A Wiltshire care home was full of animal mischief thanks to an unexpected visitor.

Charlie, the 24-year-old donkey from Kelly's Donkeys, paid a visit to The Wingfield Care Home in Trowbridge.

Residents were delighted to meet Charlie, who was dressed in a personalised Christmas outfit and Santa hat.

General manager Ansitha Sasi said: "Our residents have really enjoyed their unusual visitor today.

"We knew that having a donkey visit the home would be a bit of fun for all our residents, especially as some find it difficult to go on many outings in our minibus.

"We are always looking for new activities for the residents and today we have seen the enjoyment and the therapeutic influence animals can have on people."

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Activities coordinator Chloe Butler said the residents' responses to meeting Charlie were "really touching".

She said: "Stroking an animal has been proven to lower blood pressure, and we know that the benefits of bringing 'the outside inside' and allowing vulnerable people to interact with animals are huge.

"We regularly provide animal therapy visits at the home and they're always a big hit.

"Some of our residents here at the home are nursed in bed or are a little reluctant to leave their rooms so it was lovely that we were able to take Charlie to them today."

Kelly Baker, who has worked with horses and donkeys all her life, has been running Kelly's Donkeys since 2014 from her purpose-built stables on the Somerset/Wiltshire border.

They have a total of 26 donkeys, all of whom are rescue animals.

Over the years, they have visited hundreds of care homes all over the UK.

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The Wingfield Care Home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK's largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals.

The Wingfield provides residential care, nursing care, and dementia care for 83 residents, from respite care to long-term stays.

Barchester Healthcare has been a leading care provider over the last 25 years.

Services include residential care and nursing care tailored to suit individuals.

Many Barchester homes feature a Memory Lane Community, which is a dedicated part of the home designed to support residents who are living with various stages of Alzheimer's or dementia stay as independent and active as possible.

There are have specialist hospitals for patients who require services such as neuro-rehabilitation, as well as specialist care for those with Parkinson's or Huntington's disease.