Olive-capped squirrel monkeys Tia and Azbo paid a special Christmas visit to Spencer Court in Woodstock, last week, where residents were overjoyed to be greeted by these tiny primates.

Sally Connolly, Activities Coordinator at OSJCT Spencer Court, who organised this special event, explained: “We hold regular residents’ meetings in the home, where residents can discuss and agree what activities they would like to do.  This is their home, so it’s important that they get a say and choice in what they would like to do.  When we asked what they would like to do more of in a recent meeting, they all said ‘animals’!  So we arranged for these monkeys to visit.”

Spencer Court has a fun and varied schedule of activities planned in the line up to Christmas, making the festive period as magical as possible with activities designed to promote the mental and physical enrichment of their residents. The home was visited by Humboldt penguins last year which was a massive success with residents and families, so this year they wanted to do something just as special but also slightly different, so opted for squirrel monkeys instead.

Tia, aged 14 and Azbo, aged 12, were brought to the care home by keepers at Heythrop Zoological Gardens, based near Chipping Norton. The visit was provided as part of the zoo’s Animal Encounter services which aim to educate people about animals, their habitats and how they are taken care of at Heythrop.

Residents at Spencer Court were delighted to meet Tia and Azbo, with several residents recalling specific memories with animals and a general love for them. Resident Georgie Babic said: “The monkeys are lovely – this is much better than watching TV!”. Georgie recounted the visit from the penguins in December of last year, but the monkeys had definitely made a lasting impression on her as she declared they had become a firm favourite of hers. Fellow resident Winne Parker, who recently celebrated her 109th birthday at the home, said with a smile on her face, “they are nice and warm”, as the monkeys perched on her shoulders.