Half a dozen ducklings have been born at an Ipswich care home as part of a new therapy project for residents.

Residents and colleagues at Prince George House in Ravenswood nurtured the eggs and saw six ducklings hatch over ten days in the first weeks of March.

The new arrivals form part of a special project provided by Incredible Eggs, a professional chick and duck hatching service for nurseries and care homes across the region.

And care home staff say the scheme has “calming” benefits for residents, especially those living with a degenerative illness.

Residents enjoyed the experience so much that the Prince George House team have decided to build an outside hut so that all six ducks can permanently live at the care home once they are ready to leave their indoor brooding box.

Home manager Katherine Foley said: “We have all really enjoyed incubating the eggs and watching them hatch. The duckling project has many calming and sensory benefits for residents, particularly those living with dementia, as well as reminiscence for the many residents here who used to keep their own ducks and chickens in the garden”.

Prince George House is also home to two cats, called George and Milly, and a dog called Scruff.

Each pet is voted for by residents using the home’s dot-voting system.

Ms Foley added: “We think it is really important to support residents to maintain their independence and take an active role in the day-to-day running of their home, by encouraging them to choose what activities they would like to do, what pets we should get and what we should name them.

“It’s been a great success”.

Prince George House, on Mansbrook Boulevard in Ipswich, provides residential, nursing and dementia care for up to 80 people as well as flexible day care in the adjacent Prince George Club. For more information call 0333 321 1986 or visit careuk.com/prince-george-house.