Percy the Peacock back at Oswestry orthopaedic hospital

Tuesday 21st June 2011, 3:43PM BST.

Percy the Peacock is released back to the grounds of his home at the Orthopedic Hospital.

One of Oswestry’s orthopaedic hospital’s best-known characters has returned home after recovering from a broken toe.

But Percy is no ordinary resident – he’s a peacock who has been living in the hospital’s grounds for 12 years. He broke his toe a month ago and has had an enforced lay-off at a specialist veterinary centre.

But he has returned in time for the summer fair, hosted by the Orthopaedic’s League of Friends at 11am on Saturday.

And organisers are so keen to show Percy how pleased they are to see him home, they want him to perform the opening ceremony.

“We didn’t have a celebrity lined up to open this year’s summer fair so we thought we’d try and get Percy to do it. After all he is a VIP – a Very Important Peacock, “ said league of friends spokesman Richard Jones.

But he admitted they are not sure if Percy will co-operate. It took two days to catch him before he was treated at the RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Nantwich.

Percy was taken back to the hospital on Monday by RSPCA inspector Nayman Dunderdale. The fair is the league of friends’ biggest fundraiser of the year. Last year it raised £17,000.

By Deborah Knox

View more: Oswestry Orthopaedic Hospital news.