Penguins Pringle and Widget bring 'happiness' to community hospitals
Two penguins named Pringle and Widget brought a bit of festive joy to a pair of local hospitals in Gloucestershire last week, waddling down their corridors and raising the spirits of staff and patients alike. Pringle, 12, and Widget, 7, were visiting from their home at Heythrop Zoological Gardens in Oxfordshire and decided to pop in to North Cotswold Hospital and Tewksbury Community Hospital to raise spirits and bring a smile to the sick and some levity for those working through the Christmas period. The Humboldt penguin pair made their way into the Morton-in-Marsh North Cotswold Hospital before waddling over spread more cheer in Tewkesbury. In a video released by the Gloucestershire NHS, the pair of penguins can be seen waddling into the patient waiting area, before heading off to meet the hardworking team at the community hospital. Staff and patients can also be seen stroking the relaxed duo, who were more than happy to receive the attention. Following the visit, one of the hospital's patients got in touch to say the penguins had "made her day".