Residents at The Manor House care home in North Walsham have opened an order book for homemade bug hotels, which they plan to sell at a fair later this year.

Beryl Sadler and Michael Giblin, residents at the Norfolk home, built the first bug hotel for its grounds, with the help of the Manor House gardener and maintenance man. It proved so popular among relatives and friends that residents have opened an order book and will be making the hotels, and other craft items, to sell at a fair later this year.

Home manager Paula Pawsey said, “It was Michael who first saw something online about building bug hotels and after talking with Beryl and Zoe, our gardener, they agreed to try and build one.

“The project has grown from there and with the help our maintenance man, John, the first bug hotel was made. It looks great and is made from things found in our grounds and a few extras – we have had so many requests for more that we have decided to make them a real feature at our craft show later in the year.”

Bug hotels can provide a safe hideaway for wildlife and help make use of garden waste. A well-built hotel can shelter anything from hedgehogs to toads, solitary bees to bumblebees, and ladybirds to woodlice.

Manor House is is part of the Healthcare Homes family of 48 homes and 11 homecare branches.