Friday, 26th August — By Anna Lamche

Lucien Paul Stanfield with some of the chickens that live in a coop on the roof at the Claremont Project in White Lion Street – the scheme is appealing for volunteers to care for them

IN Cluckingham Palace, Queen Lola rules the roost.

A large black hen with piercing eyes, glossy feathers and a magnificent red cockscomb, Lola is one of four chickens to join the Claremont Project this year.

Based in Angel’s White Lion Street, it is a community centre for older people, offering dancing, painting and kung fu lessons – among many others – for those over 55.

“Over the years, people have asked us for pets, and we really wanted a dog, but that actually takes [a lot of] responsibility. So we settled on chickens,” said chief executive Lucien Paul Stanfield.

The chickens, which come from North Hertfordshire, live in a coop on the centre’s roof. Volunteers who help look after them are rewarded with fresh eggs.

“Looking after animals is usually really good for your health and is really good fun,” Mr Stanfield said.

“Chickens have their own unique personalities and it’s easy to sit up here on the roof and just watch them for a bit. They’ll even talk back to you if you chat with them.”

He added: “They all have their individual, quite distinct personalities. Lola’s quite dominant – pecking order is a real thing. They establish a hierarchy, and woe betide you if you try to come up in the world.”

Mr Stanfield has learned a lot about them since the chickens joined the centre in spring.

He added: “A weirdly interesting fact about chickens is their cockscomb: the bigger and more splendid it is, the higher ranking the chicken is.”

The centre is currently appealing for more volunteers to help out with the chickens.

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