Alpacas bring smiles

Alpacas have helped to lift spirits at a Norfolk care home after a difficult year for residents.

The alpacas, owned by Tom Boggan of Wymondham Alpacas, visited Oaklands Care Home, near Diss where they were met with smiles all round from residents and staff.

Becky Kingsland, administrator at the Kingsley Healthcare Home said: “The residents absolutely loved it. They were all so happy and smiling and talked about it for ages afterwards. The alpacas had such a positive impact.” Tom began offering visits and on farm experiences in January last year and has gradually turned his passion for alpacas into a successful small business. He now has nine alpacas and the outing to Oaklands Care Home, which came after Covid-19 restrictions eased, was only his fifth care home visit. He is helped with the care home visits by partner Jess Leeder as second handler.

“It works amazingly well – especially after the year we’ve had,” Tom said. “We see the residents’ faces light up which is especially good after they’ve had to sit staring at the same four walls for months during lockdown.”

Tom started Wymondham Alpacas with three pet boys – Carlos, Diego and Bruno. Two more, Clifton and Galahad, joined the team as experienced trekkers and are particularly good as therapy alpacas. Tom said: “They are absolutely amazing – temperamentally they are as good as gold.”

Wymondham Alpacas are based at Centre Paws, a venue for dogs and their owners, where Tom manages the Blackberry Tearoom. The alpacas arrived after Tom asked the owners if he could rent a field next to the centre’s café.

“I went on an alpaca walk for my birthday about four years ago and decided I wanted to keep alpacas and grow vegetables. I asked a local farmer if I could rent some land but he said no. But I got a fulltime job at the centre and kept on pestering the owners until they gave in and let me use a field next to the café.”

The alpacas are now a popular attraction with visitors also booking alpaca experiences. You wouldn’t believe the number of people who come to see the alpacas,” Tom said.

Award shortlist

The summer holidays have been “extremely busy” and alpaca experiences at the centre, which include a walk and talk about alpaca care, have been fully booked. Wymondham Alpacas was also shortlisted for a Muddy Stillettos award for Norfolk’s favourite family attraction.

Although he didn’t win Tom was delighted to have been recognised as a finalist alongside some of the county’s bigger visitor attractions. “It isn’t a full-time business as I fit the visits and experiences around my work and I don’t like to take the boys out for longer than about 30 minutes at a time. It is really about turning my passion into something that is more than a hobby.”