A BARNARD Castle care home has been presented with three “companion pets” in memory of a much-loved grandmother as a thank you for the care she received.
Before her death in May, Startforth resident Maureen Thompson had spent several weeks at Beaconsfield Court Care Home when she was accompanied by her interactive toy cat, Pearl, which was a great comfort.
Granddaughter Melissa Mullery said: “Those who knew my nan knew she adored animals. As she got older, she unfortunately was unable to take care of a pet so after researching, we discovered a company that makes toy pet companions.”
The companion pets, made by Joy for All, are robotic and are made to look, feel and sound like the real thing and have built-in sensors which respond to touch.
Mrs Mullery added: “She always said the pet brought her so much joy.
Nan’s pet Pearl was the talk of the care home. Staff, residents and visitors could all see how comforting it was to have her little friend with her.
“As a family we decided we would like to keep nan’s memory alive by supporting residents at Beaconsfield Court Care Home.”
Instead of funeral flowers, the family asked for donations to buy companion pets for the home. They have also set up an online fundraiser in memory of Maureen.
Ms Mullery said: “Companion pets are not just for people like nan, they have been proved to enhance the lives of those living with dementia, Alzheimer’s and other conditions.”
Last month Ms Mullery, her mother Marilyn, and daughter Imogen, presented staff and residents at the care home with three companion pets.
The family wants to raise £150 to purchase another companion pet for the home. Anyone who would like to donate should visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Nannymaureen2023
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
