Spiders for anxiety? Snakes for depression? As animal therapy gets increasingly popular, Eimear O Hagan meets six clever creatures who are seriously in demand
Dale Preece-Kelly receiving our Lockdown Heroes award from Ilse Stride of Bewdley Rotary. Photo by Colin Hill THE founder of a Kidderminster volunteer group set up to help people in need throughout the coronavirus pandemic has received our Lockdown Heroes award. Dale Preece-Kelly started the Coronavirus Support Group at the start of the Covid outbreak last March after his self-employed work stopped, as he said he “wanted to have a purpose whilst unable to work”. He asked for volunteers and was blown away when more than 250 people stepped forwards. Almost 12 months later, the group is still running, with more than 250 volunteers and over 3,000 members.