I spent just £80 in the supermarket, mainly on non-food items like toilet paper and dishwashing soap.
“The money I have saved allows me the freedom to travel. I spent a lot of my money on travelling and visiting friends around the world.”
Sofie never struggled with being able to afford a food shop, but realised that dumpster-diving would be a more cost-effective way of grocery shopping.
She went with a friend to scout some supermarket skips around Sydney and was instantly converted.
Sofie said: “I always knew about the concept of dumpster diving and I was so curious about it.
“I had never done it before so I thought I would check out a dumpster in Sydney and what I found was insane.
“It was filled with food, some of it had expired, but a lot hadn’t – it started from there.
“It was like a treasure hunt for me. I quickly realised that there was so much good food in the dumpsters, and I didn’t need to go shopping anymore.”
Sofie carried on dumpster diving when she moved back to Denmark in 2022 and now only buys non-food items from the supermarket.
She added: “I don’t have to go to the supermarket anymore. I just did my financial accounting for 2024, and I only spent £80 in supermarkets in the whole year.
“I don’t have a schedule for dumpster diving – I either go a few times-a-week or every two weeks. I find so much, my fridge is always full.”
Sofie said the savings she has made by not grocery shopping has given her freedom – she is able to work less – and travel the world visiting her friends.
Over the last for years Sofie has been to Kenya, Argentina, Italy, Spain and Dubai.
Sofie said: “It allows me freedom. I travel a lot and spend my money travelling and visiting my friends around the world.
“It really allows me to have so much freedom and the freedom to work less. I only work three days-a-week. Dumpster diving allows me the freedom to spend more on the things I love.”
Sofie loves dumpster diving so much that she has even got her family – including her parents, siblings, cousins, and grandparents- involved in the action.
She will cook meals for them using the food she has dived, and they now go hunting together when they are on holiday.
Sofie said: “All of my friends and family know I dumpster dive. When they come over they know that I get all my food from the dumpster.
“They know the food is good as I would never serve my guests anything that I would not eat myself.
“I assess all the food before I pick it. When we go on our family holidays, we dumpster dive as a family.
“The food we eat on the holiday is all dumpster dive.
Sofie said her dumpster diving mission has evolved from a treasure hunt to “everyday activism”.
She said: “I want to create awareness about food waste but also about how we view food and how it can still be good even though the date as expired or it has a bump on it.”
“I went on £10k solo backpacking trip after losing husband and mum”
Meet the widow who embarked on a £10k solo backpacking trip after losing her husband and mum in three months.
Judy Condie, 63, lost her husband, Richard, of 44 years after an eight-year battle with cancer after losing her mum, Mary, just months earlier – leaving her feeling “empty”.
Her eight-year-old dog Jet died too and faced with her first harsh English winter alone she used her savings and booked a five-month trip to Australia and New Zealand in a bid to cope with her grief.
Judy made the plan to go abroad when she found out Richard’s cancer was terminal and says she “couldn’t just wait for him to pass away and wonder what to do after”.
Armed with just a 6lb backpack, Judy retired from her job and flew to Australia in August 2023 to visit her daughter – who lives out there – and embark on her solo backpacking journey.
She toured the west coast of Australia and New Zealand for six months, meeting people and sharing her story – which she says was “honouring Richard’s life”.
Judy explored places beaches on Rottnest Island as well as Adelaide, Melbourne and Surfers Paradise, soaked up the raucous atmosphere of Byron Bay and checked out art museums in Tasmania.
While on her travels, Judy documented her grief process in a journal and has now published a book about her experience.
Judy, a retired welfare manager of a nursing home, from Surrey, said: “The plan, it was a very rough idea, but I couldn’t just wait for him to pass away and wonder what to do with myself – I had to do something to get away and grieve.
“You have to acknowledge the grief and I’ve come back a better person.
“You can’t dwell on these things, otherwise it destroys you.
“It was a very vague plan and I booked things very last minute
“It was very hard at the start because I’d emptied out my life.
“It was weird and frightening in that I had this space in front of me to fill.
“It was really nice to talk to people though, I was on my own and people talk to you. I got such lovely feedback but circumstances grew and my confidence grew.
“You see these beautiful places and you want to share it.
“I was fascinated by how interested people were when I spoke to them and that gave me the confidence to keep going.
“Although it was sad, it was an adventure and a tremendous experience – there were never days when I didn’t want to be there or come home.”
Judy worked with Richard at the same nursing home and knew she wouldn’t be able to face going back to the same workplace after his death.
But she was dealt two other significant blows in the months before Richard’s passing.
She said: “He worked full-time until three weeks before he died.
“It was impossible in my mind to go to work because we both worked together and everyone there was also dealing with the loss – it made sense for me to retire.
“Six months before he died I lost my dog and then my mum at Christmas.
“The dog was a surprise as his cancer came out of nowhere.
“The idea of me going off with my dog was all I needed and wanted so losing him was sad but in a funny way if I hadn’t lost him I probably wouldn’t have gone to Australia as wouldn’t have wanted to leave him for a long period of time.
“Mum was getting closer and I knew they were going to pass at a similar time and that just emptied me.
“Because we have a daughter who lives in Australia it made sense for me to be there.
“I went to Australia and I decided I wanted to go off on my own to find peace and solitude.
“You don’t get over grief but I knew I had to reach those depths to come back stronger and with new purpose.”
Judy says Tasmania was one of her favourite places but the general “heat and light” helped her to heal.
She said: “I was in the most beautiful places – if the heat and light and space of the places doesn’t begin to heal you then nothing will.
“That first English winter would have been ever so hard to get through at that time so I was so glad I went away for it
“It kickstarted my new life.
“It ended up being a fantastic thing.
“I’ve always loved writing and had a dream to write a book – so I wrote it all down for my own benefit.
“Tasmania was beautiful.
“A lot of the places that became favourites were when I had an emotional shift.
“I’d always had this plan in my head of being alone on a beach with no around for miles and I achieved that in Tasmania and it was such a lovely feeling so it’s become a definite memory.
“Byron Bay – I loved being there as an older person and watching life go by
“New Zealand was very different to Australia – green lush hills and it’s beautiful, absolutely fantastic.
“Every stage brought something else and that was really nice.”
On the way home, Judy stopped off to see the sights of Mauritius and South Africa.
Once Judy got back she began writing her book exploring her “brutally honest and light-hearted” take on grief and plans to visit Australia once a year.
You can buy Judy’s book here with a portion of the sales going to cancer charities that Richard supported: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Caught-RIPtide-Judy-Condie/dp/1399993305
Care home residents ‘overjoyed’ after an unusual visit from alpacas
Care home residents have been left ‘overjoyed’ after receiving an unusual visit – from alpacas.
The two alpacas, Len Black and Anton Brown, took a trip to Wingfield care home in Trowbridge, Wilts, as part of pet therapy.
The care home team said the alpacas, who live at Alpaca Adventure company in Shaftsbury, ‘definitely sparked positive memories’ as well as a sense of comfort.
Anna Przybylska, one of the managers for Wingfield care home, said: “We know how impactful pet therapy on elderly, especially those living with dementia, can be and so our activities team quite often organise visits from various pets.
“Usually it’s dogs but on this occasion we wanted something extra!
“That visit brought so much joy and comfort and emotional stimulation, especially for our residents with dementia.
“It was particularly special because we were able to take alpacas to individual bedrooms, to residents who are bed-bound and not able to join regularly in day-to-day activities.”
One resident, who was thrilled by the visit, said: “As a child I used to love all the animals on the nearby farm.
“Today was very enjoyable and it was wonderful that the animals were free to roam amongst us.”
Anna added that such an example of pet therapy helps to invoke a sense of calm admist the elderly, as she explained: “several of our residents could not believe how gentle, calm and how soft the alpacas were.
“Physical touch with the animals can evoke feelings of peace, prompting relaxation and well-being and we were so happy to see several of our more anxious residents to relax and just enjoy the moment.”
Groom in tears as grandparents walk down the aisle instead of flower girls
A groom was left in tears as his grandparents walked down the aisle instead of flower girls.
Faye Peirce and her husband George, both 27, married at Middle Stanley farm near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire on 20 July 2024, with George’s grandparents taking centre stage as “flower grandparents”.
Heart-warming video shows Jenny Bayliss, 80, and her husband Brian, 82, walking down the aisle scattering petals while holding hands.
George has always been close to his grandparents and the couple did not have children at their wedding so decided to give them a starring role.
Faye, a singer and sales professional from Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, said : “George’s granddad even set aside his walking stick for the big moment.
“They were so proud and excited to be part of it.
“Involving them in this way felt so meaningful and it’s something we’ll treasure forever.”
Despite being usually composed, George was overcome with emotion when his grandparents began their walk.
Faye said: “I’ve never seen him cry in the eight years we’ve been together.
“But when he saw them walking down the aisle, he couldn’t hold it together.
“He was a blubbering mess for the entire day.”
Faye and George met when they were students at the University of Surrey in 2017 and have been inseparable ever since.
Faye said: “We’ve done so much together over the years but this day felt like the culmination of it all.”
The day held even more surprises for the grandparents as the couple gave them a special moment on the dance floor.
Faye said: “We invited all married couples to dance floor, where they gradually exited by length of marriage.
“Since George’s grandparents were the oldest couple at the ceremony by the end it was just them dancing alone.
“It was like revisiting their “first dance” together.
“They’re the heart of the family and having them be part of our day in such a meaningful way meant the world to us.
” It was such a special way to honour their love and legacy.”
The video was filmed by @jamestaylorfilms and photographs were taken by @emilyjayneweddings
You can follow Faye for more updates @fayeplunkett
