Autistic Portsmouth man has wish of a lifetime to be a zookeeper granted by Tin-Full-of-Wishes campaign

Tony, who lives in Drayton and is a client of Right at Home Portsmouth, spent the day feeding and caring for several of Tilgate Nature Centre’s animals.

The wish was granted as part of Right at Home UK’s Tin-Full of Wishes campaign which grants once-in-a-lifetime wishes for deserving clients.

The 67-year-old spends five days a week at a day centre which provides support and assistance for adults with learning disabilities. He also receives twice-daily care calls from Right at Home, in his home which he shares with his mother who has advanced dementia.

The Crawley centre’s education officers helped Tony feed several animals including reindeer, goats, ponies and pigs. Tony also carried out a health check on a barn owl before having the opportunity to put on a raptor glove and take her for her daily walk. The day ended with Tony’s favourite experience – getting inside the meerkat enclosure to feed the mob.

Jodey Pritchard, team leader at Right at Home Portsmouth said: ‘We nominated Tony for the campaign because every visit that we go to, he always brings a smile to every carer’s face. It brings us so much joy to see his face light up when he spots animals in his garden or when we take him out. He’s just a pleasure to be around.

‘I don’t see being Tony’s care-giver as a job – it’s not a job, it’s just a pleasure to do. I’d recommend becoming a carer to anyone, it’s so rewarding, especially on days like today when you can see the difference you can make to someone. It’s worth every small moment.’

Alex Hughes, Tilgate education officer said: ‘When we read Tony’s story and heard about the Tin Full of Wishes campaign, we wanted to help to grant his zoo keeper wish. We wanted to provide him with something that he could remember and take back to his friends and family and hopefully give him an insight into what it really is like to be a zookeeper for a day. We’ve really enjoyed having Tony help us out for the day and hope that getting up-close-and-personal with our animals has been everything he wished for!’